ARTICLE
51. Promotion of international peace and security:
The State shall endeavour to —
(a) promote international peace and security;
(b) maintain just and honourable relations between nations;
(c) foster respect for international law and
(c) encourage settlement of international disputes by arbitration.
Clause (c) of the above article refers to
"fostering respect for international
law" but today there is no legally constituted
World Parliament for enacting international laws which would
be enforceable on all the countries and peoples of the world.
A law that has no legal sanctity, is not legally enforceable
and if it does not carry a penalty for its violation cannot
be called a law at all. In that sense, there is no international
law in the world today. In order to respect the international
law, we need to have a legally constituted World Parliament
which has the power to frame international laws for the whole
world. International body like the United Nations which runs
its activities with the contributions and donations of various
countries and which is mostly guided by five veto powers has
no power to legislate and its decisions are also openly flouted
and ignored by member countries.
Today, people all over the world, particularly the children
are deeply perturbed and fear for their future. Most people
are mortally afraid that the enormous nuclear stockpile of nearly
36,000 warheads, assembled by the seven nuclear countries, will
one day end all life on our planet either in a deliberate war
or by accident. The United Nations has proved utterly incapable
of stopping this suicidal arms race. Before the UN came into
existence, there was only one country i.e. USA which had the
Atom Bomb (a toy Bomb in comparison to the Nuclear Bomb). Today,
we have seven countries with about 35990, nuclear
warheads (see details below):
1. United States
has 12,070 nuclear bombs capable of reaching
all over the world
2. Russia has 22,500 nuclear
bombs with range of 11,000 kms
3. France has 500 nuclear bombs
with range of 5,300 kms
4. China has 450 nuclear bombs
with range of 11,000 kms
5. Great Britain has 380 nuclear
bombs with range of 12,000 kms
6. India has 65 nuclear bombs
with range of 2,500 kms
7. Pakistan has 25 nuclear bombs
with range of 1,500 kms
Total - 35,990
Nuclear Bombs
In addition, about 80 countries have developed and stockpiled
deadly chemical and biological weapons. No country has the technical
know-how nor enough money to destroy these weapons of mass destruction.
According to experts twenty times more money and technology
will be required to destroy a bomb than was used in its manufacture
and just one percent of the existing nuclear stockpile is sufficient
to obliterate all life on earth.
Also, Gil Eliot has calculated that about 110 million people
have perished in man-made deaths during the first 70 years of
the 20th century which includes 38 million soldiers. It means
that one out of every 30 inhabitants on earth was killed through
government criminality.
It is thus clear that there is an urgent need to redeem humanity
from its present condition. It is also equally clear that only
'a new international political
and economic order' can eliminate this huge
nuclear stockpiles. It is in this context that Article 51 of
the Constitution of India, specially clause (c), assumes paramount
importance.
A RAY OF HOPE FOR SAVING THE WORLD:
The provisions enshrined in Article 51 of the Indian Constitution
is a beacon and provide a ray of hope for saving the world from
the impending nuclear and environmental catastrophe. Only a
legally constituted 'World Parliament' with the power to enact
international laws that apply to all countries of the world
as well as to all individuals, can provide the much-desired
peace and security to the people of the world.
SAFEGUARDING THE CHILDREN'S FUTURE:
In 1999, CMS students collected nearly 100,000 signatures of
the citizens of Lucknow on an appeal on behalf of children of
the world, requesting the Secretary-General of the United Nations,
Dr Kofi A. Annan, to safeguard the future of world's children
by initiating steps to form a World Government capable of ensuring
world peace, eliminating all weapons of mass destruction, protecting
the people from international terrorism and conserving the ecology
and environment. The appeal also drew the attention of the Secretary
General to Article 51 of the Indian Constitution and urged him
to request all governments to add a similar provision in their
respective constitutions. This appeal was personally presented
on behalf of the children of the world, by the undersigned at
the Millennium Forum meeting held at the United Nations headquarters
in New York from 22nd to 26th May, 2000.
LETTER TO CMS FROM DR. KOFI A.
ANNAN SECRETARY GENERAL, UNO:
In his reply to CMS, the Secretary General Dr Kofi A. Annan
expressed helplessness of the United Nations. He said that "People
all over the world look to the United Nations to protect them
- from hunger, disease, violence, and natural disasters - whenever
the task seems too big for nations, or regions, to handle alone.
But we at the United Nations can do nothing alone, either. Our
strength is the strength of our member states, when they agree
to act together for the common good. Next year, leaders from
all over the world will come to New York for the Millennium
Summit. They will consider the challenges ahead, and what the
United Nations can do to face them. Those leaders will be representing
you, the peoples of the United Nations. It is up to you to make
sure that they come here firmly resolved to take decisions which
can lead to a better life for all of us, and for our children
... and I am counting on you all."
LETTERS TO WORLD LEADERS AND U.N.
AGENDA ITEM 30:
Accordingly, we wrote to the Heads of State and Heads of Government
of all the countries of the world, requesting them to support
formation of a 'new international political and economic
order' at the Millennium Summit held at the UN headquarters
from 6th to 8th September 2000. In reply CMS received letters
of support from several world leaders including the Prime Ministers
of India, Australia, New Zealand, the President of Slovakia
and leaders of many other countries. However, at the Millennium
Summit itself, no Head of State or Head of Government spoke
a word about the formation of a new international political
and economic order, even though this was an important
item on their agenda (see highlighted portions of the enclosed
Agenda item 30 of the General Assembly's Resolution for the
53rd Session, dated 10th May 1999 section 8) which calls for
the "establishment of a new international political
and economic order".
U.N. RESOLUTION AND MILLENNIUM
FORUM DECLARATION:
Earlier the General Assembly through its resolution number A/RES/53/202
dated 12th February 1999, asked the Secretary General Dr. Kofi
Annan to consult with the Civil Societies and Non Governmental
Organisations before preparing the agenda for the Millennium
Summit. (Copy of the U.N. Resolution is enclosed) Accordingly
a conference of the civil societies and NGO's was called in
New York from 22nd to 26th May 2000 (called the Millennium
Forum) which in its declaration also called for strengthening
and democratizing the United Nations "leading towards
the formation of a new international political and economic
order".
FAILURE OF MILLENNIUM SUMMIT IN
ITS PURPOSE:
Unfortunately, in the final analysis the Millennium Summit failed
to come to any concrete conclusion and the participating leaders
did not discuss the most vital and crucial item on the Summit's
agenda, namely the formation of a new international
political and economic order. Most of the leaders only
spoke on the issues that concerned their own individual countries
and were silent on the most important issue of them all namely
the formation of a "new international political
and economic order".
SURRENDERING A PART OF SOVEREIGNTY
TO SAVE EXISTENCE OF MANKIND:
Admittedly, for this to happen countries will have to
surrender a part of their sovereignty, but then the choice before
us is State sovereignty versus the existence of mankind.
It pointed out that the time has come, for all the right-minded
individuals of the world to make a sincere endeavour for propagating
the spirit of Article 51 of Indian Constitution. |