Our History

BRIEF HISTORY OF WCPA

WORLD CONSTITUTION AND PARLIAMENT ASSOCIATION

The World Constitution and Parliament Association is dedicated to creating non-military democratic Earth Federation under the Constitution for the Federation of Earth.

Since 1958, the organization has worked through its worldwide membership to write and ratify the Earth Constitution in four international Constituent Assemblies. Under the authority of Article 19 of the Earth Constitution the WCPA has also sponsored 14 sessions of the Provisional World Parliament till date, building a new world order of freedom, justice, prosperity, and equality within the shell of the old, unjust world order. Below is a summary history of our work.

1958. Agreement to Call a World Constitutional Convention initiated by four persons, circulated worldwide for signatures, requesting both national governments and people of each country to send delegates.

1959-1960. World Committee for a World Constitutional Convention formed. Thousands sign the Agreement, including many prominent leaders. Organizers of this action travel around the world to enlist support.

1961-1962. Definitive Call to the World Constitutional Convention adopted. Many persons sign, including Heads of five national governments.

1963-1964. First Preparatory Congress held Denver, Colorado, USA, with delegates from five continents. Call to the World Constitutional Convention is publicly issued, then circulated for more signers and response.

1965-1966. Second Preparatory Congress held at Milan, Italy. Outline for Debate and Drafting of a World Constitution is formulated, on basis on alternative choices. Plan agreed for a Peoples’ World Parliament to meet concurrently.

1967. Decision made at Third Preparatory Congress to begin Convention in 1968, even if no government sends delegates. 300 Peoples’ Delegates pledged.

1968. First working sessions of World Constitutional Convention and Peoples’ World Convention held at Interlaken, Switzerland, and Wolfach, W. Germany with 200 Peoples Delegates from 27 countries, of five continents. Work begun on drafting the World Constitution.

1969-1971. Strategy for Reclaiming Earth for Humanity is circulated. Emergency Council of World Trustees Meet, Santa Barbara, Calif., and issues First Decree for Protection of Life, outlawing nuclear weapons. Directions given to drafting commission.

1972. World Constitution drafting commission of four persons, with a fifth communicating by telephone, works for two months, nearly completing first draft of Constitution for the Federation of Earth.

1973-1975. First draft finished, printed in 1974, then circulated worldwide for comment, together with Call to the second session in 1977, now defined as the World Constituent Assembly. Comments on first draft complied.

1976. Drafting Commission meets again. Second draft completed, circulated.

1977. Second Session of World Constituent Assembly held in June, Innsbruck, Austria. Earth Constitution debated paragraph by paragraph, amended, then adopted with 138 original signers from 25 countries of 6 continents. Call for ratification by the nations and peoples of Earth is issued. Constitution is sent to U.N. General Assembly and to all national governments.

1978-1980. Earth Constitution is circulated worldwide for debate and ratification. Third session of World Constituent Assembly held in January, 1979, Colombo, Sri Lanka; adopts Rationale For a World Constituent Assembly, defining right of people to convene Assembly, draft constitution, and obtain ratification. Appeal issued for national parliaments to ratify.

1981. World Constitution & Parliament Assn. meets at New Delhi, India. Call issued for Provisional World Parliament to convene 1982 under terms of Article 19 of the Earth Constitution. Honorary Sponsor list of 150 prominent persons enrolled.

1982. First Session of Provisional World Parliament meets at Brighton, England. Delegates from 25 countries of 6 continents. Five world Legislative Acts are adopted: for World Disarmament Agency, World Economic Development, Ownership of Oceans & Sea beds, Graduate School of World Problems, and World Courts.

1983-1984. First Provisional District World Court organized in Los Angeles; takes up case of outlawing nuclear weapons. Plans for Provisional World Parliament in Sudan and Nigeria thwarted by military coups.

1985. Second Session of Provisional World Parliament held New Delhi, India. Opened by President of India, presided by speaker of Lok Sabha. Three more World Legislative Acts adopted: for Emergency Earth Rescue Administration, World Government Funding, and Commission on Terrorism.

1986. Campaign continued for “provisional” ratification of the Constitution for the Federation of Earth, pending review at next World Constituent Assembly.

1987. Third session of Provisional World Parliament held at Hilton Fontainebleau Hotel, Miami Beach, Florida. Three more World Legislative Acts are adopted: for Global Finance System, Environment Protection, and Hydrogen Energy. Provisional World Cabinet begun.

1988-1989. Plan launched for collaboration by many organizations to prepare next session of World Constituent Assembly. 150 organizations join in Preparatory Committee. Two meetings held in New York with U. N. Ambassadors, to explain and solicit help. List of Honorary Sponsors reconfirmed and expanded.

1990. Government of Egypt agrees to host Assembly. Three preparatory meetings held. Call circulated for Governments and People to send delegates.

1991. Location of 4th session World Constituent Assembly abruptly changed due to the 1991 Gulf War. Held at Troia, Portugal, in May. Delegates adopt 59 minor amendments to the Earth Constitution. New ratification campaign begun, appealing to both people and governments. Most Honorary Sponsors personally ratify.

1992. Global Ratification & Elections Network organized, including several hundred organizations, to promote ratification of the Constitution for the Federation of Earth, then election of delegates to World Parliament. Government heads should also ratify.

1996. The Fourth Session of the Provisional World Parliament held at Barcelona, Spain in September. A number of resolutions passed as well as a “Manifesto” declaring the oceans the property of the people of Earth under the authority of the Earth Constitution.

2000. The Fifth Session of the Provisional World Parliament is held on the Island of Malta, November 22nd to 27th. One Omnibus legislative act and a number of resolutions passed, including a resolution strongly supporting the rights of the Palestinian people to their own state.

2003. The Sixth Session of the Provisional World Parliament held in Bangkok, Thailand, March 23rd to 28th. Several important legislative acts passed: a World Peace Act, a World Security Act, a Provisional Office of World Revenue Act, a Hydrocarbon Resource Act, and a Statute for the World Court on Human Rights. The Commission for Legislative Review is formed. Parliamentary law format commences with the Sixth Session. The Institute on World Problems (IOWP) is formed as a 501C3 non-profit organization in the US.

2003. The Seventh Session of the Provisional World Parliament is held at Chennai, India, December 23-29. Several important legislative acts passed: a Criminal Penalty Code, Rules for Procedure and Evidence, a World Bench for Criminal Cases Act, a World Patents Act, a Global Accounting and Auditing Standards Act, and a Preservation of World Government Records Act. The Manifesto of the Earth Federation and the “Pledge of Allegiance to the Earth Constitution” (included in this Appendix) are unanimously ratified by the Parliament.

2004. The Eighth Session of the Provisional World Parliament held at Lucknow, India in August. Several important legislative acts passed, including creation of a World Bench for Juvenile Cases, a Child Rights Act, an Elections Act, and a Water Act. The International Criminal Court in the Hague is empowered by world legislation. A global Education Act is passed as well as a World Economic Equity Act establishing the Earth Currency on an independent and fully democratic basis. A Global People’s Assembly is created to activate grass roots participation in the House of Peoples. The “Declaration on the Rights of Peoples” (included in this volume) is unanimously ratified.

2006. The Ninth Session of the Provisional World Parliament held in Tripoli, Libya in April. Eight World Legislative Acts are passed, an enabling act for the World Ombudsmus, the creation of a Department of Conflict Resolution for the Earth Federation, a ban on the production of fissile materials for weapons, a nuclear weapons elimination protocol, a nuclear contamination act prohibiting the use of depleted uranium and other weapons, a quit Guantanamo directive, an agreement on world Privileges and Immunities (revising the weaker version of the Assembly of States Parties, and a Public Utilities act. The former “Global Ratification and Elections Network (GREN)” is transformed into the Earth Federation Movement (EFM).

2007. The Tenth Session of the Provisional World Parliament held in Kara, Togo in June. Four world legislative acts are passed: an act prohibiting unauthorized destruction of illegal financial instruments, an act creating a system of divestment from illegal weapons manufacture, an act requiring posting of the world illegal stock law in stock exchanges around the world, and an act providing a guaranteed annual income for all adults within the Earth Federation.

2008. The 50th Anniversary Celebrations of the founding of WCPA hosted by Dr. Phichai Tovivich and the WCPA Chapter of Thailand.

2009. The Eleventh Session of the Provisional World Parliament held in Nainital, India, July 2-8, 2009. Several world legislative acts were passed into provisional world law, including a procedure for the dismantling of nuclear weapons, a law protecting the people of Earth from too much bureaucracy in the world government, an act criminalizing human trafficking for sexual or other purposes, an act abolishing all secret intelligence agencies like the CIA, M5 or Mossad, a bill elaborating the restrictions on the military uses of depleted uranium, and a law protecting the right of civil disobedience for the people of Earth under the Earth Federation (included in this volume). The delegation from Bangladesh presented the parliament with a new translation of the Constitution into its 23rdlanguage: Bengali or Bangla.

2010. June 1-11, IOWP officers participate in the General Review Conference of the International Criminal Court in Kampala, Uganda, with proposals to link the court with the Earth Constitution. The Twelfth Session of the Parliament held in Kolkata, India, December 27-31, 2010. World Legislative Acts passed for funding the decommissioning of nuclear weapons, abolishing legal corporate personhood, establishing a Collegium of World Judges, establishing a Ship breaking code, creating global economic prosperity, and amending some earlier acts of the Parliament. Resolutions were passed allowing states, cantons, or Pradesh to join the Earth Federation independently, enumerating citizen and governmental responsibilities under the Earth Federation, and modelling the world peace system created by the Earth Constitution.

2011. May 10-21. Supporters of the Earth Constitution in Costa Rica, headed at that time by WCPA Chapter President, Celina Garcia, organize lectures and meetings for Martin and Turk, WCPA President and Treasurer, that included lectures to law classes at 3 different universities in San Jose. 2011 June. A 5 city WCPA lecture tour in Asia: Lucknow, India, where Glen Martin is interviewed for CMS TV, then on to Colombo, Sri Lanka, for three days of lectures organized by WCPA supporters. Then to Chennai, India, for 7 days of lectures in a “Global Challenges to Peace” program organized by WCPA Vice-President R. Ananthanarayanan and the WCPA Chennai Chapter. The week-long series of events included meeting with activist social groups in the countryside and a visit to a Chennai slum. Martin is presented with a “Lighthouse of the World” award by the WCPA (Asia Wing) and Bharat Vikas Parishad at an all-day program at Jaya College outside Chennai. Martin and Anantharayanan travel to Pondicherry for meetings with leaders of the World Union organization, founded by Sri Aurobindo.

From Chennai, Martin visits Dhaka, Bangladesh, for a visit organized by Mujibur Rahman, WCPA Vice-President, Mahbubul Islam, WCPA Youth Coordinator, and the Bangladesh WCPA Chapter. (This was shortly before the untimely death of Dr. Mujibur Rahman who lived in Dhaka, whom Martin had worked closely with since 1996 when they first met at WCPA Headquarters in Colorado.) Late June 2011: Bangalore, India: all-day seminar with leading social activists, journalists, and academics concerned with global issues, arranged by WCPA Vice-President. E.P. Menon.

September 2011 Drs. Almand and Martin travel to Costa Rica to participate in World Peace Week in northern Costa Rica. WCPA Chapter President Celina Garcia and others there long worked with the many groups involved with the AVP (Alternatives to Violence Project), and it was decided that the vision of AVP activists should be enlarged to a global vision. Many events concerning the Earth Constitution were organized in the cities of San Carlos, Quesada, and Santa Rosa. December 2011. WCPA participates in the International Conference of Chief Justices of the World at the City Montessori School (CMS) of Lucknow. Dr. Gandhi, a VP of WCPA, asked WCPA to hold a meeting at the CMS World Convention and Unity Center during the time of this conference. Three such meetings were held.

2012. May and June. WCPA President Martin goes on speaking tour in Eastern Europe: Zagreb and Macedonia (organized by WCPA supporters in those countries), then to Paris, giving lectures there on the Earth Constitution and its environmental provisions, and meeting with leaders of the World Citizen’s Registry, with headquarters in Paris. July 2012. Glen Martin and Phyllis Turk host an IOWP-WCPA leadership and planning session at Raquette Lake, NY, with 22 WCPA leaders and other thinkers for 5 days. September 2012. Martin attends a conference in Costa Rica promoting the Earth Constitution. December 2012. Martin participates in a lecture tour and press conferences in New Delhi and Lucknow, India. Late December. Martin travels to Turkey to meet with a Sufi Master and give lectures to graduate students and faculty at the Istanbul Law School on the Earth Constitution.

2013. WCPA announces Dr. Kaus Schlichtmann, Peace Historian living in Japan, and Puan Sri Datin Seri N. Swaraswathy Devi, prominent Malaysia Lawyer, as Distinguished Advisors. WCPA also announces the formation of a Venezuela Chapter of WCPA under the leadership of Leopoldo Cook Antonorsi, who later becomes WCPA Vice-President for Latin America and the Caribbean in November 2017. Dr. Martin is awarded the GUSI Peace Prize International in Manila, Philippines, for his work on behalf of the Earth Constitution and WCPA

December 2013. The 13th session of the Provisional World Parliament convenes at Lucknow, India. Several important World Legislative Acts passed: WLA 53, Transition Process of National Governments Joining the Earth Federation; WLA 54, Remedies and Corrections Act; WLA 55, Surveillance Limitations Act; WLA 56, Crowd Dispersal Ban; WLA 57, Collegium of World Legislators established; WLA 58, Neonictinoid Ban; WLA 59, Truth and Reconciliation Commissions Act; WLA 60, Paid Informant Ban; WLA 61, Fracking Ban; WLA 62, Fission Power Generation Closure, and WLA 63, Cooperative Communities Empowerment Act.

December 2014. The 14th session of the Provisional World Parliament convenes in Kolkata, India. World Legislative Acts passed: WLA 64, United Nations Merger (lays out protocols for merging the UN under the Earth Constitution without any loss of jobs or income for UN employees); WLA 64, for a Global Sustainability Directorate (consolidates some 15 UN agencies concerned with environmental sustainability; coordinates and empowers them into a cohesive global authority for preserving, protecting, and restoring the environment). WLA 66 (designated as a placeholder by the Parliament Secretary); WLA 67, Guideline for Direct Popular Referendum regarding the Earth Constitution. Issuance of the Kolkata Declaration.

2015. WCPA lectures and meetings take place in various locations in India, including the first “Grand Global Peace Tour” sponsored by Sri Ramanuja Mission Trust in Chennai. Many events take place I the New Delhi area. At an event at Aligarh Moslem University, Swami Agnivesh (one of the keynote speakers) meets Glen Martin and expresses interest in the Earth Constitution. He soon becomes a Distinguished Advisor to WCPA.

2016. June: Martin and WCPA Treasurer, Phyllis Turk, travel to Venezuela, Ecuador, and Peru, promoting the Earth Constitution. In Peru, they present lectures through arrangements made by High Court Justice David Quispe Salsavilca, who soon becomes a WCPA Distinguished Advisor. In San Francisco, for the book launch of One World Renaissance, Martin is interviewed on national radio and speaks to the UN Association conference there about the Earth Constitution. December 2016. A WCPA International Conference was held at Maharashtra Institute of Technology (MIT), in Puna, India. The conference included many notable speakers, including Swami Agnivesh who secured the prestigious location for these events. In association with Institute for Economic Democracy Press, WCPA publishes the popular “Pocket Edition” of the Earth Constitution.

2017. WCPA International Conference held at O.P. Jindal Global University outside New Delhi. WCPA members both internationally and from around India participated. Swami Agnivesh gives one of the keynote addresses. The book commissioned at the 14th session of the Provisional World Parliament called Our Common Future: The UN as an Effective Peace and Sustainability System. World Parliament Breakthrough Legislation under the Earth Constitution is completed and copies sent to the heads of all UN agencies in Vienna, Geneva, and New York City. (Note: see the entry under “December 2014 above. There has been no response since that time from any of these agencies.)

2018. May and June 2018. WCPA President Glen Martin and Treasurer Phyllis Turk tour WCPA supporters and chapters in Latin America: Venezuela, Brazil, Argentina, Peru, and Columbia.November 2018: WCPA has an “Earth Constitution” booth at the World Parliament of Religions in Toronto, Canada. December 2018. Martin presents on the Earth Constitution to the World Intellectual Forum Conference in Hyderabad, India. The third annual WCPA International Conference is held at O.P. Jindal Global University with a broad range of significant papers presented. WCPA also organizes meetings in Delhi, Chennai, and Bangalore, India.

2019. Prof. Narasimha Murthy becomes Global Communications Coordinator and leads a major organizing drive within India. WCPA invited by Sri Ramanuja Mission Trust of Chennai to be part of a “Grand Global Peace Tour” with a number of world peace leaders that held events in Chennai, Bangalore, and Hyderabad. WCPA Vice-President Peter Graves-Goodman in Miami (web-master of www.worldparliament-gov.org)initiates development a WCPA media project for TV. Dr. Roger Kotila, WCPA Vice-President in San Francisco, continues development of the Earth Federation News website (www.earthfederation.info)and coordinates the work of WCPA with the Democratic World Federalist (DWF) organization (headquarters in San Francisco) and the Center for UN Constitutional Research (CUNCR) in Brussels. December 2019. The international “World Thinkers and Writers Peace Meet,” organized by WCPA Vice-President, Dr. Santi Nath Chattopadhyay, takes place in Kolkata, India. WCPA plays a leading role in many conference events.

2020. The Institute on World Problems (IOWP) non-profit organization, registered in the US) is reorganized and rebranded as the Earth Constitution Institute (ECI). WCPA joins ECI as its activist division sponsoring sessions of the Provisional World Parliament and other aspects of the emerging Provisional World Government. A new website and branding is developed: www.earthconstitution.world In India, Narasimha Murthy develops an all India WCPA website: www.wcpaindia.org. He is soon joined by Col. T. P. Tyagi and Major Sushil Goel and WCPA begins coordination with the prominent India organization RSS (Rashtriya Sainik Sanstha) and with Major Goel’s technical offices in New Delhi. Planning for the 15th session of the Provisional World Parliament scheduled for December 2021 begins in earnest. Membership of WCPA increases rapidly in India, along with several new chapters. Lucio Martins Rodriquez joins the Board of ECI and the project of developing World Electoral Districts (WEDs), led by WCPA Secretary General, Eugenia Almand, is united with a project for developing secure digital voting for people within the emerging list of defined and organized World Electoral Districts.

December 2021. A very successful 15th session of the Provisional World Parliament convenes on-line from New Delhi, India. Amendments were made to World Legislative Act 4: World University System, to WLA 5 on Regional and District Courts, to WLA 6, adding a Global Grassroots Regeneration and Family Planning section, to WLA 10 on the World Energy Department, to WLA 13, the World Peace Act, to WLA 31, the World Ombudsmus Act, and to WLA 54 the Remedies and Corrections Act. New World Legislative Acts were passed: WLA 68, Statute on Women's Rights, WLA 70, on Civil Asset Forfeiture, WLA 71, enabling the Democratic Procedures Department, and WLA 72, on World District Standards. In addition, a special memorial was written to the government of India asking India to take leadership in an Article 109 review conference at the UN and to request substituting the Earth Constitution for the UN Charter. Finally, a powerful "New Delhi Declaration" was issued by the Parliament. Plans were also finalized to hold the 16th session of the PWP next year in Pondicherry, India.