Vilasrao Deshmukh, Indian Union Minister, passes away

India's Union Minister for Science and Technology and former Chief Minister of Maharashtra Vilasrao Deshmukh (67) passed away at a hospital in Chennai yesterday. As a cabinet member, Shri Deshmukh was one of the foremost supporters of the international Campaign for a United Nations Parliamentary Assembly in India. He was passionate about the cause and had recently organized the release of the Indian edition of the book "Towards A Global Parliament" edited by Richard Falk and Andrew Strauss in New Delhi.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Congress president Sonia Gandhi and BJP chief Nitin Gadkari were among leaders from across the political spectrum who paid tributes.

Shri Deshmukh's death is a big loss to the efforts towards a more democratic global order. May his soul rest in peace.

Videos and podcast of recent presentations now available

Recently, there was a panel on the Campaign for a UN Parliamentary Assembly at the World Federalist Movement's World Congress in Winnipeg. In the previous post we published some pictures and the resolution adopted there on "Global democracy and United Nations Reform; Federalism at different levels."

In the meantime, videos of the panel presentations and of the discussion are also available. They can be watched here at Vimeo. Covered are an introduction by Fergus Watt, Executive Director of WFM-Canada, the presentations by Andreas Bummel, Secretary-General of the UNPA-Campaign, and former Canadian parliamentarians Bill Blaikie and Warren Allmand as well as the Q&A session afterwards.

Here you can also find an audio podcast of a presentation of Andreas Bummel at the Commonwealth Club of California in San Francisco on July 2 on a "United Nations Parliamentary Assembly and Global Democracy." The presentation puts the question of a UN Parliamentary Assembly into a long-term perspective and covers subjects such as the development of world law and a new global social contract.

Finally, if you read French, here you can download an article recently published in the journal of the French National Assembly, Le Journal du Parlement, on "Renforcer la démocratie au moyen d 'une assemblée parlementaire mondiale."

Some images of and resolution adopted at the WFM Congress in Winnipeg

The World Federalist Movement-Institute for Global Policy and most of the organizations affiliated with it (here's the website) are closely involved in the Campaign for a UN Parliamentary Assembly. WFM has been supporting a UN Parliamentary Assembly for more than twenty years. The movement's annual meeting is always an opportunity for exchange and reflection. Recently, many UNPA campaigners met at the congress in Winnipeg, see our report here for more details.

Following up on our report, we've now uploaded the full text of the resolution adopted at the Congress on "Global democracy and United Nations Reform; Federalism at different levels." Here you can download the PDF file. It includes sections on global democratization, rule of law, UN reform, global economic, social and environmental governance, and regional federalism.

Here is also a selection of photos taken at the Congress:

[AFG_gallery id='1']

Artwork: A world parliament would transcend national boundaries

Often it is taken for granted that the world is politically devided among today's nearly 200 nation-states. This new artwork of the Campaign for a UN Parliamentary Assembly (see right, click on the image for a larger size) brings home the message that actually Earth is one indivisibable habitat and that the boundaries created by nation-states are artifical constructs.

Proponents of a world parliament argue that one of its key features would be to transcend national borders. It is expected that the members of a world parliament would group according to their political viewpoint rather than according to their national origin. This would put them into a good position to tackle problems from a broader, transnational perspective. For the first time, a political body would exists that would allow to pursue the common interest of humanity rather than just narrow national interests. The overall idea is captured with the slogan "One Common Home. One Common Future. One Common Parliament."

The artwork is available as a postcard. Supporters can contact the campaign's Secretariat to obtain copies.

Hello world, the Campaign for a UN Parliamentary Assembly now has a blog

Despite of the holiday season we're not idle. Finally we had the time to establish a long awaited official campaign blog. This is the first post!

If you visit the news section you will see that we are covering the campaign's major activities and other relevant news in the field of global democracy on a regular basis ever since the campaign was started (in English, German, French and Spanish, due to the tireless work of our pro bono translators from around the world who we would like to thank on this occasion). It is fair to say that we are the only website in the world that covers all that has to do with the question of a global parliament and most of our reports include original content that you will not find anywhere else.

Nonetheless, although we are proud of our coverage, for quite some time we've been realizing that we really need an additional way to highlight noteworthy developments and events that are otherwise not covered in the international news section and thus do not get appropriate acknowledgment. We are delighted that as of now this campaign blog exists for this purpose.

Tentative blog categories

The blog will allow us to keep you even better up to date. The campaign's secretariat, and campaign participants from around the world, for example national coordinators, can make use of it to publish reports and comments on their work, to highlight developments, events, and meetings or to feature new supporters. For this kind of posts we will establish a category "From the Campaign.

As the name says, the category "Resources" will include all posts that feature and present resources that are valueable for the campaign. Background information, general analysis, hints to books and other publications will be found in the category "Knowledge."

We intend to publish opinions and comments from campaign supporters on topical issues close to our cause from time to time. For this we'll have the category "Opinion & Comments." Guest submissions will be most welcome. We'll set up some formal guidelines for unsolicited submissions once the blog has become more established.

Generally we hope that the blog will become a platform to share information on all kind of things close to our cause. Everything that does not fit into the four categories already mentioned will be collected under "Miscellanea."

Finally, it will be possible for the blog's readers to comment on and to discuss all posts. For convenience we're making use of Facebook's comment plugin for this.

We'll not double post any content from the news section on the blog so don't forget to check there, too, if you are looking for news!

Obviously, it's all still very fresh. Suggestions are welcome.

Initiative calls for transnational referenda, warns that "democracy is in danger"

Activists, experts, researchers, journalists and politicians from eleven European countries met in Burgas, Bulgaria, last week to discuss the development of citizen participation and direct democracy in Europe and the world. In a joint declaration adopted at the meeting, they stressed that "Democracy is the most important issue of our

Gerald Häfner, MEP, President of Democracy International

Image: DI

time as political questions like climate change, the responsibility for resources and the environment, the state of civil rights and policies on economic, financial and social issues depend on the quality of democracy and the question who takes the decisions in the end."

At the same time, the declaration goes on, democracy is "in danger in a world, in which more and more political decisions are taken on an international or transnational level while democratic participation and control still lies within the nation states. For all these reasons we need more democracy, citizen participation and direct democracy."

The meeting was organized by Democracy International, a global coalition that advocates the establishment and strengthening of direct democracy in Europe and the world. According to the statement adopted in Burgas, "Democracy International calls for the right to initiative and referenda in all countries and on the local, regional, national or transnational level." Considering the situation in Europe, the initiative called for a European Convention on the future of the EU and a European-wide referendum on its outcome.

As the initiative reports on its website, people from all over the world have been working together since 2002 to promote the idea of more direct democracy and citizens participation. Democracy International was then formally established in 2011 as a network of individuals and non-governmental organizations.

"Our basic goal is the establishment of direct democracy as a complement to representative democracy throughout the world and at all levels of government: local, regional, national and transnational", says Gerhald Häfner, president of Democracy International and Green Member of the European Parliament from Germany.

Häfner on the mission of the initiative

 

Häfner was also one of the signatories of an open letter last year that called on the German government to take the initiative for the establishment of a United Nations Parliamentary Assembly.

Website of Democracy International

Study presents models for a World Parliamentary Assembly

Book presented at Congress in Winnipeg

Models and principles for the establishment and further evolution of a world parliament are the subject of a new study that was presented on Tuesday to an audience of international specialists participating in the world congress of the World Federalist Movement-Institute for Global Policy, an international network dedicated to the strengthening of the rule of law, human rights, federalism, and democracy. The book titled "Creating a World Parliamentary Assembly: An Evolutionary

Joseph Schwartzberg presenting his new book. In the background Andreas Bummel

Image: CEUNPA

Journey" is authored by Joseph Schwartzberg from Minnesota, an expert on the subject who taught geography at the University of Minnesota which bestowed on him in 2009 the honorary title "Distinguished International Emeritus Professor."

The book published by the Committee for a Democratic U.N. in Berlin with a foreword by Daniele Archibugi, a well-known specialist on cosmopolitan democracy and a director at the National Italian Research Council, explores how the democratic deficit of the United Nations can be progressively minimized by the development of a global parliamentary body. After establishing a conceptual platform, three evolutionary steps with four specific models for the apportionment of seats are set forth for what would eventually become a directly elected world assembly. Introducing the author and the study in Winnipeg, Andreas Bummel, the Committee's chairperson, pointed out that this was the first analysis of its kind and that it was a major contribution to the ongoing debate on the establishment of a UN Parliamentary Assembly. In a comment printed on the book's back cover, European parliamentarian Jo Leinen said that the study "makes the undertaking very tangible and shows that, in principle, there are no technical obstacles that cannot be overcome. What is needed is the political will."

In the presentation Mr. Schwartzberg stressed that "there are an infinite number of possible models" and that in his opinion, "the apportionment of seats would have to reflect the realities of power in the real world, that means outside the United Nations." He added that "To retain the pretence that all nations are sovereign equals is dysfunctional." According to the proposal of Mr. Schwartzberg, participation in a world parliamentary assembly would be optional. "No country would be forced to join the UNPA, but those that did would have to follow the rules." Over time there would be a growing pressure for all countries to join the assembly, Mr. Schwartzberg said.

The book's publication was supported by the Earthrise Society based in Munich.

Download or purchase a hardcopy of the book here

Read more

13 July 2012: World Congress of Federalists boosts support for global democratization

World Congress of Federalists boosts support for global democratization

Resolution on global democracy adopted

The 26th World Congress of the World Federalist Movement-Institute for Global Policy (WFM - IGP) that assembled this week in Winnipeg, Canada, has reaffirmed the international movement's support of global democratization. A resolution that was passed unanimously by delegates from over 20 countries stressed that "the Arab Spring, the Occupy movements, indignados, and other forms of social protests have shown an increasing discontent with the existing global political order and

Federalists meeting in Winnipeg

Image: CEUNPA

raised the question of democratizing globalization through globalizing democracy." WFM - IGP runs major international programs on the International Criminal Court and the Responsibility to Protect. The organization determined that it should be a "key pillar" of its strategy to facilitate "channeling the social energy into the concrete development of a world parliament and a democratic global order."

Development of a UN Parliamentary Assembly

As WFM - IGP celebrates its 65th anniversary this year, the movement debated the details of its longstanding policy of supporting the establishment of a United Nations Parliamentary Assembly. The congress determined that "such an assembly could be established by the General Assembly under Article 22 of the UN Charter and, thus, would require no Charter amendments. It could develop in stages, beginning with parliamentarians elected either by their respective national legislatures or, if countries are willing to do so, by direct popular elections. It could later be constituted by direct popular elections entirely. The Parliamentary Assembly could, in concert with the UN General Assembly, be accorded gradually increasing legislative competence." In addition, the movement stated that "democratic transparency and accountability should apply both to existing and future global institutions by way of global democratically representative parliamentary oversight bodies."

Panel discussion

Speakers at a panel discussion on the subject included Bill Blaikie, former Deputy Speaker of the Canadian House of Commons, former parliamentarian Warren Allmand, who is President of WFM Canada, and Andreas Bummel,

Andreas Bummel, Bill Blaikie and Warren Allmand (from left to right)

Image: CEUNPA

Secretary-General of the Campaign for a UN Parliamentary Assembly. There was broad agreement in the debate that support at the grassroots level needs to be built further. "In history, parliaments only came about through pressure from the people. When this pressure comes, a world parliament will become a reality," Mr. Allmand stated. Acoording to Mr. Blaikie, "we already have global governance, whether we like it or not. But it's not democratic." Mr. Bummel recalled a slogan that was already used at popular protests against the World Trade Organization in Seattle 1999, "no globalization without representation." The panel discussion was followed by the presentation of a new study titled the "Creation of a World Parliamentary Assembly: An Evolutionary Journey" authored by Joseph Schwartzberg.

One of the leading proponents of global democracy and a UN Parliamentary Assembly, former Argentinian parliamentarian Fernando Iglesias, was elected as new chairperson of the WFM - IGP's Council, following James Christie in this position. The movement's president is Lloyd Axworthy, former Canadian foreign minister.

In the last session of the meeting, the World Federalist Movement declared its endorsement of the recently published "Manifesto for a Global Democracy."

Top image: Group photo of the participants of the WFM - IGP Congress, by CEUNPA

Global democracy and UN Parliamentary Assembly discussed in Vancouver

Secretary-General of international campaign visits the city

The establishment of a global body of elected representatives and global democratization occupied center stage at meetings last week on the occasion of a visit by the Secretary-General of the Campaign for a UN Parliamentary Assembly, Andreas Bummel from Germany, to the city of Vancouver,

Mr. Bummel during the Q&A session after the event on Sunday

Image: James T. Cooper

on Canada’s west coast. At a public event on Sunday, hosted by the Vancouver branch of the World Federalist Movement – Canada, Mr. Bummel argued that the spread of democracy in the world since the end of the Cold War is a "hollow victory." "National parliaments as key institutions of democracy are undermined by more and more important decision-making at the international level that is a result from global challenges," Mr. Bummel said. "The citizens need a direct voice in global affairs and this needs to be assured through an elected world assembly."

Meeting with federal MP Don Davies

The day before, members and special guests of the Vancouver branch of the world federalists met for an informal get-together with Mr. Bummel and Canadian parliamentarian and NDP Critic for International Trade,

Participants of the get-together with Mr. Davies and Mr. Bummel

Image: WFM Vancouver

federal MP Don Davies. The group’s discussions focused around the international campaign to establish a UN Parliamentary Assembly (UNPA) and ways to advance it further. Mr. Davies, a longstanding supporter of the campaign, had just returned from a trip to the UN in New York. He stressed the importance of strengthening parliamentary involvement in international affairs. In what became a very constructive exchange of ideas, Mr. Davies offered his continued support.

Debate with city councillors

On July 6th, Vancouver Deputy Mayor Andrea Reimer had invited Mr. Bummel and local world federalists Blake MacLeod and Larry Kazdan to join her at City Hall for a special information session with city councillors. After a brief presentation by Mr. Bummel, and his additional comments on how municipal leaders might participate in the formation of, and the ongoing activities within the UNPA construct, Ms. Reimer and councillors questioned Mr. Bummel and shared their own thoughts in that regard. Referencing the Millennium Development Goals among other things, Ms. Reimer pointed out that international agenda-setting had significant impact on local governments, but that councillors hardly have any influence on the process. There was agreement that the question of how to involve them better, should be also explored in the context of establishing a new global assembly. As of the meeting, half of Vancouver’s councillors now support the Campaign for a UN Parliamentary Assembly.

Supported since coordinated launch

Canadian world federalists have been involved in the Campaign for a UN Parliamentary Assembly since the coordinated launch in major cities around the world in 2007, one of which took place in Vancouver. "This visit of campaign Secretary-General Andreas Bummel to Canada marks five years, and celebrates the incredible gains made in raising awareness. As World Federalists we are pleased of the progress made by the campaign, and of our participation in support. We will continue to be significant partners in this important initiative to address the democratic deficit at the supra-national level, so that issues relating to the global commons might one day be addressed by the citizens of the world through direct representation by elected parliamentarians," said Mr. MacLeod.

Pictures

Top image: Panoramic view of Vancouver, by s.yume (Flickr), CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

Intellectuals call for “rapid implementation of forms of democratic global governance”

Manifesto for global democracy released

Well-known intellectuals from over ten countries have written a joint manifesto “for a global democracy” that will be presented this week on Wednesday at an event in London, five days after the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development in Rio de Janeiro and one week after the G 20-meeting in Los Cabos, Mexico. In the document, around twenty-five initial signatories stress that

The manifesto’s initiator: Fernando Iglesias from Argentina

Image: CEUNPA

the challenges of globalization require “the rapid implementation of forms of democratic global governance on all the issues that current intergovernmental summits are evidently incapable of solving.”

The text states that politics lag behind the facts as the “economy has been globalized but political institutions and democracy have not kept pace.” According to the document, the international order that emerged from the end of Second World War and the fall of the Berlin Wall “has not been able to manage the great advances in technology and productive systems for the benefit of all humanity.”

Support for a UN Parliamentary Assembly as “embryo of a future World Parliament”

The signatories suggest that “more extensive and deeper forms of democracy” need to be created at the global level. Nation-states should become “part of a wider and much better coordinated structure, which involves democratic regional institutions on all the continents, the reform of the International Court of Justice, a fairer and more balanced International Criminal Court and a United Nations Parliamentary Assembly as the embryo of a future World Parliament.”

As the statement emphasizes, this goal of a new democratic world order should be reached by a “process open to all human beings, with the goal of a creating a participative global democracy.” The signatories call on “every human being to participate in the constitution of a global democracy.”

One of the initiators, the Argentinian intellectual and politician Fernando Iglesias, commented that the manifesto “is a pluralist declaration that emphasizes the shared values between people from very different backgrounds and convictions, and the need to progress toward new regional, international and global democratic institutions capable of facing the challenges of the 21st century.”

The manifesto's signatories

The initial signatories, described as “leading authorities in the study of the issue”, are Abdullahi Ahmed An-Na'im, Daniele Archibugi, Jacques Attali, Bertrand Badie, Zygmunt Bauman, Ulrich Beck, Mary Burton, Noam Chomsky, Richard Falk, Susan George, David Held, Mary Kaldor, Mathias Koenig-Archibugi, Lucio Levi, Giacomo Marramao, George Monbiot, Antonio Negri, Heikki Patomaki, Beatriz Sarlo, Saskia Sassen, Fernando Savater, Roberto Saviano, Juan José Sebreli, Richard Sennett, Vandana Shiva and Andrew Strauss.

The Manifesto will be launched through a series of international events that will take place until December this year in London, Rome, New York, Brussels, Buenos Aires and New Delhi. The event in London is the first.

Manifesto website
Full text of the manifesto

Top image: Youth and civil society walk out of Rio+20 summit in protest, by Youth Policy (Flickr), CC BY-NC-SA 2.0