News :: Globalization
ALTERNATIVE G8 ST Petersburg DECLARATION OF COMMON SECURITY July 14, 2006
by Joan Russow
Email: j.russow (nospam) shawlink.ca	 15 Jul 2006
The time for rhetoric is long since past. The G8 must comply with years of obligations and commitments made to "Common Security" – peace, human rights, environment and social justice. The Following is a proposed Declaration of Common Security
AWARE THAT solutions have never resided in the fragmentation of
issues and if real global change is to occur this change will be
found in a willingness to address the complexity and interdependence
of issues in particular the linking of militarism, poverty, violation
of human rights, and destruction of the environment
Recognizing that true security- is not "collective security" or
"human security" which has been extended to "humanitarian
intervention" and used along with the "responsibility to protect"
notion to justify military intervention in other states.
True security is common security (extension of Olaf Palme's notion of
"common security")
and involves the following objectives:
* to promote and fully guarantee respect for human rights including
labour rights, civil and political rights, social and cultural
rights- right to food, right to housing, right to universally
accessible not for profit health care system , right to education and
social justice;
* to enable socially equitable and environmentally sound employment,
and ensure the right to development [as per Convention];
* to achieve a state of peace, social justice and disarmament;
through reallocation of military expenses, and eradication of poverty
* to create a global structure that respects the rule of law ; and
* to ensure the preservation and protection of the environment,
respect the inherent worth of nature beyond human purpose, reduce the
ecological footprint and move away from the current model of
overconsumptive development.
CONSIDERING THAT for over sixty years, through conventions, treaties and
covenants, through Conference Action plans, and through UN General
Assembly resolutions, member states of the United Nations have
incurred obligations, made commitments and created expectations
related to the furtherance of Common Security.
AFFIRMING THAT Common security can only be achieved if there is a
concerted international effort to eliminate the actions that have led to global insecurity
In St PETERSBURGH leaders of the G8 AGREE TO THE FOLLOWING:
We reaffirm our commitment to multilateralism and oppose unilateral
actions that undermine global common security.
We will immediately end all occupation of foreign territory (including in Iraq and Afghanistan), and end the "apartheid" such as that evidenced in the treatment of the Palestinians.
We undertake to reduce our military budgets by at least 50% and reallocate military
expenses and transfer the savings into global social justice as
undertaken through numerous UN Conference Action Plans and UN General
Assembly Resolutions.
We will close all our military bases in sovereign states , transfer the land to the sovereign state, and thus convert to peaceful purposes military bases in sovereign
states around the world, (including Guantanimo Bay)
We will discontinue all war games and military exercises
We will end the circulation of nuclear powered
or nuclear arms capable vessels throughout the world.
We will abandon the policy of pre-emptive/preventive attack to
aggressively attack sovereign states which has been a violation of
the UN Charter article 2 and international law and is the
'supreme' international crime of a war of aggression.
We will no longer perceive justice in terms of revenge through
military intervention we will instead seek justice through the
International Court of Justice.
We undertake to respect the mandatory jurisdiction of
the International Court of Justice ,and will abide by its decisions.
We will no longer misconstrue Art 51 (self defence) of the Charter
of the United Nations to justify premeditated non provoked military
aggression.
We will oppose any attempt to undermine the international resolve to
prevent the scourge of war; this would include not engaging in
intimidation or in offering economic incentives in exchange for
support for military intervention.
We will discontinue propping up and financing military dictators,
We will abandon the practice of targeting or assisting in the
assassination of leaders of other sovereign states, and engaging in covert destabilization or democratically elected leaders of or any leader of a sovereign state.
We will end threats of military intervention in order to influence elections in "failed states" or " unfriendly states"
We will abide by the Nuclear Non Proliferation treaty and immediately
implement Article VI of the treaty, (Article VI: commits all parties
to pursue negotiations in good faith on measures to end the nuclear
arms race and to achieve disarmament.) and we will end the
production of all weapons of mass destruction such as nuclear,
chemical, and biological, as agreed to in UNCHE in 1972, and in
specific conventions.
We reaffirm the obligations under the 1967 the Outer space Treaty to
ensure that exploration and use of outer space, including the moon
and other celestial bodies, shall be carried out for the benefit and
in the interests of all countries, irrespective of their degree of
economic or scientific development, and shall be the province of all
mankind humanity. We will thus immediately end all activities related to the militarization or nuclearization of space
We make a full commitment to disarmament and oppose the continued
profit making from the sale of arms,
We will implement obligations to
reduce the trade in small arms and in collaboration with the ILO
will fund a fair and just transition program for worker currently
working in the arms trade.
We will end the production of land mines and sign and ratify the
Convention for the Banning of Landmines, and affirm a commitment of funds and continuous effort to remove land mines from all areas of the world where land mines are known to exist.
We will suffocate the production of uranium, phase out the use of
civil nuclear energy, and prohibit the use of weapons such as
Depleted Uranium and cluster bombs that would be prohibited under the
Geneva Protocol II.
We oppose NATO'S first strike policy, and will move towards the disbanding of NATO within the calendar year.
We will abide by the Geneva conventions on the treatment of
civilians, and respect international human rights and humanitarian law.
We will discharge obligations incurred through conventions,
treaties, and covenants; and act on commitments through conference
action plans related to Common security - peace, environment, human
rights and social justice
We will sign, ratify, and enact the necessary legislation to ensure
compliance with, or respect for Common Security international
Conventions, Covenants and Treaties.
We will abide by the Convention against Torture through Cruel,
Inhumane or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, and end the practice
of rendition of citizens
We will eliminate cruel and inhumane punishment such as capital
punishment, which violates accepted international norms.
We will abandon institutions and agreements which promulgate
globalization, deregulation and privatization; these institutions and
agreements undermine the rule of international public trust law.
We will immediately rescind contracts which enable corporations to benefit and
profit from war.
We oppose the promulgation, globalization, deregulation and
privatization through trade agreements, such as the WTO/FTAA/NAFTA
etc that undermine the rule of international public trust law, and we will support global fair trade
We abandon the IMF structural adjustment program which has led to
the violation of human rights, has exploited citizens in the
developing world and has adversely impacted on vulnerable and indigenous
peoples around the world.
We oppose the privatization of public services such as water and
health care, we will increase funding to Universities to counter
the corporate funding of education including the corporate direction
of research and declare that these be the responsibility of governments.
We will finally implement the long standing international commitment
to transfer .7% of the GDP for overseas aid, and to cancel third
world deb.
We will no longer subsidize and invest in companies that have
developed weapons of mass destruction, that have violated human
rights, that have denied social justice, that have exploited workers,
and that have destroyed the environment.
we will implement the commitment made to ensure that corporations,
including transnational corporations comply .. with international law, and that they pay compensation for any previous health and environmental consequences of their actions.
We will revoke charters and licences of corporations that have
violated human rights, including labour rights, that have contributed
to war and violence, and that have led to the destruction of the
We support Mandatory International Ethical Normative (MIEN) standards
and enforceable regulations to drive industry to conform to
international law, and oppose corporate "voluntary compliance".
We will ban practices that contribute to environmentally induced
diseases and we will address poverty related health problems and
ensure universal access, to publicly funded not for profit health
care system.
We will end the production of toxic, hazardous, atomic waste, and we
will prevent the transfer to other states of substances and
activities that are harmful to human health or the environment as
agreed at the UN Conferences on the Environment and Development, 1992.
We will ban the production, approval and promotion of
genetically engineered foods and crops which have led to a deterioration of
the food supply, and to loss of heritage seeds.
We will protect Biodiversity by signing and ratifying the
Convention on Biological Diversity and oppose "megadiversity"
--resulting from genetic engineering.
We will be forthright in acknowledging that the Biosafety Protocol is
a disguised trade agreement, and serves to promote the acceptance of
Genetically modified living organisms.
We will accept the warnings of the Intergovernmental panel on Climate
change, and no longer disregard obligations under the Framework
Convention on Climate Change and its protocol to reduce greenhouse
gas emissions, and to preserve carbon sinks..
We will oppose any suggestion that civil nuclear energy is the solution to climate change, and immediately move towards the phasing out of civil nuclear energy.
We will rescind anti-terrorism legislation because it violates civil
and political rights, and results in racial profiling, and targeting "persons of interest", .
We will no longer target, intimidate and discriminate against
activists on the grounds of political and other opinion (a listed
ground in the International Covenant of Civil and Political Rights}
We will clearly distinguish legitimate dissent from criminal acts of
subversion.
We will end all discrimination on the following grounds:
- race, tribe, or culture;
- colour, ethnicity, national ethnic or social origin, or language;
nationality, place of birth, or nature of residence (refugee or
immigrant, migrant worker);
- gender, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, or form
of family, [including same-sex marriage]
- disability or age;
- religion or conviction, political or other opinion, or - class, economic
position, or other status.
We will end the discrimination against immigrants, and refugees and
we sign and ratify the Convention for the Protection of Migrant
Workers and their Families; and the Convention on Refugees.
We will respect women's reproductive rights, and abide by commitments
made under the International Conference on Population and
Development, and the Beijing Platform.
We oppose religious extremism and proselytizing including the spread of
Evangelical Christianity around the world, which has undermined local
indigenous cultures, instilled fear through the dangerous, belief in
the "rapture", "Armageddon" and "left behind", has promulgated
dispensationalist "end times" scenario which has serious irreversible
consequences. and has led to the denigrating other established
beliefs and practices.
We will no longer undermine the notion of democracy by couching a
plutocracy/theocracy in democratic notions of "freedom", and we affirm once and for all that we are not acting out the will of God.
We support the institution of an International Court of Compliance
linked to the International Court of Justice; The Court of Compliance
will hear evidence from citizens of state non compliance.
Proposed by the Global Compliance Research Project
contact: Joan Russow PhD, j.russow (at) shawlink.ca