Robert Muller, Chancellor of the University for Peace and former Assistant Secretary General of the UN, began writing down ideas for a better world as a way to count up to the year 2000. He has written more than 1400 ideas, several of which have already been implemented. The first 500 have been published. The following are just a few of the ideas Robert presented at the RFPI annual banquet in 1998, at the same time challenging others to follow his example.

Five illustrations of ideas for the year 2000

1. All UN member governments should be faithful to their obligations to the Charter of the world community and strengthen the UN, at least by paying their obligatory finanacial contributions.

2. The UN should not be reformed downward within the stringency of the meager finances given to it, but strongly upgraded to a second generation United Nations, able to face effectively the colossal global problems with which humanity is confronted.

3. The new pathbreaking European Union should be taken as a model for the transformation of the UN into a true World Union. We should support the recommendation of the European Parliament that as a first step a United Nations Consultative Parliament should be created.

4. The entire planet should be demilitarized by creating at long last the world security system requested by the UN Charter and for which all plans and specific proposals have been formulated. Now that the obstacle of the cold war is removed, this should be possible. The saving of nearly one trillion dollars a year on military expenditures could serve to solve innumerable problems of poverty and of a better environment.

5. All Ministries of War, Defense and all Police of nations should be transformed into Ministries of Peace to help maintain peace and non-violence from the local to the national, continental, and world level.

Five illustrations of ideas on human rights:

1. The fundamental human right to a peaceful, non-violent planet.

2. The right of young people not to be enlisted in an army and to be asked to kill or to be killed by another human being, not even in the name of a nation or a religion.

3. The fundamental human right of mothers not to see the flesh of their flesh kill or be killed by the flesh of the flesh of other mothers.

4. The right of adherence by governments to their international treaties, commitments, and agreements.

5. The right to truth and objective information by governments and the media.

Dr. Robert Muller is a member of RFPI's International Advisory Board.