Ten years ago, the United Nations hosted the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED), also known as the “Earth Summit” or “Rio,” in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. At least publicly, the primary focus of the conference was on the environment, but the international Program of Action it produced, known as Agenda 21, was more about a global system of government.

This year the United Nations will host the World Summit for Sustainable Development (WSSD), a 10-year review of progress on Agenda 21. A Preparatory Committee comprised of delegations from most U.N. Member Nations is now meeting in New York City (January 28-February 8, 2002), and will meet again in late March (March 25-April 5), to conduct the review and prepare another international program of action for the next 10 years.

Notice that the word “environment” is no longer in the WSSD conference title. That is because the scope has broadened, with greater focus on poverty eradication, education, health care, energy, transportation, industry, tourism and more. According to the Report of the Secretary-General, which lays the foundation for the 10-year review, the WSSD will create an “International Framework,” a “Means of Implementation,” and specific ways to strengthen “Global Partnerships for Sustainable Development.” In other words, the solution to all these domestic problems is in forming or strengthening global governance bodies, and giving them power over nations and peoples as if they were completely incapable of finding solutions to their own problems.

Apart from a renascence of respect for the sovereignty of nations and willingness to limit the U.N.’s power to its Charter, globalism will be the plan that prevails—even though the U.N. Charter prohibits the U.N. from intervening “in matters which are essentially within the domestic jurisdiction of any” nation (Article 2, par. 7). The Charter does allow the U.N. to research, study and make recommendations on such matters, but not to create a global government to make and impose domestic policies upon nations.

Would you like to hear what some of the speakers said last week? A woman chosen to speak for all women belittled household duties and said there must be “a new understanding of women as social partners.” This may sound like a great idea, but she is calling for complete “gender equality” in political, economic, cultural and property ownership. One implication is that all women should be working full-time so they can earn as much as their husbands or other men. Or it might be that husbands should work 50 percent of the time, be home 50 percent of the time, and their wives should do the same. Those scenarios may work for some families, but usually come at some cost to their marriages and considerable cost to their children.

A young man, chosen to speak for the youth of the world, demanded that governments establish fully funded youth departments to get input from youth on government matters.

Martin Hall of the Third World Network, a nongovernmental organization (NGO), revealed part of the globalism strategy developed at the Rio 1992 Earth Summit: integrating environment, government and human rights. In other words, environmental and human rights issues are being used to create global government.

Mr. Hall complained that there was no “program to regulate companies,” and that “Rio did not have a program [sufficient] for global governance.” But he said there is a “rise of globalism as policy, program and international law,” and called upon delegates to ensure that the WSSD had a “vision for political restructuring.” Furthermore, he said their goals cannot be accomplished through voluntary compliance, so they will “need to build a global structure for global governance with three links: social, environment and economic,” and “an operational plan for all issues and all areas.”

The representative from the International Confederation of Trade Unions proclaimed that “core labor standards must become part of a Global New Deal,” and that “trends toward privatization and deregulation go counter to sustainable development.” Then, he said, “corporate behavior should be reviewed” and corporations governed.

Another speaker provided a brief period of reason and reality. A Mr. Stewart spoke on behalf of business and industry. He said: “We believe sustainable development is best sustained by open markets,” and that the “creation and sustaining of sound business is best for sustainable development.”

Later, the Spain delegate, representing the European Union, said the WSSD “should produce a comprehensive plan for global governance for all levels of government, where local governments will play a vital role.”

The greatest threat of the WSSD, on this present course, is to the liberty of all peoples, their ability to govern their own affairs, and the sovereignty of all nations.

Thomas Jacobson attended part of the WSSD preparatory meeting, representing Concerned Women for America while Focus on the Family awaits review of its Non-Government Organization application to the United Nations.

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