Human Union Definition
Human Union is the name for a new political project designed to take us beyond the existing system of nation states and reduce global poverty, war and injustice. Many of the problems facing the world today can only be solved by international co operative action. This is impossible in a world of competing states. We need a new organization, a Human Union to achieve the necessary co operation. Likewise such goals as respect for human rights and bringing an end to hunger cannot be achieved by one country acting alone. They can only be achieved by a new co operative political association; a Human Union
Basic structure of Human Union
A Human Union will not spring into existence at once. It will develop steadily, perhaps starting with only one country issuing a Human Union Declaration, a declaration that it is willing go negotiate with others to form a Human Union based on respect for democracy and human rights.
The new Human Union will be an organically growing international association of states which observe agreed upon common values, e.g. democracy, human rights and environmental protection. It need not observe these values in absolutely the same manner in every member state but there must be an effective commitment to them. The easiest way to visualize this is to think of something which emerges and develops slowly like the European Union (EU) did, so that over time it goes from having a small number of members to many. But of course learning from and not repeating the mistakes of the EU and maintaining a focus, in the initial stages, on democracy, human rights, protecting the environment and limiting war and starvation.
A Human Union will start slowly and gradually evolve as it adds on new members and agreed standards. It can begin from as few as one Country (or the EU) issuing a Human Union Declaration.
Key points of Human Union definition
- Common standards
- Optional membership
- Organic development
- Can start with a Human Union Declaration
How is this different to the United Nations (UN)?
The commitment to some minimum set of common political values such as democracy and human rights distinguishes the concept of a Human Union from the UN which does not require any common political standards or values of its members. That is why the UN can include both dictatorships and democracies amongst its members. that is also why the UN has failed to build a world based on respect for human rights and democracy. A Human Union could only allow membership to states which agreed to uphold ist basic standards/value in elation to human rights democracy and other agreed upon standards.
Will a Human Union replace the UN?
There is no reason for a Human Union to replace the UN, at least initially. They perform different functions; the Human Union would be steadily growing group of states committed to common political values such as democracy and human rights. The UN provides a much needed forum where all the states of the world can meet and express their views regardless of their differences. The UN provides a communications forum in our current world. the Human Union is about building a better world. So they could exist alongside each other for a long time.
Is the Human Legitimacy Principle the only reason to support building a Human Union?
Not really. One of the reasons we advocate a Human Union is that building a Human Union will help satisfy the Human Legitimacy Principle. In essence this principle holds that a political system becomes more legitimate the more it acts in a manner consistent with all of humanity having an equal opportunity to have access to the basic political benefits necessary for human development such as freedom of conscience and expression, democracy, access to education and knowledge, economic development, and political equality.
We believe the human legitimacy principle provides a fundamental guide both to political justice and how to build a political system. Policies which violate the human legitimacy principle by only allowing a sub section of humanity to enjoy a class of benefits have always led to conflict in the past and have always failed. Building a Human Union is the best way to build a world political system that respects the human legitimacy principle.
But while we strongly support the human legitimacy principle we realize that people may support Human Union for other reasons such as it is the best way to address problems such as poverty and underdevelopment, protect human rights and democracy, build co operative action to protect the environment and many other reasons. The reasons for supporting the building of a Human Union are summarized in the page at why support building a Human Union.
Whats the difference between a Human Union and similar projects like World Federation and World Government?
The main difference is in how it will come about. The Human Union plan is to be achieved steadily over time. Most world federation or world government proposals seem to assume that the whole world will come together and agree to build a world federation. The Human Union Movement realizes that this is possible. But it is far more likely that a new world system will come into existence gradually, as with the example of the EU. A century of steady progress can build a Human Union. A century of advocating that the whole world agrees at once will probably be a century wasted. One of the main criticisms of most world federalist type proposals is that it seems impossible to get the whole world to agree. But a Human Union can start small, it can begin with as few as one country issuing a Human Union Declaration and over time build up from there. t is not impossible at all, nor does it require every country to agree at the beginning. As a Human Union evolves its members of course may well agree to form a federation. We have no argument with that. Our goals is not to insist on a Human Union as defined above, but to say that is one way that the world can steadily move forward rather than waiting for the whole world to change all at once.
The Human Union can start small, it can begin with as few as one country issuing a Human Union Declaration and over time build up from there.
Why call it a Human Union?
There is no special magic in the words "Human Union". Our proposal is "Human" in that it is based on the idea that all humans are entitled to basic justice and protection; justice does not stop at national borders. It is a "Union" in the sense that it transcends national borders to offer opportunity one day to all of humanity. It transcends borders not to abolish nations states but to ensure human justice. So we have used the word "Union" to signify the similarity of the concept with "unions" like the United States where states still have rights and are not abolished or like the European Union where nation states also still have rights. Of course the Human Union won't have exactly the same set of arrangements as either the US or the EU but referring to them shows how a "Union" does not mean the destruction of the original constituent states.
Other paths to the same result
Although we advocate the approach set out above and strongly advocate countries making a Human Union Declaration the Human Union Movement does not insist on only one path towards the establishment of a Human Union.
It is possible to envision the creation of new formal governance structures which would also satisfy, or take the world closer to satisfying, the human legitimacy principle; such a as a world parliament or a federal world government being created through a dramatic one step collective decision making process. It would be foolish to stick with one model if some other approach looked likely to succeed. In this sense the Human Union Movement supports all projects likely to bring justice to humanity and move the world closer to a political system which respects the human legitimacy principle. However, to provide a framework and set of goals, we think more likely the steadily evolving Human Union model outlined above, learning from but not copying the European Union is the most likely path.
So our main policy is to urge governments to make a Human Union Declaration and we urge individuals to encourage their governments to do so.