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World Judiciary — Last Hope For Humanity’s Survival |
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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! |
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| 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-widening 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. |
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| Ineffectiveness of the United Nations and need for strengthening the UNO |
In the six 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. Since its 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. 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 and so also has UNO. No country is safe and people all over the world feel insecure and unsafe. It, therefore, is necessary to strengthen the UNO, by suitably amending its Charter, so as to make it a more effective body for preventing wars, resolving international disputes, countering terrorism, conservations and protection of environment, ensuring nuclear disarmament and evolving enforceable world law, to ensure world peace and prosperity and a safe future for children. |
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| Need of the Hour |
Now that the leaders of various countries are unwilling or incapable of either arresting the global stockpiling of weapons of mass destruction or reversing the massive tide of environmentally damaging and ecologically destructive activities worldwide, the need of the hour clearly is for an international law-making body, whose enactments would be uniformally applicable on all the countries and all the 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 recommended by the U.N. Millennium Forum of Civil Society organizations and the N.G.Os 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 general matters and the affairs of their own countries and the issues confronting their region and neighbours. We have also seen outcome of the Second Millennium Summit held on 14-16 September, 2005, at New York. The much talked about reforms of the UNO are nowhere in sight. The less said the better. |
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| World Judiciary — Humanity’s Last Hope |
On behalf of now over 32000 CMS students representing the world’s two billion children, I Mr Jagdish Gandhi wrote many letters to Dr Kofi Annan, Secretary General of the UNO requesting that children’s Right to a Safe Future be recognised and included in the UN’s Declaration of Rights of the Child. The Secretary General chose to reply (vide letter dated 16th July 2001) to only one of my letter (dated 29th June 2001) which had also congratulated the Secretary General on his reappointment, and even then Dr Annan only thanked me for compliments and made no mention of my request on behalf of world’s children. Clearly, the United Nations is neither ready to grant nor deny this right to the children! Having failed to find justice anywhere, CMS had the option of either keeping silent or of taking the children’s case to the world judiciary. Having appointed itself as the custodian of the welfare of world’s children, born and yet-to-be-born, CMS has decided to approach the Chief Justices of the World and solicit their support in favour of the children’s cause. The children’s last hope rests with the world judiciary, for, Judges are the only authority who are trusted and respected by all, the masses as well as the classes. 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 International Judicial fraternity at the International Conference of Chief Justices of the World on Article 51(c) of the Constitution of India held at Lucknow, India.
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. |
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| World Unity and World Peace – Strengthening of UNO and empowering the International Court of Justice |
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. It needs serious considerations whether world unity and world peace is possible by strengthening the United Nations system’ or by a totally new worder order, which may 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 and those yet-to-be-born. Besides for interpretation of International/world law and for adjudicating disputes and dispensing justice, it will be necessary to strengthen the International Court of Justice and to extend the jurisdiction thereof to all nations |
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| Children’s plea to World Judiciary |
We, over 32,000 the students of City Montessori School, Lucknow, on behalf of world’s two billion children, are approaching World Judiciary, who are our only hope because the judges, with their dedication to justice, impartiality and regard to universal values and law are highly esteemed and trusted by all sections of society.
Since the minds of the judges are conditioned towards justice and also because they are capable of facilitating the establishment of a new world order as their views and pronouncements would act as a mandate from the people to advise world leaders on the vital issue of saving humanity and ensuring a safe future to world’s children and also those yet unborn, only the Judiciary is capable of paving ways, by impressing upon the world leaders, to bringing about ‘enforceable International World Law’ binding on all countries and peoples of the world either by reform of the UNO to create a body for evolving such world law or by a new world order. It is also expedient to empower the International Court of Justice by extending its jurisdiction.
As the conscience keepers of mankind and as the custodians of the welfare of humanity’s silent masses, World Judiciary should come out to deliver a public judgment on the urgent issue of global governance.
The voice of the united World Judiciary cannot be ignored by other sections of the world, howsoever powerful. Children expect that the judges of the world shall unite for the sake of humanity’s survival and for safe future for children and generations to come. |
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| Hence world children’s only hope — World Judiciary ! |
On behalf of children of the world |
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Jagdish Gandhi
Convener of the Conference
Founder-Manager of CMS |
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