In response to the continuing persecution of the Rohingya in Rakhine State in Myanmar, a group of Canadian parliamentarians – the “All-Party Group for the Prevention of Genocide and other Crimes Against Humanity” — have requested Canada’s Foreign Minister to initiate proceedings against the government of Myanmar in the International Court of Justice. It is […]
During federal election campaigns, WFMC surveys the federal political parties about their positions on key foreign policy and global governance issues of interest to World Federalists, such as Canada’s support for peacekeeping, the Responsibility to Protect, and United Nations reform. We would like to invite you to tell us what issues and topics are most […]
Are you (or do you know) a young activist, aged 35 or under, interested in the fields of international relations, global democracy and regional integration? Are you looking for a unique opportunity to deepen your knowledge about federalism and develop your activism and leadership skills? The World Federalist Movement (WFM), partnering with the Workable World Trustand theIstituto Spinelli, […]
The criminal prosecution and punishment of those who commit international human rights violations has been established through criminal tribunals, such as those that addressed Rwanda and the former Yugoslavia, and through the International Criminal Court. There have been national criminal cases as well. However, there are problems and difficulties that arise with criminal prosecutions. They […]
The first warrant from the International Criminal Court (ICC) for the arrest of Omar al-Bashir, the president of Sudan, was issued in 2009, the second came in 2010. President al-Bashir is wanted on charges of criminal responsibility for genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity committed in Darfur, Sudan. As Sudan is not a state party to the Rome Statute of […]
Member of Parliament Romeo Saganash introduced Bill C-262, An Act to ensure that the laws of Canada are in harmony with the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, otherwise referred to as the UNDRIP Act, in the House of Commons in 2016. It is currently at the stage of second reading in the […]
The 17th session of the annual meeting of the Assembly of States Parties (ASP) to the Rome Statute will be held December 5 – 12, 2018 in The Hague. The provisional work plan and background documentation is available on the website of the ASP. Ahead of the ASP meeting, WFMC has once again partnered with officials […]
In March 2016 Prime Minister Trudeau announced Canada’s intention to seek election to a two-year term (2021-22) on the United Nations Security Council. Canada is in a three-way race, competing against Norway and Ireland for two seats assigned to the Western European and Other Group of States (WEOG). The Security Council is the United Nations’ […]
On September 10th, United States National Security Advisor John Bolton gave a speech to the Federalist Society in which he spoke, at length and with numerous inaccuracies, about the International Criminal Court. You can watch the speech or read the full text. Bolton began his speech talking about the establishment of the International Criminal Court being the […]
July 17th, the Day of International Criminal Justice, marks the 20th anniversary of the Rome Statute, the founding treaty of the International Criminal Court. One way for Canada to mark this 20th anniversary of the Rome Statute would be to ratify the Kampala Amendments on the crime of aggression. Negotiations in December 2017 in New […]
On June 25 the United Nations General Assembly will hold its 2018 debate on the Responsibility to Protect (R2P). Unlike in previous years, when the UN GA convened an “interactive dialogue” (a series of statements by member states and experts), this year’s debate will lead to a resolution on the Responsibility to Protect. This may […]
Whither Canadian diplomacy in support of the Rohingya In what has become one of the worst ongoing atrocities of our times, approximately 700,000 members of the Rohingya minority have been forced since last August to flee northern Rakhine State in Myanmar to neighbouring Bangladesh, where they are struggling to survive. According to a March 2018 report […]
May 29 is the International Day of UN Peacekeepers: Is Canada “back” or not? As we mark the International Day of UN Peacekeepers on May 29th, World Federalists continue to campaign for Canada to do more for UN Peacekeeping. Recently, WFMC President Walter Dorn gave testimony to a House of Commons committee studying peacekeeping. While WFMC welcomes the announcement […]
World Federalists support the application of the principles of federalism to world affairs, in order that global governance becomes more equitable, just and democratically accountable. You can help! This month’s Take Action alerts provide suggestions for ways you can support: Canada’s participation in UN peacekeeping WFMC by renewing your membership or becoming a member for […]
The World Federalists have supported the progressive development of the Responsibility to Protect normative framework and the implementation of R2P principles. As such, we are grateful that Canada identified a Special Envoy to Myanmar and has recently increased by $12 million the assistance provided to address the humanitarian and security crisis in that country. Clearly […]