Motives
The Liberal Professions count tens of millions of members worldwide and constitute a socioeconomic factor in the international community whose importance by far surpasses the number of their representatives.
They are united around several fundamental values and criteria of professional conduct (independence, competence, responsibility, ethical conduct, professional secrecy, etc.). These fundamental values and criteria are valid for all Liberal Professions, regardless of the form of the services they provide. Each professional makes it a duty to work for the common good. Their services meet basic civil needs and defend basic civil rights (access to the law, healthcare, etc.). The Liberal professions therefore act as mediators between the State and its citizens. They play the same role in matters of personal freedom, human rights and security, which in today’s world are fundamental values that have traditionally been upheld by the Liberal Professions.
In many countries, the Liberal Professions have already created unions of interprofessional associations at national level.
At the same time a large number of professions have called for gatherings at world level from within their midst, and constituted international unions or associations.
Despite the diversity of the political, economic, historical or cultural environment of the countries in which the Liberal Professions exercise their activity, the profiles of these two types of gatherings and the problems they are confronted with are comparable everywhere and often identical.
The Liberal Professions constitute a specific economic and social sector at international and national level.
For these reasons it has become necessary and urgent for national organisations representing the professions to organize themselves at international level to take common action.
Aims
The World Union of Professions aims to:
Promote the image and influence of the organisations representing the Liberal Professions
Ensure rapid, full exchange of information concerning the common problems confronting the Liberal Professions on national, bilateral or multilateral levels.
Study basic or current common concerns on an international level and propose solutions.
Represent the Liberal Professions before intergovernmental organisations, in particular by obtaining advisory status, which is grated only to non-governmental organisations of international dimensions.
Obtain, though a worldwide union, the means required to promote the human values and virtues that the Liberal Professions have traditionally defended.
Assist and support Liberal Professions in difficulty all over the world.
Establish and maintain intercultural dialogue, in its capacity as a stalwart in civil dialogue at all levels.