Speaker of Parliament advocates new global governance structure

The Speaker of Parliament, Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin, has called for a new world order that will manage conflicts better, deliver justice and reclaim the loss of trust in people in leadership in all sectors of society.

He said such a new order would help to provide hope and optimism for the people and promote peace, love and happiness.

Mr Bagbin also proposed a reform of the United Nations Charter, on the premise of its supposed inadequacy in the face of current global realities, to make it more responsive, democratic, inclusive and aligned to modern-day governance requirements and structure.

“It must create an equitable, just and sustainable future for all; prescribe behaviour and enact enforceable laws to regulate the conduct of nations in areas where the global community is most challenged,” he said.

Conference

The Speaker made the call when he delivered a keynote address as guest of honour at the 24th International Conference of Chief Justices from across the world in Lucknow, India.

The event, dubbed: “Uniting the world for children through enforceable world law and effective global governance”, was organised by the City Montessori School.

The conference was attended by people from 63 countries.

Equality

To achieve the world order he envisioned, the Speaker recommended a new global governance structure of four equal arms of the Executive, the Legislature, the Judiciary and civil society organisations (CSOs), including the media.

He argued that the tripod of three arms of government — Executive, Legislature and Judiciary — was not working well.

“The checks are jerks and the balances are imbalances,” he said, describing CSOs as the backbone of a positive change that could contribute to transformative reforms and hold governments and international bodies accountable for their actions.

Pressing home his point, Mr Bagbin said: “Let us face it, legislatures over the world have not been able to throw light on the operations of the executive nor hold it accountable to the people, neither have legislatures succeeded in self-regulation nor post-legislation scrutiny.

 The proposed four-world governance institutions must be truly equal, and work on the principles of checks and balances, openness, transparency and accountability,” he added.
 

Accountability

Mr Bagbin told the participants that as leaders, they had a responsibility to ensure that they bequeathed to the next generation a world that was habitable that met the aspirations of the youth, and which secured the integrity and dignity of the human race.

He said today’s global challenges required concerted, urgent attention, referencing the depletion of the ozone layer, global water scarcity, hunger, poor sanitation, the loss of biodiversity and extinction of certain species due to the exponential growth in population.

He also mentioned conflicts in the Korean Peninsula, Russia-Ukraine, the Sahel, Israel-Hamas and issues around artificial intelligence (AI) and its potential threat to humanity as issues of concern.

“In all these, the global community must prioritise laws and governance interventions that safeguard the future of children and develop mechanisms to hold governments accountable for their acts that violate children's rights such as child labour, child marriages, trafficking and exploitation,” he said.

Protect children’s rights

Mr Bagbin encouraged governments to protect children's rights and guarantee their survival and development by upholding their legal obligations under the UN Conventions on the Rights of the Child.

“They must ensure all children are allowed to be children, to grow, learn and play in a safe, inclusive and caring environment and in dignity,” he said.

The Speaker advised the youth to remain optimistic and focus on developing an international community that cared for all.

“You have innovation and energy to build a better society.

You are the best placed to lead this transformation.

“You must compel governments to consider more resilient safety nets for the vulnerable, and demand participation in government,” he said.