A. Fonseca Pimentel, Democratic World Government and the United Nations. Brasilia, Escopa Editions, 1980, 158pp.
The United Nations (UN) was created in the spirit of world citizenship (“We the Peoples…”). The history of the UN can be seen as the development of world citizen values and world law. The world community is in a period of vast transformation being brought about by powerful economic, political, and cultural agents to cope with the challenges of growing interdependence among all peoples and the growing impact of people on the natural environment.
Structures of world law are needed to provide a framework for this transformation. The UN General Assembly has proclaimed the standards of international law such as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948) which has become the world standard and guide for both regional and national human rights law. Such declarations are part of a trend of building and strengthening a world peace structure composed of world law and intergovernmental institutions which command such general acceptance that resort to world law will replace unilateral actions of States based on narrow domestic political considerations. Governments, business corporations, and transnational social movements are increasingly convinced that they all possess a stake in an orderly world society which can be endangered by the use of force.
However, as Pimentel points out, an orderly world society is not a world society without change. No rule of law is possible without sufficient methods for solving grievances.
Fonseca Pimentel was a Brazilian scholar and economist with long experience in public administration and as a UN advisor on administrative reforms. As he notes, “The dilemma facing the United Nations is to find a way to go further on the road to world citizenship.” At this time when there is armed violence in many parts of the world and consistent violations of human rights, he sets out the challenges clearly.
Prof. René Wadlow is President of the Association of World Citizens.
Peter L. Wilson, Peacock Angel: The Esoteric Tradition of the Yezidis.
Rochester, VT, Inner Traditions, 2022, 272pp.
Peter Wilson, a specialist on the Middle East, has written a useful book on the religious framework of the Yezidis as seen by someone outside the Yezidi faith. A Yezidi website has been established by Yezidis living in Nebraska, USA: https://yeziditruth.org.
The yearly Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought awarded by the European Parliament was given on October 27, 2016 to Nadia Murad who is also the co-laureate of the 2018 Nobel Peace Prize. She had been taken captive by the forces of the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) in August 2014 and then sold into sexual slavery and forced marriage. She was able to escape with the help of a compassionate Muslim family and went to Germany as a refugee. She has become a spokesperson for the Yezidi, especially Yezidi women.
There are some 500,000 Yezidis, a Kurdish-speaking religious community living in northern Iraq. There were also some 200,000 Yezidis among the Kurds of Türkiye, but nearly all have migrated to Western Europe, primarily Germany as well as to Australia, Canada, and the USA.
There are also some Yezidi among Kurds living in Syria, Iran and Armenia. The Yezidis do not convert people. Thus, the religion continues only through birth into the community.
The structure of the Yezidi religious system is Zoroastrian, a faith born in Persia proclaiming that two great cosmic forces, that of light and good and that of darkness and evil are in constant battle. Humans are called upon to help light overcome darkness.
However, the strict dualistic thinking of Zoroastrianism was modified by another Persian prophet, Mani of Ctesiphon in the third century of the Common Era. Mani tried to create a synthesis of religious teachings that were increasingly coming into contact through travel and trade: Buddhism and Hinduism from India, Jewish and Christian thought, Hellenistic Gnostic philosophy from Egypt and Greece as well as many small belief systems.
Mani kept the Zoroastrian dualism as the most easily understood intellectual framework, though giving it a somewhat more Taoist (yin/yang) flexibility, Mani having traveled to China. He developed the idea of the progression of the soul by individual effort through reincarnation. Unfortunately, only the dualistic Zoroastrian framework is still attached to Mani’s name – Manichaeism. This is somewhat ironic as it was the Zoroastrian Magi who had him put to death as a dangerous rival.
Within the Mani-Zoroastrian framework, the Yezidi added the presence of angels who are to help humans in the constant battle for light and good, in particular Melek Tawsi, the peacock angel. Although there are angels in Islam, angels that one does not know could well be demons. Thus, the Yezidis are regularly accused of being “demon worshipers”.
The Yezidis have always been looked down upon by both their Muslim and Christian neighbors as “pagans”. The government of Saddam Hussein was opposed to the Yezidis not so much for their religious beliefs but rather because some Yezidis played important roles in the Kurdish community, seen as largely opposed to the government. The Yezidi community is still in socio-economic difficulty given the instability of the situation in Iraq.
Peter Wilson has written a useful introduction to this little-known faith.
Prof. René Wadlow is President of the Association of World Citizens.
In a July 28, 2025 statement, the United Nations (UN) High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, called for a moratorium on capital punishment in Iran where at least 48 persons are currently on death row. According to information gathered by the UN Human Rights Office in Geneva, at least 612 persons were reportedly executed in the first half of 2025. Minorities continue to be disproportionately affected by executions.
Religious minorities in Iran include Sunni Muslims, Christians, Baha’is, Zoroastrians, Jews, and the Gonabali Sufi community. Religious and ethnic identities in Iran often overlap.
Türk added, “Information received by my Office also indicates that judicial proceedings in a number of cases, often held behind closed doors, have consistently failed to meet due process and fair trial guarantees…The death penalty is incompatible with the right to life and irreconcilable with human dignity. Instead of accelerating executions, I urge Iran join the worldwide movement abolishing capital punishment starting with a moratorium on all executions.”
The Association of World Citizens has repeatedly called upon governments for a moratorium on executions with a view of abolishing the death penalty – a penalty that extensive research has shown has little or no impact on the level of crime and too often opens doors to judicial errors and injustices.
Prof. René Wadlow is President of the Association of World Citizens.
Lawrence S. Wittner, Working for Peace and Justice
Knoxville, TN/University of Tennessee Press, 2012, 268pp.
Laurence Wittner has written a very moving account of his efforts as an activist for peace and social justice. At this present time, when such efforts are very necessary, the memoir is a guideline for concerted efforts, both the joys and the difficulties.
Wittner was largely based at the State University of New York at Albany, which is the administrative capital of New York, home of the governor, although New York City has a much larger population and is a center of economic, cultural, and political power.
In the fall of 2005, his long-time activity in the peace movement combined with his books on anti-nuclear weapons such as Struggle Against the Bomb and Toward Nuclear Abolition, both published by Stanford University Press) led to his election to the national board of Peace Action, the largest, broadly based United States (U.S.) peace organization with some 100,000 members. Thus, he writes on activities at the local level, mostly Albany, as well as at the national level with the factionalism and sectarianism that have often characterized Left movements such as democratic socialism in which Wittner was active.
Yet, as he writes, “Over the course of history, there are heartening indications that people of goodwill and determination have made headway in pulling humanity out of the nightmare of ignorance, superstition, slavery, tyranny, exploitation and militarism that has characterized the past. In my own lifetime I have seen courageous people topple dictatorships, shatter systems of racial oppression, roll back corporate domination, bring an end to unjust wars and avert a nuclear holocaust. And I am confident that efforts to extend human progress will continue.”
Progress requires organizing, persistence, and a sense of community with those with whom one is working. For Wittner, music was an important activist tool; he played the guitar and often performed songs at political meetings.
There is much to be done to create a harmonious world society, and Working for Peace and Justice sets out important paths of action.
Prof. René Wadlow is President of the Association of World Citizens.
The Association of World Citizens (AWC) expresses deep concern over the rising political tensions and military clashes between Thailand and Cambodia which has led to a large displacement of civilians from the border areas.
On July 24, 2025, Cambodian forces launched artillery attacks on civilian targets in Thai territory, and Thailand responded with airstrikes on Cambodia. Landmines have been set in the contested border areas. The AWC has long been active against the use of landmines. This escalation of Thai-Cambodian tensions risks a destabilization of both governments and societies.
Therefore, the AWC calls for an immediate ceasefire and the start of negotiations in good faith.
Prof. René Wadlow, President of the Association of World Citizens
Education for human rights is a vital need in order to create a universal culture of human rights. Such a culture of human rights can be built around peoples’ needs and current struggles. A human rights culture is more than knowing and respecting the provisions of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. It is a break in the cycle of humiliation, abuses of power and violence in which too many people are caught today. People want to know that they are in full control of their lives and that their society embodies their uniqueness as people with the full development of their personality and sense of dignity.
Knowledge requires appropriate pedagogical techniques for imparting human rights information, and therefore there is a need to train teachers at all levels of formal education in the teaching of human rights. There is a need to develop innovative material for use especially in professional training for the judiciary, law enforcement, military, medical and social work. The need to develop innovative teaching material and techniques is true for the efforts against torture especially on persons held in custody.
In addition to human rights education within formal educational institutions, an emphasis can be placed on popular education and the informal sector. There is a role for writers and anthropologists to collect stories and songs that evoke the historical memory of people about hope, respect, equality and human dignity. Likewise, the media can play an important role both in giving information and in developing respect for human rights and dignity.
Human rights education is an indispensable tool in the empowerment of peoples. Learning of human rights leads to participation, reciprocity and accountability on all levels of society. This strengthens the democratic process as persons become aware of their rights and responsibilities, of the full dimension of equal respect between women and men, and among peoples of different cultural and ethnic identities.
There is much to be done, and many can play a role. Join in this vital effort for human rights education!
Prof. René Wadlow is President of the Association of World Citizens.
July 12 has been set by the United Nations (UN) General Assembly as the International Day of Hope to be celebrated each year as a moment of light in dark times. Hope is a powerful force for positive change and for a brighter future. Hope is an important element in developing a culture of peace. Hope helps us to overcome the serious challenges which face the world society.
The Association of World Citizens was among those working with progressive governments so that on March 4, 2025, the UN General Assembly voted to set July 12 each year as the Day of Hope. Hope must, of course, be translated into action. However, at this time when many felt hopeless in the light of armed violence and wide-spread violations of human rights, a day devoted to hope agreed to by such a large number of countries is a sign of common efforts for progress.
Hope can be encouraged by programs in schools and cultural centers – a possibility for creative action by all of us.
Prof. René Wadlow is President of the Association of World Citizens.
On May 23, 2025, the United Nations (UN) High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, gave a stark warning about the rapidly deteriorating human rights situation in the state of South Sudan. He stated that, “The escalating hostilities in South Sudan portend a real risk of further exacerbating the already dire human rights and humanitarian situation.” It is estimated that some 125,000 persons have been displaced within the country between March and mid-April 2025. In addition, there are refugees present fleeing the armed conflict in the state of Sudan. South Sudan is filled with arms from the long years of civil war: 1956-1972 and 1982-2005 between the north – largely Muslim and Arabized and the south which followed traditional tribal religions with southern leaders largely Christian. In 2011, there was a referendum in which southern Sudan voted to become the independent state of South Sudan. The Association of World Citizens was among the Nongovernmental Organizations (NGOs) observing the independence referendum.
Since independence, political life has been structured by the tensions between the President, Salva Kiir, and the Vice-president, Rick Machar. There was an armed conflict between the two from December 2013 and August 2015 in which many persons were killed. There were multiple violations of international humanitarian law and human rights abuses. In addition to the forces under the control of the two political leaders, there are a host of armed militias usually based on ethnic-clanic structures.
In July 2016, internally displaced persons in Juba, the capital of South Sudan, relocating to a cleaner, drier location across town, under the protection of the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS). (C) Isaac Billy/UN Photo
The UN and the African Union have made efforts to reach peace agreements among the parties, but the provisions of the peace agreements have not been put into practice. There is a lack of trust on all sides. It is difficult to see how progress can be made given the intensity of the resentments. There is no doubt a need for new leadership, but there are no signs of any leaders leaving the scene. Elections are not in the style of the country. South Sudan is a situation which merits observation and reconciliation efforts when possible.
Prof. René Wadlow is President of the Association of World Citizens.
After the April 22 attack and death of 26 Indian tourists at Pahalgam in the Indian-administered area of Kashmir, tensions between India and Pakistan grew quickly. Pakistan was accused by India of backing the terrorists who had carried out the attack – a charge which Pakistan denied. Prime Minister Narendra Modi gave the Indian military “complete operational freedom”. A combination of bellicose rhetoric, domestic pressures, and political agitation led to daily exchanges of armed fire, and the shooting down of Indian jet fighters. The frontiers between the two countries were closed and diplomats withdrawn. The dangers of escalation between the two nuclear-armed countries were obvious to many.
Fortunately, outside voices called for an immediate ceasefire: U.S. President Donald Trump and his Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Antonio Guterres, Secretary-General of the United Nations (UN), and some member governments of the UN Security Council which met in closed session, as well as a good number of Nongovernmental Organizations (NGOs) involved in conflict resolution efforts such as the International Peace Bureau and the Association of World Citizens (AWC). One must now strive so that the ceasefire will hold.
The next step is to facilitate negotiations between the Indian and Pakistani governments. A first step is to create a number of confidence-building measures so that the ceasefire holds. Then there is a need to develop longer-range negotiations. There are a good number of outstanding issues, such as Kashmir, which go back to the founding of the two countries.
It may be that the current steps back from the nuclear brink will drive home the need for serious negotiations. NGOs in both India and Pakistan may help to see on what issues progress may be made. Those of us on the outside must do all we can to facilitate creative dialogue between Indians and Pakistanis.
Prof. René Wadlow is President of the Association of World Citizens.
On April 22, 2025, four gunmen killed 26 people and injured others in the Kashmir tourist center of Pahalgam, Kashmir, India. The Resistance Front claimed responsibility for the Pahalgam attack, but the group is little known. Indian officials have blamed Pakistan as being behind the attackers saying that Pakistan has a fundamentally criminal disposition in its deep state membership. Pakistan is host to Islamic militants that carry out terrorist raids in India but does not necessarily control them.
As a result of the Pahalgam attack, India has closed its border crossings into Pakistan and suspended India’s 1960 Water Treaty with Pakistan. Anti-Pakistan protests have erupted in India’s capital New Delhi and in several other cities raising fears that anti-Muslim sentiment will grow in India. Pakistan responded by closing its border crossings with India and closed its air space to Indian aircraft.
In 2019, India modified the special self-governing status of Jammu and Kashmir, and security measures have been very tight since. Nevertheless, Kashmir is an important location for tourism within India. Within 48 hours, 90 percent of the tourists in Kashmir left – a blow to farmers who sold their food to tourists and to handicraft makers. The image of a young bride sitting beside her husband’s lifeless body has been viewed multiple times and is fixed into the Indian national consciousness as the symbol of the drama.
As tensions within Jammu and Kashmir have led to armed conflicts between India and Pakistan in the past, the governments of Russia, China, Saudi Arabia and Iran have offered their good offices as mediators. On April 25, Abbas Araghchi, the Iranian Foreign Minister, said that both India and Pakistan are “brother nations” and that Iran was prepared to play a mediation role.
A ‘Beating of Retreat’ ceremony in Wagha, Pakistan, just next to India, on December 5, 2010. (C) Koshy Koshy
It may be that the governments of Russia, China, Saudi Arabia, and Iran are all too involved with advancing their own political interests in world politics to be taken as neutral mediators. Nevertheless, the India-Pakistan tensions are very dangerous and may easily grow worse if steps to reduce tensions are not taken very soon.
As Citizens of the World, we are particularly called to help create a climate for negotiations in good faith and to reduce tensions. Therefore, we need to use our worldwide links in a creative way to reduce tensions. We devote ourselves to the safeguard, restoration, and construction of peace through dialogue, cooperation and reconciliation.
One approach in which World Citizens participate is called Track Two. Track One is official government-to-government diplomacy among instructed representatives of the State although there can be “back channels” and informal contacts among the representatives of governments. Track Two consists of discussions held among non-officials of conflicting parties in an effort to clarify outstanding disputes and to explore the options for resolving them in settings that are less sensitive and often less structured and with less media attention than those associated with official negotiations. Those involved in Track Two talks usually include scholars, senior journalists, former government officials and businesspeople. Depending on the aims and styles of these meetings, the profile of Track Two participants will differ.
The specific purposes of Track Two talks vary, but they are all related to reducing tensions. By informing their respective publics, participants, may indirectly contribute to the formation of new priorities and policies.
Track Two is not the end of the story for insights gained must be incorporated into the positions of government negotiators. There is a little verse by the Quaker economist Kenneth Boulding who participated in many Track Two efforts,
When Track One will not do, We have to travel on Track Two. But for results to be abiding, The Tracks must meet upon some siding.
Today, discussions among Nongovernmental Organizations with avenues of communication to Indian and Pakistani officials should begin now. Time may be in short supply.
Prof. René Wadlow is President of the Association of World Citizens.
Association of World Citizens 