The Campaign for a United Nations Parliamentary Assembly is a global network of parliamentarians, non-governmental organizations, scholars, and dedicated citizens that advocates democratic representation of the world's citizens at the United Nations. A United Nations Parliamentary Assembly, UNPA, for the first time would give elected citizen representatives, not only states, a direct and influential role in global policy.
from 135 countries endorse the campaign (current and former)
UN Photo/Jean-Marc Ferré, 2014
The need for democratization of the UN has been widely discussed within the organization and raised by former UN Secretary Generals. Furthermore, the need for modernizing the UN to more effectively address the challenges of the modern world has also been recognized. Adopted after the Second World War, the UN’s structures, policies and rules are not only inadequate in the current world, they perpetuate inefficiency and paralysis. I believe that modernization and democratization go hand in hand. Democracy Without Borders pursues a promising approach by advocating a strengthening of democratic representation and participation of citizens. Creating a UN Parliamentary Assembly in particular would address the UN’s democratic deficit by giving the people a stronger voice in decisions that affect them.
Gulnara Shahinian, Founder of Democracy Today, Armenia, former UN Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, 2021
The Campaign for a UN Parliamentary Assembly received the 2nd prize in the NGO category in The Good Lobby Awards 2019 for advocating "the sort of democratic innovations the world urgently needs."
