GLOBAL BILL OF RIGHTSVERSION 10

The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.Eleanor Roosevelt

Table of Contents

Introduction

Section I Fundamental Rights

Section II International Court of Human Rights

Donation

GLOBAL BILL OF RIGHTS

Article 1

Article 2

Article 3

Article 4

Article 5

Article 6

Article 7

Article 8

Article 9

Article 10

Article 11

Article 12

Article 13

Article 14

Article 15

Article 16

Article 17

Article 18

Article 19

Article 20

Article 21

Article 22

Article 23

Article 24

Article 25

Article 26

Article 27

Article 28

Article 29

Article 30

Article 31

Article 32

Article 33

Article 34

Human Dignity

Freedom of Speech and the Media

Education

Freedom of Assembly and Association

Health Care

Life

Physical Integrity

Freedom of Religion

Equality

Representation and Voting

Environment

Shelter

Physical and Intellectual Property

Labor

Privacy and information

Family Life

Children

Citizenship and Movement

Culture

Arrest and Fair Trial

Search and Seizure

Due Process of Law

Responsability for Violantion of Rights

Trial for Violation of Rights

Independent Judiciary

Funding Rights and Court

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Composition of the Court

Terms of Service for Justices

Application in all Countries

Supremacy of Rights

Submission of Claims

Hearings at the International Court

Court Decisions

Enforcement of Decisions

Preamble

Let the voices of all the people be heard.Nelson Mandela

5Unite for Rights is an ongoing international social movement for

fundamental rights for all people on Earth. Unite furthers this movement

by placing a document, a Global Bill of Rights, on the table, both digital and

physical tables, and asks individuals, businesses (including nonprofits) and

governments to focus together, sign and share a Global Bill of Rights.

The Global Bill of Rights is now before you. This next instant is crucial: its

when you decide whether to collaborate with people around the world

to prepare a list of rights that you would want for yourself, and for

them. Doing so will improve your life, the lives of others and the lives of

generations to come. Our greatest power comes in doing something together.

Einstein said The problems of the world do not exist because of the evil

people, but because of the good people who do nothing about them. There

are good people all over our world. They want to do something, but lack the

ability to bind together to meet the global problems that face us with global

solutions. In Unite we provide the opportunity.

Participation in Unite only takes a few minutes: simply skim, sign and share

and ask yourself, if people internationally are agreeing to this Global Bill

of Rights, will you do the same? If you dont agree with one of the Articles,

but do support a Global Bill of Rights, then please sign noting an exception

for that Article. Also, if you have an idea for an Article you think should be

added, or language that you think can be improved, tell us.

A Global Bill of Rights is a work of art. The goal is to create the optimum list

of rights, not what is politically acceptable. As you reflect on the list, think for

yourself, do not think about what this government or that government would

do. Unlike a painting that might be best created by a single artist, a Global

Bill of Rights is a mosaic, the more people, businesses and governments who

participate in Unite, the more beautiful the document becomes.

Introduction

6So what can you do? Sign the Unite for Rights Pledge: I pledge to support a

Global Bill of Rights. Log on to www.uniteforrights.org to sign the pledge.

We ask only for your name, email and country. Its easy, and we never share

your email with anyone. Unites present goal is to have 1% of humanity sign

the Global Bill of Rights. You can keep track of Unites progress through the

counter on our website.

We also ask that you help fund the translation and distribution of this

booklet. If you are able, please consider the amount that you give annually to

charity, and give Unite 1% of that amount. This may only be a few dollars, or

a larger sum. Unite is also asking businesses, including foundations, to give

1% of their annual giving. We need to unite with funding so that we can unite

with signatures.

Unite also asks businesses, both nonprofits and for-profits, to support Unite

by contributing their logo to the Unite website. Unites goal is to have 1% of

businesses worldwide contribute their logos. Submitting a logo indicates

support of the Unite business pledge: Our business supports a dialogue

about a Global Bill of Rights. Many people in business today are working

for the expansion of the rule of law, and the opening of the marketplace of

ideas. Unite furthers these efforts.

Finally, Unite asks governments to create a working group at the Human

Rights Council of the United Nations in Geneva to draft a Global Bill of Rights

that will consolidate existing documents,and be enforceable in the courts of

all countries. This booklet provides a good start.

Thank you for your participation.

For more information, please look at our website.

GLOBAL BILL OF RIGHTS

8Preamble

We the people of our international community, our human family, declare

that there are certain fundamental rights that are inherent in every human

being, that they are inalienable for all people in all countries, and they are

enforceable in the courts of all countries:

Each of us, by signing this document, agrees as follows:

Article 1 Human Dignity

Human dignity is the source of all human rights, and every person can

enforce in court the rights stated herein, whether they are in their

homeland, or any foreign land.

Article 2 Freedom of Speech and the Media

Every person, and the media, has the right to freedom of speech and

expression; this right includes freedom to see, receive and share

information and ideas on public property, or private property that has been

opened to the public such as shopping centers, whether the ideas are popular

or not, and to freely criticize government, religious or business leaders

through any media and regardless of borders.

Article 3 Education

Everyone has the right to education, from pre-school through college, for free

or low cost, as defined by law. Parents have the responsibility to enroll their

children in school, unless comparable schooling is offered at home.

Article 4 Freedom of Assembly and Association

Everyone has the right to gather peacefully, in small groups or large ones,

without weapons, and to hold meetings, rallies, demonstrations, marches and

pickets in public squares and other public places.

Section I Fundamental Rights

9Article 5 Health Care

Everyone has a right to free or low cost health care, including pre-natal,

vision, dental and mental care, as well as sufficient food necessary for good

health, as defined by law.

Article 6 Life

States may not practice capital punishment, and given that weapons of

mass destruction entail a grave threat to the right to life of all humanity, the

use of weapons of mass destruction, including nuclear, chemical, biological

or other similar types of weapons, is prohibited.

Article 7 Physical Integrity

Torture, or cruel and degrading treatment are prohibited.

Article 8 Freedom of Religion

Everyone has the right to choose his or her own religious beliefs, including

the right to change ones religion, or to have no religion, and government and

religion shall remain separate.

Article 9 Equality

Everyone is equal before the law and entitled to equal protection of the

law, no one shall be prejudiced or favored because of his or her birth, race,

sex, sexual orientation, marital status, pregnancy, age, color, desability,

wealth, language, national origin, faith, religion or political opinion. In

order to promote the achievement of equality, legislative and other

measures designed to protect or advance persons or categories of persons,

disadvantaged by past unfair discrimination may be taken.

Article 10 Representation and Voting

All power to govern emanates from the people through their choice of

representatives and not from military position, religion, caste, heredity or

any non-elective title or position, therefore, anyone 18 years old, or older,

has the right to run for office and to have the chance for election through

a secret ballot. To ensure opportunities for widespread participation within

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the democratic process, and to protect against corruption, no political

representative shall serve more than 20 years in one position. Only

individuals, not corporations or other entities, shall be allowed to contribute

money or other assets to candidates or ballot measures, but individuals

may combine to contribute as a group. The total annual contribution by

any individual, whether it is to one candidate or divided among several

candidates and ballot measures, shall not exceed the median income for the

country in which the person resides.

Article 11 Environment

Everyone has the right to a clean and healthy environment, including

water that is safe to drink, food that is safe to eat, and air that is safe to

breathe. In addition, both for the benefit of future generations and for

the species themselves, there is also a right to the preservation of species

and their habitat, and all large scale development projects shall consider

environmental impacts, including the opportunity for public review

and comment.

Article 12 Shelter

Everyone has the right, along with his or her family, to shelter with safe water,

electricity, and sanitary conditions, as defined by law, and every person or

family given assistance with shelter has a responsibility to help maintain that,

or other, shelters.

Article 13 Physical and Intellectual Property

Everyone has the right to own, buy and sell property and the government

may not take private property except for public use, and if it does, then

it must pay market price for the property. The government must publish a

public record showing precisely who owns a piece of property, and what

boundaries and limitations exist for the property. Also, everyone engaged

in cultural, artistic and scientific fields has the right to the protection of their

intellectual property.

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Article 14 Labor

Everyone has the right to choose his or her occupation or profession and

to a living wage for their work, as well as the right to form and join a union

and to participate in the activities and programs of a union, including the

right to strike and collective bargaining. To recognize merit and fairness, no

employer or officer of any public or private company of more than 20 people,

shall earn more than 2,000 times the lowest paid worker of that company.

Article 15 Privacy and Information

Everyone shall have the right to privacy in his or her home, hotel room,

vehicle, or vessel and to have interpersonal relations as they choose;

therefore, eavesdropping or surveillance of private communications or

relationships is forbidden without a court order as part of a criminal

investigation. In addition, everyone has a right to access, obtain, and correct

information collected about them by the government or private companies,

unless such information is part of a criminal investigation or prosecution.

Article 16 Family Life

People of full age have the right to marry and choose who they will marry.

Also, men and women are entitled to equal rights at marriage, during

marriage and at its dissolution.

Article 17 Children

Every child has the right to a name and a nationality from birth and no child

under 18 may be recruited as a soldier or otherwise used in armed conflict,

even voluntarily. Children 16 or younger shall not work full time during

school hours unless provisions for home schooling have been established,

as defined by law.

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Article 18 Citizenship and Movement

Everyone has the right to a document of citizenship. No citizen may have his

or her citizenship revoked, nor may any citizen be denied the right to enter

freely and leave his or her country, but citizens also have the responsibility

to share the costs of public expenditures, including the payment of taxes.

To prevent the misuse of taxes, any person who presents evidence to their

government of the improper use of government funds, and the governmenwt

retrieves some or all of those funds, may receive 5%-20% of that amount,

plus attorneys fees and costs, as determined by the Court.

Article 19 Culture

Everyone has a right to his or her cultural identity, including the right to use

his or her own language and engage in his or her own cultural traditions,

provided that such exercise does not prevent the traditions of others, or

violate the rights embodied in this Bill of Rights.

Article 20 Arrest and Fair Trial

No person shall be arrested or imprisoned without a judicial warrant and an

arrestee has the right to counsel. Any charges shall be made in a courtroom

open to the public, including the news media, and the arrestee has the

right to personally appear in court and have the validity of the arrest or

detention determined within 72 hours by an independent judge. Everyone

who is charged with any criminal offense has the right to be released prior

to trial absent a showing that they will flee or are a danger to others. Trial

includes a fair public hearing by an independent and impartial court within

three months from arrest and to be presumed innocent until proven guilty,

according to law.

Article 21 Search and Seizure

Everyone is protected from unreasonable searches and seizures of his

or her person, home, car and belongings such as a phone or computer,

among other things, therefore, a warrant must be obtained from the court

prior to the search or seizure unless the search or seizure occurs during

or shortly after the commission of a crime and there is evidence linking

the items seized to the crime.

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Article 22 Due Process of Law

Everyone is entitled to fair procedures to safeguard his or her rights,

therefore, no one may be deprived of life, liberty, or property without due

process of law. To insure the full realization of rights, everyone is entitled to

counsel in a court of law when the rights listed herein are at issue against a

government, government official, or private individual acting closely with

government officials, or on behalf of the government.

Article 23 Responsibility for Violation of Rights

Any private individual, private or public company, or public official,

agent or employee of the government, as well as the government itself,

that violates the rights set forth in this Bill of Rights, is not immune from

liability, qualified or otherwise, and is responsible to pay damages, including

attorneys fees and costs, to the person whose rights have been violated.

Article 24 Trial and Injunctive relief for the Violation of Rights

Any person, organization, or company who claims a violation of this Bill

of Rights by government officials, agents, or employees, or any private

individual or private or public company, shall have a right to a public trial,

and to injunctive relief either stopping or requiring an act in accordance

with the application of the rights herein. Weather the case is decided by the

court or a jury, a public decision will be issued, determining if these

rights have been violated.

Article 25 Independent Judiciary

All judges are beholden to the fair and impartial interpretation of this

document, and not the nation from which they were appointed, or any

other nation, or private entity. No person shall give a judge any money, gift

or service other than the judges official salary, and no party to a case, nor

any person acting on his or her behalf, may speak to a judge about a case

without the presence of, or at least knowledge of, the other party. Judicial

independence requires financial independence and no judge shall earn less

than three times the national median income.

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Article 26 Funding Rights and Courts

The rule of law and rights herein benefit the citizens and businesses of all

countries, therefore, each country shall annually contribute one percent of

its gross national product into an international fund for the creation, use

and support of educational, healthcare and judicial facilities, and salaries

internationally, including the Courts described in Articles 27-34. The funding

shall be distributed by an independent international non-governmental

organization comprised of leaders appointed in a similar manner to the judges

on the International Court of Human Rights described below.

Article 27 Composition of the Court

An International Court of Human Rights shall be created. The Court shall be

comprised of one judge from each country that has ratified this Bill of Rights

in its entirety, without reservation. Regional courts, subject to review by the

International Court, and composed of one judge from each country in the

region, shall also be organized through the continued operation of existing

regional courts, and the creation of new ones.

Article 28 Terms of Service for Justices

The judges terms for the International Court of Human Rights and the

regional courts shall be 6 years and no judge may serve more than three

terms. Each judge shall have 4 law clerks, selected by the judge, with at

least 2 of the 4 coming from countries different than the country that

nominated the judge.

Article 29 Application in All Countries

The rights included in this Bill of Rights may be raised before the courts

of all countries, as well as all regional courts.

Section II International Court of Human Rights

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Article 30 Supremacy of Rights

This Bill of Rights establishes a minimum standard to which all people are

entitled, and is superior to any law that conflicts with it. Any country may

enact a law or interpret its own Constitution to provide for rights greater than

those guaranteed by this Bill of Rights.

Article 31 Submission of Claims

No claim for a violation of rights may be brought before the International

Court of Human Rights until the claim has first been brought in the domestic

courts of the country in which the claim arose, including an appeal to the

highest domestic appellate court, as well as any regional court. A case may,

however, originate at the regional court if there is a showing of strong and

convincing evidence that redress from the domestic court is untimely or

impracticable.

Article 32 Hearings

Cases in the International Court are heard by Chambers of fifteen judges,

fourteen randomly selected, along with the judge from the country in which

the case arose. A Chambers decision may be reviewed by two thirds of the

Court, randomly selected, along with the judge from the country in which

the case arose, if a majority of the judges on the Court agree to review

it. Regional Courts shall establish their own hearing procedures, but any

decision may be reviewed by two thirds of the judges of the Regional Court,

randomly selected, along with the judge from the country in which the case

arose, if a majority of the judges on the Court agree to review it.

Article 33 Court Decisions

Once a case has been admitted, oral argument shall be the norm and a

written decision by the majority of the Chamber, or the review from the

Chamber, for the International Court, and all Regional Courts, shall be

published in an official reporter. Dissenting opinions shall also be published,

and each judge may write separately or join in an opinion by a group.

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Article 34 Enforcement of Decisions

Decisions of the International Court of Human Rights, and all Regional

Courts, are enforceable through the domestic courts in the country from

which the case arose. Failure of any government to comply with the

decisions of the Court may result in expulsion from the Global Bill of Rights

treaty following a vote of two thirds of the judges of the International Court.

Donation

Even with the benefit of the Internet, it takes funding for Unite for Rights

to translate this booklet and disseminate it to people internationally so that

they too can read, sign and share. Your participation is essential, and if you

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website, www.uniteforrights.org.

There is a story told in a poem by Joseph Malins that foretells this moment.

Its titled An Ambulance or a Fence? In the poem people are falling off of a

cliff and the town below the cliff is deciding whether to build an ambulance

to pick them up, or a fence up top to stop them from falling. The ambulance

prevails. But later, a call for a fence is made. Of course, we should not stop

building ambulances, they will always be needed, but we should build a

fence constructed of fundamental rights as well: Unite is that fence.

Thank you.

You must be the change you wish to see in the world.Mahatma Gandhi

Executive Director

Dr. J. Kirk Boyd

kboyd@uniteforrights.org

International Coordinator

Joshua Cooper

jcooper@uniteforrights.org

Education Coordinator

Ruth Berkowitz

ruth@uniteforrights.org

Program Director

Deanna Waldron

dwaldron@uniteforrights.org

Office

Unite for Rights

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fax: (415) 813-6200

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President

Bruna Molina

bmolina@uniteforrights.org

Vice President

Alfred de Zayas

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