UBUNTU is Organizing an ambitious Conference on Reforming our system of global governance:
November 20 & 21 in Geneva, Switzerland
By Rob Wheeler

UBUNTU, the World Forum of Civil Society Networks that focuses on the Reform of our International Institutions, is holding its next major conference in Geneva at the ILO (International Labor Organization) on November 20 and 21. The Conference will include dialogues between representatives of different levels of governance and civil society activists. For example, representatives of the primary associations of local authorities, of parliamentarians, and of civil society organizations will all be participating.

The governments of Brazil, Chile, Spain, Finland, France, Sweden, and Switzerland have also agreed to participate. In addition, the Chairman of the G77 and Permanent Ambassador of South Africa; the Executive Secretary of the G77; the Secretary General of the League of Arab States; and the President of the Human Rights Council and Permanent Ambassador of Mexico will be participating. It would thus appear that both governments and intergovernmental organizations are finally taking this call for the transformative Reform of our International Institutions quite seriously.

UBUNTU calls specifically for the strengthening and democratization of the UN and more particularly for a Peoples Parliamentary Assembly to be established at the United Nations. The conference organizers are also asking the various stakeholders to “put forward their views on the main weaknesses in the current system of international institutions as regards global democratic governance; their visions of the corresponding reforms that are the most crucial for us to undertake; and the level of their urgency and/or necessity.”

Among the questions the organizers hope to haved answered is, “How can we construct an international social and political movement that is capable of initiating a process to reform our system of global governance? How can this process be initiated and what should the characteristics of this movement be?” The goals of UBUNTU are to involve as wide a range and number of stakeholders and civil society organizations as possible and to develop and work on specific proposals from civil society to carry out these reforms.

In particular the Conference will address World Disarmament and Human Security; Innovative Means of Financing for Development; Bringing the International Financial Institutions Back Under the Control of the United Nations; the Need for a Global Environmental Agency; etc. For example, the Heads of State stated in the Millennium Declaration and again agreed during the 2005 UN World Summit that, “We are determined to establish a just and lasting peace all over the world in accordance with the purposes and principles of the UN Charter… We recommit ourselves to actively protecting and promoting all human rights, the rule of law and democracy, etc…”

Thus UBUNTU is raising the following question: “What really operative reforms and measures to attain these objectives must we introduce into the Security Council, the recently created Human Rights Council and the General Assembly itself, and how?”

Similarly, the governments stated in both 2000 and 2005 that, “We strongly reiterate our determination to ensure the timely and full realization of the development goals and objectives agreed at the major UN conferences and summits, including those agreed at the Millennium Summit called the Millennium Development Goals.” UBUNTU thus asks, “What really operative reforms and measures must we introduce into the General Assembly, ECOSOC and multilateral organisations like the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank and the World Trade Organization to attain these objectives, and how?”

The Conference on the Reform of Our International Institutions is free and open to all interested parties on a first to register basis. You will find the Conference Brochure and can register for the Conference at: www.reformcampaign.net/index.php?lg=eng&pg=ginebra_2006

UBUNTU also recently launched Phase 2 of its Reform Campaign. This looks to be exciting as it appears to be much more ambitious than was Phase 1. To begin with UBUNTU is calling for mechanisms to enable the world's citizens and civil society organisations to be directly represented and to participate in global decision-making processes. In short, they call for "WORLD DEMOCRATIC GOVERNANCE" to help solve the serious problems and huge challenges that face the world today.

In addition, UBUNTU wants to support specific campaigns both to reform our existing system of international institutions and for solving our primary global problems. In short they want to continue to develop civil society proposals focusing on the conceptual, intentional, and methodological foundations of reform. However, the purpose and strategy is to educate the public on the need and importance of in-depth reform; to set up committees and/or groups of focal point promoters of the Campaign at all levels (regional, state, sub-state, local, sectoral, etc.), that will actively contribute to attaining the objectives of the Campaign all around the world; and to channel the pressure of world public opinion towards the international powers (international organisations, different levels of government, world economic actors, etc.) to impress on them the importance and need for such in-depth reform; etc.

Finally, UBUNTU is planning to create a 'World Committee for In-Depth Reform of International Institutions' that will actively lobby for it - thus establishing dialogue with the United Nations system, other international bodies, different levels of government and other important groups on the world scene. In addition, UBUNTU is planning to develop a media campaign; organize debates and endorsements by parliaments, city councils, different levels of government, civil society movement and organisations; and to promote 'internal' debate on the Campaign issues within the international institutions themselves. We are also suggesting that the Annual DPI/NGO Conference ought to include and focus on these issues as well.

However, among the more promising strategies is the one to present the conclusions of the Campaign to the UN General Assembly and to circulate a petition to convene a world conference on the in-depth reform of the system of international institutions. As is said on the website, “at the heart of this system would be a stronger, more democratic United Nations Organisation, with effective control over all its bodies and agencies and over global multilateral organisations. Such an institutional system would be empowered to contribute to building a fairer, more equitable, diverse, sustainable and peaceful world.”

Anyone that would like to support these efforts to strengthen and democratize our institutions of global governance can endorse the Manifesto for the In-Depth Reform of the System of International Institutions at: www.reformcampaign.net; set up a new focal point and/or Campaign Committee; or sign on to promote the Campaign. You can also read about UBUNTU’s recommendations under the Political Documents section on the website, focusing particularly on the London Declaration and the Proposals to reform the system of International Institutions: Future Scenarios.

If civil society really gets behind this initiative, there is no reason why it can’t be successful.