Listed here are some of the thinking and ideas of the NGOs who have been interested in a Peoples Assembly. Dr. Harry Lerner has spent many years thinking through, conducting conferences and writing about this concept. There are other ideas, and we will gladly post them as we become aware of any. If you are interested please contact the Administrator.

Please see our Disclaimer for this overall site.

Secretary-General Kofi Annan has called for the General Assembly to hold a Millennium Assembly in the year 2000, and is "encouraging representatives of civil society to hold a 'People's Millennium Assembly' as a separate, companion event." According to the May-June "UNDP Update," he is seeking the viewpoints of civil society to complement discussion within the Millennium Assembly. The Secretary-General proposes that the Millennium Assembly focus on a review of the role of the UN and on any recommendations made by a ministerial commission that the SG asked Member States to establish, to review the overall structure and functions of the UN system.

Responding to the Secretary-General's invitation to NGO's to organize a representative body, CAMDUN, the Campaign for a More Democratic UN, and ACGC, the Action Coalition for Global Change of Northern California, have taken the lead in organizing for a People's Millennium Assembly. At the September NGO/DPI Annual Conference, more than 80 NGO's participated in their dialogue sessions to promote a series of local and regional preparatory meetings to lead up to the proposed People's Assembly in 2000. Six task forces were formed, headed Bella Abzug and other leading NGOs. Subsequently, the NGO/DPI Executive Committee also set up a subcommittee to consider the role, if any, that it might want to play.

In a much more ambitious plan to establish a permanent UN Second or People's Assembly, not to be confused with the separate People's Millennium Assembly the Secretary-General has suggested, CAMDUN and ACGC had previously initiated an ad-hoc Council for a UN People's Assembly during the Special Session that reviewed the Earth Summit. About 20 NGO members, some of them coalition organizations, joined in that effort. They envision that a Civil Society Forum may evolve from the series of town meetings already sponsored in twenty-five cities. Subsequently, they foresee a global system of area or regional councils emerging, consisting of representatives of non-governmental organizations and of groups unaffiliated with the UN.

The Councils would lead to the formation of a UN Second or People's Assembly, to meet for two to four weeks each year. CAMDUN contends such a body could be established by the UN General Assembly under Article 22, or by any other Principal Organ under Article 7, without requiring Charter amendment. Local councils would nominate one or two delegates for biennial popular elections to serve on this body. These candidates, could represent their fellow-citizens on a non-partisan basis as global inhabitants at the UN. One electoral plan, with the proportionally equitable representation formula of Professor Lionel Penrose of England, would give each nation a minimum of one voting delegate and maximum of one for each of the square roots of their millions of people: e.g., U.S.A. = 16; India=26; China=32. This would total between 580 and 600 delegates.

*See also "How the NGOs won recognition as a force for UN to reckon with."

September 24, 1997

Dear Friends,

Congratulations to all of us! We're well on our way to a People's

Assembly in the year 2000 and beyond. Now the real work begins! UN Secretary General Kofi Annan has repeatedly encouraged Civil Society to hold a "People's Assembly as a companion event to a special UN Millennium General Assembly" in the year 2000. Jonathon Granoff, a leading NGO, proposed a city-wide "Olympiad of the Arts" to accompany the two Millennium Assemblies. Responding to a question posed by Dr. Harry Lerner, Conference Speaker Sonam Yangchen of the UN Development Programme pledged strong support and community-level assistance for an annual UN People's Assembly.

About 25 conferees attended each of our two planning meetings, and more than 80 participated in the two mid-day Dialogue sessions. This was very impressive, since we weren't listed on the official schedule of the Conference. Bella Abzug, head of the Women's Environment and Development Organization; Cyril Ritchie,President of the Federation of International Institutions in Geneva; Tatsuro Kunugi, Special Coordinator for the World NGO Conference; and Afaf Mahfouz, First Vice-President of the Conference of NGOs(CONGO) attended the meetings. We hope to work closely with them in the future. Hopefully, next year we will have an NGO /DPI Annual Meeting which will include a prototype UN People's Assembly.

Most of the participants came from the New York, eastern US and San Francisco areas. This points both to the good work done over the years by CAMDUN and ACGC and to the desirability of holding "prep-com"assemblies around the globe. We agree that we need to reach out to those in the Southern and poorer communities and to provide assistance to enable them to participate. Please help us make these contacts.

We left the NGO/DPI Conference after creating a provisional Steering Committee. It was generally agreed that ACGC in San Francisco, CAMDUN in New York and WFA in Washington D.C. would serve as the organizational core groups for the present. However, we invite all who are able to give time and effort to this global campaign to participate. Please contact Dr. Lucile Green or Robby Wheeler to sign up. E-Mail is recommended but not required.

We formed six task forces to coordinate our efforts and to promote cooperation with UN, national and civic agencies. Please respond if you can help. We particularly need help with fund raising and/or grant writing. We'd like to hire a professional grant writer on commission basis. Please make referrals. Several people volunteered to serve as regional coordinators or convenors. We would like to have at least one for each country, and welcome additional volunteers. There was general agreement that we should have city or bio-regional assemblies around the globe. Lucile Green of ACGC can be contacted if your organization can sponsor or co-sponsor such a municipal or bio-regional People's Assembly.

May we include the names of your organizations on our letterhead and public relations materials, as well as lists of participants or supporters, when useful? Please send us letters of endorsement and/or participation from your organizations and invite others to participate.

For additional information, consult the CAMDUN* and ACGC Websites. Thanks for your interest and help. Together, we will make all the difference in the world.

Dr. Lucile W. Green, Dr. Harry H. Lerner and Robby Wheeler

*CAMDUN Website: http://www.oneworld.org/camdun

*ACGC Website: http://www.acgc.org

We of CAMDUN, the Campaign for a More Democratic UN, deeply appreciate the initiative of the CONGO Task Force in launching this consultative process. We are especially grateful for the opportunity to describe one of our widely accepted approaches to "Increasing Access to the UN General Assembly", namely, a UN Citizens Assembly. It is derived from the original proposal of the MAPW, the Medical Association for Prevention of War - the United Kingdom Section of the IPPNW - to the 2nd UNSSOD, Special Session on Disarmament in 1982. This recommended that an elected UN Second Assembly or Peoples Assembly be established, as a subsidiary body, under Charter Article 22. This would not require Charter amendment.

That general proposal was supported, between 1983 and 1990 by hundreds of NGOs, world-wide, enlisted by INFUSA, the International Network for a UN Second Assembly, and since 1990 by the great majority of those participating in the annual international Conferences for a more Democratic UN. It has earned warm endorsements from such world leaders as Erskine Childers, Mahbub ul Haq and Richard Jolly of UNDP, Ambassadors S.R. Insanally of Guyana, and Juan Somavia of Chile; the Directors of UNRISD, UNESCO and other UN agencies, as well as Romesh Chandra of the World Peace Council and Bella Abzug of WEDO, in addition to a galaxy of scientists and scholars such as those listed on the CAMDUN letterhead.

That letterhead lists Erskine Childers as one of our two Honorary Advisors, as a result of his contributions to two early CAMDUN conferences, one in the UNs Vienna International Centre in 1991, and the next at Stony Point, NY in 1992. As an outspoken leader of the UN reform movement and, at the time of his recent, sudden death, Secretary General of WFUNA, his plea for an elected UN Peoples Assembly deserves your attention. Speaking at Notre Dame in 1994, he declared:

"If we are serious about extending democracy outward from national society and into our world public service institution, we have to go all the way; and the time to start is now. To be sure, it will be a gigantic task to organize free elections of peoples' representatives to the UN in every country. But, India for 46 years has run a pluralistically elected parliament among a rising 900 million, in no way homogeneous citizens. Electing one among some seven times that number from around Planet Earth is not beyond the wit and will of caring world democrats."

The UN Citizens' Assembly which we are advocating would combine direct popular as well as NGO representation, as described in the diagram below. It could afford the Civil Society a site and a process for contributing to a more effective United Nations.

The "Dynamics of Democracy--LocaI to Global" flow-chart is a diagrammatic description of a permanent process of community-level NGO and CBO coordination for cooperative planning and problem-solving via monthly meetings of organizational representatives, computer networking, bio-regional coalition-building and public education on the linkage between local and global issues and strategies. One unifying aim and ongoing activity of such community councils is participation in the biennial nomination, popular election and continuing communication with delegates to the proposed United Nations Second - Peoples' Assembly, each representing their area's residents as global inhabitants, as well as national citizens. The resulting U.N. body would number under 600 delegates, on a proportionally equitable population basis. This plan involves a minimum of 1 delegate per nation plus the square root of the millions of its population. (16=U.S.; 26=India; 32=China.)

The "Dynamics of Democracy- Local to Global" process, would combine the benefits of democratic leadership development, information and resource sharing, and cooperative decision making via community problem-solving and local elections of delegates to the proposed Citizens Assembly.

The 5th CAMDUN Conference, October 6-9, 1995, in NYC, submitted an innovative Statement to the UN General Assembly's President and its high-level Working Group on Revitalizing and Reforming the UN System. The Conveners also requested the appointment of a subcommittee to consider peoples' representation at the UN. This was essentially the same request submitted by INFUSA annually from 1984 to 1989. The recent flood of endorsements of a UN Peoples' Assembly by UN, diplomatic and NGO leaders may imply that this evolutionary change is at hand.

This global process would also permit representation, as planetary citizens, of the 1/18th of the human race known as the "indigenous peoples" who are currently unrepresented at the United Nations. Furthermore, such a UN Peoples or Citizens Assembly, linked to its local constituents electronically and through the network of ongoing community coordinating councils, could significantly contribute to peace and security as well as sustainable development through:

1. Providing "early warning" of intensifying tensions and impending conflicts;

2. Contributing to conflict prevention and resolution efforts, in cooperation with local authorities, academic institutions, UN and NGO conflict resolution services, etc.;

3. Monitoring compliance with UN agreements, conventions and codes of conduct;

4. Facilitating global NGO collaboration with UN agencies;

5. Serving as a source of helpful insights and initiatives for the UN Principal Organs, Specialized Agencies and the Member States.

The local-to-global process of civic involvement and delegate selection, recommended above, would promote "Subsidiarity" -- the principle of direct decision making at the most individual level feasible. This process would also promote participation of the citizenry in NGOs and CBOs as well as the volunteering of the best qualified to represent "major groups" in community councils and other civic bodies, above all, as popularly elected delegates of their districts to the United Nations.

This plan for enhancing "Interactions between NGOs and the UN" is manifesting via existing and emerging coalitions of relevant metropolitan area NGOs and CBOs, many initiated by local UNAs, peace organizations, world federalists, CAMDUN and others linked to UN-sponsored programs of HABITAT II, CSD, UNEP and UNDP, etc. The partnership of the UN and Civic Society would be ensured through a UN Citizens Assembly and a related NGO world-wide network. Year-round coordination services at the UN could be facilitated by the NGO representatives-in-residence and cooperating UN agencies.

There were other useful approaches to peoples' representation in the UN considered at CAMDUN's international conferences. These are described under "Main Options" on CAMDUN's Website... http://www.oneworld.org/camdun/

April 30,1997

If you are interested in this proposal or want more details, including a graphic flow chart of the pocess, contact:

Dr. Jeffrey J. Segall
International Coordinator
308 Cricklewood Lane, London NW2 2PX. UK
Tel: 44.1.81.455.5005

Dr. Harry H. Lerner
United Nations Representative,
Medical Action for Global Security
301 E. 45th Street
New York, N.Y. 10017, USA
Tel: 1.212.983.3353
Fax: 1.212.983.3353

What is the difference between:

"The Millennium NGO Forum"
"The Millennium People's Assembly Network." ?

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Millennium NGO Forum
"The UN for the 21st Century"

Confusion has been expressed about the relationship between the "The Millennium NGO Forum" and "The Millennium People's Assembly Network." In fact some people state the belief that the Forum and the Network are one and the same. They are not.

The Millennium NGO Forum is a one time EVENT proposed by the Secretary General of the United Nations. The Millennium People’s Assembly Network is a COALITION OF ORGAMIZATIONS and RESOURCE PERSONS focused on continuning People’s Assemblies.

The Millennium NGO Forum is being organized by an Interim Steering Committee in consultation with representatives of CONGO, DPI/NGOs, Consultative NGOs, and Selected Networks and Coalitions. The Millennium People's Assembly Network is one of scores of networks and coalitions that are supporting the Millennium NGO Forum.

There are currently many Millennium NGO Forum-related activities scheduled to take place in 1999 and early 2000. Among the most notable are the Hague Appeal for Peace 1999, the Seoul 1999 Conference on "The Role of NGOs in the 21 st Century", and the Montreal 1999 Conference. Many organizations belonging to the Millennium People's Assembly Network are holding events in support of their own objectives, which include their long-held hope to create an elected People's Assembly that would meet annually at the United Nations preceding or parallel to the UN General Assembly.

In fairness to ALL organizations, networks and coalitions rallying in support of the Millennium NGO Forum, some of which do not hold the same objectives as the Millennium People's Assembly Network, it is vital that everyone involved understand the difference between the Forum and the Network. The Millennium NGO Forum is a planned event with a specific mandate proposed by the Secretary General, a mandate that is to be followed and furthered by all who support the Forum. The Millennium People's Assembly Network is a staunch supporter of the Forum, but also pursues its own agenda to promote people's participation in a more democratic United Nations for a more effective global governance.

866 United Nations Plaza, Suite 120, New York 10017-1822

E-mail mngof@bic.orgTelephone 212-803-2522 Facsimile 212-803-2561

HOW TO GET INVOLVED:

The Millennium NGO Forums are planned to be multi-issue oriented and organized at the local, national, and continental as well as global levels. Forum activities are being organized through both regional and thematic issue areas. We are encouraging primary networks, organizations, and the organizers of principal events to cooperatively develop planning processes for either their region of the world or their specific thematic issue area. If you would like to help with this please contact the Millennium NGO Forum Secretariat; and then as you proceed provide information as to which primary groups have been contacted and which agree to participate.

As a first step we ask you to work with others to develop a process for organizing within your region or thematic area. We ask that this plan also be forwarded to the M NGO F Secretariat. As a part of this exercise, please develop a means for inviting all peoples and organizations within your thematic or regional area to participate in the activities and planning processes.

As the organizational process moves forward, leadership can be identified and means of selecting people to serve in the planning processes developed. This may mirror existing NGO structures, networks and coalitions gained through the series of UN- sponsored world conferences, or new volunteers and leaders who have more time or ability to participate in organizational activities, could be selected.

We would like to suggest that primary events that are already scheduled within thematic areas be used and developed as Millennium NGO Forum events. We would request that the organizers contact the Millennium Forum Interim Steering Committee for further consultation. Representatives of thematic areas will be included on the Consultative Planning Council. This can include representatives and organizers of such participating events.

A first task can be to determine the primary issues and programs that would be needed to address fundamental global problems and make a significant difference in solving them, leading to the well-being for all peoples. A broad framework for the Millennium NGO Forum reports is being developed. Your input is welcome; and means of implementation can also be discussed as a part of the Millennium Forum process. In addition, an effort can be made to reach consensus as to the key programs and actions steps that are recommended for inclusion.

Finally, we would want to stage and develop our activities and events such as to gain maximum media attention and public interest. It will be to our benefit to develop media teams and establish contacts with the mainstream media as soon as possible. Following up on this it will be equally important to develop lobbying campaigns; to draft our platform and recommendations in such a way that they will receive maximum public and political support; and to begin processes of consultations with governments and representatives to work for their passage.

Please forward this letter to the primary networks and organizations within your region or thematic area; have it translated into various regional languages; forward it to local chapters and groups; ask that it be published in member newsletters and magazines; and distribute it through e-mail and other postings.

866 United Nations Plaza, Suite 120, New York, New York 10017-1822

E-mail mngof@bic.org Telephone 212-803-2522Facsimile 212-803-2561

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