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The flag of the WSA

The World Service Authority (WSA), founded in 1953 by Garry Davis,[1] is a non-profit organization that claims to educate about and promote "world citizenship", "world law", and world government. It is best known for selling unofficial fantasy[2][3] documents such as World Passports.

Organization

The WSA has an office in Washington, D.C., the United States. The office in Shanghai, China, was closed on 1 January 2010. As of 2017, attorney David M. Gallup was the president of the WSA.[4][5]

History

The WSA was founded by Garry Davis, a former Broadway actor and World War II bomber pilot, who officially gave up his U.S. citizenship in 1948 to live as a "citizen of the world". It was set up to be the administrative agency of the "World Government of World Citizens" which he declared on 4 September 1953.[6] The first office was opened in New York City in 1954.[6] In the past, WSA also had offices in Basel, London and Tokyo.[7][8]

Activities

Besides selling World Passports,[9] the WSA registers customers as "world citizens" and sells "world citizen" identity documents, such as fantasy[2][3] birth certificates, identity cards, marriage certificates, political asylum cards, "International Exit Visas" and "International Residence Permits".[10] The organization's legal department is responsible to assist holders of its documents.[11] The organization also promotes programs, such as "Mundialization" – declaring cities and towns as "world territories"; "World Syntegrity Project" – an attempt to create a World Constitution through meetings of citizens; and other programs.[12]

The WSA is also involved in a project to establish a World Court of Human Rights.[13] The WSA has also allegedly sold World Government Postal Stamps,[14] which, according to Garry Davis, helped to convey thousands of letters between China and Taiwan in the early 1980s.[15]

Countries that have accepted the World Passport

The World Service Authority claims that 189 countries have accepted the World Passport, by stamping a national visa and/or entry/exit stamp.[16] The World Service Authority requests that travelers send photocopies or scans of visa/entry/exit stamps to the Washington, DC office.

The World Service Authority also claims legal recognition of their documents by Burkina Faso, Ecuador, Mauritania, Tanzania and Zambia.[16]

See also

References

  1. ^ Engber, Daniel (24 March 2006). "What's a World Passport?". Slate. Retrieved 10 June 2015.
  2. ^ a b "International Civil Aviation TECHNICAL ADVISORY GROUP ON MACHINE READABLE TRAVEL DOCUMENTS, TAG-MRTD/16, WP/5, 13/9/05, section 2.1.1" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 10 November 2017. Retrieved 9 November 2017.
  3. ^ a b "International Civil Aviation Organization Regional Seminar on MRTDs, Biometrics and Border Security, 27-29 November 2012, p30" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 10 November 2017. Retrieved 9 November 2017.
  4. ^ ""Passport To Fame", 7 Days Vermont, 28 March 2001". 7dvt.com. Retrieved 1 October 2013.
  5. ^ "Martindale.com, David M. Gallup". Martindale.com. 10 August 2010. Retrieved 8 November 2017.
  6. ^ a b "What is the World Government of World Citizens?". Worldservice.org. Retrieved 1 October 2013.
  7. ^ "POSITION PAPER 1978 - U.N. vs. World Government". Worldservice.org.
  8. ^ "World Citizen Update: 50th Anniversary of the World Citizen Government". worldservice.org.
  9. ^ Fox, Margalit (28 July 2013). "Garry Davis, Man of No Nation Who Saw One World of No War, Dies at 91". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 5 April 2017.
  10. ^ "World Government Documents (Personal)". Worldservice.org. Retrieved 1 October 2013.
  11. ^ "World Judicial Commission". Worldservice.org.
  12. ^ "World Government Programs". Worldservice.org.
  13. ^ "World Court of Human Rights Development Project". www.worldcourtofhumanrights.net.
  14. ^ "World Service Authority catalog". Worldservice.org. Retrieved 1 October 2013.
  15. ^ "International Herald Tribune". Onefilms.com. 5 December 2001. Archived from the original on 13 November 2017. Retrieved 1 October 2013.
  16. ^ a b "International Acceptance of W.S.A. Passport". Worldservice.org. Retrieved 19 September 2023.

External links

Global governance and identity
Authority control databases
Categories