Amre Moussa: Parliamentary Assembly can help support UN and multilateralism

13. May 2019

Security Council “incapable of fulfilling its duty”

Amre Moussa 2013 at the World Economic Forum, Source: WEF/Flickr

The former senior Egyptian diplomat and presidential candidate Amre Moussa joined a call for the establishment of a United Nations Parliamentary Assembly, in short UNPA. According to a statement published by the international campaign for a UNPA in Berlin, Mr. Moussa said that a UNPA “is an important proposal“ that he is “delighted to support.”

Explaining his view the former foreign minister of Egypt and former Secretary-General of the Arab League pointed out that “to a great extent the UN Security Council is incapable of fulfilling its duty of maintaining international peace and security.” Furthermore, he raised concern about increasing nationalist populism and its impact on world politics. “The rise of the extreme right in some countries and the lack of diplomatic ability is undermining international collaboration,” Mr Moussa observed.

“In this situation, a UN Parliamentary Assembly can help mobilize citizens and parliaments in support of the UN and help strengthen multilateralism and the international system,” the former diplomat said.

Mr. Moussa served as foreign minister of Egypt from 1991 to 2001 and subsequently as sixth Secretary-General of the Arab League from 2001 to 2011. In February 2011 he participated in the protests in Cairo seeking to oust President Hosni Mubarak. As an independent candidate he received around 11 percent of votes in the first round of the presidential elections in 2012.

The call for a UNPA is endorsed by numerous politicians, former UN officials, distinguished scholars, cultural innovators and representatives of civil society organizations, among them over 1,500 current and former members of parliament from over 120 countries.

Recently, a group of elected representatives issued a statement “that the upcoming 75th anniversary of the United Nations in 2020 must be used as an opportunity to take stock and initiate far-reaching reforms, including the establishment of a United Nations Parliamentary Assembly.”

Top image: Amre Moussa at the World Economic Forum in 2007, Source: WEF/Flickr

Tags: Egypt