Recognizing that humanity has entered a turning point--a turning point which has brought with it all of humanity living together as a single people,

noting that a single people conscious of itself as one is sovereign,

realizing that government functions which can be effective at a lower level should not be assigned to a higher level of government,

understanding that the doctrines of national sovereignty and national security, as well as their associated endorsement and use of war as an acceptable means of defense, are outdated and must be replaced by human sovereignty and human security,

convinced that the removal of social injustice and the protection of human rights, as an expression of its commitment to human dignity and the social well-being of humans everywhere, should be among the principal aims of government,

aware that humans are part of nature and that life and life communities depend on the uninterrupted functioning of natural systems,

mindful that the political decision-making process must always express the recognition that human needs and the needs of other life communities can be met only by ensuring the proper functioning of natural systems and protection of the global commons,

considering that humans have a fundamental right to an environment of a quality that permits a life of dignity and well-being for present and future generations,

awake to the fact that the nurturing of human moral solidarity, the respect for protection of human diversity, the use of peaceful modes of dispute settlement, and the promotion of the common good should be the foundation of all public policy, and

persuaded that new forms of governance must be created to provide for the well-being of humanity as a single people,

we, the members of the World Citizens Party for a Democratic World Government, Massachusetts Branch (WCPMA), unite to form a new political party dedicated to the earliest possible achievement of a democratic federal government at the world level, a government of the people of the world, by the people of the world, and for the people of the world.

We embrace this cause in the conviction that only a democratic and strong planetary government, unconditionally dedicated to human rights, can adequately deal with the desperate problems threatening the survival and progress of the whole human race. These problems, which are political, environmental, economic, social, and cultural in nature, include population growth, climate change, scarcity of fresh water, depletion and maldistribution of certain natural and other resources, pandemic diseases, biological, chemical and nuclear warfare, worldwide poverty and starvation, and spreading global anarchy.

We call for total commitment, deep and integral to our worldwide movement, to the rights of the individual (without distinction of any kind such as race, ethnicity, sex, sexual orientation, language, religion, political and other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status), to the rights of minorities, and to the rights of indigenous peoples. These rights--civil, political, economic, social, and cultural, as provided in the International Bill of Human Rights--we seek to weave, along with their corresponding obligations, into the underlying fabric of a democratically and constitutionally governed world.

As the first branch of the World Citizens Party, we call on our fellow world citizens to rise in every land to form other branches of the WCP. We stand ready to affiliate with all branch parties committed to similar key values and objectives, and we look toward the early formation of a global federal World Citizens Party for a Democratic World Government.

PART III.

ESSENTIAL ORGANS, INSTRUMENTS, PRINCIPLES OF A DEMOCRATIC WORLD GOVERNMENT

Article 1. Organs

a) A World Legislature to enact world law.

At least one chamber, directly elected by secret ballot in multiparty popular election, shall reflect total population in direct numerical proportion. Another chamber may more directly represent states; but a state's material wealth, financial reserves, gross national product and other resources, or its contribution to the world government budget, shall not be a factor in the assignment of official representation and voting.

Legislative powers include the authority to levy taxes.

b) An Economic, Social, and Cultural Council, established by the Legislature and serving in an advisory capacity, shall include in its composition, and in its appointed commissions as appropriate to their purpose, representatives of both governmental and non-governmental organizations, the latter to include labor unions, business groups, and universities. In addition, the council may include artists and leading intellectuals not necessarily associated with any formal group or institution.

c) An executive to administer and enforce world law.

The executive shall be either directly elected by the citizens of the world, or it shall be selected by and responsible to the legislature.

There shall be no great-power veto.

A standing military force, individually recruited on a volunteer basis, is available for peacemaking and peacekeeping, eventually to replace national military forces.

d) A court system, having local, regional and universal jurisdiction, as appropriate, to interpret the law. This court system will have the authority to hold government officials accountable for violations of human rights.

Article 2. Instruments

A World Bill of Human Rights. adequate to protect the basic civil and human rights of all world citizens, all human beings. The World Bill of Human Rights shall incoroporate the provisions of the Universal Declaration of Human rights, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, and the International Covenant for Economic, Social and Cultural Rights.

Article 3. Principles

a) An Article of limitation reserving to the nation-states, autonomous cultures, communities, and the sovereign people of the world, all powers not delegated to the world federal government.

b) The principle of subsidiarity. Functions which can be adequately performed by a lower level of government should not be assigned to a higher level.