Citizens for Global Solutions

Legal Alternatives to War (LAW not War): Increasing the universality and effectiveness of the International Court of Justice
2023-10-23 13:00 - 15:00 (America/New_York)
Hybrid event at:
Bahá’i International Community United Nations Office, 866 UN Plaza, Suite 120, New York City
Live streamed on Basel Peace Office facebook page
Registration
Online participation
“From the smallest village to the global stage, the rule of law is all that stands between peace and stability and a brutal struggle for power and resources. I note the importance of accepting the compulsory jurisdiction of the Court and call on all Member States to do so without any reservations.” Antonio Guterres, UN Secretary-General. Remarks to the UN Security Council Thematic Debate on the Rule of Law Among Nations, January 12, 2023
An event to discuss and promote the jurisdiction and use of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) as an important judicial mechanism to assist countries resolve international disputes peacefully rather than through recourse to the threat or use of force. The event follows-up from the presentation to the NPT Prep Com in August of the joint statement Common Security v Nuclear Disarmament: How to replace the current reliance on nuclear weapons with sustainable security for all (endorsed by 170 civil society organizations).
The event will include the launch of Legal Alternatives to War (LAW not War): Towards universal jurisdiction of the International Court of Justice, a new global campaign which aims to:
• Increase the number of States accepting the compulsory jurisdiction of the ICJ;
• Encourage more frequent use of the ICJ as a dispute resolution mechanism provided in international treaties;|
• Appeal to States to make use of ICJ jurisdiction through mutual agreement for specific disputes;
• Support UN bodies to request ICJ Advisory Opinions on critical issues;
• Encourage states to adopt constitutional amendments or legislative measures to affirm the UN Charter prohibition of war and the obligation to resolve international disputes peacefully including through recourse to the ICJ.
The campaign supports efforts of like-minded States to enhance the use of the International Court of Justice including the Handbook on accepting the jurisdiction of the International Court of Justice published by Switzerland, Netherlands, Uruguay, the United Kingdom, Lithuania, Japan and Botswana, and the Declaration on promoting the jurisdiction of the International Court of Justice released by Japan, Liechtenstein, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Romania, Spain and Switzerland in 2021 and now endorsed by 33 States.
Welcome
Tadashi Inuzuka
Co-President, World Federalist Movement- Institute for Global Policy. Former Senator from Nagasaki. Online
Moderators
Jutta Bertram Nothnagel
United Nations Representative, International Association of Lawyers Against Nuclear Arms. Vice-President of Lawyers Committee on Nuclear Policy and Focal Point on the International Criminal Court. In-person.
Alyn Ware
Program Director, World Federalist Movement-Institute for Global Policy. International Representative, Aotearoa Lawyers for Peace. In-person.
Presenters
Sir Kenneth Keith. Judge of the International Court of Justice (2006-2015). Emeritus Professor, Victoria University of Wellington Faculty of Law. Member of the New Zealand Court of Appeal (1995-2006) and NZ Supreme Court (2001,2003). Online.
H.E. Mr. Juan Manuel Gómez Robledo Verduzco
Deputy Permanent Representative of Mexico to the United Nations in New York. In-person. Member, International Law Commission (2012-2022). Agent for Mexico in the ICJ Avena case (Mexico v USA)
Prof. Dr. Bogdan Aurescu
Member, UN International Law Commission. Former Foreign Minister. Agent of Romania before the International Court of Justice (2004- 2009)

Rebecca Shoot
Executive Director, Citizens for Global Solutions. Co-Convener, Washington Working Group for the International Criminal Court. In-person.
Neshan Gunasekera, Research Fellow, Raoul Wallenberg Institute. Member, World Future Council. Former assistant to ICJ judge Christopher Weeramantry. Online.
Prof. Roger Clark, Board of Governors Professor Emeritus of Law, Rutgers Law School. Representative for Samoa in the 1996 ICJ case on the Legality of the Threat or Use of Nuclear Weapons, 1998 Rome negotiations for an International Criminal Court and subsequent ICC negotiations on the Crime of Aggression. In-person.
The campaign is being organized by a coalition of civil society organizations including Aotearoa Lawyers for Peace, Basel Peace Office, Citizens for Global Solutions, UNFOLD ZERO, World Federalist Movement-Institute for Global Policy (WFM-IGP) and the World Future Council – with more than 40 additional organizations supporting.

Session 2: Peacemakers: India and the Quest for One World
2023-10-14 12:00 - 13:30 (America/New_York)
On the second Saturday of the month from September – December, we will be discussing the book, Peacemakers: India and the Quest for One World . Meet the author, Manu Bhagavan, and join the discussion and special Q&A!
Dates (2nd Saturday): Saturday, September 9 , Saturday, October 14, Saturday, November 11, and Saturday, December 9
Time: 12:00 -1:30 pm Eastern Time | 1600 – 1730 UTC
Where: Zoom
Cost: FREE and open to the public
Register
Set against the backdrop of World War II, Indian independence and decolonization, and the Cold War, this “splendid…stunning…hugely engrossing” first-of-its-kind international history, based on seven years of research in twenty archives on three continents, tells the story of India’s quest to build consensus around the framework of “human rights,” to bridge the divisions between East and West, between capitalist and communist, and to create “one world” free of empire, poverty, exploitation, and war.
This book is the story of India’s quest to create a common destiny for all people across the world based on the concept of human rights. In the years leading up to its independence from Great Britain, and more than a decade after, in a world torn asunder by unchecked colonial expansions and two world wars, Jawaharlal Nehru had a radical vision: bridging the ideological differences of the East and the West, healing the growing rift between capitalist and communist, and creating ‘One World’ that would be free of empire, exploitation and war. Madame Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit, Nehru’s sister, would lead the fight in and through the United Nations to turn all this into a reality. An electric orator and outstanding diplomat, she travelled across continents speaking in the voice of the oppressed and garnering support for her cause. The aim was to lay the foundation for global governance that would check uncontrolled state power, address the question of minorities and migrant peoples, and put an end to endemic poverty. Mahatma Gandhi’s legacy would go global.
Manu Bhagavan is Professor of History, Human Rights, and Public Policy at Hunter College and the Graduate Center-The City University of New York, where he is also Senior Fellow at the Ralph Bunche Institute for International Studies. He is author or editor of seven books, including the critically-acclaimed The Peacemakers (HarperCollins India 2012, Palgrave Macmillan 2013) and India and the Cold War (Penguin India and UNC Press, 2019). His newest book, forthcoming in December 2023 from Penguin/Viking India, is a biography of Madame Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit, one of the most important and celebrated women of the twentieth century. Manu is the recipient of a 2006 fellowship from the American Council of Learned Societies and more recently has received Hunter’s 2023 Presidential Award for Excellence in Scholarship. He has been interviewed for several documentaries and was featured in a skit on the Not the White House Correspondent’s Dinner, part of the satirical television program Full Frontal with Samantha Bee. In 2023, he also served as a judge for the PEN Literary Awards in the category of biography. Manu appears regularly in the media to discuss current affairs. Follow @ManuBhagavan on Twitter!

Session 1: Peacemakers: India and the Quest for One World
2023-09-09 12:00 - 13:30 UTC
Dates (2nd Saturday): Saturday, September 9 , Saturday, October 14, Saturday, November 11, and Saturday, December 9
Time: 12:00 -1:30 pm Eastern Time | 1600 – 1730 UTC
Where: Zoom
Cost: FREE and open to the public
Register
Join us on the second Saturday of the month from September – December, we will be discussing the book, Peacemakers: India and the Quest for One World. Meet the author, Manu Bhagavan, and join the discussion and special Q&A!
Set against the backdrop of World War II, Indian independence and decolonization, and the Cold War, this “splendid…stunning…hugely engrossing” first-of-its-kind international history, based on seven years of research in twenty archives on three continents, tells the story of India’s quest to build consensus around the framework of “human rights,” to bridge the divisions between East and West, between capitalist and communist, and to create “one world” free of empire, poverty, exploitation, and war.
This book is the story of India’s quest to create a common destiny for all people across the world based on the concept of human rights. In the years leading up to its independence from Great Britain, and more than a decade after, in a world torn asunder by unchecked colonial expansions and two world wars, Jawaharlal Nehru had a radical vision: bridging the ideological differences of the East and the West, healing the growing rift between capitalist and communist, and creating ‘One World’ that would be free of empire, exploitation and war. Madame Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit, Nehru’s sister, would lead the fight in and through the United Nations to turn all this into a reality. An electric orator and outstanding diplomat, she travelled across continents speaking in the voice of the oppressed and garnering support for her cause. The aim was to lay the foundation for global governance that would check uncontrolled state power, address the question of minorities and migrant peoples, and put an end to endemic poverty. Mahatma Gandhi’s legacy would go global.
Manu Bhagavan is Professor of History, Human Rights, and Public Policy at Hunter College and the Graduate Center-The City University of New York, where he is also Senior Fellow at the Ralph Bunche Institute for International Studies. He is author or editor of seven books, including the critically-acclaimed The Peacemakers (HarperCollins India 2012, Palgrave Macmillan 2013) and India and the Cold War (Penguin India and UNC Press, 2019). His newest book, forthcoming in December 2023 from Penguin/Viking India, is a biography of Madame Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit, one of the most important and celebrated women of the twentieth century. Manu is the recipient of a 2006 fellowship from the American Council of Learned Societies and more recently has received Hunter’s 2023 Presidential Award for Excellence in Scholarship. He has been interviewed for several documentaries and was featured in a skit on the Not the White House Correspondent’s Dinner, part of the satirical television program Full Frontal with Samantha Bee. In 2023, he also served as a judge for the PEN Literary Awards in the category of biography. Manu appears regularly in the media to discuss current affairs. Follow @ManuBhagavan on Twitter!

Session 2: Finding Hope in the Climate-Peace-Disarmament Nexus
2023-07-20 01:00 - 02:30 (America/New_York)
An intergenerational dialogue on how global governance solutions can tackle existential threats
Description
This Q&A panel discussion, hosted by Citizens for Global Solutions (CGS), Youth Fusion, and World Federalist Movement – Institute for Global Policy (WFM-IGP), will consider how progress on environmental protection is hampered by armed conflict, nuclear threats, and the massive diversion of resources into weapons and war. In this webinar, we will explore the potential of common security and global governance to foster cooperation to more effectively address climate, peace, and disarmament issues. This intergenerational dialogue will bring together youthful energy and innovation with seasoned expertise and experience, actively engaging our audience to build stronger pathways to a peaceful and sustainable future.
Session II

Region: Asia/Pacific

Date: July 20, 2023 | Time: 5:00 AM UTC | 10:30 AM Delhi | 2:00 PM Tokyo | 5:00 PM Wellington | 7:00 PM Hawaii | 7:00 AM Eastern Europe | 1:00 AM EST

Register for Session 2 (Zoom)

Session II Speakers

World Federalist Movement – Institute for Global Policy (WFM-IGP)

The World Federalist Movement/Institute for Global Policy (WFM/IGP), established in 1947, is a non-profit organization registered in the USA and the Netherlands. Guided by its vision of a just, free, and peaceful world, WFM/IGP works to promote the rule of law and global governance of transnational issues including those related to peace, human rights, and the environment.

Our vision is a just, free, and peaceful world, where humanity and nature flourish in harmony, while our mission is to create more effective, transparent, and accountable global governance leading to democratic world federation.

Nicole Ponce (Philippines) Co-Founder and Coordinator, I am Climate Justice movement.Asia Front Coordinator, World’s Youth for Climate Justice.

Disha Ravi (India) Co-founder, Fridays for Future India.

Dr Justin Sobion LLM (Trinidad and Tobago) Legal Researcher and Teaching Assistant, NewZealand Centre for Enviornmental Law, University of Auckland. Coordinator, Earth Trusteeship Working Group. Co-editor, “Reflections on Earth Trusteeship: Mother Earth and a new 21st Century governance paragdigm.”

Tadashi Inuzuka (Japan) Co-President, World Federalist Movement – Institute for Global Policy. Executive Director, 3+3 Coalition for a North-East Asia Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zone. Former Senator for Nagasaki.

Augusto Lopez-Claros Executive Director, Global Governance Forum. Senior Fellow at the Edmund Walsh School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University. Former Director of the Global Indicators Group in DEC of the World Bank.

Additional speakers to be confirmed

Co-Sponsors

3+3 Coalition for a North-East Asia Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zone, Basel Peace Office, Citizens for Global Solutions, Climate Governance Commission, Democracia Global, Global Minnesota, Green Hope Foundation, I Am Climate Justice, Parliamentarians for Nuclear Nonproliferation and Disarmament, World Federalist Movement Institute for Global Policy, World Future Council, World Service Authority, World’s Youth for Climate Justice, Young World Federalists and Youth Fusion.
Promotional Sponsors
Peace Action and Upper Hudson Peace Action.

About the Organizers

Citizens for Global Solutions (CGS) is a non-governmental, non-profit, non-partisan membership-based organization that for more than 75 years has brought together a diverse collective of individuals and organizations with a common goal of a unified world predicated upon peace, human rights, and the rule of law. From championing ratification of the UN Charter upon our establishment in 1947 to supporting creation of the International Criminal Court (ICC) 25 years ago to advocating for global instruments to confront today’s enduring challenges of war and climate degradation, CGS recognizes that true progress is a generational enterprise. We invite like-minded individuals and organizations to join us in this mission.

Youth Fusion

Youth Fusion is a world-wide networking platform for young individuals and organizations in the field of nuclear disarmament, risk-reduction and non-proliferation. We focus on youth action and intergenerational dialogue, building on the links between disarmament, peace, climate action, sustainable development and building back better from the pandemic. Our goals are clear: to inform, educate, connect and engage our fellow students, activists and enthusiasts. Through these activities, and as part of Abolition 2000 Network, we are contributing to the total abolition of nuclear weapons.

World Federalist Movement – Institute for Global Policy (WFM-IGP)

The World Federalist Movement/Institute for Global Policy (WFM/IGP), established in 1947, is a non-profit organization registered in the USA and the Netherlands. Guided by its vision of a just, free, and peaceful world, WFM/IGP works to promote the rule of law and global governance of transnational issues including those related to peace, human rights, and the environment.

Our vision is a just, free, and peaceful world, where humanity and nature flourish in harmony, while our mission is to create more effective, transparent, and accountable global governance leading to democratic world federation.

Session 1: Finding Hope in the Climate-Peace-Disarmament Nexus
2023-07-13 12:00 - 13:30 (America/New_York)
An intergenerational dialogue on how global governance solutions can tackle existential threats
Description
This Q&A panel discussion, hosted by Citizens for Global Solutions (CGS), Youth Fusion, and World Federalist Movement – Institute for Global Policy (WFM-IGP), will consider how progress on environmental protection is hampered by armed conflict, nuclear threats, and the massive diversion of resources into weapons and war. In this webinar, we will explore the potential of common security and global governance to foster cooperation to more effectively address climate, peace, and disarmament issues. This intergenerational dialogue will bring together youthful energy and innovation with seasoned expertise and experience, actively engaging our audience to build stronger pathways to a peaceful and sustainable future.

Session I

Region: Americas/Europe/Africa/Middle East

Date: July 13, 2023 | Time: 12:00 PM -1:30 PM EST | 1600 – 1730 UTC | 1700 London | 1800 CET | 1900 Kenya

Register for Session 1 (Zoom)

Session 1 Speakers

William (Bill) R. Pace (USA). Founder and Inaugural Convenor, Coalition for an International Criminal Court. Former Executive Director, World Federalist Movement-Institute for Global Policy (WFM-IGP). Co-founder, International Coalition for the Responsibility to Protect.

Kehkashan Basu MSM (UAE/Canada). Founder-President, Green Hope Foundation. United Nations Human Rights Champion. Winner, 2016 International Children’s Peace Prize. Council Member, World Future Council. Former UNEP Global Coordinator for Children & Youth;

Professor Juergen Scheffran (Germany) Professor of Integrative Geography. Chair of the Research Group Climate Change and Security, Center for Earth System Research and Sustainability, University of Hamburg. Principal author, The Climate-Nuclear Nexus.

Maja Groff (Netherlands) Convenor, Climate Governance Commission. Visiting Professor/Scholar at Faculty of Governance and Global Affairs, Leiden University. Lecturer, Hague Academy of International Law.

Additional speakers to be confirmed

Co-Sponsors

3+3 Coalition for a North-East Asia Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zone, Basel Peace Office, Citizens for Global Solutions, Climate Governance Commission, Democracia Global, Global Minnesota, Green Hope Foundation, I Am Climate Justice, Parliamentarians for Nuclear Nonproliferation and Disarmament, World Federalist Movement Institute for Global Policy, World Future Council, World Service Authority, World’s Youth for Climate Justice, Young World Federalists and Youth Fusion.
Promotional Sponsors
Peace Action and Upper Hudson Peace Action.

About the Organizers

Citizens for Global Solutions (CGS) is a non-governmental, non-profit, non-partisan membership-based organization that for more than 75 years has brought together a diverse collective of individuals and organizations with a common goal of a unified world predicated upon peace, human rights, and the rule of law. From championing ratification of the UN Charter upon our establishment in 1947 to supporting creation of the International Criminal Court (ICC) 25 years ago to advocating for global instruments to confront today’s enduring challenges of war and climate degradation, CGS recognizes that true progress is a generational enterprise. We invite like-minded individuals and organizations to join us in this mission.

Youth Fusion

Youth Fusion is a world-wide networking platform for young individuals and organizations in the field of nuclear disarmament, risk-reduction and non-proliferation. We focus on youth action and intergenerational dialogue, building on the links between disarmament, peace, climate action, sustainable development and building back better from the pandemic. Our goals are clear: to inform, educate, connect and engage our fellow students, activists and enthusiasts. Through these activities, and as part of Abolition 2000 Network, we are contributing to the total abolition of nuclear weapons.

World Federalist Movement – Institute for Global Policy (WFM-IGP)

The World Federalist Movement/Institute for Global Policy (WFM/IGP), established in 1947, is a non-profit organization registered in the USA and the Netherlands. Guided by its vision of a just, free, and peaceful world, WFM/IGP works to promote the rule of law and global governance of transnational issues including those related to peace, human rights, and the environment.

Our vision is a just, free, and peaceful world, where humanity and nature flourish in harmony, while our mission is to create more effective, transparent, and accountable global governance leading to democratic world federation.

Special Virtual Book Club Session Global Institutions for the 21st Century: A Blueprint for Action
2023-07-08 12:00 - 13:30 (America/New_York)
Submit your advance questions here! Topics covered in the book include:

United Nations Reform

A World Parliamentary Assembly

The creation of a UN Executive Council

Towards systemic Disarmament: resetting Global Priorities

Strengthening the International Rule of Law

Human Rights for the 21st Century

A new United Nations Funding Mechanism

Responding the Global Environmental Crises

Responding to Corruption & International Enforcement

Education for Transformation

Over the last months, we have had the privilege to learn from Arthur Dahl, Augusto Lopez-Claros, and Maja Groff, as we’ve explored their path-breaking book, Global Governance & the Emergence of Global Institutions for the 21st Century. At Citizens for Global Solutions (CGS), we believe that good ideas merit corresponding action.

In the spirit of finding solutions, we invite you to join us for a special follow-up strategy session with the authors to discuss concrete pathways toward reform, building on the concepts raised in their work.
Register

Questions received by July 1 will be shared with the authors in advance for their thoughts and consideration. Live questions will be taken as time allows so we encourage you to share your responses soon!

Submit your advance questions here! Topics covered in the book include:

United Nations Reform

A World Parliamentary Assembly

The creation of a UN Executive Council

Towards systemic Disarmament: resetting Global Priorities

Strengthening the International Rule of Law

Human Rights for the 21st Century

A new United Nations Funding Mechanism

Responding the Global Environmental Crises

Responding to Corruption & International Enforcement

Education for Transformation

Advocating Toward Tomorrow’s Governed World: The First Exploratory Summit for CGS’s Action Network
2023-06-25 13:00 - 14:30 (America/New_York)
CGS’s Vision: Contemporary Issues to Consider in Advocating toward World Federation
June 25 | 1:00 – 2:30 PM EST | Virtual
Register
Please join Citizens for Global Solutions (CGS) for a unique event to explore challenges, opportunities, and strategies for advocating for foundational principles of democratic world governance. The summit will inform concrete action to achieve the vision of tomorrow’s governed world and combat such critical global challenges as violations of international law and human rights, environmental degradation, and escalating armament.
Statement of Purpose
For more than 75 years, Citizens for Global Solutions (CGS) has dedicated itself to the grand vision of a united planet, led by champions who represent some of the greatest minds of the last century. Despite this rich history, it is clear that the present moment demands new global solutions. The world has never been more interconnected: challenges of global health, environmental degradation, and illegal aggression do not respect borders. World federation provides the necessary framework for effective international cooperation but the question remains of the steps and pathway to this ultimate goal.
As CGS embarks on a new chapter, seeking innovative and ambitious solutions to current threats, we convene an “Exploratory Summit” to inform advocacy by our Action Network. At this summit, we invite subject matter experts and leading activists dedicated to our core causes and foundational values to share perspective on the contemporary means and methods for advocacy. The purpose of the summit is to help current and future CGS Action Network members identify priorities and strategies for our advocacy efforts. Participants will have the opportunity to engage in discussion with thought leaders and join CGS’s action efforts following the summit.
Topics will include:

Supporting International Institutions through Informed Reform
Promoting Treaty-Based International Law
Advancing Climate Justice and Disarmament as Components of World Federation
Mobilizing the Next Generation through Youth Outreach and Intergenerational Approaches

*CGS-Education Fund is a registered 501(c)(3). The CGS Action Fund is incorporated as a 501(c)(4).

Session 5: Global Governance & the Emergence of Global Institutions for the 21st Century
2023-06-10 12:00 - 13:30 (America/New_York)
June 10 | 12:00 – 1:30 PM EST | 16:00 – 17:30 UTC | Virtual
Register
Join our last Q&A session with all 3 authors as we discuss corruption and the need for international enforcement, education for transformation, and immediate steps forward for reform and bridging the governance gap.

In this serries, we have been discussing the book, Global Governance and the Emergence of Global Institutions for the 21st Century with the authors, Augusto Lopez-Claros, Arthur Dahl, and Maja Groff. It identifies the major weaknesses in the current United Nations system and each session proposes fundamental reforms to address each.

Book Description

Is there any hope for those who despair at the state of the world and the powerlessness of governments to find a way forward? Global Governance and the Emergence of Global Institutions for the 21st Century provides ambitious but reasonable proposals to give our globalized world the institutions of international governance necessary to address effectively the catastrophic risks facing humanity that are beyond national control. The solution, the authors suggest, is to extend to the international level the same principles of sensible governance that exist in well-governed national systems: rule of law, legislation in the common interest, an executive branch to implement such legislation, and courts to enforce it. The best protection is unified collective action, based on shared values and respect for diversity, to implement widely accepted international principles to advance universal human prosperity and well-being.

Authors

Augusto Lopez-Claros Executive Director, Global Governance Forum. Senior Fellow at the Edmund Walsh School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University. Former Director of the Global Indicators Group in DEC of the World Bank.

Dr. Arthur Lyon Dahl is President of the International Environment Forum, a board member of ebbf – ethical business building the future and of the Global Governance Forum, and a retired Deputy Assistant Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), with 50 years’ experience in environment and international governance, systems science and indicators of sustainability.

Maja Groff Convenor, Climate Governance Commission. Visiting Professor/Scholar at Faculty of Governance and Global Affairs, Leiden University. Lecturer, Hague Academy of International Law.
