Reforming International Institutions

by UBUNTU Forum Secretariat

• ISBN13: 9781844078110
• ISBN10: 1844078116
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2009-10-30
• Publisher: Routledge

Summary

There is now considerable unanimity that international organizations such as the United Nations, the World Trade Organization (WTO), Bretton Woods Institutions and the international economic architecture need to be reformed in order to achieve greater democratic governance to tackle the myriad of challenges facing the world. Written by leading members of the international community under the auspices of the World Forum of Civil Society Networks - UBUNTU, this book provides a diverse and rich resource on all aspects of the reform of international organizations. The book introduces the reader to the main organizations of the international multilateral system, presents proposals for reform and provides an analysis of the political action required to achieve global democratic governance. Coverage begins with an historical overview of global campaigns for reform of international organizations, including those put forward by the UN, Bretton Woods Institutions, governments, civil society and academics. The book analyses world democratic governance in the context of defining moments in the post-Cold War including the impact of the Washington Consensus, the Millennium Development Goals, trade rounds of the WTO and the rise of globalization and its opponents-the anti-neoliberal movement. The book then considers thematically the various proposals for international organizations reform and the political action required. These include changes to the UN including the Security Council and the General Assembly and the potential for a world parliament. Also addressed are institutional reforms for world social, environmental and economic well-being that would require the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank, the WTO and the world financial architecture more generally to be refounded within the United Nations. The final section includes a plan of action to promote reform and progress towards global democratic governance.

Table of Contents

List of Figures	p. ix
List of Contributors	p. xi
Preface	p. xxi
Prologue	p. xxiii
List of Acronyms and Abbreviations	p. xxvii
The World Campaign: Context and Stages
By Way of Introduction: The World Forum of Civil Society Networks - UBUNTU, Democratic Worldwide Governance and the World Campaign for In-depth Reform of the System of International Institutions	p. 3
The founding document of the UBUNTU Forum	p. 5
The Global Democratic Governance and the reforms in some international institutions Forge Nieto Montesinos; and the decision to launch the Campaign	p. 8
The World Campaign for In-depth Reform of the System of International Institutions	p. 15
First Phase of the World Campaign (2002-2005)	p. 15
Second Phase of the World Campaign (2006-2009)	p. 19
The World Social Forum and 'To make another world Possible ... reform the International Institutions'	p. 22
Analysis
Analysis of the Evolution of the Proposals for the Reform of the System of International Institutions	p. 29
Proposals from international organizations	p. 29
Inter-governmental and governmental initiatives	p. 32
Proposals from ad hoc groups	p. 35
Civil society initiatives	p. 39
Proposals from the academic world	p. 45
World Democratic Governance	p. 51
The Washington Consensus, the fall of the Berlin Wall and other precedents for the world political situation	p. 51
Democratic worldwide governance	p. 66
From globalization to world citizenship and cosmopolitan democracy	p. 70
The 2006 War in Lebanon and the Role of the United Nations	p. 77
The world order and the role of the United Nations after the 2006 war in Lebanon	p. 79
The Proposals - in General
Proposals for the Reform of the System of International Institutions. Future Scenarios	p. 85
Introduction, framework and summary	p. 85
The system of international institutions as it is now: the legacy of the 20th century	p. 88
The main aims behind reforming the system of international institutions	p. 93
The fundamental reforms scenario: steps on the way to reforming the system of international institutions	p. 96
The substantive reforms scenario: substantive reforms in the system of international institutions	p. 96
The in-depth reforms scenario: the system of international institutions profoundly reformed	p. 99
The politics of change and final comments	p. 101
Proposals for the Reform of the System of International Institutions to Make Another World Possible - The London Declaration	p. 105
Background	p. 105
Global democracy and human rights	p. 106
Peace and security	p. 107
Sustainable human development and cultural diversity	p. 107
The worldwide legal framework	p. 108
Reforming the UN and other International Institutions	p. 109
The Proposals - Arranged by Themes
Concerning Two International Conferences, Two Different Yet Complementary Momentums for Progress Along the Analytical and Propositive Path Towards the In-depth Reform of our International Institutions	p. 117
Conference on Reform of the United Nations and other International Institutions (Barcelona, September 2004)	p. 119
International Conference for the Reform of International Institutions (Geneva, November 2006)	p. 120
Proposals for a New Architecture for the System of International Institutions for Democratic Worldwide Governance	p. 123
The United Nations Millennium Campaign	p. 125
Reforming the United Nations and other international institutions: observations from the South	p. 131
What future for the United Nations?	p. 137
Democracy, the United Nations and Civil Soceity	p. 169
How and what truly effective measures should we introduce in the UNGA, the ECOSOC and other multilateral organizations to comply with the commitments taken at UN Conferences and summits, including the MDGs?	p. 178
Reform of International Institutions: Dialogues between different levels of governance and civil society actors	p. 180
Multilateralism and the reform of international institutions	p. 187
Proposals on Reforming the General Assembly of the UN and the world Parliament	p. 193
Reforming global institutions: lessons from European experience	p. 194
Institutional architecture for world democracy: the issue of the UN General Assembly and the World Parliament	p. 200
Towards a Global Parliament	p. 203
Proposals on Institutional Reforms for Peace, Disarmament, Security for People, Global Justice and Human Rights	p. 211
Vision for the reform of the United Nations Security Council	p. 214
Some reflections on reforming the UN, the General Assembly and the maintenance of peace	p. 218
Peace, disarmament and the reform of international institutions	p. 223
The Human Rights Council into the United Nations reform process	p. 225
Proposals on Institutional Reforms for World Social, Environmental and Economic Well-being; or the Dialectics of Development, the Environment, Finance and Trade	p. 229
International institutions to address the environment	p. 233
Two scenarios for action for change: financing for development, and innovative financing	p. 239
Refounding and reform of the international Monetary Fund (IMF), the World Bank (WB) and the financial and economic architecture	p. 243
Reforming the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC)	p. 253
An Open Letter to the New Secretary-General of the UN: Mr. Ban Ki-moon; and the Three Broad Issues in a Process of In-depth Reform of the System of International Institutions	p. 261
How can Progress be Made Towards Global Democratic Governance?
A Multi-actor Socio-political, Global Movement for Global Democratic Governance	p. 267
Towards a multi-actor political will coalition	p. 268
Reforms or transformation? The end of one era and the start of another	p. 270
Notes and References	p. 275
Index	p. 279
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