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Editor's commentary - United Nations General Assembly President Dennis Francis disagrees with critics who complain that the UN is "irrelevant." He asks a fair question: What would we replace it with? My answer is for the UNGA to launch Charter Review (Article 109) and replace the outdated and fatally flawed Charter with the Earth Constitution, essentially creating a "new UN."
The Earth Constitution, designed over 30 years by the World Constitution & Parliament Association, corrects what is wrong with the UN: Its Charter is undemocratic with 188 nations denied voting rights. The UN lacks independent funding. Also, the Charter lacks an adequate World Judiciary System with real Enforcement. Bully nations operate above the Law, their leaders when responsible for world crimes have impunity.
Tell President Francis to have the UN General Assembly launch (under Article 109) Charter review and to utilize the Earth Constitution as its guide, model and authority for the establishment of a "new UN," one with the capacity to end war itself, and to help introduce an era of world peace and prosperity. -- Roger Kotila, PhD, DWF NEWS
EXCERPTS from the INTERVIEW with President Francis
Mr. (Dennis) Francis assumed his presidency in September and will serve for a year. The veteran diplomat from Trinidad and Tobago recently sat down with UN News to reflect on his priorities, the important role of the General Assembly, and why critics should engage with the UN.
UN News: As you have reminded us, the General Assembly unites all 193 UN Member States. Your resolutions, though non-binding, do carry moral weight.
Dennis Francis: Absolutely. They make a political declaration on the part of the majority of members of the international community. And in a sense, they create a sort of soft law because resolutions of the General Assembly represent, in a sense, the conscience of humanity, the dominant view of humanity.
But let me say this: the UN does not exist out there on its own. It is comprised of 193 sovereign Governments. That word ‘sovereign’ is very important because it means that those Governments can and do make decisions based on their national interests and priorities.
What the UN does is create a platform for them to come together to try to agree common approaches to various global problems.
So, I'll ask this: If the UN is irrelevant, what would you replace it with? And so, I say to people thank God the UN exists because it creates a much-needed platform for coordination, consultation, and cooperation among 193 States that would otherwise have no means and no opportunity to meet, to coordinate, to solve global problems and issues.
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