Set up to promote a greater sense of world community, the One World Trust often finds itself having to turn complicated concepts into calls for debate and action that work in the real world.

Although much of what it does is aimed at UK parliamentarians, One World doesn't assume that the people it wants to reach have any understanding of academic jargon. Macro-theoretical perspectives on global governance are out. Even with added Weltanschauung. Confused? Read on.

These days, explains Simon Burall, One World's executive director, you don't need a degree in sociology to understand an idea like globalisation.

Globalisation is all around
If you drink coffee, buy washing powder, watch television, surf the net, live the standard western lifestyle, you've haven't just encountered globalisation. You're living and breathing it.

As communications technology improves, as global agreements on trade get signed, the world's biggest companies find it increasingly easy to access national markets.

Consumers, no matter where they live, find themselves buying the same brands from the same companies. Bound together by our common shopping lists, we find ourselves sharing and creating a common world culture.

A manifesto for the 21st Century
What Burall wants to do is take this process one step further. One World's petition, Charter 99, launched on United Nations Day, 24 October 1999, bangs home the key message that all international decision-making should be based on the principles at the heart of our national governments: democracy, accountability, equality and justice.

It calls on world leaders to set in motion a "rigorous process" to hold all agencies of global governance to account.

It's been a great success. As well as individuals from over 120 countries and almost 100 members of parliaments from 30 countries, Charter 99 signatories include Anita Roddick, Jonathan Dimbleby, Glenys Kinnock MEP, Poet Laureate Andrew Motion, Noam Chomsky, and former Chancellor Lord Healey.

At the UN Millennium Summit in September 2000, it was cited as part of the argument that commitments made about increasing global democracy should be regularly reviewed.

Burall calls it a "manifesto for the 21st Century".

State a fundamental principle
Charter 99 works because it focuses on the key strands in One World's argument, he says. It tries to establish common ground with as many people as possible.

"People won't join a debate which is very confused. But they will join a debate if they feel you have a fundamental principle they can agree with."

Of course, if you adapt your message, simplify it, make it chime with peoples' concerns, you may be accused of compromising. You can lose credibility. Which is why, as well as the four key points that people sign up to, the Charter lists 12 "areas for urgent action": see boxout.

Back in May 1999, when drafting the Charter, Burall's inclination was to make it as short as possible. His steering group lobbied for something weightier. Make it short and people will feel patronised, they argued.

As a result, Charter 99 was deliberately written in a lengthy fashion – the 12 points and detailed background notes. But it kept the four easy-to-remember core points.

"It's quite a difficult tightrope to walk, really," says Burall. "You don't want to over-simplify your ideas. And you don't want your message to be too complicated. The key is to have a very clear idea of what your identity is and then what your key message is."

Selling the idea to the media
Despite the Charter's successes with individuals, Burall hasn't found it easy to win support from journalists. Good will exists. The Observer gave a discounted full-page announcement when the Charter was launched. While a page there normally costs approximately £28,000, says Burall, One World only had to pay £9,000.

"We raised enough to cover the cost of the advert, from the advert itself, and I'm told that is the first advert about the UN that has ever done that. So that, in a sense, shows the strength of the Charter."

But, when getting your message out to the media, having a good idea isn't enough, he says. Explaining your idea clearly isn't always enough. You have to create an event around the idea.

The media: an ongoing relationship
At the end of February 2001, Burall was able to use the 50th anniversary of One World's creation to remind journalists about Charter 99. He sent out a press release to "friendly" journalists. It caused a ripple of interest.

Using the database of signatories, Burall hopes to develop a democratic accountability index over the next year. As well as a league table ranking international organisations according to their degree of accountability, the index will include a series of briefings for policy makers, international agencies and the media.

"What we need to do is to develop links with the media," he says. "Citizenship and globalisation should become familiar topics, something that mainstream journalists discuss all the time. And when they do, they should come to us.

"But, like many organisations, we're very small. To have the actual time to cultivate these journalists is going to be difficult."

Charter 99's 12 areas for urgent action

1. Open all international institutions to democratic scrutiny and participation

2. Monitor and regulate international corporations and financial institutions

3. Give UN institutions additional and independent sources of revenue

4. Make the UN Security Council fair, effective and democratic

5. Strengthen UN peace keeping and multilateral global security

6. Reduce armaments, ratify the Landmines Ban and outlaw weapons of mass destruction

7. Create equal world citizenship based on the Human Rights Declarations and Covenants

8. Ratify the International Criminal Court and strengthen international law

9. Strengthen international mechanisms to promote prosperity and protect the environment

10. Create an International Environmental Court

11. Take urgent action on climate change as a global security issue

12. Make poverty reduction a global priority

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