Rule of Law

The hallmark of modern civilization is that it advocates, and is based upon, the rule of law.  The world over, societies and communities are governed by written rules and regulations which are enforced and applied on all, without favour or prejudice.  This is as true for Village and Town Councils as for Municipal Corporations and for Provincial and National Governments.  However, it is yet to become true for the International Comity of Nations, where the decisions of the UNO or its constituents like the General Assembly or the Security Council, are not mandatory and countries may or may not abide by these !

The World Today

The world today is passing through probably the most difficult phase in human history when the very survival of humanity, nay, life itself, is gravely endangered.  The threats come not only from the huge nuclear stockpile of over 36,000 warheads but also from the alarming rise in worldwide pollution levels and the ever-growing ecological imbalance. Recently, a new and probably far more deadlier threat has emerged in the form of international terrorism which is a direct result of international lawlessness and lack of enforceable international law.

Ineffectiveness of the United Nations

Like its unmourned predecessor, the League of Nations, the United Nations has also failed to fulfil the objectives for which it was formed.  In the five and a half decades of its existence, the UNO has seen more people die in numerous wars all over the world, than had died in both the world wars combined.  The UNO also saw the nuclear countries build up massive stockpiles of nuclear weapons, said to be over 36,000 warheads strong. Moreover, 80 countries have also stockpiled chemical and biological weapons. The UNO has been a silent spectator to all this and more. In its half a century of existence, it has merely watched as three fourths of the earth's tropical forest cover disappeared.  Even though the UNO has many achievements to its credit, in the ultimate analysis, one has to admit that it has fallen far short of the expectations of its founding fathers. 

In the aftermath of the terrorist attack on the USA, the UNO seems to have gone into hibernation with both the US and Afghanistan ignoring it altogether. One is reminded of what Jan Tinbergen, the 1969 Noble Laureate in Economics, said,  "World's problems can no longer be solved by national governments. What is needed is a World Government. This can best be achieved by strengthening the United Nations system."  It may be pertinent to point out that national armies that were created to provide safety to their people, have utterly failed to generate a sense of security.  No country is safe and
people all over the world feel insecure and unsafe.

Need of the Hour

The need of the hour today is for an international law making body, a World Parliament, whose enactments would be universally applicable on all the countries and peoples of the world.   However, world leaders have already demonstrated their lack of statesmanship which was clearly evident at the UN's Millennium Summit (held from 6th to 8th September 2000 at New York) where even though the agenda included discussions on 'a new international economic and political order', the biggest gathering of Heads of State and Heads of Government failed to come to any conclusion.  All of them were singularly preoccupied with the affairs of their own countries and
the issues confronting their regional neighbours.

World Judiciary - Humanity's Last Hope

Now that all others have failed humanity and have proved incapable of preventing wars and terrorist crimes, people all over the world feel totally helpless and letdown.  Their last hopes rest with the world judiciary, for, Judges are the only  ones who are trusted and respected by all, the masses as well as the classes, all over the world.  As the conscience keepers of mankind and as the custodians of the welfare of humanity's silent masses, it is the moral duty of the world judiciary to come out of their Courts and to deliver a public judgement on the urgent issue of global governance.  A wonderful opportunity to demonstrate their support and to lend the weight of their office and personage to the cause of world unity and world peace, offers itself to the Judicial fraternity at the 2nd International Conference of Chief Justices of the World being held at Lucknow, India on Sunday, 23rd December, 2001.

The voice of a united World Judiciary cannot be ignored and shall have to be heard and obeyed by all.  Therefore, Judges of the World must unite for the sake of humanity's survival, for the sake of world's two billion children and for the sake of Justice for all.  If the Judiciary fails to grasp this historic opportunity, then nothing can save the world from total annihilation in a third world war.

Perhaps, it would be best to quote a renowned Judge as the final word on this issue.  Chief Justice B. J. Odoki of the Supreme Court of Uganda, wrote on the above Conference of Chief Justices: "I consider the Conference of utmost significance in recognising the importance of the need to foster respect for international law as the only way to save mankind from the scourge of war and self-destruction.  International peace and security cannot be achieved without effective observance and respect for international law."

World Parliament for World Peace

Perhaps the choice before all who inhabit this earth, is whether the unification of humankind will happen after unimaginable horrors precipitated by humanity's stubborn clinging to old patterns of behaviour, or is to be embraced now by an act of consultative will.  For, there is no doubt that only a legally-constituted World Parliament can bring about world unity and ensure world peace as also initiate global efforts to conserve the environment and to outlaw and eliminate all weapons of mass destruction, thus safeguarding the future of humanity and specially the world's two billion children, born and yet-to-be-born