World Federalist Movement
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The World Federalist Movement (WFM) is a global citizens movement with member and associated organizations around the globe. The WFM international secretariat is based in New York City across from the United Nations headquarters. Founded in 1947 in Montreux, Switzerland, the Movement brings together organizations and individuals committed to the vision of a "just world order through a strengthened United Nations." WFM has ECOSOC consultative status at the United Nations. It currently counts 30,000 to 50,000 supporters.
WFM calls for an end to rule by force by creating a world governed by the rule of law. This objective would be accomplished by strengthened and democratized world institutions that would have plenary constitutional power. World Federalists support the creation of democratic global structures accountable to the citizens of the world. They advocate a world government based on the principles of federalism. World federalism calls for the division of international authority among separate agencies, a separation of powers among judicial, executive and legislative bodies.
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History
In the aftermath of World Wars I & II, activists around the world were forming organizations bent on creating a world order that could prevent another global war.
The Campaign for World Government, the first world federalist organization was launched in 1937. In 1938, Federal Union (http://www.federalunion.org.uk/index.shtml) was organized in the United Kingdom. In the U.S., Federal Union (now Association to Unite the Democracies (http://www.iaud.org/)) was established in 1939 calling for a federation of the Atlantic democracies. The Mouvement Populaire Suisee en Favor d'une Federation des Peuples (http://www.weltfoederalisten.ch/) was created in Geneva in 1940. During WWII, anti-fascist resistance movements shared clandestinely circulated copies of Altiero Spinelli's plan for European federation. In 1945, the Committee to Frame a World Constitution convened at the University of Chicago and drafted a Constitution for the World[1] (http://magazine.uchicago.edu/9512/9512Salvation.html). In 1947, five small world federalist organizations came together in Asheville, North Carolina and agreed to merge as the United World Federalists.
These five groups had in the previous year met with representatives of fifteen others in Montreux to discuss creating a worldwide federalist organization. It was one year later, in August 1947, also in Montreux, that more than 51 organizations from 24 countries came together at the Conference of the World Movement for World Federal Government. The Conference concluded with the Montreux Declaration.
By its second congress in 1948 in Luxembourg the Movement consisted of 150,000 members of 19 nationalities and 50 member and affiliated organizations. The 350 participants in the Congress laid the groundwork for an association of parliamentarians for world government, which came into being in 1951.
Federalists had hoped that the anticipated UN review conference (under Article 109 of the UN Charter) in 1955 would move the UN further in the direction of a world federal system. Unfortunately, the lack of political will dissipated any interest in such a conference. Around 1965 however, the Movement had established offices near the United Nations, with American federalist Marion McVitty as the Movement's UN observer and advocate.
Federalists in this period focused on amendments to the UN Charter as a way forward. Most involved reforms to institutions such as a more representative Security Council, a World Court with compulsory jurisdiction and judicial review authority and a democratically elected General Assembly (or a world parliament). Federalists proposed a number of new institutions such as a commission on sustainable development, an international development authority, a standing peacekeeping corps and an international criminal court. Most recently, WFM has been at the forefront of advocating for NGO access to international conferences and meetings.
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Involved Persons,Past and Present
- Andrew Clarke - Secretary General of the Movement, (from at least 1967 to 1972)
- Tom Griessemer - first Secretary General of the Movement
- Max Habicht - Swiss federalist, President of the Montreux Conference
- Harris Wofford - American federalist, President of Student Federalists; coauthored the Montreux Declaration
- Sir Peter Ustinov - British actor, President of the Movement (1990-2005)
- Bill Pace - Executive Director of the Movement (1994-present)
- Abbé Pierre - French federalist, promoted world federalism in Czechoslovakia and the U.S. following Montreux
- Edward Clark - American federalist, promoted world federalism in the Near, Middle and Far East following Montreux
- Henry Usborne - British federalist, promoted a "Peoples' Convention" in the U.S. to elect a world constituent assembly
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Member organizations
WFM over 30 member and associated organizations, including:
- Citizens for Global Solutions, United States;
- Jeunes Européens Fédéralistes, Belgium;
- Ugandan World Federalists (http://www.wfm.org/index.php/organizations/87);
- Indian National Organization of World Federalists (http://www.wfm.org/index.php/organizations/82); and
- Many others (http://www.wfm.org/index.php/pages/39?XARAYASID=d44aa2c4984bce3d22590ad393f5094e).
External links
- Jeunes Européens Fédéralistes (http://www.wfm.org/index.php/organizations/97), Belgium
- Indian National Organization of World Federalists (http://www.wfm.org/index.php/organizations/82)
- Ugandan World Federalists (http://www.wfm.org/index.php/organizations/87)
- World Federalist Movement (http://www.wfm.org/)