Lawmakers of regional community Mercosur support creation of a UN Parliamentary Assembly

3. December 2011

At a session held in Montevideo, Uruguay, on Friday, the Parliament of the South American community Mercosur (Parlasur) declared its endorsement of "the creation of a Parliamentary Assembly within the United Nations, with the goal of strengthening the effectivity, transparency, representativity, plurality and legitimacy of the institutions that are part of the UN system."

Argentine lawmaker Fernando Iglesias in Montevideo
Image: Parlasur

The brief resolution that was passed unanimously by around ninety lawmakers from the Mercosur member states Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, and Uruguay furthermore expressed Parlasur’s commitment to support efforts towards the creation of a UN Parliamentary Assembly.

"If we want the United Nations to remain the cornerstone of international affairs, it needs to be renovated and modernized. In our global age that must mean primarily that the UN changes from an exclusive club of government executives to an open and democratic forum of the world community that reflects the diversity of its member states. To achieve this, the UN needs a parliamentary body," said Fernando Iglesias, a lawmaker from Argentina and Co-Chair of the international Campaign for a UN Parliamentary Assembly. "The citizens of South America want that change," Mr. Iglesias added.

The Parliament of Mercosur is the fifth regional parliament that has endorsed the call for a UN Parliamentary Assembly. Since 2007, the Pan-African Parliament, the Latin-American Parliament, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, and the European Parliament have adopted similar resolutions. The Argentine Chamber of Deputies and the Senate have also supported the call in 2009 and 2010.

Full text of the resolution (Spanish)

Top image: Parlasur session on 2 December 2011 in Montevideo, Uruguay, by Parlasur

Further reading

08 June 2011: Call on EU Council to support UN Parliamentary Assembly adopted

12 December 2008: Latin-American Parliament backs proposal for a United Nations Parliamentary Assembly