Global Contract Report

The draft paper for discussion “Global Contract Report 2005” defines the term “global contract” and proposes criteria to be met by potential global contracts. The criteria worked out are meant to be discussed, applied and enhanced when analysing potential global contracts together with science and politics in future.

The report begins with a short presentation and ties it in with a worldethical view of the Foundation. On the road to a global sustainable political order, a paradigm shift is necessary in several respects, especially shifts towards a global, future-oriented and interdisciplinary mindset and intercultural understanding.

A central issue of the Global Contract Report is the definition of the term “global contract”:

“A global contract is a multilateral agreement between significant actors – currently above all either national or supranational. It effectively regulates significant issues of global relevance against the background of a sustainable global political order or initiates the foundation of an institution to regulate these issues. A global contract consists of the formal criteria:

• significant issue,
• global relevance,
• binding character according to international law,
• effective sanction mechanism,
• legitimization of the players,
• global reach,
• funding of the implementation,
• establishment of suitable supporting institutions and flexible decision processes, and
• effective regulation.

In addition, a global contract also stands for the normative criteria:

• promotion of sustainability,
• compliance with the principle of justice,
• maintainance of peace,
• safeguarding human rights, and
• promotion of global wellfare.

Alternatively, it does not hinder their realization. Such multilateral agreements have until now been reached in the form of international agreements, protocols, international pacts, general declarations, statutes, records, conventions or declarations.

The definition is close to the meaning of the term “global governance”. The term global contract, however, sees this topic from a more legal perspective.

In the report itself, the formal and normative criteria are described in more detail. By means of these criteria, it can be examined if a potential global contract is in fact a full-fledged global contract, i.e. if it meets all criteria or if some criteria are not met so that it is not a global contract. The report also draws up, for example, the difference between a global contract and a global governance contract.

The report is directed at the broad interested public and so it deliberately strives for simple language. Thus, on the one hand, the reader understands what has already been regulated in the relevant documents and why these agreements, declarations, reports, protocols and treaties are so important for our daily lives. On the other hand, it becomes apparent that it is a real challenge to turn international framework conditions into full-fledged global contracts. In practice, this means that it has to be ensured that the criteria listed in the definition are considered. This should make the reader interested in this topic and raise their awareness of such negotiations as in Rio in 1992, in Kioto in 1997 or in Johannesburg in 2002.

At the same time, the criteria specified in the definition of the term “global contract” are meant to serve as a basis for discussion in science and politics. Science and politics are supposed to apply, revise and enhance this definition in practice – where sensible and possible, together with the Global Contract Foundation. The topic “global contract” will presumably be relevant for several decades to come or is likely to become even more important.

The Global Contract Report can be downloaded free of charge here soon.

Project manager:

Armin Frey

armin.frey@global-contract.org