WCAA is working towards the establishment of a democratic global parliament as the basis for an effective system of international law, while respecting the right of each nation to manage its own internal affairs within this framework.
Some of the possible paths to a global democratic parliament include:
- Reform of the United Nations. Through constitutional reform the United Nations could transform itself into a genuine domocratic world federation of nations. An example of this would be the United Nation Parliamentary Assembly.
- Enlargement of the Euopean Union. Gradual enlargement of the European Union to include countries outside the borders of Europe.
- The Functional Approach. Functionalists such as David Mitrany would argue for what might be called the “look, no hands!” approach. The functional needs of the world community will demand their own solutions. Agencies and committees will be set up to handle these common problems, and little by little the various national sovereignties will be whittled away and transferred to the growing network of international agencies. There is no need to set up any formal political structures to achieve integration.
- The Regional Approach. Following on from the success of the European Common Market, other economic integration and free trade organisations have sprung up for example, North American Free Trade Association (NAFTA), Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC). This can lead on to other associations been built like the Organisation of American Strates (OAS), African Union, Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN), the Nordic Council and the League of Arab States (Arab League). Although none of these organisations have a political structure like the EU, it is a start and may follow the same road that the EU began.
- The Evolutionary Approach. This strategy is to begin with an association of a few of the more progressive states, with a specific and limited set of aims, and then let it evolve in a natural, state-by-stage fashion towards a more deeply integrated community with wider membership.
The above avenues are taken from A Global Parliament: Principles of World Federation by Chris Hamer, a great introduction for anyone who would like to know more about a global parliament, its history and how it can be achieved
