If you were to ask someone on the street what they think their individual influence in the global arena of the United Nations is, you are likely to hear that they believe they have no influence. And they are not entirely wrong. The UN is a complex, international body that reigns way above the influence …
More than 200 civil society groups from over fifty countries, among them sixty that operate internationally, call on the United Nations and its member governments to establish the instrument of a World Citizens‘ Initiative that would allow citizens to put items on the UN’s agenda. Support of this proposal has thus doubled since an international campaign was launched seven …
More than 200 civil society groups call for a World Citizens’ Initiative Read More »
We the Peoples of the United Nations is the incipit of the preamble of the United Nations (UN) Charter, however, the People have hardly been the core of the UN’s decision-making. Hopefully, this will change soon. Last year on 14 November 2019, the UN World Citizens’ Initiative (UNWCI) was launched and over 130 national and …
Great Potential for Global Civil Society: a First Impressions Look at a UNWCI Read More »
Over 100 civil society groups united under the umbrella of ‘We the Peoples’ are calling on the United Nations (UN) to establish a World Citizens’ Initiative. The instrument would enable citizens to put proposals on the agenda of the UN General Assembly for further action. The Campaign for the World Citizens’ Initiative was formally launched at a meeting opposite …
This year, Democracy International, together with Democracy Without Borders and CIVICUS, started a campaign for a World Citizens’ Initiative at the United Nations level under the name “We the Peoples“. To examine its feasability, we asked two experts to find out exactly how such an instrument could work under international law. Ben Murphy, Lecturer in …
World Citizens’ Initiative welcomed at Global Forum on Direct Democracy Read More »
When it comes to direct democracy, we often look at the local level. The reasoning being that it is simply more feasible for citizens to take influence when it comes to well-defined, nearby issues. But democratic participation matters on all levels, even where it might be harder to organize. In times of unprecedented global challenges, …
