Union minister and prominent lawmakers in India support call for a UN Parliamentary Assembly
India should approve of proposal, says former foreign minister
Nearly forty sitting members of parliament from India cutting across party lines, around half of them each from the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, support an appeal addressed to the UN and the governments of its member states “to establish a Parliamentary Assembly at the United Nations.” According to the statement “a gradual implementation
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| Union minister Shri Vilasrao Deshmukh |
| Wikipedia |
of democratic participation and representation on the global level” is recommended.
The list of Indian lawmakers that have endorsed the proposal includes current union minister Vilasrao Deshmukh, union ministers of state Saugata Roy and Dinsha Patel as well as former union ministers Mani Shankar Aiyar, Saifuddin Soz and Shashi Tharoor, the latter of whom served as junior foreign minister in Manmohan Singh’s cabinet from 2009 to 2010.
Commented Shri Deshmukh, union minister of science, technology and earth sciences: “Yes, I support the establishment of a UN Parliamentary Assembly and it would be good if the proposal is seriously considered by the United Nations.”
“Of course a lot of details need to be investigated. Still the government of India could express at the UN General Assembly
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| Shri Sashi Tharoor |
| Wikimedia, by WEF |
that in principle it regards the proposal of a UN Parliamentary Assembly with favor,” said Shri Tharoor at a meeting with representatives of the Campaign for a UN Parliamentary Assembly in Delhi on Thursday, 8th December.
Indian experience instructive
Shyam Benegal, the renowned director and screenwriter who is a member of the Rajya Sabha, declared his support of a UN Parliamentary Assembly recently. "When India was granted independence, skeptical observers said that so remarkably diverse a country in terms of religion, language, and culture could not maintain a representative democracy.
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| Shri Shyam Benegal |
| Wikimedia, by S.K. Bordoloi |
Yet, despite these doubts, that is exactly what India has done. Today similar doubts are often expressed with regard to global democracy. Based on our experience, I believe that obstacles can be overcome and that first small steps to build democracy at the global scale are now necessary and possible,” Shri Benegal argued.
Former union minister Mani Shankar Aiyar added that "at Independence, Jawaharlal Nehru said, 'We look upon the world with clear and friendly eyes.' One proof of that would be Indian support to a World Parliament."
Supporters of the appeal for a UN Parliamentary Assembly from India also include BJP vice president Najma Heptullah who served as a member of the Rajya Sabha for four terms and who was president of the Inter-Parliamentary Union from 1999 to 2002, the worldwide umbrella organization of national parliaments, or eminent individuals such as Professor M.S. Swaminathan who was considered by Time magazine "one of the most influential Asian people of the 20th century" and Ela Bhatt, founder of SEWA and a member of The Elders.
Indian lawmakers that support the campaign
Read more
30 March 2009: Event in Delhi: "India could play a significant role in a UN Parliamentary Assembly"
Top image: Parliament buildings in Delhi, Source: Flickr, Creative Commons, by Couche Tard
Lawmakers of regional community Mercosur support creation of a UN Parliamentary Assembly
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."
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| 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
Collected works on a global parliamentary assembly published in one volume
The case for the creation of a global parliamentary assembly as a means to democratize global governance is the core theme of a new volume of collected works by Richard Falk and Andrew Strauss. In the articles and essays that appeared in journals such as Foreign Affairs and newspapers like
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| The authors Richard Falk and Andrew Strauss |
| Images: KDUN |
The International Herald Tribune between 1997 and 2010 the professors argue that the world needs a popularly elected global body in order to seriously address the democratic deficit of intergovernmental organizations.
In the book’s preface former UN Secretary General Boutros Boutros-Ghali of Egypt concurs that democracy, to be effective, needs to extend beyond state borders. “How exactly this can be done calls for a great deal of creative thought, but such thought has not been forthcoming. In fact, most commentators on global governance seem hopelessly mired in the existing system. This is why the arrival of this book is a breath of fresh air,” he wrote.
The authors are renowned legal scholars. Richard Falk is professor emeritus of international law at Princeton University and visiting professor in global and international studies at the University of California, Santa Barbara, and Andrew Strauss is the Associate Dean for Faculty Research and Development and a professor of international law at Widener University School of Law.
The book is entitled “A Global Parliament: Essays and Articles.” Published by the Committee for a Democratic UN in Berlin with support from the EarthRise Society in Munich, the book is available from major online bookstores such as Amazon.com and Barnes and Nobles.
Top image: Book cover, KDUN
Experts discuss global democracy and parliament at UN
The establishment of a United Nations Parliamentary Assembly was one of the subjects of an academic conference organized by the German United Nations Association (UNA-Germany) at the end of last week in Berlin. Scholars from across Germany gathered at the Japanese-German Center of the Free University of Berlin
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| The conference was organized by the German UN Association |
| Picture: UNA-Germany |
to speak about "Trends towards more Global Democracy".
Fifteen years after the publication of an "Agenda for Democratization" by then UN Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali the conference sought to assess the state of affairs. The document of the former UN Secretary-General - who is a prominent supporter of the Campaign for a UN Parliamentary Assembly - was a starting point of the two-day discussions.
The proposal for a UN Parliamentary Assembly was presented at a panel by Peter Spiegel, vice chairman of the Committee for a Democratic U.N. in Berlin. Mr. Spiegel argued that democratizing the UN was also a measure to promote democracy internationally. He prompted to ask the question why the democracies of the world "obstruct efforts for democratizing international organizations."
Earlier Professor Lothar Brock with University of Frankfurt dealt with the question of what the democracy deficit at the UN is and explained why he supports the proposal for a UN parliament. In the course of his presentation, Professor Brock touched upon many of the subjects of the conference such as the embedding of democracy in the self-conception of the UN, preconditions for democracy, models of democracy, interdependency of democracy at the nation-state and international levels, forms of legitimization, need of legitimacy and possible consequences.
With regard to a UN Parliamentary Assembly, the participants did not reach a common standpoint. Broad agreement was reached on the assessment that democracy is anchored in the values of the UN and that the world organization's legitimacy needs to be improved.
UNA-Germany plans to publish the presentations of the conference in a German-language compilation. The meeting built on a first conference on world law organized by UNA-Germany in November 2008.
Top image: One of the panels, left in the picture Peter Spiegel, Source: Committee for a Democratic U.N.
Ireland’s president-elect is supporter of a UN Parliamentary Assembly
On Saturday it was officially announced that Michael D. Higgins has won the presidential elections in Ireland. The peace activist, sociologist and former minister of culture with the Irish Labour Party will succeed Mary McAleese as ninth president of Ireland. According to the Irish Times he said that his mandate was "for an inclusive citizenship which is about equality,
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| President-elect Michael D. Higgins with wife Sabina |
| Image: Irish Labour Party |
participation and respect in a creative society, creative and excellent in everything we Irish do; making an Irishness to be proud of in a real republic.”
In April 2007, Mr. Higgins, then Spokesperson on Foreign Affairs of the Irish Labour party, was one of the initial signatories of an international “Appeal for the Establishment of a Parliamentary Assembly at the United Nations.” Another signatory at that time was Eamon Gilmore, today Ireland’s foreign minister.
In 2009, Mr. Higgins also endorsed a “Call for global democratic oversight of international financial and economic institutions” that was published on the occasion of a G-20 summit in London. According to this statement, a UN Parliamentary Assembly “should be an important part of the renewed system of international financial and economic governance.”
“We wholeheartedly congratulate Mr. Higgins on his election,” said Andreas Bummel, the Secretary-General of the Campaign for a UN Parliamentary Assembly, who was in Washington D.C. last week for talks.
Supporters of the Campaign include various former heads of state or government and foreign ministers, among them Václav Havel of the Czech Republic.
Top image: Michael D. Higgins after the announcement of his election, Source: Irish Labour Party, Creative Commons BY-ND 2.0
Amid international protests, intellectuals and activists issue manifesto for global democracy
Intellectuals Naomi Klein, Vandana Shiva, Noam Chomsky, Eduardo Galeano and Michael Hardt as well as mass-protest organizers and activists have issued a manifesto that includes a strong call for global democracy and, in particular, democratic rule over the international financial system. The manifesto was published in the Guardian on 14 October 2011, on the eve of international demonstrations in over 950 cities and more than 80 countries that were inspired by the Occupy Wall Street protests, the Arab revolutions
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| Logo of the 15 October 2011 protests around the world |
| Image: 15october.net |
and protests for "real democracy" in Spain.
The manifesto that was endorsed by activists and groups from the Middle East, Africa, Europe, United States, Asia and Latin America, among them Democracia Real Ya International, says that institutions like the G8, G20, the International Monetary Fund or the UN Security Council must be made democratic or "be overturned".
According to the document, in an age of globalization, "global forces shape people's lives. Our jobs, health, housing, education and pensions are controlled by global banks, markets, tax havens, corporations and financial crises". It says that under such conditions, "citizens of the world must get control over the decisions that influence them at all levels - from global to local".
Activists Ana Sofia Suarez and Shimri Zameret commented in the Guardian that "of course this manifesto is not endorsed by all the people that participate in the worldwide protests." Nevertheless, the signatories hope that "the text is legitimate as a manifesto coming from the protests, supported by many involved, such as Democracia Real Ya International, the main assembly in Madrid, the main assembly in Boston, in Buenos Aires and Sao Paolo." They added that it was a deliberate decision not to define "what democratic global institutions are" and to "leave it as a principle."
Manifesto: United for Global Democracy
« On 15th October 2011, united in our diversity, united for global change, we demand global democracy: global governance by the people, for the people. Inspired by our sisters and brothers in Tunisia, Egypt, Libya, Syria, Bahrain, Palestine-Israel, Spain and Greece, we too call for a regime change: a global regime change. In the words of Vandana Shiva, the Indian activist, today we demand replacing the G8 with the whole of humanity - the G 7,000,000,000.
Undemocratic international institutions are our global Mubarak, our global Assad, our global Gaddafi. These include: the IMF, the WTO, global markets, multinational banks, the G8, the G20, the European Central Bank and the UN Security Council. Like Mubarak and Assad, these institutions must not be allowed to run people’s lives without their consent. We are all born equal, rich or poor, woman or man. Every African and Asian is equal to every European and American. Our global institutions must reflect this, or be overturned.
Today, more than ever before, global forces shape people's lives. Our jobs, health, housing, education and pensions are controlled by global banks, markets, tax havens, corporations and financial crises. Our environment is destroyed by pollution in other continents. Our safety is determined by international wars and international trade in arms, drugs and natural resources. We are losing control over our lives. This must stop. This will stop. The citizens of the world must get control over the decisions that influence them at all levels - from global to local. That is global democracy. That is what we demand today.
Like the Mexican Zapatistas, we say "Ya basta! Aquí el pueblo manda y el gobierno obedece”. Enough! Here the people command and global institutions obey! Like the Spanish Tomalaplaza, we say "Democracia Real Ya": True global democracy now!" Today we call the citizens of the world: let us globalise Tahrir Square! Let us globalise Puerta del Sol! »
Top image: Naomi Klein speaking at an open forum of Occupy Wall Street, October 6, 2011. Source: David Shankbone, CC BY 3.0
Open letter: German government urged to support creation of a UN Parliamentary Assembly
Alliance of German organizations and personalities backs proposal of the European Parliament
On the day before the start of the general debate at the UN General Assembly in New York an appeal was made to German chancellor Angela Merkel and foreign minister Guido Westerwelle to follow a recommendation of the European Parliament and to take the initiative
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| Former minister Hans Eichel and Detlef Dzembritzki at the press conference |
| Image: DGVN |
at the UN for the establishment of a parliamentary assembly.
In an open letter that was addressed to Ms. Merkel and Mr. Westerwelle by around 40 non-governmental organizations and more than 150 public figures it was said that "a Parliamentary Assembly would strengthen the democratic character, the democratic accountability and the transparency of global governance and would allow for better participation of the public in the activities of the United Nations."
"In the 21st century foreign policy no longer can be separated from domestic policy. The UN needs to be strengthened and democratized at the same time," said former federal minister of finance Hans Eichel, presenting the letter at a press conference in Berlin. "A parliamentary assembly would help to tackle global problems more effectively," said Detlef Dzembritzki, vice-chair of the German United Nations Association. "We want that the establishment of a parliamentary assembly at the UN
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| Symbolical delivery of the letter |
| Image: DGVN |
is specifically mentioned and supported in the German contribution at the UN's general debate", said Andreas Bummel, chair of the Committee for a Democratic U.N., summarizing the request of the open letter.
Among the signatories of the letter are Attac Germany, Friends of the Earth Germany, the German United Nations Association, the Society for Threatened Peoples, the Global Economic Network Germany, Mehr Demokratie e.V. or World Vision Germany. The individuals that have signed the letter include around 40 professors, approximately 70 members of parliament from all parties from the German Bundestag and the European Parliament, opposition leader Sigmar Gabriel, former premiers Hans Eichel and Erwin Teufel, numerous former federal ministers, former speaker of parliament Rita Süssmuth, the mayors of Mainz, Rostock and Essen or the former Secretary-General of the Christian Democratic Union, Heiner Geißler.
The letter was handed over at a public event in front of the Brandenburger Gate in the heart of Berlin to two people wearing the masks of Ms. Merkel and Mr. Westerwelle. Supporters of the initiative held letters saying "for a world parliament."
A parliament at the UN for the first time would also give elected representatives of the citizens a direct role in shaping global policy. In June, the European Parliament supported the proposal.
Simultaneously with the presentation of the open letter in Berlin a press conference was held by German lawmakers in the European Parliament Jo Leinen and Alexander Alvaro in Brussels. They called on EU Council president Herman van Rompuy to take up the proposal of the European Parliament in his upcoming speech at the UN General Assembly.
Further information
Open letter to Ms. Merkel and Mr. Westerwelle with list of signatories
Pictures of the press conference and the symbolic handover of the letter
Top image: Symbolic handover of the letter in front of the Brandenburger Gate in Berlin, by DGVN
Majority leader in Senegal welcomes initiative for a UN Parliamentary Assembly
The chairman of the Democratic caucus in the Parliament of Senegal, Doudou Wade, has welcomed the proposal for establishing a UN Parliamentary Assembly at a meeting on Tuesday, 13 September 2011, with the Senegalese representative of the Campaign for a UN Parliamentary Assembly (CEUNPA), Mamadou Ibrahima Fall.
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| Participants of the meeting with the majority leader, Hon. Doudou Wade |
| Image: CEUNPA |
In the discussions it was stressed that the UN system is in need of reform and that a parliamentary body would be a timely response to the growing democratic deficit of international decision-making. Mr. Fall elaborated on the activities of the international campaign so far and highlighted a supportive resolution that was adopted by the Pan-African Parliament in October 2007.
The meeting was attended by Hon. Abdou Sane, MP, member of the Foreign Relations Committee, Hon. Fatou Aidara, MP, Hon. Doudou Wade, MP, majority leader, Mamadou Ibrahima Fall, CEUNPA representative for Senegal, Hon. Seynabou Wade, MP and Deputy Mayor in the City Council of Dakar, Hon. Ndeye Gaye Cisse, MP, deputy majority leader, Aly Fay Ndiaye, consultant, Hon. Tafsir Thioye, MP (in the picture from right to left).
The Senegalese Democratic Party leads the Sopi Coalition that won 131 out of 150 seats in the last elections. The party is headed by Senegal’s president Abdoulaye Wade and is a member of the Liberal International.
Top image: Skyline of Dakar, Source: Jeff Attaway, Flickr, Creative Commons
Australia should support efforts for a global parliament: Green party leader
In a speech at the National Press Club on Wednesday, the leader of the Australian Greens, Senator Bob Brown, voiced support for the creation of a global parliament. As the Greens control the balance of power in the Australian Senate, the Green’s position will
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| Senator Bob Brown |
| Image: Australian Greens |
potentially impact on government policy.
“The Howard government backed George W Bush's invasions of Iraq and Afghanistan in the cause of democracy”, Senator Brown said, “so why shouldn’t we now join vigorous moves in Europe and at the United Nations for a global people’s assembly based on one person, one vote, one value?” Such a global parliament, that according to Senator Brown “could be right here in Australia”, “would tackle international questions like nuclear proliferation, currency speculation, marine ecosystem destruction and those billion people who could be fed and literate if only a tenth of global military spending was sent to their assistance.”
Replying to a journalist’s question, Senator Brown remarked that the issue was “conceptual” at the moment. Global governance based on a representative global parliament will not occur in his lifetime, Senator Brown commented. He argued, however, ''why should Australia not be at the centre of what is inevitably going to be a global parliamentary governance down the line - if we human beings are going to live with each other on this marvellous planet of ours as we go on our joy ride of the future? Of course we are going to have make consensus decisions.''
Speech at the National Press Club at Youtube. Comments on global parliament at 10:30 and 40:30.
 
A UN Parliamentary Assembly
The Secretary-General of the international Campaign for a UN Parliamentary Assembly that is based in Berlin, Germany, Andreas Bummel, commented that a UN Parliamentary Assembly would be a first pragmatic step towards the vision of a global parliament. “Setting up a parliamentary assembly at the UN in principle would be possible within only a few years of preparation”, Mr. Bummel said.
“It’s not a pie-in-the-sky fantasy. There’s extensive experience at the regional level that we can draw upon. For instance, there is the European Parliament, the Pan-African Parliament, the Mercosur Parliament and there is also the Parliamentary Assembly of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe that includes 56 states and stretches from Vancouver to Vladivostok. Some of the scepticism that has been voiced in Australia might be rooted in Australia’s lack of experience with such bodies”, he noted.
“We hope that Australia will join the efforts for a UN Parliamentary Assembly. Senator Brown’s move comes at the right time. Just recently, the European Parliament has called on the EU’s 27 foreign ministers to promote a UN Parliamentary Assembly at the next session of the UN General Assembly”, Mr. Bummel said.
Public support in Australia
An opinion poll conducted by GlobeScan in 2005 in 18 countries established that in Australia 56 percent of respondents were in favor of the idea of a “new UN Parliament”, while 35 percent opposed it. The question asked in that poll was, among others: "Please tell me if you favor or oppose the following proposal: Creating a new UN Parliament, made up of representatives directly elected by citizens, having powers equal to the current UN General Assembly that is controlled by national governments."
Top image: Senator Bob Brown during a press conference in March 2011, Source: Australian Greens
See also:
Coverage in The Age, June 30, 2011
Call on EU Council to support UN Parliamentary Assembly adopted
At a plenary session today, the European Parliament has passed recommendations to the Council of the European Union regarding the Council’s policy at the upcoming 66th United Nations General Assembly. The recommendations that will be formally transmitted to the Council by the Parliament’s President Jerzy Buzek include a call on the EU’s foreign ministers to promote the establishment of a United Nations Parliamentary Assembly (UNPA).
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| European Parliament in Strasbourg |
| Image: EP |
According to the European Parliament, the new global body would serve the purpose “to increase the democratic character, the democratic accountability and the transparency of global governance and to allow for better citizen participation in the activities of the UN.”
European lawmakers welcome decision
Key members of the European Parliament welcomed the Parliament’s decision. “A UN Parliamentary Assembly would make the United Nations and global governance in general more open, transparent and democratic. We urge the Council and the foreign ministers of the EU member states to consider the European Parliament’s recommendation,” said European lawmaker Jo Leinen, of the Socialist Group who is Chair of the Environmental Commission and co-chair of an international Campaign for a UNPA.
The spokesperson on foreign affairs of the European People’s Party in the European Parliament, lawmaker Elmar Brok, commented that “through the decision of the European Parliament to call for the establishment of a Parliamentary Assembly at the UN we are now a big step closer to achieving this goal. The creation of such a body in the UN system would allow for more closeness to citizens, democratic participation and transparency.”
The President of the Union of European Federalists, European lawmaker Andrew Duff of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe said that “the creation of a Parliamentary Assembly within the framework of the United Nations will gradually work to make international politicians more accountable to democratic public opinion. The European Parliament, as the first ever directly elected transnational parliament, can be something of a useful role model for the UN.”
Liberal MEP Alexander Alvaro, Vice-Chair of the Committee on Budgets, noted that he “expressly supports and welcomes” the Parliament’s decision. “A UN Parliament is a superb possibility to give the UN’s decisions a more democratic nature. It is a tool that allows citizens to have a say in the UN’s affairs,” Mr. Alvaro said.
Decision a “window of opportunity”
Philippe Adriaenssens, President of the Young European Federalists, representing 30.000 activists from accross the continent, was delighted: “The European Parliament finally spoke out strongly in favour of the establishment of a UNPA thereby boosting the EU's role in driving forwards global democracy. The High Representative and EU Foreign Ministers should henceforth sing the same hymn and strive for a direct representation of world citizens in the UN.”
The Secretary-General of the international Campaign for a UNPA, Andreas Bummel, said that the European Parliament’s call on the EU Council to put the proposal for a UNPA onto the agenda of the UN General Assembly is “a major milestone” that creates a “window of opportunity.”
In an article published in The New Federalist, he noted that “the least” what proponents of a UNPA now expect is that the High Representative of the EU on Foreign Affairs, Baroness Ashton “mentions the UNPA proposal in an intervention at the next session of the UN General Assembly.” Ideally, Mr. Bummel went on, “the Council would launch deliberations on important questions” related to the proposal of a UNPA in order to “lay the ground for serious negotiations under the auspices of the UN.”
Campaign supporters in Europe
In 2007, the Campaign launched a public appeal for a UNPA that by now has been endorsed by individuals from over 140 countries, among them many prestigious individuals from Europe. In addition to over sixty Members of the European Parliament and numerous national parliamentarians an arbitrary selection of experienced European politicians that have signed the appeal includes
- former EU commissioner Philippe Busquin from Belgium,
- the Czech Republic’s former president Vaclav Havel,
- former French prime minister Michel Rocard,
- Malta’s former prime minister Alfred Sant,
- UK’s former secretary of state for international development Clare Short,
- Germany’s former finance minister Hans Eichel,
- Spain’s former minister of education Mercedes Cabrera Calvo-Sotelo,
- former Greek foreign minister Theodoros Pangalos,
- Turkey’s former minister of Culture Talat Halman,
- Italy’s former minister of culture Giovanna Melandri,
- Luxemburg’s former minister of cooperation, Charles Goerens,
- Ireland’s new minister of education Ruairi Quinn or
- the new Irish foreign minister Eamon Gilmore (who signed the appeal four years ago).
Download the full report as adopted by the plenary
Top image: Plenary of the European Parliament in Strasbourg (archive), (c) by European Parliament.
See also previous reports:
10 May 2011: European Parliament urges EU Council to put UN Parliamentary Assembly on UN's agenda