Towards One World?

New Zealand Listener, Volume 29, Issue 736, 21 August 1953, Page 15

Towards One World?

XT week, from August 22 to 29, two. international conferences will be held in the Parliament House of Copenhagen, Denmark. They are the fifth congress of the World Movement for World Federal Government, and the third annual conference of the World Association of Parliamentarians for World Government. The two groups are interdependent in many of their activities, and both believe in the need for a more stable and secure world system of political structure. One of the subjects to be discussed at both conferences is a plan for amendment of the United Nations charter, which is due to be revised at the tenth annual session of the General Assembly in 1955, The World Government movement is an independent organisation with many dedicated workers in America, Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia and New Zealand. In many ways its aims run parallel with those of the United Nations, but its supporters desire to carry on the work of UN in a more intensive manner than is done at present. Its principal objectives are the formation of a supranational authority, with the power to govern by legislative, judicial, and executive action the aggressive acts of member nations: the drafting of a world federal constitution, and the creation of an international development authority to help raise the living standards of backward areas, and eliminate illiteracy and malnutrition. The president of the World Association of Parliamentarians is the Rt. Hon, Clement Davies, and the honorary president is Lord Boyd Orr, formerly head of the United Nations Food and Agricultural Ofganisation. The first parliamentary conference on world government held in London in 1951 incorporated the views of members of parliament from practically every country except Russia and China in what was called the London Resolution on World Government. t : The London Resolution stated among — other things that "whereas war and fear of war cannot be abolished so long as any nation claims as part of national. sovereignty the right to prepare and wage war against other nations" a supranational authority should be set up to créate an international police force "to protect every part of the world community against all forms of international violence." The authority was also intended to bring about the peaceful

settlement of conflicts through legislation and compulsory adjudication of disputes by the courts. It would. determine the size of local police and militia forces, and would control "so far as is necessary" the manufacture, distribution and use of armaments. The London conference resolved in addition that "the urgent positive task of mankind is to make a concerted effort to raise the quality of living of all peoples in under-developed countries and to aliminate illiteracy, squalor, hunger, malnutrition and preventable disease om their lives." It urged that governments should confer "within the United Nations or elsewhere, with a view to increasing present United Nations activities in this area and to establish an overall Development Authority-to coordinate this task." The World Federalists fifth annual congress will be presided over by MajorGeneral H. Riiser-Larsen. This part of the World Government movement is a development of the British Federal Union founded in 1938. Its first meeting was held in Switzerland in 1947. Many members believe it is necessary to transform the United Nations into a World Federal Government through amendment of itsy charter. Others believe that a world constitution should be drafted immediately as a practical means of paving the way to its adoption by national governments. At present, member organisations of the World Federalists support through annual membership fees a Secretariat which performs liaison work with the United Nations. Among the more dynamic supporters of the movement in the United States is Norman Cousins, editor of the Saturday Review of Literature, whose outspoken editorials have had a wide influence on American opinion and have helped to stimulate such schemes as President Truman’s Point Four Plan for technical assistance to under-developed areas. The New Zealand branch of the World Federalists has its headquarters in Auckland. It issues a monthly newsletter which reaches over 250 members and supporters. Members of the organisation contested seats at the general election in 1951. The New Zealand branch believes that New Zealand’s foreign policy should be directed towards convening a world constitutional assembly to draft a world federal constitution.