A5: Building Democratic International Institutions Towards a World Federation

Strengthening International Institutions Towards a Democratic World Federation

JEF Europe is committed to strengthening existing international frameworks and
institutions, and promoting federalism on a global level in close collaboration
with like-minded peoples. The objective is to empower all peoples through
growing interdependent and joint decision making, a codified and democratic
system of global governance, with the ultimate goal of establishing a World
Federation. Yet it does so recognising that this process must be voluntary and
done in consultation with, as opposed to being pushed onto, the world’s various
political communities. A World Federation would reorganise global power by
replacing geographic divides and hegemonic dominance with the equal realisation
of human rights and potential globally. Achieving this requires providing
citizens with the resources to participate democratically while consolidating
and reforming existing global governance into inclusive, multi-level federal
institutions that protect international democracy.

Therefore, JEF Europe:

and destructive interpretations of national sovereignty which contradict
international law;

In order to realise these goals, JEF Europe calls:

1. For the EU to use its collective political, economic, and diplomatic
   weight to defend democratic systems of governance and human rights in its
   relations with external actors and involvement in institutions of global
   governance, like the UN;

2. For the EU to prioritise cooperation with regional institutions where
   possible, noting that successful co-operations must respect the agency and
   autonomy of all participating actors, with the objective of supporting
   their development into democratic bodies that promote human rights,
   sustainable development, and environmental protections;

3. For the EU, regional institutions, and aligned nation-states to work
   towards consolidating human rights governance, prioritising the
   ratification and implementation of existing treaties and international
   agreements, and to take action against those who fail to do so in line
   with international law, including but not limited to the suspension of
   trade agreements and the issuing of sanctions;

4. For the EU to work with platforms and other actors on transparent
   mechanisms to counter disinformation, avoiding regulatory overreach that
   threatens free expression while ensuring information spaces are protected;

5. For the proliferation of the Rome Statute to as many nation-states and
   regional institutions as possible in order to expand the reach of the
   International Criminal Court (ICC) and for the EU to advocate this as a
   core chapter of its foreign policy;

6. For France to relinquish its seat on the UNSC in favour of a common EU
   seat should a common EU policy be established through Treaty change and,
   in the meantime, urges the EU to deepen its coordination with the French
   Permanent Mission to the UN to ensure more active EU participation in the
   UN Security Council (UNSC), through actions including but not limited to
   the establishment of a European External Action Service (EEAS) bureau on
   secondment inside the French Mission and non-binding French consultations
   with fellow EU member missions and the EU Delegation prior to UNSC votes;

7. For the UN to reform in ways that deepen collaboration with regional
   bodies such as the EU and ASEAN, maximise institutional accountability and
   transparency, and expand citizen engagement through consultative

   assemblies — including an interim UN Parliamentary Assembly (UNPA);

8. For UN members to reduce the amount of earmarked funds and increase the
   amount of non-earmarked funds for UN operations;

9. For the UNSC to be placed under greater UN General Assembly (UNGA)
   oversight and for reforms to the UNSC’s veto power system, noting
   specifically the “Franco-Mexican” proposal, endorsed by 127 member states,
   to restrict vetoes during times of mass atrocities as a possible basis for
   immediate reforms;

10. For the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and state parties to the
    1951 Refugee Convention and the 1967 Protocol to assess the feasibility of
    an oversight mechanism—specifically via the ICJ dispute resolution or an
    independent UN treaty committee—while launching a global diplomatic
    campaign to maximise framework adoption, ratification and full domestic
    compliance;

11. For the ICJ to be reformed in a way that means it becomes more effective,
    including but not limited to the expansion of its jurisdiction to cases
    initiated by a single state or appropriate non-state actor;

12. For international condemnation of the sanctions, threats and intimidation
    attempts against the ICC, aimed at deterring judges and prosecutors from
    enforcing International law;

13. For World Trade Organisation (WTO) member states—and the United States in
    particular—to recommit themselves to the principles of the WTO and stop
    obstructing the proper functioning of the dispute settlement mechanism by
    blocking the appointment of judges;

14. For all countries to engage in broad multilateral cooperation on the most
    pressing issues listed in the previous section;

15. For JEF Europe itself to strengthen its cooperation with the World
    Federalist Movement, the Young World Federalists, the federalists group
    around the world and other youth-led federalist initiatives to tackle
    ongoing and emerging global challenges by promoting peace, sustainability,
    citizens’ participation and global democracy.