Global survey reinforces case for a UN Parliamentary Assembly

An international survey conducted in 101 countries reveals public interest in democratic representation at the global level. Commissioned by Democracy Without Borders, the poll asked whether people support or oppose the creation of a "citizen-elected World Parliament to handle global issues". The results show that 40% of respondents globally were in favor, 27% opposed, and 33% were neutral—a relative majority in support.

The findings come amid ongoing global crises and efforts to reform the United Nations. According to Democracy Without Borders' report, the survey results "reinforce the urgency for democratic governments" to consider the long-standing proposal of a UN Parliamentary Assembly (UNPA) which is seen as a first step toward a fully fledged world parliament.

A UNPA would allow elected representatives—either national parliamentarians and or directly elected delegates—to participate in global deliberations and oversight. Supporters argue that such a body could strengthen the legitimacy and accountability of international decision-making, especially in areas like climate policy, economic justice, and peace and security.

In the new survey, the largest on the subject to date, support for a World Parliament is strongest in the Global South. Sub-Saharan Africa recorded the highest regional net support at 23 percentage points. In Mozambique, Türkiye, and Cuba, support exceeds 50%. Relative majorities were found in 85 of the 101 countries surveyed. In contrast, 16 countries—mostly high-income democracies—showed more opposition than support, including the United States, the United Kingdom, or Germany. But even here large shares of neutral respondents suggest the topic remains open for public debate.

Democracy Without Borders interprets the results as a sign that citizens, especially in less powerful nations, are looking for more meaningful participation in global affairs. “The demand for democratizing global governance is not only driven by elites. It is the opposite,” the organization said in a statement. “It resonates with people around the world.”

A detailed survey report is available on the Democracy Without Borders website.

Civil society speakers urge deeper change as UN pursues its “Pact for the Future"

At a UN online consultation with civil society on the implementation of the Pact for the Future facilitated by the Coalition for the UN We Need, several participants underlined the need for institutional reform and democratization of the United Nations.

Adopted at the UN’s Summit of the Future in September 2024, the Pact is an agreement intended to reinvigorate multilateralism, accelerate progress on existing commitments such as the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and help prepare the UN to address emerging global challenges. While much of the discussion focused on practical steps for implementation and other issues, some civil society speakers used the opportunity to press for deeper reform.

Democracy Without Borders’ Executive Director Andreas Bummel recalled that ahead of the Summit more than 150 civil society groups had jointly called for institutional innovations to strengthen participation and representation at the UN. Among these proposals was the creation of a UN Parliamentary Assembly.

He pointed out that the Pact contains a number of relevant commitments, including a pledge to enhance the engagement of NGOs with the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) and recognition of the need to involve national parliaments and other stakeholders more effectively. Bummel wondered whether the UN’s current Pact working group consultations are following up on these pledges and how civil society can be meaningfully included. Participation, he added, should not be confined to experts and NGOs alone. “Everyday citizens too should be engaged. Deliberative citizens’ assemblies are a tested mechanism to do that and we believe the UN should use that tool as well,” he said.

A sense that the Pact negotiations fell short of what was needed was voiced by Tim Murithi of the Institute for Justice and Reconciliation. He described the process and its outcome as a missed opportunity to pursue more transformative reforms and warned that global civil society continues to find itself outside the UN’s relevant deliberations. What is required, he argued, is a general conference under Article 109 of the UN Charter, which cannot be vetoed by the permanent members of the Security Council. To underline the urgency, he concluded with a metaphor: “Some worry also that the UN baby will be thrown out with the bathwater. But in fact, the UN is no longer a baby, but an 80-year-old granny and in need of a major upgrade.”

That many of the Pact’s own commitments presuppose amendments to the UN Charter was emphasized by Heba Ali, the Executive Director of the UN Charter Reform Coalition. She argued that a review of the UN Charter could make the UN more effective and inclusive, create space for new institutions such as a climate council, and help define the post-SDG era. Some actions included in the Pact, she underlined, “explicitly require charter reform because they entail changes to the security council but many other actions would also benefit from charter reform.”

In response, Themba Kalua from the Executive Office of the UN Secretary-General acknowledged that the Pact itself recognizes the UN system created in 1945 is no longer adequate for today’s challenges. While he stressed that pursuing UN Charter reform lies in the hands of UN member states, he encouraged civil society to continue advocating for greater participation and welcomed innovative ideas such as citizens’ assemblies as the UN prepares for the 2028 review of the Pact and advances the UN80 reform initiative. 

This report was originally published by Democracy Without Borders here.

Ahead of Summit of the Future, over 160 groups call on UN to create a Parliamentary Assembly

Ahead of the UN’s Summit of the Future in New York on 22-23 September 2024, a diverse group of 160 civil society organizations from across the world called on UN member states in a joint open letter to support “specific measures” to make “global governance more inclusive and accountable.” The document refers to commitments made in the past and notes that to date, “few tangible steps have been taken”.

The letter advocates four proposals aimed at enhancing public participation which were considered at the UN Civil Society conference in May in Nairobi. They are also endorsed in a “People’s Pact” drafted over two years under the auspices of the civil society network Coalition for the UN We Need.

One of the "priority measures" called for in this field is the formation of a UN Parliamentary Assembly. The letter suggests that this assembly would comprise members from national parliaments or directly elected representatives, enabling them to participate in UN activities and serve as a diverse, representative oversight body. 

The open letter was initiated by Democracy Without Borders, Democracy International and Iswe Foundation. Groups that endorsed it include Accountability Lab; Asia Democracy Network; Asia Development Alliance; Coalition for the UN We Need; Foundation of Peace; Global Governance Innovation Network; Greenpeace; Plataforma CIPÓ; Resilient 40, an African youth network on climate action; Savannah Centre for Diplomacy, Democracy and Development; Southern Voice; United Nations Association-UK; World Federalist Movement–Institute for Global Policy; or Young European Federalists.

UN Parliament discussed at the UN Civil Society Conference in Nairobi

At the UN Civil Society Conference in Nairobi in May 2024, the establishment of a United Nations Parliamentary Assembly (UNPA) was among the recommendations presented and discussed at two sessions on inclusive global governance.

The sessions were part of almost forty self-organized civil society workshops and twenty events to form so-called “ImPACT coalitions”. According to the conference website, these are intended to drive forward certain reform initiatives until the United Nations Summit of the Future in September 2024 and beyond. The topics of these coalitions are diverse and range from artificial intelligence, earth system governance, gender equality or UN Charter reform to drug policy, peacebuilding or underrepresented communities.

As Democracy Without Borders reports, the two sessions on inclusive global governance discussed and called for the establishment of a UNPA as well as a permanent Global Citizens' Assembly, a World Citizens' Initiative and a UN Envoy for Civil Society.

The UNPA was presented by the Executive Director of Democracy Without Borders, Andreas Bummel, and the former Member of the European Parliament, Jo Leinen. It is intended to ensure that elected representatives are involved in the work of the UN. Jo Leinen pointed out that the European Parliament and the European Citizens' Initiative were examples from which lessons could be learned.

According to the report, the four proposals relate to a chapter on the “Transformation of Global Governance”, which is to be included in a Pact for the Future to be adopted at the summit. In a plenary session on the civil society recommendations on the first day of the conference in Nairobi, Andreas Bummel said: “The Pact for the Future is supposed to be a bold document. It should therefore open the door for these proposals to be implemented”. 

Imanga Wamunyima

A UN Parliamentary Assembly is a necessity for ensuring legitimate legislative representation of the people at the highest global level. My endorsement of the call for a UN Parliamentary Assembly is rooted in the need to bridge the existing gap between the executive and legislature in the implementation and awareness of decisions made at the UN and its global meetings. The outcomes achieved at the UN General Assembly primarily affect the general populations of the world who entrust parliamentarians to represent them.

International poll shows strong support for a world parliament

An international survey carried out on behalf of Friedrich Ebert Foundation (FES) found that public sentiment in 13 of 15 countries covered in the study strongly approves of the creation of a world parliament. With the exception of two countries, respondents who “strongly” or “somewhat” approved of the notion significantly outweighed those who oppose it, Democracy Without Borders reported on their blog.

On average, 60% of respondents leaned towards support while only 22% tended to opposing the proposal. The survey question explained that the world parliament "would be part of a global legislative system that under certain circumstances would pass legally binding laws to govern the world as a whole". 

Top support was recorded in Kenya where an overwhelming majority of 81% leaned towards approving the notion with 52% being strongly in favor and 29% somewhat. According to the data published by Democracy Without Borders with FES' permission, next on the list, in order of the percentage of those leaning towards support, are India (78% in favor and 10% opposed), South Africa (73% and 21%), Tunisia (71% and 13%), Indonesia (68% and 13%), South Korea (65% and 18%), Japan (63% and 13%), Turkey (59% and 17%), Argentina (58% and 20%), Germany (56% and 26%), France (53% and 27%), Brazil (50% and 24%), Poland (49% and 25%), United Kingdom (41% and 37%) and the United States (38% and 42%).

"It is often claimed that nationalism is on the rise again. But many people, often clear majorities, would support institutional moves towards building a global society. This poll confirms that they would endorse a global democracy that is empowered to deal with global challenges. Governments should no longer ignore this desire and potential", Democracy Without Borders' Executive Director Andreas Bummel noted in the blog piece.

The organization is coordinating the campaign for a UN Parliamentary Assembly which at first would be a consultative body at the UN and in the long run could be developed into a world parliament. 

Read more here

Global civil society forum endorses a United Nations Parliamentary Assembly

The Coalition for the UN We Need, an alliance of civil society groups advocating for a stronger UN, has released the outcomes of an international conference, the Global Futures Forum, that was held in New York and online in March this year. The gathering brought together civil society representatives and experts to consider proposals to the UN as the world organization and its member governments are preparing for a series of conferences, the UN Summit on Sustainable Development in 2023, the Summit of the Future in 2024 and on Social Development in 2025. 

The document outlines thirty-three recommendations and next steps across seven thematic fields related to the Sustainable Development Goals, environmental governance, human rights and participation, a global digital compact, the global economic and financial architecture, peace and security as well as innovating the UN and global governance. According to a press release issued by the coalition, the proposals “are driven by five key objectives: a longer-term future orientation, global institutional reform, a whole of society approach, meeting existing commitments, and building trust.”

The section on “UN and global governance innovation” endorses the “We The Peoples” campaign for inclusive global governance and its three proposals: the creation of a UN Parliamentary Assembly, a UN World Citizens’ Initiative and a UN Civil Society Envoy. These suggestions aim at connecting the UN closer to citizens, their elected representatives and civil society, thus creating opportunities for their involvement and enhancing the organization’s accountability. “A stronger UN also requires a more legitimate UN”, the document says. In a next step, like-minded member states should form “a Group of Friends for Inclusive Global Governance” to investigate and move these ideas forward.

On a UN Parliamentary Assembly, the document says that it would give "elected representatives, who reflect a broader political spectrum, a formal voice at the UN. A UNPA can be established by a majority vote of the UNGA as a subsidiary body using Article 22 of the UN Charter. Through portfolio committees and transnational groups set up by its members, the UNPA can conduct public hearings and deliberations and merge their findings in plenary resolutions. A UNPA would act as a voice of the world’s citizens and serve as a catalyst for policies and proposals on further UN and global governance reforms."

The coordinator of the Campaign for a UN Parliamentary Assembly and Executive Director of Democracy Without Borders, Andreas Bummel, who is also co-convenor of the "We The Peoples" campaign, attended the forum and helped facilitate the discussions in the field of "UN and global governance innovation".

Malaysian foreign minister supports a UN Parliamentary Assembly

In an article published on Friday in the Malaysian newspaper Sinar Harian, the Foreign Minister of Malaysia, Saifuddin bin Abdullah, expressed his support for the establishment of a United Nations Parliamentary Assembly (UNPA).

The Foreign Minister posted an English translation on his Twitter channel. In the piece, he reports on his participation in a recent meeting in New York organized by the Bahá’í International Community, Democracy Without Borders, CIVICUS and the Coalition for the UN We Need. The event brought together representatives of civil society and UN ambassadors for an exchange on proposals as to how to achieve better democratic representation and participation at the UN. Civil society representatives emphasized that the upcoming UN Summit of the Future is an opportunity to make progress in this area.

In his article, the foreign minister refers to his intervention in which he said that “the UN today is unable to deal with two clusters of the world’s main challenges, that is, the habits and behavior of the great powers and three current developments, that is the man-made climate crisis, the advent of technology that is beneficial but also brings negative effects and lastly, unfair international architectures.” He further reiterates “Malaysia’s position that the UN needs to be reformed”, adding that he supports the creation of a UNPA, a position he announced live at the event and later on Twitter.

In Saifuddin’s words, the UNPA proposal stems “from the dissatisfaction of the people and their elected representatives who are disconnected and denied real roles with intergovernmental platforms and international institutions, to the extent that the two fora’s legitimacy is questioned, hence becoming inefficient.”

He continues that the UNPA’s goal is “to reduce the global democratic deficit by involving the people and giving them a voice, i.e., through their members of parliament in the global decision-making process.” The foreign minister suggests in the article that “since the establishment of UNPA takes time, then, I state that the people of the world cannot wait. We need to start a ‘pilot’, that is with a gathering of civil society and members of parliament in conjunction with the 2023 SDG Summit and the 2024 Summit of the Future.”

Read the full article on the blog of Democracy Without Borders here

Image: Mr. Dato' Saifuddin bin Abdullah, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Malaysia, addresses the Human Rights Council in Geneva on 26 February 2019. UN Photo by Violaine Martin/CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

Sam Onuigbo

The impacts of climate change are devastatingly felt across the world. To combat the climate crisis effectively, legislators as representatives of the people have a crucial role to play. This must extend to the UN and global governance. That's why I endorse the creation of a UN Parliamentary Assembly that can provide oversight and push for decisive action.

Lawmakers in a joint statement call on UN to consider Parliamentary Assembly, other proposals

In a joint statement published on 26 January 2022, more than 120 parliamentarians from over 40 countries call on the United Nations and its member states to strengthen the world organization’s “democratic and participatory character.”

The document recommends that three proposals should be implemented, among them a UN Parliamentary Assembly, in short UNPA, which includes elected representatives. The other two proposals are a UN World Citizens’ Initiative which enables people to put forward proposals on key issues of global concern and a high-level UN Civil Society Envoy to enable greater participation of civil society representatives.

The statement lends political support to a global campaign of 200 civil society groups rallying for these reform ideas dubbed “We The Peoples” in reference to the opening words of the UN’s Charter. It follows on a report of UN Secretary-General António Guterres titled “Our Common Agenda” which highlighted the need for greater participation and inclusion of various stakeholders in the UN’s work. 

The lawmakers suggest that governments should establish a “Group of Friends for Inclusive Global Governance” that works to advance the three proposals “in collaboration with parliamentarians, civil society and experts” with a view of a “Summit of the Future” which Guterres proposed for 2023.

Democracy Without Borders, Democracy International, and CIVICUS: World Alliance for Citizen Participation are the organizations leading the “We The Peoples” campaign. They commented that the support of parliamentarians from around the world sends a strong signal that, in the midst of a global pandemic and the climate crisis, global governance urgently requires a democratic transformation in order to bring ordinary citizens closer to the UN and global decision-making.

A separate campaign for a UNPA that has been run by Democracy Without Borders for fifteen years over time was endorsed by more than 1,700 current and former members of parliament, among others. The new statement connects these efforts to a broader program for inclusive global governance and the ongoing UN consultations on the "Our Common Agenda" report.