adopted unanimously by the General Assembly
on December 10, 1948
Preamble
Whereas recognition of the inherent dignity and of the equal and inalienable rights of all
members of the human family is the foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the world,
Whereas disregard and contempt for human rights have resulted in barbarous acts which
have outraged the conscience of mankind, and the advent of a world in which human beings
shall enjoy freedom of speech and belief and freedom from fear and want has been
proclaimed as the highest aspiration of the common people,
Whereas it is essential, if man is not to be compelled to have recourse, as a last resort, to
rebellion against tyranny and oppression, that human rights should be protected by the rule of law,
Whereas it is essential to promote the development of friendly relations between nations,
Whereas the peoples of the United Nations have in the Charter reaffirmed
their faith in fundamental human rights, in the dignity and worth of the human
person and in the equal rights of men and women and have determined to
promote social progress and better standards of life in larger freedom,
Whereas Member States have pledged themselves to achieve, in
co-operation with the United Nations, the promotion of universal
respect for and observance of human rights and fundamental freedoms,
Whereas a common understanding of these rights and freedoms is
of the greatest importance for the full realization of this pledge,
Now, Therefore THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY proclaims THIS UNIVERSAL
DECLARATION OF HUMAN RIGHTS as a common standard of achievement
for all peoples and all nations, to the end that every individual and every organ of society,
keeping this Declaration constantly in mind, shall strive by teaching and education to
promote respect for these rights and freedoms and by progressive measures,
national and international, to secure their universal and effective recognition
and observance, both among the peoples of Member States themselves
and among the peoples of territories under their jurisdiction.
Article 1.
All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights.
They are endowed with reason and conscience and should
act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.
Article 2.
Everyone is entitled to all the rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration,
without distinction of any kind, such as race, colour, sex, language, religion,
political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status.
Furthermore, no distinction shall be made on the basis of the political,
jurisdictional or international status of the country or territory
to which a person belongs, whether it be independent, trust,
non-self-governing or under any other limitation of sovereignty.
Article 3.
Everyone has the right to life, liberty and security of person.
Article 4.
No one shall be held in slavery or servitude;
slavery and the slave trade shall be prohibited in all their forms.
Article 5.
No one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel,
inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.
Article 6.
Everyone has the right to recognition everywhere as a person before the law.
Article 7.
All are equal before the law and are entitled without any
discrimination to equal protection of the law.
All are entitled to equal protection against any discrimination in violation
of this Declaration and against any incitement to such discrimination.
Article 8.
Everyone has the right to an effective remedy by the competent national tribunals
for acts violating the fundamental rights granted him by the constitution or by law.
Article 9.
No one shall be subjected to arbitrary arrest, detention or exile.
Article 10.
Everyone is entitled in full equality to a fair and public hearing
by an independent and impartial tribunal, in the determination of
his rights and obligations and of any criminal charge against him.
Article 11.
(1) Everyone charged with a penal offence has the right to be presumed
innocent until proved guilty according to law in a public trial at which
he has had all the guarantees necessary for his defence.
(2) No one shall be held guilty of any penal offence on account
of any act or omission which did not constitute a penal offence,
under national or international law, at the time when it was committed.
Nor shall a heavier penalty be imposed than the one that was
applicable at the time the penal offence was committed.
Article 12.
No one shall be subjected to arbitrary interference with his privacy, family,
home or correspondence, nor to attacks upon his honor and reputation.
Everyone has the right to the protection of the law against such interference or attacks.
Article 13.
(1) Everyone has the right to freedom of movement
and residence within the borders of each state.
(2) Everyone has the right to leave any country,
including his own, and to return to his country.
Article 14.
(1) Everyone has the right to seek and to enjoy in other countries asylum from persecution.
(2) This right may not be invoked in the case of prosecutions genuinely arising from
non-political crimes or from acts contrary to the purposes and principles of the United Nations.
Article 15.
(1) Everyone has the right to a nationality.
(2) No one shall be arbitrarily deprived of his nationality
nor denied the right to change his nationality.
Article 16.
(1) Men and women of full age, without any limitation due to race,
nationality or religion, have the right to marry and to found a family.
They are entitled to equal rights as to marriage, during marriage and at its dissolution.
(2) Marriage shall be entered into only with the free and full consent of the intending spouses.
(3) The family is the natural and fundamental group unit of
society and is entitled to protection by society and the State.
Article 17.
(1) Everyone has the right to own property alone as well as in association with others.
(2) No one shall be arbitrarily deprived of his property.
Article 18.
Everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion;
this right includes freedom to change his religion or belief, and freedom,
either alone or in community with others and in public or private,
to manifest his religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship and observance.
Article 19.
Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression;
this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek,
receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.
Article 20.
(1) Everyone has the right to freedom of peaceful assembly and association.
(2) No one may be compelled to belong to an association.
Article 21.
(1) Everyone has the right to take part in the government of his country,
directly or through freely chosen Representatives.
(2) Everyone has the right of equal access to public service in his country.
(3) The will of the people shall be the basis of the authority of government;
this will shall be expressed in periodic and genuine elections
which shall be by universal and equal suffrage and shall be
held by secret vote or by equivalent free voting procedures.
Article 22.
Everyone, as a member of society, has the right to social security
and is entitled to realization, through national effort and international
co-operation and in accordance with the organization and resources
of each State, of the economic, social and cultural rights indispensable
for his dignity and the free development of his personality.
Article 23.
(1) Everyone has the right to work, to free choice of employment,
to just and favorable conditions of work and to protection against unemployment.
(2) Everyone, without any discrimination, has the right to equal pay for equal work.
(3) Everyone who works has the right to just and favorable remuneration
ensuring for himself and his family an existence worthy of human dignity,
and supplemented, if necessary, by other means of social protection.
(4) Everyone has the right to form and to join
trade unions for the protection of his interests.
Article 24.
Everyone has the right to rest and leisure, including reasonable
limitation of working hours and periodic holidays with pay.
Article 25.
(1) Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being
of himself and of his family, including food, clothing, housing and medical care and necessary
social services, and the right to security in the event of unemployment, sickness, disability,
widowhood, old age or other lack of livelihood in circumstances beyond his control.
(2) Motherhood and childhood are entitled to special care and assistance.
All children, whether born in or out of wedlock, shall enjoy the same social protection.
Article 26.
(1) Everyone has the right to education.
Education shall be free, at least in the elementary and fundamental stages.
Elementary education shall be compulsory.
Technical and professional education shall be made generally available
and higher education shall be equally accessible to all on the basis of merit.
(2) Education shall be directed to the full development of the human personality
and to the strengthening of respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms.
It shall promote understanding, tolerance and friendship among all nations,
racial or religious groups, and shall further the activities
of the United Nations for the maintenance of peace.
(3) Parents have a prior right to choose the kind of education
that shall be given to their children.
Article 27.
(1) Everyone has the right freely to participate in the cultural life of the community,
to enjoy the arts and to share in scientific advancement and its benefits.
(2) Everyone has the right to the protection of the moral and material interests
resulting from any scientific, literary or artistic production of which he is the author.
Article 28.
Everyone is entitled to a social and international order in which the
rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration can be fully realized.
Article 29.
(1) Everyone has duties to the community in which alone
the free and full development of his personality is possible.
(2) In the exercise of his rights and freedoms, everyone shall be subject only to such
limitations as are determined by law solely for the purpose of securing due recognition
and respect for the rights and freedoms of others and of meeting the just requirements
of morality, public order and the general welfare in a democratic society.
(3) These rights and freedoms may in no case be exercised
contrary to the purposes and principles of the United Nations.
Article 30.
Nothing in this Declaration may be interpreted as implying for any State,
group or person any right to engage in any activity or to perform any act
aimed at the destruction of any of the rights and freedoms set forth herein.
published by the International Law Commission
on July 29, 1950
Principle I. Any person who commits an act which constitutes a crime
under international law is responsible therefore and liable to punishment.
Principle II. The fact that internal law does not impose a penalty for an act
which constitutes a crime under international law does not relieve the person
who committed the act from responsibility under international law.
Principle III. The fact that a person committed an act which constitutes a crime
under international law acted as Head of State or responsible Government official
does not relieve him from responsibility under international law.
Principle IV. The fact that a person acted pursuant to order of his Government
or of a superior does not relieve him from responsibility under international law,
provided a moral choice was in fact possible to him.
Principle V. Any person charged with a crime under international law
has the right to a fair trial on the facts and law.
Principle VI. The crimes hereinafter set out are punishable as crimes under international law:
a. Crimes against peace:
i. Planning, preparation, initiation or waging of a war of aggression or
a war in violation of international treaties, agreements or assurances;
ii. Participation in a common plan or conspiracy for the
accomplishment of any of the acts mentioned under (i).
b. War crimes:
Violations of the laws or customs of war which include, but are not limited to,
murder, ill-treatment or deportation to slave-labor or for any
other purpose of civilian population of or in occupied territory,
murder or ill-treatment of prisoners of war or persons on the seas,
killing of hostages, plunder of public or private property, wanton destruction
of cities, towns, or villages, or devastation not justified by military necessity.
c. Crimes against humanity:
Murder, extermination, enslavement, deportation and other inhuman acts
done against any civilian population, or persecutions on political, racial or
religious grounds, when such acts are done or such persecutions are carried on
in execution of or in connection with any crime against peace or any war crime.
Principle VII. Complicity in the commission of a crime against peace, a war crime,
or a crime against humanity as set forth in Principle VI is a crime under international law.
approved by the Earth Charter Commission in March 2000
Preamble
We stand at a critical moment in Earth's history, a time when humanity must choose its future.
As the world becomes increasingly interdependent and fragile,
the future at once holds great peril and great promise.
To move forward we must recognize that in the midst of a magnificent diversity of cultures
and life forms we are one human family and one Earth community with a common destiny.
We must join together to bring forth a sustainable global society founded on respect for nature,
universal human rights, economic justice, and a culture of peace.
Towards this end, it is imperative that we, the peoples of Earth, declare our responsibility
to one another, to the greater community of life, and to future generations.
Earth, Our Home
Humanity is part of a vast evolving universe.
Earth, our home, is alive with a unique community of life.
The forces of nature make existence a demanding and uncertain adventure,
but Earth has provided the conditions essential to life's evolution.
The resilience of the community of life and the well-being of humanity
depend upon preserving a healthy biosphere with all its ecological systems,
a rich variety of plants and animals, fertile soils, pure waters, and clean air.
The global environment with its finite resources is a common concern of all peoples.
The protection of Earth's vitality, diversity, and beauty is a sacred trust.
The Global Situation
The dominant patterns of production and consumption
are causing environmental
devastation, the depletion of resources, and a massive extinction of species.
Communities are being undermined.
The benefits of development are not shared equitably,
and the gap between rich and poor is widening.
Injustice, poverty, ignorance, and violent conflict
are widespread and the cause of great suffering.
An unprecedented rise in human population has
overburdened ecological and social systems.
The foundations of global security are threatened.
These trends are perilous—but not inevitable.
The Challenges Ahead
The choice is ours: form a global partnership to care for Earth and one another
or risk the destruction of ourselves and the diversity of life.
Fundamental changes are needed in our values, institutions, and ways of living.
We must realize that when basic needs have been met,
human development is primarily about being more, not having more.
We have the knowledge and technology to provide for all
and to reduce our impacts on the environment.
The emergence of a global civil society is creating new opportunities
to build a democratic and humane world.
Our environmental, economic, political, social, and spiritual challenges
are interconnected, and together we can forge inclusive solutions.
Universal Responsibility
To realize these aspirations, we must decide to live with a sense of universal responsibility,
identifying ourselves with the whole Earth community as well as our local communities.
We are at once citizens of different nations and of one world
in which the local and global are linked.
Everyone shares responsibility for the present and future well-being
of the human family and the larger living world.
The spirit of human solidarity and kinship with all life is strengthened when we live
with reverence for the mystery of being, gratitude for the gift of life,
and humility regarding the human place in nature.
We urgently need a shared vision of basic values to provide
an ethical foundation for the emerging world community.
Therefore, together in hope we affirm the following interdependent principles
for a sustainable way of life as a common standard by which the conduct of
all individuals, organizations, businesses, governments,
and transnational institutions is to be guided and assessed.
1. Respect Earth and life in all its diversity.
a. Recognize that all beings are interdependent,
and every form of life has value regardless of its worth to human beings.
b. Affirm faith in the inherent dignity of all human beings and in
the intellectual, artistic, ethical, and spiritual potential of humanity.
2. Care for the community of life with understanding, compassion, and love.
a. Accept that with the right to own, manage, and use natural resources comes
the duty to prevent environmental harm and to protect the rights of people.
b. Affirm that with increased freedom, knowledge, and power
comes increased responsibility to promote the common good.
3. Build democratic societies that are just, participatory, sustainable, and peaceful.
a. Ensure that communities at all levels guarantee human rights and fundamental freedoms
and provide everyone an opportunity to realize his or her full potential.
b. Promote social and economic justice, enabling all to achieve a
secure and meaningful livelihood that is ecologically responsible.
4. Secure Earth's bounty and beauty for present and future generations.
a. Recognize that the freedom of action of each generation
is qualified by the needs of future generations.
b. Transmit to future generations values, traditions, and institutions that
support the long-term flourishing of Earth's human and ecological communities.
In order to fulfill these four broad commitments, it is necessary to:
5. Protect and restore the integrity of Earth's ecological systems,
with special concern for biological diversity and the natural processes that sustain life.
a. Adopt at all levels sustainable development plans and regulations that make
environmental conservation and rehabilitation integral to all development initiatives.
b. Establish and safeguard viable nature and biosphere reserves including
wild lands and marine areas to protect Earth's life support systems,
maintain biodiversity, and preserve our natural heritage.
c. Promote the recovery of endangered species and ecosystems.
d. Control and eradicate non-native or genetically modified organisms harmful to
native species and the environment, and prevent introduction of such harmful organisms.
e. Manage the use of renewable resources such as water, soil, forest products, and marine life
in ways that do not exceed rates of regeneration and that protect the health of ecosystems.
f. Manage the extraction and use of non-renewable resources such as minerals
and fossil fuels in ways that minimize depletion and cause no serious environmental damage.
6. Prevent harm as the best method of environmental protection and,
when knowledge is limited, apply a precautionary approach.
a. Take action to avoid the possibility of serious or irreversible environmental harm
even when scientific knowledge is incomplete or inconclusive.
b. Place the burden of proof on those who argue that a proposed activity will not cause
significant harm, and make the responsible parties liable for environmental harm.
c. Ensure that decision making addresses the cumulative, long-term,
indirect, long distance, and global consequences of human activities.
d. Prevent pollution of any part of the environment and allow no
build-up of radioactive, toxic, or other hazardous substances.
e. Avoid military activities damaging to the environment.
7. Adopt patterns of production, consumption, and reproduction that safeguard
Earth's regenerative capacities, human rights, and community well-being.
a. Reduce, reuse, and recycle the materials used in production and consumption systems,
and ensure that residual waste can be assimilated by ecological systems.
b. Act with restraint and efficiency when using energy, and rely
increasingly on renewable energy sources such as solar and wind.
c. Promote the development, adoption, and equitable
transfer of environmentally sound technologies.
d. Internalize the full environmental and social costs of goods
and services in the selling price, and enable consumers to identify
products that meet the highest social and environmental standards.
e. Ensure universal access to health care that fosters
reproductive health and responsible reproduction.
f. Adopt lifestyles that emphasize the quality of life
and material sufficiency in a finite world.
8. Advance the study of ecological sustainability and promote the
open exchange and wide application of the knowledge acquired.
a. Support international scientific and technical cooperation on sustainability,
with special attention to the needs of developing nations.
b. Recognize and preserve the traditional knowledge and spiritual wisdom in
all cultures that contribute to environmental protection and human well-being.
c. Ensure that information of vital importance to human health and environmental
protection, including genetic information, remains available in the public domain.
9. Eradicate poverty as an ethical, social, and environmental imperative.
a. Guarantee the right to potable water, clean air, food security, uncontaminated soil,
shelter, and safe sanitation, allocating the national and international resources required.
b. Empower every human being with the education and resources
to secure a sustainable livelihood, and provide social security and
safety nets for those who are unable to support themselves.
c. Recognize the ignored, protect the vulnerable, serve those who suffer,
and enable them to develop their capacities and to pursue their aspirations.
10. Ensure that economic activities and institutions at all levels
promote human development in an equitable and sustainable manner.
a. Promote the equitable distribution of wealth within nations and among nations.
b. Enhance the intellectual, financial, technical, and social resources
of developing nations, and relieve them of onerous international debt.
c. Ensure that all trade supports sustainable resource use,
environmental protection, and progressive labor standards.
d. Require multinational corporations and international financial organizations
to act transparently in the public good, and hold them
accountable for the consequences of their activities.
11. Affirm gender equality and equity as prerequisites to sustainable development
and ensure universal access to education, health care, and economic opportunity.
a. Secure the human rights of women and girls and end all violence against them.
b. Promote the active participation of women in all aspects of
economic, political, civil, social, and cultural life as full and
equal partners, decision makers, leaders, and beneficiaries.
c. Strengthen families and ensure the safety and loving nurture of all family members.
12. Uphold the right of all, without discrimination, to a natural and social
environment supportive of human dignity, bodily health, and spiritual well-being,
with special attention to the rights of indigenous peoples and minorities.
a. Eliminate discrimination in all its forms, such as that based on race, color,
sex, sexual orientation, religion, language, and national, ethnic or social origin.
b. Affirm the right of indigenous peoples to their spirituality, knowledge,
lands and resources and to their related practice of sustainable livelihoods.
c. Honor and support the young people of our communities, enabling
them to fulfill their essential role in creating sustainable societies.
d. Protect and restore outstanding places of cultural and spiritual significance.
13. Strengthen democratic institutions at all levels, and provide transparency and
accountability in governance, inclusive participation in decision making, and access to justice.
a. Uphold the right of everyone to receive clear and timely information
on environmental matters and all development plans and activities
which are likely to affect them or in which they have an interest.
b. Support local, regional and global civil society, and promote the meaningful
participation of all interested individuals and organizations in decision making.
c. Protect the rights to freedom of opinion, expression,
peaceful assembly, association, and dissent.
d. Institute effective and efficient access to administrative and independent judicial procedures,
including remedies and redress for environmental harm and the threat of such harm.
e. Eliminate corruption in all public and private institutions.
f. Strengthen local communities, enabling them to care for their environments,
and assign environmental responsibilities to the levels of
government where they can be carried out most effectively.
14. Integrate into formal education and life-long learning the
knowledge, values, and skills needed for a sustainable way of life.
a. Provide all, especially children and youth, with educational opportunities
that empower them to contribute actively to sustainable development.
b. Promote the contribution of the arts and humanities
as well as the sciences in sustainability education.
c. Enhance the role of the mass media in raising awareness of ecological and social challenges.
d. Recognize the importance of moral and spiritual education for sustainable living.
15. Treat all living beings with respect and consideration.
a. Prevent cruelty to animals kept in human societies and protect them from suffering.
b. Protect wild animals from methods of hunting, trapping, and
fishing that cause extreme, prolonged, or avoidable suffering.
c. Avoid or eliminate to the full extent possible
the taking or destruction of non-targeted species.
16. Promote a culture of tolerance, nonviolence, and peace.
a. Encourage and support mutual understanding, solidarity, and
cooperation among all peoples and within and among nations.
b. Implement comprehensive strategies to prevent violent conflict and use collaborative
problem solving to manage and resolve environmental conflicts and other disputes.
c. Demilitarize national security systems to the level of a non-provocative defense posture,
and convert military resources to peaceful purposes, including ecological restoration.
d. Eliminate nuclear, biological, and toxic weapons and other weapons of mass destruction.
e. Ensure that the use of orbital and outer space supports environmental protection and peace.
f. Recognize that peace is the wholeness created by right relationships with oneself,
other persons, other cultures, other life, Earth, and the larger whole of which all are a part.
The Way Forward
As never before in history, common destiny beckons us to seek a new beginning.
Such renewal is the promise of these Earth Charter principles.
To fulfill this promise, we must commit ourselves to adopt
and promote the values and objectives of the Charter.
This requires a change of mind and heart.
It requires a new sense of global interdependence and universal responsibility.
We must imaginatively develop and apply the vision of a sustainable
way of life locally, nationally, regionally, and globally.
Our cultural diversity is a precious heritage and different cultures
will find their own distinctive ways to realize the vision.
We must deepen and expand the global dialogue that generated the Earth Charter,
for we have much to learn from the ongoing collaborative search for truth and wisdom.
Life often involves tensions between important values.
This can mean difficult choices.
However, we must find ways to harmonize diversity with unity, the exercise of freedom
with the common good, short-term objectives with long-term goals.
Every individual, family, organization, and community has a vital role to play.
The arts, sciences, religions, educational institutions, media, businesses,
nongovernmental organizations, and governments are all called to offer creative leadership.
The partnership of government, civil society, and business is essential for effective governance.
In order to build a sustainable global community, the nations of the world must renew
their commitment to the United Nations, fulfill their obligations under existing
international agreements, and support the implementation of Earth Charter principles
with an international legally binding instrument on environment and development.
Let ours be a time remembered for the awakening of a new reverence for life,
the firm resolve to achieve sustainability, the quickening of the struggle
for justice and peace, and the joyful celebration of life.
formulated by Sanderson Beck in 1982
1. The Earth is one world, and its human beings must learn to live in peace with each other or perish.
2. The human race is one and interdependent;
the good of each depends on the good of all and our love for each other.
3. The way of love and peace is nonviolent and does not hurt anyone.
4. The uniting power of love, peace, and friendship is stronger
than the divisive strife of hatred, war, and enmity.
5. The conversion of a hostile and militaristic world into a peaceful global
society is primarily an educational process of changing consciousness
from fear, suspicion, and mistrust to love, confidence, and trust in the
human capacity to solve problems, cooperate, and establish justice.
6. Every human being has the equal right to life, liberty, security, and justice.
7. Respect for individual freedom and dignity requires the protection
of all human rights by means of a universal system of justice.
8. Justice in human affairs evolves through democratic means and due process of law.
9. The use of force is justified only when a legal authority, designated by consent
of the people, is required to restrain and bring to justice a violator of the law.
10. A law enforcement official has legal authority only within
the territory of the people who designate that official.
No nation has the sovereign right to use any force outside its national borders.
11. War, the use of force outside one's territory, the threat to use such force,
and the sale or transfer of military weapons outside one's territory
should be prohibited by international law.
12. International wars and internal oppression of human rights are allowed to occur
because there is no enforceable world law.
13. Enforceable world law and justice may be established by instituting a
democratically elected federal world government to protect human rights
and solve international disputes through a compulsory system of jurisprudence.
14. In a federal world government each nation would maintain sovereignty
over its own internal affairs, except that the federal world government would
have legal authority to protect human rights and settle international disputes.
15. Education, communication, democratic process, and nonviolent protest of wrongs
are the purest and most effective means of social reform.
Peace and justice are attained only by peaceful and just means.
16. Biological, chemical, and nuclear weapons are so horrendously
deadly to people and damaging to the environment for such long
periods of time that only deluded minds seriously contemplate their use.
17. Belief in deterrence of war by massive armaments and
nuclear weapons is based on fear, suspicion, mistrust, and insecurity;
this weapons policy perpetuates more fear,
suspicion, mistrust, and insecurity in the world.
18. Those people who have moral courage and faith in the justice of their economic
and political philosophies and in the nonviolent social change of democratic processes
will support enforceable world law instead of massive national armaments.
19. Huge expenditures on massive armaments of destruction are a colossal waste of human
and material resources, causing poverty, inflation, and a lowering of the quality of life.
Such resources could otherwise be used for improvement of the environment,
food production and distribution, education, health, and other beneficial purposes.
1. To awaken the inner peace that dwells in the hearts of all beings.
2. To create the consciousness of world peace and
to foster friendship and harmony among all people.
3. To promote and protect the human rights of all people, regardless of race,
color, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin,
property, birth or other status, as delineated in the
Universal Declaration of Human Rights of the United Nations.
4. To assure international justice and universal human rights by developing ways to
preserve them, such as a federal world government, democratically elected by all the
people of the Earth with a world court of justice having compulsory jurisdiction to
decide all cases of international disputes and violations of world law and human rights,
and with a world peacekeeping force of individuals from all countries who would
be dedicated to the whole of humanity and who would enforce world law and
the decisions of the world court of justice by the most peaceful means possible.
5. To achieve disarmament and the total elimination of all biological,
chemical, and nuclear weapons in the entire world.
6. To purify and maintain a clean and ecologically balanced environment
for our health and prosperity and for future generations.
7. To alleviate poverty and hunger, and to improve the health,
education, and living conditions of all people on Earth.
8. To encourage all schools from the primary grades to the university
to offer peace education from a global perspective.
1. To live peacefully and lovingly as examples to all.
2. To educate ourselves and others by every means to increase awareness of the
oneness of life, the interdependence of all beings, the ecological unity of the environment,
the way of love and nonviolence, and the urgent need for transnational
attitudes, programs, and institutions for the sake of mutual survival.
3. To communicate by every means the truth and the facts
which reveal and nourish world peace.
4. To pray and meditate and expand the consciousness of peace.
5. To respect and nurture human rights with tolerance and understanding.
6. To refrain from contributing to the preparations and activities of war
and from hostile and aggressive attitudes.
7. To protest nonviolently against oppression, militarism,
nuclear weapons, pollution, and violations of human rights.
8. To work for the total elimination of biological, chemical,
and nuclear weapons in every country.
9. To promote and practice world citizenship, and to work
to organize a world constitutional convention to plan the
democratic institution of a federal world government.
10. To use all human wisdom, sciences, and technologies in developing and purifying
the environment, eradicating hunger and sickness in all countries,
and making global education available to all people.
11. To communicate closely with all peace organizations and dedicated
peace workers to facilitate the forming of a united worldwide network
to bring about the establishment of world peace.
(Third draft by Sanderson Beck in September 2025)
We the people of the United States, in order to form a more perfect union, establish
democracy and justice, assure domestic tranquility, provide for the common security,
promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty for ourselves and our posterity,
do ordain and establish this Democratic Constitution for the United States of America.
Article I
Section 1
All legislative powers herein granted shall be vested in a Congress of the United States
consisting of a Senate, House of Representatives, and the Registered Voters.
The District of Columbia and Puerto Rico shall be admitted as states.
All citizens of the United States sixteen years of age or older
are qualified to register as voters.
Section 2
The House of Representatives shall be composed of members elected from districts
of no more than one million people each elected to terms of two years in even-numbered years
by the people of the states including the District of Columbia with the rights of a state.
States with less than one million residents according to the recent census
shall elect one Representative.
Other states shall elect one Representative for each million people
in their state plus one for the remaining portion.
House districts shall be apportioned based on the recent census by computer calculations
equally and compactly without consideration for party affiliation.
Each Representative shall have one vote and must be at least twenty-five years of age,
must have been a citizen of the United States for at least ten years, and when elected,
must be an inhabitant of that state and district represented.
When vacancies happen in the representation from any state,
elections shall be held to fill such vacancies.
The House of Representatives shall elect their Speaker and other officers,
and the House of Representatives shall have the sole power of impeachment.
Section 3
The Senate of the United States shall be composed of Senators
elected by the people in each state and the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico.
The 18 states of Kansas, Mississippi, New Mexico, Nebraska, Idaho, West Virginia, Hawaii,
New Hampshire, Maine, Montana, Rhode Island, Delaware, South Dakota, North Dakota,
Alaska, Vermont, Wyoming,
including the District of Columbia with less than 3 million people
based on the 2020 census shall have one Senator.
The 23 states of Virginia, Washington, Arizona, Tennessee, Massachusetts, Indiana, Maryland,
Missouri, Wisconsin, Colorado, Minnesota, South Carolina, Alabama, Louisiana, Kentucky,
Oregon, Oklahoma, Connecticut, Utah, Nevada, Iowa, Arkansas, including
Puerto Rico with
between 3 million and 9 million people shall have two Senators.
The 7 states of Pennsylvania, Illinois, Ohio, Georgia, North Carolina, Michigan and New Jersey
with between 9 million and 15 million people shall have three Senators each;
The state of New York with between 15 million and 21 million people shall have four Senators.
The state of Florida with between 21 million and 27 million people shall have five Senators.
The state of Texas with between 27 million and 33 million people shall have six Senators.
The state of California with between 33 million and 40 million people shall elect seven Senators.
In the future any state with more than 40 million people shall have eight Senators.
Based on 2020 Census the number of Senators would be 107
until 2034 when the number would be based on the 2030 Census.
Senators shall be elected for four years in even-numbered years not divisible by four.
States with more than one Senator shall have senatorial districts apportioned based
on the recent census by computer calculations equally and
compactly without consideration for party affiliation.
An official census of the population of each state shall be taken in years ending in zero.
Each Senator shall have one vote and must be at least thirty years of age,
must have been a citizen of the United States for at least fifteen years, and when elected,
must be an inhabitant of the state (or the District of Columbia or Puerto Rico)
and the district in which one is elected.
In the first election after the ratification of this revised United States Constitution
the election of the Council of Three Presidents shall take place as follows:
Candidates for President of the United States must be natural born citizens
and at least 35 years old on the date of the inauguration and
must have been a citizen of the United States for at least fifteen years.
In case of a President being removed, unable to serve or resigning or dead,
at the next election in November will be replaced by an election.
The First President must be male; the Second President must be female,
and the Third President may be male or female.
In the first term the First President shall be elected to a two-year term;
the Second President would be elected for a four-year term,
and the Third President will be elected to a six-year term.
Each President may be re-elected and serve in a six-year term,
and no President may serve more than twelve years.
In the second election in the next even-numbered year
the Second President may be elected for a six-year term
or would be replaced by another woman.
In the third election the Third President may be elected
to another six-year term or may be replaced by a man or a woman.
By this rotation in every even-numbered year
another election for one of the three Presidents shall take place.
As there will be no Vice President of the United States
any one of the Council of the Three Presidents may from time to time
serve as the President of the United States Senate and can only vote in case of a tie.
The Senate shall have the sole power to try all impeachments.
When sitting for that purpose, they shall be on oath or affirmation.
When a President of the United States is tried, the Chief Justice shall preside;
no person shall be convicted without the concurrence of two thirds of the members present.
Judgment in cases of impeachment shall not extend further than to removal from office and
disqualification to hold and enjoy any office of honor, trust or profit under the United States;
but the person convicted shall nevertheless be liable and subject to
indictment, trial, judgment and punishment according to law.
Section 4
General elections for all Representatives shall be held on the first Wednesday
of November in even-numbered years and for all Senators in even-numbered years
that are not divisible by four.
Primary elections by political parties shall be held regionally in even-numbered years
on the first Wednesday of March, April, May, and June.
The East region shall include the states of Connecticut, Delaware, Maine,
Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Ohio,
Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, and West Virginia.
The South region shall include Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia,
Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, Puerto Rico, South Carolina,
Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, and the District of Columbia.
The Central region shall include Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas,
Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota,
Oklahoma, South Dakota, and Wisconsin.
The West region shall include Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho,
Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming.
In the first election after the ratification of this Constitution
the order shall be East, South, Central, and West.
Every four years the region that went first shall become last
as the other regions move forward one month.
Representatives and Senators shall be elected by district with ranked choice voting
using first, second, and third choices in both the primary and general elections.
Three candidates in each office with the most votes in the primary elections
will be on the ballot in the final elections in November.
Then as candidates with the least number of votes are eliminated, the second
(and if necessary the third) choices of those voters shall take effect
until one candidate has more votes than the other two candidates.
Section 5
The House of Representatives and the Senate shall be the judge of their elections,
returns and qualifications of its own members, and a majority
of each shall constitute a quorum to do business;
but a smaller number may adjourn from day to day and may be authorized
to compel the attendance of absent members in such manner
and under such penalties as each house may provide.
Each house may determine the rules of its proceedings, discipline its
members for disorderly behavior and with the concurrence of two thirds
expel a member
for a felony conviction or a serious ethical violation.
Each house must vote on any bill sponsored by one third or more
of the members unless it is withdrawn by those sponsors.
Each house shall keep a journal of its proceedings
and from time to time publish the same;
the yeas and nays of the members of either house on any question
shall at the desire of one fifth of those present be entered in the journal.
Neither house during the session of Congress shall without the consent
of the other adjourn for more than three days nor to any other place
than that in which the two houses shall be sitting.
Section 6
The Senators and Representatives shall receive compensation for their services
to be ascertained by law and paid out of the Treasury of the United States.
No law, varying the compensation for the services of the Senators and Representatives,
shall take effect, until an election of Representatives shall have intervened.
Senators and Representatives shall in all cases, except treason, felony and
breach of the peace, be privileged from arrest during their attendance at the
session of their respective houses and in going to and returning from the same.
No Senator or Representative during the time for which he or she was elected
shall be appointed to any civil office under the authority of the United States,
which shall have been created or the emoluments whereof shall have been
increased during such time; no person holding any office under the United States
shall be a member of either house during his or her continuance in office.
Section 7
All bills for raising revenue shall originate in the House of Representatives,
and the Senate may propose or concur with amendments as on other bills.
Every bill which shall have passed the House of Representatives or the Senate,
before it becomes a law, shall upon passing be presented to the registered voters
of the United States, and they shall have seven days to vote on the bill.
Their votes shall be recorded electronically in total
and by districts with tallies by party affiliation included.
Any bill which receives a majority by the voters and which has been passed
by both houses shall be presented to the Presidents of the United States.
If the Presidents approve, they shall sign it; if not approved, the Presidents shall
return it with their objections to that House in which it shall have originated
and which shall enter the objections at large in their journal and proceed to reconsider it.
If after such reconsideration two thirds of that house shall agree to pass the bill,
it shall be sent together with the objections to the other house by which it shall likewise
be reconsidered, and if it is approved by two thirds of that house, it shall become a law.
But in all such cases the votes of both houses shall be determined by yeas and nays,
and the names of the persons voting for and against the bill
shall be entered in the journal of each house.
If any bill shall not be returned by the Presidents within ten days (Sundays excepted)
after it shall have been presented to them, the same shall be a law,
in like manner as if they had signed it, unless the Congress by their
adjournment prevent its return, in which case it shall not be a law.
If a majority of those registered voting reject a bill, it shall be returned to both houses.
If three-fifths of both houses approve it, it shall be presented
to the Presidents for their approval.
If the Presidents veto a bill rejected by a majority of voters, it shall not become a law.
Every order, resolution, or vote to which the concurrence of the Senate and
House of Representatives may be necessary (except on a question of adjournment)
shall be presented to the voters and the Presidents of the United States,
and before the same shall take effect, shall be approved by the Presidents,
or being disapproved by them, shall be repassed by two thirds
of the Senate and House of Representatives, according to the rules
and limitations prescribed in the case of a bill.
Section 8
The Congress shall have the following powers:
to lay and collect taxes, duties, imposts and excises, to pay the debts
and provide for the security and general welfare of the United States;
but all duties, imposts and excises shall be uniform throughout the United States;
to borrow money on the credit of the United States;
to regulate commerce with foreign nations, among the states, and with the
Cherokee, Navajo, Choctaw, Blackfeet, Sioux, and Apache Native American nations;
to establish a uniform rule of naturalization and uniform laws
on the subject of bankruptcies throughout the United States;
to coin money, regulate the value thereof, and of foreign coin,
and fix the standard of weights and measures;
to provide for the punishment of counterfeiting the securities
and current coin of the United States;
to establish Post Offices and post roads;
to promote the progress of science and useful arts by securing for limited times
to authors and inventors the exclusive right to their respective writings and discoveries;
to constitute tribunals inferior to the Supreme Court;
to provide for calling forth the National Guard to execute the laws of the union,
suppress insurrections and repel invasions;
to provide for organizing, equipping, and disciplining the National Guard
and for governing such part of them as may be employed in the service of the United States,
reserving to the states respectively the appointment of the officers and the authority
of training the National Guard according to the discipline prescribed by Congress;
to provide for organizing, equipping, and disciplining the Coast Guard
in order to protect maritime safety, security, and stewardship;
to regulate and ban fire-arms, explosives, poisons, and other dangerous weapons;
to provide for immigration of persons from other nations and the requirements
by which they may be naturalized as citizens of the United States;
to no longer exercise exclusive legislation over the District of Columbia or
Puerto Rico after they have been admitted as states.
and to exercise like authority over all places purchased by the consent
of the legislature of the state in which the same shall be for needed buildings;
and to make all laws which shall be necessary and proper for carrying into execution
the foregoing powers and all other powers vested by this Constitution in the
Government of the United States or in any department or officer thereof.
Section 9
The immigration of persons any of the states shall think
proper to admit shall not be prohibited by the Congress.
The privilege of the writ of habeas corpus shall not be suspended,
unless when in cases of rebellion or invasion the public safety may require it.
No bill of attainder or ex post facto law shall be passed.
No capitation or other direct tax shall be laid.
No tax or duty shall be laid on articles exported from any state.
No preference shall be given by any regulation of commerce or revenue
to the ports of one state over those of another; nor shall vessels bound to
or from one state be obliged to enter, clear, or pay duties in another.
No money shall be drawn from the Treasury but in consequence
of appropriations made by law, and a regular statement and account of the
receipts and expenditures of all public money shall be published from time to time.
No title of nobility shall be granted by the United States,
and no person holding any office of profit or trust under them shall without
the consent of the Congress accept of any present, emolument, office,
or title of any kind whatever from any king, prince, or foreign state.
Section 10
No state shall enter into any treaty, alliance, or confederation;
grant letters of marque and reprisal; coin money; emit bills of credit;
make any thing but gold and silver coin a tender in payment of debts;
pass any bill of attainder, ex post facto law, or law impairing the
obligation of contracts, or grant any title of nobility.
No state shall without the consent of the Congress lay any
imposts or duties on imports or exports, except what may be
absolutely necessary for executing it’s inspection laws;
the net produce of all duties and imposts laid by any state on imports
or exports shall be for the use of the Treasury of the United States;
and all such laws shall be subject to the revision and control of the Congress.
No state shall without the consent of Congress lay any duty of tonnage,
keep troops or ships of war in time of peace, enter into any agreement
or compact with another state or with a foreign power, or engage in war,
unless actually invaded or in such imminent danger as will not admit of delay.
Article II
Section 1
The executive power shall be vested in the Council of Three Presidents
of the United States of America.
The First President must be male; the Second President must be female;
and the Third President may be male or female.
In the first year of elections after the ratification of this Constitution
the man elected First President will have a two-year term;
the woman elected Second President will have a four-year term,
and the person elected Third President will have a six-year term.
Succeeding elections in even numbered years will have an election for First President,
then the next one for the Second President, and then for the Third President.
Those elected in the first three elections may run for re-election,
and no person shall serve as President for more than twelve years.
All persons who are at least thirty-five years of age and have been citizens
for at least twenty years shall be eligible for the office of President.
The Council of Three Presidents shall make decisions
by unanimity or by a two-thirds vote.
They function as
the chief executive officers of the United States
and commanders in chief of the Coast Guard and of the National Guard
of the states when called into the actual service of the United States.
The Presidents may require the opinion in writing of the Minister in each of the
executive departments upon any subject relating to the duties of their respective offices.
The Presidents shall have power to grant reprieves and pardons for
offenses against the United States, except in cases of impeachment.
The Presidents shall have power by and with the advice and consent of
the Senate to make treaties, provided two thirds of the Senators present concur.
The Presidents shall nominate and by and with the advice and consent of at least
three-fifths of the Senate shall appoint ambassadors, other public ministers and consuls,
judges of the Supreme Court, and all other officers of the United States,
whose appointments are not herein otherwise provided for, and which shall be
established by law: but the Congress may by law vest the appointment of such
inferior officers, as they think proper, under the Presidents alone,
in the courts of law, or in the Departments.
The Presidents shall have power to fill up all vacancies that
may happen during the recess of the Senate by granting commissions
which shall expire one month after the end of their recess.
The Ministers of the fifteen executive departments of the United States of America
shall be elected by a majority of all the citizens in the United States using ranked choice
voting in both the primary and general elections as described in Article I Section 4.
In the first election after the ratification of this Democratic Constitution
the Ministers of all fifteen departments shall be elected.
The first Ministers of the departments of Agriculture, Commerce, Communication,
Education, and Energy shall serve for two years; the first Ministers of the departments of
Environment, Health, Housing, Justice, and Labor shall serve for four years;
and the first Ministers of the departments of Peace, Science & Technology,
Security, Transportation, and Treasury shall serve for six years.
In each succeeding election one third of the Ministers
shall be elected to terms of six years.
Ministers must be at least thirty years of age
and must have been citizens for at least ten years.
The three Presidents and Ministers shall receive compensation,
which shall neither be increased nor diminished during the period for which
they shall have been elected, and they shall not receive within that period
any other emolument from the United States or any of the states.
Before entering on the execution of their offices, the Presidents,
and Ministers shall take the following oath or affirmation:
“I solemnly promise that I will faithfully execute the office to which I have
been elected and will to the best of my ability preserve, protect
and defend the Democratic Constitution of the United States.”
The terms of the elected Presidents, Ministers, Senators,
and Representatives shall begin at noon on January 3 following their election.
Section 3
The Presidents shall from time to time give to the Congress information
of the state of the union and recommend for their consideration such measures
as they shall judge necessary and expedient;
Two or more Presidents may on extraordinary occasions convene both houses or either of them,
and in case of disagreement between them with respect to the time of adjournment
they may adjourn them to such time as they shall think proper.
The Presidents shall receive ambassadors and other public ministers.
The Presidents shall take care that the laws be faithfully executed
and shall commission all the officers of the United States.
Section 4
The Three Presidents, Ministers, and all civil officers of the
United States shall be removed from office on impeachment for and
conviction of treason, bribery, or other high crimes and misdemeanors.
Article III
Section 1
The judicial power of the United States shall be vested in one Supreme Court,
three appellate courts in each of the four regions and in at least one district court
in each state as the Congress may from time to time ordain and establish.
The judges of the Supreme Court, the twelve appellate courts, and the
district courts shall hold their offices during good behavior for ten years,
after which time they may be appointed again,
and they shall receive for their services compensation,
which shall not be diminished during their continuance in office.
Upon ratification of this Democratic Constitution any federal judge who has
already served more than ten years may be replaced by a new appointment.
The three Presidents shall nominate judges for the district and appellate courts.
District and Appellate Judges who have served for ten years may be elected to serve
a ten-year term on the United States Supreme Court.
Supreme Court Judges who have served for ten years
may be re-elected to a second ten-year term.
Supreme Court Judges who have served on that Court for twenty years shall be replaced.
Section 2
The judicial power shall extend to all cases in law and equity
arising under this Constitution, the laws of the United States,
and treaties made or which shall be made under their authority;
to all cases affecting ambassadors, other public ministers and consuls;
to all cases of admiralty and maritime jurisdiction; to controversies to which
the United States shall be a party; and to controversies between two or more states,
between citizens of different states, between citizens of the same state
claiming lands under grants of different states, and between a state,
or the citizens thereof, and foreign states, citizens or subjects.
In all cases affecting ambassadors, other public ministers and consuls, and those
in which a state shall be party, the Supreme Court shall have original jurisdiction.
In all the other cases before mentioned, the Supreme Court shall have appellate jurisdiction,
both as to law and fact, with such exceptions and
under such regulations as the Congress shall make.
The trial of all crimes, except in cases of impeachment, shall be by jury,
and such trial shall be held in the state where the said crimes shall have been committed;
but when not committed within any state, the trial shall be at such place
or places as the Congress may by law have directed.
Section 3
Treason against the United States shall consist only in levying war
or in adhering to the enemies of the United States.
No Person shall be convicted of treason unless on the testimony of two witnesses
to the same overt act or on confession in open court.
The Congress shall have power to declare the punishment of treason,
but no attainder of treason shall work corruption of blood
or forfeiture except during the life of the person attainted.
Article IV
Section 1
Full faith and credit shall be given in each state to the public acts,
records, and judicial proceedings of every other state, and the Congress
may by general laws prescribe the manner in which such acts,
records and proceedings shall be proved and the effect thereof.
Section 2
The citizens of each state and the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico
shall be entitled to all privileges and immunities of citizens in the several states.
A person charged in any state with treason, felony, or other crime,
who shall flee from justice and be found in another state, shall on demand
of the executive authority of the state from which he or she fled
be delivered up to be removed to the state having jurisdiction of the crime.
Section 3
New states may be admitted by the Congress into this union;
but no new state shall be formed or erected within the jurisdiction of any other state,
nor shall any state be formed by the junction of two or more states or parts of states
without the consent of the legislatures of the states concerned as well as of the Congress.
The Congress shall have power to dispose of and make all needful rules and
regulations respecting the territory or other property belonging to the United States;
nothing in this Democratic Constitution shall be so construed as to prejudice
any claims of the United States or of any particular state.
The United States shall not possess nor occupy any territory that is not a part of
one of the United States or the District of Columbia or Puerto Rico.
Section 4
The United States shall guarantee to every state in this union
a republican form of government and shall protect each of them
against invasion and on application of the legislature or of the executive
(when the legislature cannot be convened) against domestic violence.
Article V
The Congress, whenever two thirds of both houses shall deem it necessary,
shall propose amendments to this Democratic Constitution or on the application of the
legislatures of two thirds of the states shall call a convention for proposing amendments,
which in either case shall be valid to all intents and purposes as part of this
Democratic Constitution when ratified by the legislatures of three fourths
of the several states or by a majority vote of the citizens in three fourths thereof,
as the one or the other mode of ratification may be proposed by the Congress.
Article VI
All debts contracted and engagements entered into before the adoption
of this Democratic Constitution shall be as valid against the United States
under this Democratic Constitution as under the previous Constitution.
This Democratic Constitution and the laws of the United States which
shall be made in pursuance thereof and all treaties made or which shall be made
under the authority of the United States shall be the supreme law of the land,
and the judges in every state shall be bound thereby, anything in the
constitution or laws of any state to the contrary notwithstanding.
The Senators and Representatives before mentioned, the members of the state
legislatures, and all executive and judicial officers, both of the United States
and of the states shall be bound by solemn promise to support this
Democratic Constitution; and no religious test shall ever be required
as a qualification to any office or public trust under the United States.
Article VII
Section 1
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion
or prohibiting the free exercise thereof, or abridging the freedom of speech
or of the press or the right of the people peaceably to assemble
and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.
No soldier shall be quartered in any house without consent of the owner.
The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects
against unreasonable searches and seizures shall not be violated,
and no warrants shall issue but upon probable cause, supported by oath or affirmation,
and particularly describing the place to be searched and the persons or things to be seized.
No person shall be held to answer for a felony unless on a presentment or indictment
of a grand jury; nor shall any person be subject for the same offense to be twice
put in jeopardy of life or limb; nor shall any person be compelled in any criminal case
to be a witness against oneself, nor be deprived of life, liberty, or property without due
process of law; nor shall private property be taken for public use without just compensation.
In all criminal prosecutions the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial
by an impartial jury of the state and district wherein the crime shall have been committed,
which district shall have been previously ascertained by law, and to be informed of the
nature and cause of the accusation; to be confronted with the witnesses against one;
to have compulsory process for obtaining witnesses in one’s favor,
and to have the assistance of counsel for one’s defense.
In suits at common law, where the value in controversy shall exceed one thousand dollars,
the right of trial by jury shall be preserved, and no fact tried by a jury shall be
otherwise
re-examined in any court of the United States than according to the rules of the common law.
Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed,
nor capital, cruel and unusual punishments inflicted.
The enumeration in the Constitution of certain rights shall not be construed
to deny or disparage others retained by the people.
The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited
by it to the states, are reserved to the states respectively, or to the people.
Section 2
Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude shall exist within the United States.
All persons born or naturalized in the United States and subject to the jurisdiction
thereof are citizens of the United States and of the state wherein they reside.
No state shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities
of citizens of the United States; nor shall any state deprive any person
of life, liberty, or property without due process of law,
nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.
The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged
by the United States or by any state on account of race, color, sex, religion,
political association, sexual orientation, or previous condition including a criminal conviction.
The Congress shall have power to lay and collect taxes on incomes
from whatever source derived without apportionment among the States
and without regard to any census or enumeration.
No person shall be elected to the office of a President more than twice,
and no person who has held the office of President, or acted as a President,
for more than two years of a term to which some other person was elected
President shall be elected to the office of President for more than twelve years.
The right of citizens of the United States to vote in any primary or other election
for President and Vice President or Ministers or for Senator or Representative
in Congress shall not be denied or abridged by the United States
or any state by reason of failure to pay any poll tax or other tax.
The right of citizens of the United States, who are sixteen years of age or older,
to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States
or by any state on account of age.
Section 3
The right of citizens of the United States to attend free public schools and use free
public libraries shall not be denied nor abridged by the United States nor by any state.
The right of citizens of the United States to receive free health care shall not be denied
nor abridged by the United States nor by any state, and Congress shall make no law
interfering with a patient’s right to be treated by a physician.
Those serving in the offices of President, Minister, Senator, Representative,
and Judge shall not receive any other income during their term of public service.
The election campaigns of candidates for the offices of President,
Minister, Senator, and Representative shall be publicly financed.
Citizens may also contribute up to one hundred dollars to one candidate
in each office for which they are qualified to vote during each primary and general election.
No other person, group, organization, or business may
contribute to any election campaign for any of these offices.
The contributions from citizens not spent by the campaign by the primary or
general election day shall go into the Treasury of the United States,
which shall finance the debates broadcast for each office and for the sample ballots mailed
to the registered voters that shall give equal time and space to all candidates on the ballots.
Whenever and wherever primary or general elections for officers of the United States
are held, that day shall be a federal holiday.
Article VIII
The heads of the Federal Departments of the United States shall be called Ministers,
and they shall be elected by the people in even-numbered years to terms of six years,
and they may be re-elected for six more years.
The Federal Departments shall be Peace, Treasury, Environment, Agriculture, Justice, Commerce,
Labor, Security, Health, Housing, Tramsportation, Energy, Education, Charity, and Communications.
Article IX
The ratification by the legislatures of three fourths of the several states or by
a majority vote of the citizens in three fourths of the states shall be sufficient for the
establishment of this Democratic Constitution between the states so ratifying the same.
(second draft by Sanderson Beck September 2025)
We the people living on the Earth, in order to establish justice and peace among nations,
provide for the common security, resolve international disputes, regulate international trade,
preserve the environment, protect human rights, promote the general welfare,
and secure the blessings of liberty for ourselves and our posterity,
do ordain and establish this Constitution of the United Nations Democracy.
The powers of the United Nations Democracy (UND) shall be limited to those designated
in this Constitution, and all other powers shall be reserved
to the sovereignty of the people and their nations.
Article I
Section 1
All legislative powers herein granted shall be vested in the Congress of the
United Nations Democracy, which shall consist of a General Assembly,
a House of Delegates, and the people of the world.
Section 2
The General Assembly shall consist of one Ambassador from each nation.
Section 3
The House of Delegates shall be elected by the people in each nation
and be apportioned in districts by population with larger nations.
Delegates are based on percentage of the world population.
India 17.8% and China 17.2% have 18 delegates;
United States
4.2% 5 delegates,
Indoniesia 3.5 % and Pakistan 3.1% 4 delegates;
Nigeria 2.9%, Brazil 2.6%, and Bangladesh 2.1% 3 delegates;
Russia 1.8%, Ethiopia 1.7%, Mexico 1.6%, Japan 1.5%, Egypt 1.4%, Philippines 1.4%,
DR Congo 1.4%, Vietnam 1.2%, Iran 1.2%, Turkey 1.1%, and Germany 1.0% 2 delegates.
83 nations have more than 8 million people and less than 1% 1 delegate and are:
Thailand, Tanzania, United Kingdom, France, South Africa, Italy, Kenya, Myanmar,
Colombia, South Korea, Sudan, Uganda, Spain, Algeria, Iraq, Argentina, Afghanistan,
Yemen, Canada, Angola, Ukraine, Morocco, Poland, Uzbekistan, Malaysia, Mozambique,
Ghana, Peru, Saudi Arabia, Madagascar, Cote d'Ivoire, Cameroon, Nepal, Venezuela,
Niger, Australia, North Korea, Syria, Mali, Burkino Faso, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Malawi,
Zambia, Chad, Kazakhstan, Chile, Somalia, Senegal, Romania, Guatemala, Netherlands,
Ecuador, Cambodia, Zimbabwe, Guinea, Benin, Rwanda, Burundi, Bolivia, Tunisia,
South Sudan, Haiti, Belgium, Jordan, Dominican Republic, United Arab Emirates,
Honduras, Cuba, Tajikistan, Papua New Guinea, Sweden, Czech Republic, Portugal,
Azerbaijan, Greece, Togo, Hungary, Israel, Austria, Belarus, Switzerland, and Sierra Leone.
58 Nations have over one million people and a half vote and are:
Laos, Turkmenistan, Libya, Hong Kong, Kyrgyzstan, Paraguay, Nicaragua,
Bulgaria, Serbia,
Congo, El Salvador, Denmark, Singapore, Lebanon, Liberia,
Finland, Norway, Palestine, Central African Republic, Oman, Slovakia, Mauritania,
Ireland, New Zealand, Costa Rica, Kuwait, Panama, Croatia, Georgia, Eritrea,
Mongolia, Uruguay, Puerto Rico, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Qatar, Namibia, Moldova,
Armenia, Jamaica, Lithuania, Gambia, Albania, Gabon, Botswana, Lesotho,
Guinea-Bisau, Slovenia, Equatorial Guinea, Latvia, North Macedonia, Bahrain,
Trinidad-Tobago, Timor-Leste, Cyprus, Estonia, Mauritius, Eswatini, and Djibouti.
23 nations with less than a million and more than 300,000 people are
Fiji, Comoros,
Réunion, Solomon Islands, Guyana, Bhutan, Macao, Luxembourg, Suriname,
Montenegro, Western Sahara, Malta, Maldives, Cabo Verde, Brunei, Belize,
Bahamas, Iceland, Guadeloupe, Martinique, Mayotte, Vanuatu, and French Guiana,
These could have one delegate, and three agreeing would have one vote.
The House of Delegates shall be composed of members elected
for terms of two years by the people of these nations.
Each Delegate must be at least twenty-five years of age, must have been a citizen
of the nation represented for at least ten years, and when elected,
must be an inhabitant of that nation represented.
Primary elections for the House of Delegates shall be held on the first Wednesday of May
in odd-numbered years, and general elections for the House of Delegates shall be held
on the first Wednesday of November in odd-numbered years.
Delegates shall be elected with ranked choice voting
using first, second, and third choices in both the primary and general elections.
Those three candidates with the most votes in the primary elections
will be on the ballot in the final elections.
As candidates with the least number of votes are eliminated, the second
(and if necessary the third) choices of those voters shall take effect
until one candidate has more votes than the remaining candidates.
The House of Delegates shall have the power
to impeach federal officers by a two-thirds vote.
Section 4
All bills for raising revenue shall originate in the House of Delegates,
and the General Assembly may propose or concur with amendments as on other bills.
Every bill which shall have passed the House of Delegates or the General Assembly,
before it becomes a law, shall upon passing be presented to the people of the world
who are 18 years of age or older, and they shall have seven days to vote on the bill.
Their votes shall be recorded electronically in total and
by nations with tallies by party affiliation included.
Any bill which receives a majority by the voters and which has been passed
by both houses shall be presented to the Executive Council of Nine Presidents.
If five or more Presidents approve, they shall sign it; but if not, the Presidents shall return
it with their objections to that House in which it shall have originated and which shall
enter the objections at large in their journal and proceed to reconsider it.
If after such reconsideration two thirds of that house shall agree to pass the bill,
it shall be sent together with the objections to the other house
by which it shall likewise be reconsidered,
and if it is approved by two thirds of that house, it shall become a law.
But in all such cases the votes of both houses shall be determined by yeas and nays,
and the names of the persons voting for and against the bill
shall be entered in the journal of each house.
If any bill shall not be returned by the Presidents within ten days (Sundays excepted)
after it shall have been presented to them, the same shall be a law, in like manner
as if they had signed it, unless the Congress by their adjournment prevent its return,
in which case it shall not be a law.
If a majority of the people voting reject a bill, it shall be returned to both houses.
If three-fifths of both houses approve it, it shall be presented
to the Presidents for their approval.
If five Presidents veto a bill rejected by a majority of voters, it shall not become a law.
Delegates of the nations shall be elected by district with ranked choice voting
using first, second, and third choices in both the primary and general elections.
The House of Delegates shall be the judge of their own elections,
returns and qualifications of their own members,
and a majority of each shall constitute a quorum to do business.
Section 5
The House of Delegates and Ambassadors in the General Assembly shall
receive compensation for their services to be ascertained by law and
paid out of the Treasury of the United Nations Democracy.
They shall in all cases, except treason, felony and breach of the peace, be privileged
from arrest during their attendance at the session of their respective assemblies
and in going to and returning from the same.
No Delegate shall during the time for which he or she was elected be appointed
to any civil office under the authority of any nation or state;
no Delegate during his or her continuance in office shall hold
any office under any national or state government.
Section 6
Every bill which shall have passed the General Assembly or the House of Delegates,
before it becomes a law, be presented to the Council of Nine Presidents.
If two thirds or more approve, they shall sign it; but if not, they shall return it with their
objections to that assembly in which it shall have originated and which shall enter the
objections at large in their journal and proceed to reconsider it.
If after such reconsideration two thirds of that assembly shall agree to pass the bill,
it shall be sent together with the objections to the other assembly
by which it shall likewise be reconsidered,
and if it is approved by two-thirds of that assembly, it shall become a law.
But in all such cases the votes of both assemblies shall be determined by yeas and nays,
and the names of the persons voting for and against the bill
shall be entered in the journal of each assembly respectively.
If any bill shall not be returned by the Council of Nine Presidents within ten days after it shall
have been presented to them, the same shall be a law, in like manner as if they had signed it.
Every order, resolution, or vote to which the concurrence of the House of Delegates and
the General Assembly may be necessary shall be presented to the Council of Nine Presidents,
and before the same shall take effect, shall be approved by at least two thirds of them,
or not being approved by two-thirds of them, shall be repassed by two-thirds of the
House of Delegates and the General Assembly, according to the rules
and limitations prescribed in the case of a bill.
Section 7
The Congress of the United Nations Democracy shall have the following powers:
to lay and collect taxes, duties, imposts and excises, to pay the debts and provide for
the security and general welfare of the people;
but all duties, imposts and excises shall be uniform everywhere on Earth;
to borrow money on the credit of the United Nations Democracy;
to regulate commerce between nations;
to coin money and regulate the value of currencies;
to provide for the punishment of counterfeiting the securities
and current coin of the United Nations Democracy;
to fix the standard of weights and measures;
to promote the progress of science and useful arts by securing for limited times
to authors and inventors the exclusive right to their respective writings and discoveries;
to protect the environment and living organisms on land, in the seas, and in the air;
to constitute tribunals inferior to the World Supreme Court of the United Nations Democracy;
to provide for the inspection, investigation of disputed treaties, disarmament agreements,
and suspected violations of the laws of the United Nations Democracy;
to provide for organizing, equipping, disciplining, and missions of the United Nations
Democracy peacekeepers and police to resolve international conflicts;
to make all laws which shall be necessary and proper for carrying into execution
the foregoing powers and all other powers vested by this Constitution in the
United Nations Democracy or in any department or officer thereof.
Section 8
The immigration of persons any of the nations shall think proper to admit
shall not be prohibited by the Congress.
The privilege of the writ of habeas corpus shall not be suspended.
No bill of attainder or ex post facto law shall be passed.
No capitation or other direct tax shall be laid.
No preference shall be given by any regulation of commerce or revenue
to the ports of one nation over those of another; nor shall vessels bound to
or from one nation be obliged to enter, clear, or pay duties in another.
No money shall be drawn from the Treasury but in consequence of appropriations
made by law, and a regular statement and account of the receipts and expenditures
of all public money shall be published from time to time.
No title of nobility shall be granted by the United Nations Democracy,
and no person holding any office of profit or trust under it shall without the consent of the
Congress accept of any present, emolument, office, or title
of any kind whatever from any monarch or nation.
No nation shall without the consent of Congress and the Council of Nine Presidents
send troops, military forces, weapons or ships of war outside their national borders,
enter into any military agreement or compact
with another nation or other power, or engage in war.
Article II
Section 1
The executive power shall be vested in a Council of Nine Presidents
of the United Nations Democracy.
They shall hold these offices during the term of six years and be elected in odd-numbered
years by a majority of all the voters in the nine regions using ranked choice voting in both
the primary and general elections as described in Article I Section 4.
All persons who are at least thirty-five years of age and inhabitants of the region
when elected shall be eligible for the office of President.
Section 2
The nine regions electing the Presidents shall be China, India, Sub-Saharan Africa,
North Africa and West Asia, Southeast Asia, North Europe, North America
and South America.
The China region shall include China with Hong Kong and Taiwan.
The India region shall include India, Maldives, and Sri Lanka.
The Sub-Saharan Africa region shall include Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso,
Burundi, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Congo,
Cote d’Ivoire (Ivory Coast), Democratic Republic of the Congo, Djibouti, Equatorial Guinea,
Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia,
Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Réunion,
Rwanda, Saint Helena, Sao Tomé and Principe, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone,
Somalia, South Africa, Swaziland, Togo, Uganda,
United Republic of Tanzania, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
The North Africa and West Asia region shall include Afghanistan, Algeria, Bahrain
Bangladesh, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Mauritania,
Morocco, Oman, Pakistan, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia,
United Arab Emirates, Western Sahara, and Yemen.
The Southeast Asia region shall include Australia, Brunei, Cambodia, Cook Islands
Fiji, French Polynesia, Guam, Indonesia, Kiribati, Laos, Malaysia, Marshall Islands,
Micronesia, Myanmar (Burma), Nauru, New Caledonia, New Zealand, Niue,
Northern Mariana Islands, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Samoa, Singapore,
Solomon Islands, Timor-Leste, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu, and Vietnam.
The North Asia region shall include Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bhutan
Georgia, Japan Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Mongolia, Nepal, North Korea,
Russia, South Korea, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, and Uzbekistan.
The Europe region shall include Albania, Andorra, Austria, Belgium, Bosnia-Herzegovina,
Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Faroe Islands, Finland,
France, Germany, Gibraltar, Greece, Greenland, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Hungary, Latvia,
Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Malta, Monaco, Netherlands, Norway,
Poland, Portugal, Romania, San Marino, Serbia and Montenegro, Slovakia, Slovenia,
Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, United Kingdom, and the Vatican State.
The North America region shall include Belize, Canada, Costa Rica, El Salvador,
Greenland, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, and the United States.
The South America region shall include Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Aruba
Bahamas, Barbados, Bolivia, Brazil, Cayman Islands, Chile, Colombia, Cuba, Dominica,
Dominican Republic, Ecuador, French Guiana, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Guyana, Haiti,
Jamaica, Martinique, Netherlands Antilles, Paraguay, Peru, Puerto Rico, Saint Kitts and Nevis,
Saint Luda, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, Uruguay, Venezuela, and the Virgin Islands.
In the first year of elections after the ratification of this Constitution the Presidents from
the regions of India, North America, and North Asia shall be elected to terms of two years,
the Presidents from the regions of China, North Africa and West Asia, and South America
to terms of four years, and the Presidents from the regions of Sub-Saharan Africa,
Southeast Asia, and Europe to terms of six years.
Thereafter during every odd year three Presidents from three regions
shall be elected to terms of six years. Presidents may be re-elected once,
but no President shall serve for more than 12 years.
In case of the removal of a President from office or of his or her death or resignation,
the Delegates from that region shall elect an Acting President
until the next election can fill the vacancy for the balance of the term.
The Presidents shall receive compensation, which shall neither be increased nor
diminished during the period for which they shall have been elected, and they shall
not receive within that period any other emolument from any nation or state.
Before entering on the execution of their offices, the Presidents,
Ambassadors, and Delegates shall promise the following:
“I promise that I will faithfully execute the office to which I have been elected
and will to the best of my ability preserve, protect and defend
the Constitution of the United Nations Democracy.”
The terms of the elected Presidents and Delegates shall begin
at noon on January 3 following their election.
Section 3
The Council of Nine Presidents shall execute the laws of the
United Nations Democracy by a two-thirds majority.
The Council of Nine Presidents may require the opinion in writing of the Minister in each
of the executive departments upon any subject relating to the duties of their respective offices.
The Council of Nine Presidents by a two-thirds majority shall have power by and with
the advice and consent of the House of Delegates to make treaties between nations,
provided the governments of those nations
and two thirds of the House of Delegates present concur.
The Council of Nine Presidents by a two-thirds majority shall nominate and with the
advice and consent of at least three-fifths of the House of Delegates shall appoint ambassadors,
other public ministers and consuls, Judges of the World Supreme Court, and all other
officers of the United Nations Democracy, whose appointments are not herein otherwise
provided for, and which shall be established by law: but the Congress may by law vest
the appointment of such inferior officers, as they think proper,
in the Council of Nine Presidents alone, in the courts of law,
or in the Ministers of departments.
The Council of Nine Presidents shall have power to fill up all vacancies that
may happen during the recess of the House of Delegates by granting
commissions which shall expire one month after the end of their recess.
Section 4
The Council of Nine Presidents shall from time to time give to the Congress information
of the state Democracy and recommend for their consideration such measures as they
shall judge necessary and expedient; they may on extraordinary
occasions convene both assemblies or either of them.
The Council of Nine Presidents shall take care that the laws be faithfully executed
and shall commission all the officers of the United Nations Democracy.
A peacekeeping operation to prevent or end a war may be authorized
by the vote of at least six of the nine Presidents.
Volunteers for peacekeeping operations may be drawn from many nations,
and no nation shall provide more than 3% of the UND Peacekeepers.
Section 5
The Presidents and all civil officers of the United Nations Democracy
shall be removed from office on impeachment for and conviction of
treason, bribery, or other high crimes and misdemeanors.
Article III
Section 1
The judicial power of the United Nations Democracy shall be vested in one
Supreme World Court and inferior courts as the Congress may
from time to time ordain and establish.
The nine Judges of the Supreme World Court and the judges of the inferior courts
shall hold their offices during good behavior for nine years,
after which time they may be appointed again,
and they shall receive for their services compensation,
which shall not be diminished during their continuance in office.
Eight of the first nine judges shall serve terms limited by the annual appointments.
Each year one President shall appoint a Judge from that region approved
by a majority of the Delegates representing that region with the
advice and consent of three-fifths of the House of Delegates.
The sequence of annual replacements shall be China, South America,
North Africa and West Asia, India, North America, North Asia, Southeast Asia
Sub-Saharan Africa, and Europe.
Section 2
The judicial power shall extend to all cases in law and equity arising under this
Constitution, the laws of the United Nations Democracy, and treaties made or which
shall be made under its authority, to all cases affecting international relations, ambassadors,
other public ministers and consuls; to all cases of admiralty and maritime jurisdiction;
and to controversies between two or more nations, between citizens of different nations,
between citizens claiming lands under grants of different nations,
and between a nation or the citizens thereof and other nations.
In all cases affecting international relations and those in which a nation shall be party,
the Supreme World Court shall have original jurisdiction.
In all the other cases before mentioned, the World Supreme Court shall have
appellate jurisdiction, both as to law and fact, with such exceptions
and under such regulations as the Congress shall make.
Section 3
Treason against the United Nations Democracy shall consist only in levying war.
No Person shall be convicted of treason unless on the testimony of two witnesses
to the same overt act or on confession in open court.
The Congress shall have power to declare the punishment of treason.
Any federal officer impeached by the House of Delegates shall be tried
before the Supreme Court, World, and a two-thirds vote is required for conviction.
Article IV
Section 1
Full faith and credit shall be given in each nation to the public acts, records,
and judicial proceedings of every other nation, and the Congress may by
general laws prescribe the manner in which such acts, records and
proceedings shall be proved and the effect thereof.
Section 2
The people of each nation shall be entitled to all privileges and immunities
of citizens as described in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
A person charged in any nation with treason, felony, or other crime,
who shall flee from justice and be found in another nation, shall on demand
of the executive authority of the nation from which he or she fled
be delivered up to be removed to the nation having jurisdiction of the crime.
Section 3
New nations may be admitted by the Congress into the United Nations Democracy;
but no new nation shall be formed or erected within the jurisdiction of any other nation,
nor shall any nation be formed by the junction of two or more nations or parts of nations
without the consent of the legislatures of the nations concerned as well as of the Congress.
If a nation shall be divided, the new nations admitted into the United Nations Democracy
shall have delegates and voting power according to Article 1.
The Congress shall have power to dispose of and make all needful rules and regulations
respecting the territory and boundaries of nations in the United Nations Democracy.
Section 4
The United Nations Democracy shall guarantee to the people in every nation
in this union human rights and a republican form of government and shall protect
each nation against invasion and on application of the legislature or of the
executive (when the legislature cannot be convened) against domestic violence.
Article V
The Congress, whenever two-thirds of both assemblies shall deem it necessary,
shall propose amendments to this Constitution or, on the application of the legislatures
of two thirds of the nations with more than one million people, shall call a convention
for proposing amendments, which in either case shall be valid to all intents and purposes
as part of this Constitution when ratified by the legislatures of three-fourths of the nations
with more than one million people or by a majority vote of the citizens in three-fourths
thereof, as the one or the other mode of ratification may be proposed by the Congress.
Article VI
This Constitution and the laws of the United Nations Democracy which shall be
made in pursuance thereof and all treaties made or which shall be made under the
authority of the United Nations Democracy shall be the supreme law, and the
judges in every nation shall be bound thereby, anything in the constitution
or laws of any nation to the contrary notwithstanding.
The Delegates, Ambassadors, and all executive and judicial officers of the
United Nations Democracy shall be bound by promise to support this Constitution;
but no religious test shall ever be required as a qualification to any office
or public trust under the United Nations Democracy.
Article VII
Section 1
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the
free exercise thereof, or abridging the freedom of speech or of the press or the right
of the
people peaceably to assemble and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.
No soldier, police, or peacekeeper shall be quartered
in any house without consent of the owner.
The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects
against unreasonable searches and seizures shall not be violated, and no warrants shall
issue but upon probable cause, supported by oath or affirmation, and particularly
describing the place to be searched and the persons or things to be seized.
No person shall be held to answer for a felony unless on a presentment or indictment
of a grand jury; nor shall any person be subject for the same offense to be twice put in
jeopardy of life or limb; nor shall any person be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness
against oneself, nor be deprived of life, liberty, or property without due process of law;
nor shall private property be taken for public use without just compensation.
In all criminal prosecutions the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial
and to be informed of the nature and cause of the accusation, to be confronted with the
witnesses against one, to have compulsory process for obtaining witnesses in one’s favor,
and to have the assistance of counsel for one’s defense.
Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed;
neither capital nor cruel punishments shall be inflicted.
The enumeration in the Constitution of certain rights shall not be construed
to deny or disparage others retained by the nations and the people.
The powers not delegated to the United Nations Democracy by the Constitution,
nor prohibited by it to the nations, are reserved to the nations respectively, or to the people.
Section 2
Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude shall exist on the Earth.
All persons are citizens of the United Nations Democracy
and of the nation where they were born.
No nation shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities
of the citizens; nor shall any nation deprive any person of life, liberty, or property
without due process of law, nor deny to any person
within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.
The right of citizens of the United Nations Democracy to vote shall not be
denied or abridged by any nation on account of race, color, sex, religion,
political association, sexual orientation, or previous condition.
The right of citizens of the United Nations Democracy to vote in any primary
or other election for President or Delegate shall not be denied or abridged
by any nation by reason of failure to pay poll tax or other tax.
The right of citizens of the United Nations Democracy, who are eighteen years of age
or older, to vote shall not be denied or abridged by any nation on account of age.
No law varying the compensation for the services of the Presidents and
Delegates shall take effect until an election for that office shall have intervened.
Section 3
Every person on the Earth has the right to attend free public schools
and use free public libraries.
Every person on the Earth has the right to receive free health care,
and Congress shall make no law interfering with a patient’s right
to be treated by a physician.
Those serving in the offices of President, Delegate, and Judge
shall not receive any other income during their term of public service.
The election campaigns of candidates for the offices
of President and Delegate shall be publicly financed.
Citizens may also contribute up to one hundred dollars to one candidate in each
office for which they are qualified to vote during each primary and general election.
No other person, group, organization, or business may contribute
to any election campaign for any of these offices.
The contributions from citizens not spent by the campaign before the primary
or general election day shall go into the Treasury of the United Nations Democracy,
which shall finance the debates broadcast for each office and the sample ballots
mailed to the voters that shall give equal time and space to all candidates on the ballots.
Article VIII
The ratification by the legislatures of three fourths of the nations with more than
one million people or by a majority vote of the citizens in three fourths of the
nations with more than one million people shall be sufficient for the establishment
of this Constitution between the nations so ratifying the same
and the nations with less than one million people choosing to join.
The General Assembly,
Taking note of the recommendation of the Human Rights Council contained
in its resolution 1/2 of 29 June 2006,1 by which the Council adopted the
text of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples,
Recalling its resolution 61/178 of 20 December 2006, by which it decided to defer
consideration of and action on the Declaration to allow time for further consultations
thereon, and also decided to conclude its consideration before
the end of the sixty-first session of the General Assembly,
Adopts the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples
as contained in the annex to the present resolution.
107th plenary meeting 13 September 2007
Annex
United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples
The General Assembly,
Guided by the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations,
and good faith in the fulfilment of the obligations assumed by States
in accordance with the Charter,
Affirming that indigenous peoples are equal to all other peoples, while recognizing the right
of all peoples to be different, to consider themselves different, and to be respected as such,
1.See Official Records of the General Assembly, Sixty-first Session,
Supplement No. 53 (A/61/53), part one, chap. II, sect. A.
Affirming also that all peoples contribute to the diversity and richness
of civilizations and cultures, which constitute the common heritage of humankind,
Affirming further that all doctrines, policies and practices based on or advocating
superiority of peoples or individuals on the basis of national origin or racial, religious,
ethnic or cultural differences are racist, scientifically false, legally invalid,
morally condemnable and socially unjust,
Reaffirming that indigenous peoples, in the exercise of their rights,
should be free from discrimination of any kind,
Concerned that indigenous peoples have suffered from historic injustices
as a result of, inter alia, their colonization and dispossession of their lands,
territories and resources, thus preventing them from exercising, in particular,
their right to development in accordance with their own needs and interests,
Recognizing the urgent need to respect and promote the inherent rights
of indigenous peoples which derive from their political, economic and
social structures and from their cultures, spiritual traditions, histories
and philosophies, especially their rights to their lands, territories and resources,
Recognizing also the urgent need to respect and promote the rights of indigenous
peoples affirmed in treaties, agreements and other constructive arrangements with States,
Welcoming the fact that indigenous peoples are organizing themselves for political,
economic, social and cultural enhancement and in order to bring to an end
all forms of discrimination and oppression wherever they occur,
Convinced that control by indigenous peoples over developments affecting them
and their lands, territories and resources will enable them to maintain and
strengthen their institutions, cultures and traditions, and to promote
their development in accordance with their aspirations and needs,
Recognizing that respect for indigenous knowledge, cultures and
traditional practices contributes to sustainable and equitable development
and proper management of the environment,
Emphasizing the contribution of the demilitarization of the lands and territories
of indigenous peoples to peace, economic and social progress and development,
understanding and friendly relations among nations and peoples of the world,
Recognizing in particular the right of indigenous families and communities
to retain shared responsibility for the upbringing, training, education
and well-being of their children, consistent with the rights of the child,
Considering that the rights affirmed in treaties, agreements and other constructive
arrangements between States and indigenous peoples are, in some situations,
matters of international concern, interest, responsibility and character,
Considering also that treaties, agreements and other constructive arrangements,
and the relationship they represent, are the basis for a strengthened partnership
between indigenous peoples and States,
Acknowledging that the Charter of the United Nations,
the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights2
and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights,2
as well as the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action,3
affirm the fundamental importance of the right to self-determination of all peoples,
by virtue of which they freely determine their political status and freely pursue
their economic, social and cultural development,
Bearing in mind that nothing in this Declaration may be used to deny any peoples
their right to self-determination, exercised in conformity with international law,
Convinced that the recognition of the rights of indigenous peoples in this
Declaration will enhance harmonious and cooperative relations between
the State and indigenous peoples, based on principles of justice, democracy,
respect for human rights, non-discrimination and good faith,
Encouraging States to comply with and effectively implement all their
obligations as they apply to indigenous peoples under international instruments,
in particular those related to human rights,
in consultation and cooperation with the peoples concerned,
Emphasizing that the United Nations has an important and continuing role
to play in promoting and protecting the rights of indigenous peoples,
Believing that this Declaration is a further important step forward for the recognition,
promotion and protection of the rights and freedoms of indigenous peoples and
in the development of relevant activities of the United Nations system in this field,
Recognizing and reaffirming that indigenous individuals are entitled
without discrimination to all human rights recognized in international law,
and that indigenous peoples possess collective rights which are indispensable
for their existence, well-being and integral development as peoples,
Recognizing that the situation of indigenous peoples varies from region to region
and from country to country and that the significance of national and regional particularities
and various historical and cultural backgrounds should be taken into consideration,
Solemnly proclaims the following United Nations Declaration on the
Rights of Indigenous Peoples as a standard of achievement
to be pursued in a spirit of partnership and mutual respect:
Article 1 Indigenous peoples have the right to the full enjoyment,
as a collective or as individuals, of all human rights and fundamental freedoms
as recognized in the Charter of the United Nations, the Universal Declaration
of Human Rights4 and international human rights law.
Article 2 Indigenous peoples and individuals are free and equal to all other peoples
and individuals and have the right to be free from any kind of discrimination,
in the exercise of their rights, in particular that based on their indigenous origin or identity.
Article 3 Indigenous peoples have the right to self-determination.
By virtue of that right they freely determine their political status
and freely pursue their economic, social and cultural development.
Article 4 Indigenous peoples, in exercising their right to self-determination,
have the right to autonomy or self-government in matters
relating to 4.Resolution 217 A (III). 4 their internal and local affairs
as well as ways and means for financing their autonomous functions.
Article 5 Indigenous peoples have the right to maintain and strengthen
their distinct political, legal, economic, social and cultural institutions,
while retaining their right to participate fully, if they so choose,
in the political, economic, social and cultural life of the State.
Article 6 Every indigenous individual has the right to a nationality.
Article 7
1. Indigenous individuals have the rights to life,
physical and mental integrity, liberty and security of person.
2. Indigenous peoples have the collective right to live in freedom, peace and security
as distinct peoples and shall not be subjected to any act of genocide or any other
act of violence, including forcibly removing children of the group to another group.
Article 8
1. Indigenous peoples and individuals have the right not to be subjected
to forced assimilation or destruction of their culture.
2. States shall provide effective mechanisms for prevention of, and redress for:
(a) Any action which has the aim or effect of depriving them of their integrity
as distinct peoples, or of their cultural values or ethnic identities;
(b) Any action which has the aim or effect of dispossessing them
of their lands, territories or resources;
(c) Any form of forced population transfer which has the aim or effect
of violating or undermining any of their rights;
(d) Any form of forced assimilation or integration;
(e) Any form of propaganda designed to promote or incite
racial or ethnic discrimination directed against them.5
Article 9 Indigenous peoples and individuals have the right to belong
to an indigenous community or nation, in accordance with the traditions
and customs of the community or nation concerned.
No discrimination of any kind may arise from the exercise of such a right.
Article 10 Indigenous peoples shall not be forcibly removed
from their lands or territories.
No relocation shall take place without the free, prior and informed consent
of the indigenous peoples concerned and after agreement
on just and fair compensation and, where possible, with the option of return.
Article 11
1. Indigenous peoples have the right to practise and
revitalize their cultural traditions and customs.
This includes the right to maintain, protect and develop the past, present and future
manifestations of their cultures, such as archaeological and historical sites, artefacts,
designs, ceremonies, technologies and visual and performing arts and literature.
2. States shall provide redress through effective mechanisms, which may include
restitution, developed in conjunction with indigenous peoples,
with respect to their cultural, intellectual, religious and spiritual property
taken without their free, prior and informed consent
or in violation of their laws, traditions and customs.
Article 12
1. Indigenous peoples have the right to manifest, practise, develop and teach
their spiritual and religious traditions, customs and ceremonies;
the right to maintain, protect, and have access
in privacy to their religious and cultural sites;
the right to the use and control of their ceremonial objects;
and the right to the repatriation of their human remains.
2. States shall seek to enable the access and/or repatriation of ceremonial objects
and human remains in their possession through fair, transparent and effective
mechanisms developed in conjunction with indigenous peoples concerned.6
Article 13
1. Indigenous peoples have the right to revitalize, use, develop and transmit
to future generations their histories, languages, oral traditions, philosophies,
writing systems and literatures, and to designate and retain
their own names for communities, places and persons.
2. States shall take effective measures to ensure that this right is protected
and also to ensure that indigenous peoples can understand and be understood
in political, legal and administrative proceedings, where necessary
through the provision of interpretation or by other appropriate means.
Article 14
1. Indigenous peoples have the right to establish and control their educational systems
and institutions providing education in their own languages,
in a manner appropriate to their cultural methods of teaching and learning.
2. Indigenous individuals, particularly children, have the right to all levels
and forms of education of the State without discrimination.
3. States shall, in conjunction with indigenous peoples, take effective measures,
in order for indigenous individuals, particularly children, including those
living outside their communities, to have access, when possible,
to an education in their own culture and provided in their own language.
Article 15
1. Indigenous peoples have the right to the dignity and diversity
of their cultures, traditions, histories and aspirations which shall be
appropriately reflected in education and public information.
2. States shall take effective measures, in consultation and cooperation
with the indigenous peoples concerned, to combat prejudice and
eliminate discrimination and to promote tolerance, understanding
and good relations among indigenous peoples and all other segments of society.
Article 16
1. Indigenous peoples have the right to establish their own media
in their own languages and to have access to all forms of
non-indigenous media without discrimination.7
2. States shall take effective measures to ensure that State-owned media
duly reflect indigenous cultural diversity.
States, without prejudice to ensuring full freedom of expression, should encourage
privately owned media to adequately reflect indigenous cultural diversity.
Article 17
1. Indigenous individuals and peoples have the right to enjoy fully all rights
established under applicable international and domestic labor law.
2. States shall in consultation and cooperation with indigenous peoples take
specific measures to protect indigenous children from economic exploitation
and from performing any work that is likely to be hazardous or to interfere
with the child’s education, or to be harmful to the child’s health or physical,
mental, spiritual, moral or social development, taking into account
their special vulnerability and the importance of education for their empowerment.
3. Indigenous individuals have the right not to be subjected to any
discriminatory conditions of labor and, inter alia, employment or salary.
Article 18 Indigenous peoples have the right to participate in decision-making
in matters which would affect their rights, through representatives
chosen by themselves in accordance with their own procedures,
as well as to maintain and develop their own indigenous decisionmaking institutions.
Article 19 States shall consult and cooperate in good faith with the
indigenous peoples concerned through their own representative institutions
in order to obtain their free, prior and informed consent before adopting
and implementing legislative or administrative measures that may affect them.
Article 20
1. Indigenous peoples have the right to maintain and develop their political,
economic and social systems or institutions, to be secure in the enjoyment
of their own means of subsistence and development, and to engage freely
in all their traditional and other economic activities.8
2. Indigenous peoples deprived of their means of subsistence
and development are entitled to just and fair redress.
Article 21
1. Indigenous peoples have the right, without discrimination, to the improvement
of their economic and social conditions, including, inter alia, in the areas of education,
employment, vocational training and retraining, housing, sanitation, health and social security.
2. States shall take effective measures and, where appropriate, special measures
to ensure continuing improvement of their economic and social conditions.
Article 22
1. Particular attention shall be paid to the rights and special needs of indigenous elders,
women, youth, children and persons with disabilities
in the implementation of this Declaration.
2. States shall take measures, in conjunction with indigenous peoples,
to ensure that indigenous women and children enjoy the full protection
and guarantees against all forms of violence and discrimination.
Article 23 Indigenous peoples have the right to determine and develop
priorities and strategies for exercising their right to development.
In particular, indigenous peoples have the right to be actively involved
in developing and determining health, housing and other economic
and social programs affecting them and, as far as possible,
to administer such programs through their own institutions.
Article 24
1. Indigenous peoples have the right to their traditional medicines and to maintain
their health practices, including the conservation of their vital medicinal plants,
animals and minerals.
Indigenous individuals also have the right to access, without any discrimination,
to all social and health services.
2. Indigenous individuals have an equal right to the enjoyment of the highest
attainable standard of physical and mental health.
States shall take the necessary steps with a view to
achieving progressively the full realization of this right.9
Article 25 Indigenous peoples have the right to maintain and strengthen
their distinctive spiritual relationship with their traditionally owned
or otherwise occupied and used lands, territories, waters and coastal seas and
other resources and to uphold their responsibilities to future generations in this regard.
Article 26 1. Indigenous peoples have the right to the lands, territories and
resources which they have traditionally owned, occupied or otherwise used or acquired.
2. Indigenous peoples have the right to own, use, develop and control the lands,
territories and resources that they possess by reason of traditional ownership
or other traditional occupation or use, as well as those
which they have otherwise acquired.
3. States shall give legal recognition and protection to these lands, territories and resources.
Such recognition shall be conducted with due respect to the customs,
traditions and land tenure systems of the indigenous peoples concerned.
Article 27 States shall establish and implement, in conjunction with indigenous peoples
concerned, a fair, independent, impartial, open and transparent process,
giving due recognition to indigenous peoples’ laws, traditions, customs and
land tenure systems, to recognize and adjudicate the rights of indigenous peoples
pertaining to their lands, territories and resources, including those
which were traditionally owned or otherwise occupied or used.
Indigenous peoples shall have the right to participate in this process.
Article 28
1. Indigenous peoples have the right to redress, by means that can include restitution
or, when this is not possible, just, fair and equitble compensation,
for the lands, territories and resources which they have traditionally owned
or otherwise occupied or used, and which have been confiscated, taken,
occupied, used or damaged without their free, prior and informed consent.
2. Unless otherwise freely agreed upon by the peoples concerned,
compensation shall take the form of lands, territories and resources10 equal in quality,
size and legal status or of monetary compensation or other appropriate redress.
Article 29
1. Indigenous peoples have the right to the conservation and protection of the
environment and the productive capacity of their lands or territories and resources.
States shall establish and implement assistance programs for indigenous peoples
for such conservation and protection, without discrimination.
2. States shall take effective measures to ensure that no storage or disposal
of hazardous materials shall take place in the lands or territories of indigenous peoples
without their free, prior and informed consent.
3. States shall also take effective measures to ensure, as needed, that programs
for monitoring, maintaining and restoring the health of indigenous peoples,
as developed and implemented by the peoples affected by such materials,
are duly implemented.
Article 30
1. Military activities shall not take place in the lands or territories of indigenous peoples,
unless justified by a relevant public interest or otherwise freely agreed with
or requested by the indigenous peoples concerned.
2. States shall undertake effective consultations with the indigenous peoples concerned,
through appropriate procedures and in particular through their representative institutions,
prior to using their lands or territories for military activities.
Article 31
1. Indigenous peoples have the right to maintain, control, protect and develop
their cultural heritage, traditional knowledge and traditional cultural expressions,
as well as the manifestations of their sciences, technologies and cultures,
including human and genetic resources, seeds, medicines, knowledge of the
properties of fauna and flora, oral traditions, literatures, designs, sports
and traditional games and visual and performing arts.
They also have the right to maintain, control, protect and develop their
intellectual property over such cultural heritage, traditional knowledge,
and traditional cultural expressions.11
2. In conjunction with indigenous peoples, States shall take effective measures
to recognize and protect the exercise of these rights.
Article 32
1. Indigenous peoples have the right to determine and develop priorities and strategies
for the development or use of their lands or territories and other resources.
2. States shall consult and cooperate in good faith with the indigenous peoples
concerned through their own representative institutions in order to obtain
their free and informed consent prior to the approval of any project
affecting their lands or territories and other resources, particularly in connection
with the development, utilization or exploitation of mineral, water or other resources.
3. States shall provide effective mechanisms for just and fair redress
for any such activities, and appropriate measures shall be taken to mitigate
adverse environmental, economic, social, cultural or spiritual impact.
Article 33
1. Indigenous peoples have the right to determine their own identity
or membership in accordance with their customs and traditions.
This does not impair the right of indigenous individuals
to obtain citizenship of the States in which they live.
2. Indigenous peoples have the right to determine the structures and to select
the membership of their institutions in accordance with their own procedures.
Article 34 Indigenous peoples have the right to promote, develop and maintain
their institutional structures and their distinctive customs, spirituality, traditions,
procedures, practices and, in the cases where they exist, juridical systems
or customs in accordance with international human rights standards.
Article 35 Indigenous peoples have the right to determine
the responsibilities of individuals to their communities.12
Article 36
1. Indigenous peoples, in particular those divided by international borders,
have the right to maintain and develop contacts, relations and cooperation,
including activities for spiritual, cultural, political, economic and social purposes,
with their own members as well as other peoples across borders.
2. States in consultation and cooperation with indigenous peoples, shall take
effective measures to facilitate the exercise and ensure the implementation of this right.
Article 37
1. Indigenous peoples have the right to the recognition, observance and
enforcement of treaties, agreements and other constructive arrangements
concluded with States or their successors and to have States honor and
respect such treaties, agreements and other constructive arrangements.
2. Nothing in this Declaration may be interpreted as diminishing or eliminating
the rights of indigenous peoples contained in treaties, agreements
and other constructive arrangements.
Article 38
States in consultation and cooperation with indigenous peoples, shall take the appropriate
measures, including legislative measures, to achieve the ends of this Declaration.
Article 39
Indigenous peoples have the right to have access to financial and technical assistance
from States and through international cooperation, for the enjoyment
of the rights contained in this Declaration.
Article 40
Indigenous peoples have the right to access to and prompt decision through
just and fair procedures for the resolution of conflicts and disputes with
States or other parties, as well as to effective remedies for all
infringements of their individual and collective rights.
Such a decision shall give due consideration to the customs, traditions, rules and
legal systems of the indigenous peoples concerned and international human rights.
Article 41
The organs and specialized agencies of the United Nations system and other
intergovernmental organizations shall contribute to the full realization of the
provisions of this Declaration through the mobilization, inter alia,
of financial cooperation and technical assistance.
Ways and means of ensuring participation of indigenous peoples
on issues affecting them shall be established.
Article 42
The United Nations, its bodies, including the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues,
and specialized agencies, including at the country level,
and States shall promote respect for and full application of the provisions
of this Declaration and follow up the effectiveness of this Declaration.
Article 43
The rights recognized herein constitute the minimum standards for the
survival, dignity and well-being of the indigenous peoples of the world.
Article 44
All the rights and freedoms recognized herein are equally guaranteed
to male and female indigenous individuals.
Article 45
Nothing in this Declaration may be construed as diminishing or extinguishing
the rights indigenous peoples have now or may acquire in the future.
Article 46
1. Nothing in this Declaration may be interpreted as implying for any State, people,
group or person any right to engage in any activity or to perform any act contrary
to the Charter of the United Nations or construed as authorizing or encouraging
any action which would dismember or impair, totally or in part, the territorial
in the territorial integrity or political unity of sovereign and independent States.
2. In the exercise of the rights enunciated in the present Declaration,
human rights and fundamental freedoms of all shall be respected.
The exercise of the rights set forth in this Declaration shall be subject only
to such limitations as are determined by law 14 and in accordance with
international human rights obligations.
Any such limitations shall be non-discriminatory and strictly necessary solely for the
purpose of securing due recognition and respect for the rights and freedoms of others
and for meeting the just and most compelling requirements of a democratic society.
3. The provisions set forth in this Declaration shall be interpreted in accordance
with the principles of justice, democracy, respect for human rights,
equality, non-discrimination, good governance and good faith.