Proposal for UN Parliamentary Assembly presented at Renmin University of China

The proposal for the establishment of a United Nations Parliamentary Assembly (UNPA) and the international campaign for a UNPA was presented at events at Renmin University of China in Beijing. Dr. Robert Sheppard, Professor at Tsinghua University and member of the Advisory Board of the Committee for a Democratic U.N., delivered speeches on the topic in last October and, more recently, on 11th March. The speeches were attended by students, professors, news media and professionals from the Chinese capital and the academic community. The reception of the UNPA proposal was very positive and scholars and students were quite interested to learn more about a concept that was largely new and unfamiliar to them. "To illustrate the concept of a consultative UN Parliamentary Assembly it is possible to give the example of the China People's Political Consultative Committee which acts as a kind of advisory upper house of the legislature," Dr. Sheppard stated.

Dr. Sheppard also pointed out that the National People's Congress of China, nominally China's highest state body, is composed of around 3,000 delegates who meet for two weeks each year. Between these annual sessions business is maintained by a Standing Committee of around 150 delegates. "A similar procedure, with a large plenary which meets only once a year and a smaller standing Committee, might be applicable to a UN Parliamentary Assembly as well," Dr. Sheppard suggested.

The recent event in March initiated a student's project group in Beijing which will undertake translation and promotion work. Besides of the aforementioned events, Dr. Sheppard in past months also spoke on the creation of a global parliament at the Model United Nations program at Renmin University and the Beijing Foreign Studies University.

New research programme on global democracy established

A global research programme facilitated and coordinated through a convening group of ten persons based in ten world regions was established last year with core funding from the Ford Foundation. The programme's new website was now launched. The BGD Programme brings together academic researchers, civil society activists, entrepreneurs, journalists and officials to "explore how ‘rule by and for the people’ can be understood and practiced in relation to global issues". One of the programme's lead questions is how affected people can participate in and control the governance of global concerns. BGD's administrative office is located in the Centre for the Study of Globalisation and Regionalisation at the University of Warwick in the United Kingdom. In November 2008 findings of the programme's pilot project on Civil Society and Accountable Global Governance were presented at the United Nations in New York (in the picture, taken by Durlabh S. Maharishi).

The programme is organised around five main projects which address (1) Conceptualising Global Democracy, (2) Citizen Learning for Global Democracy, (3) Including the Excluded in Global Policymaking, (4) Structural Redistribution for Global Democracy and (5) Intercultural Constructions of Global Democracy. "In the course of its research, the programme is also likely to touch upon the creation of a global parliamentary assembly," said the programme's convener for Western Europe, Jan Aart Scholte with University of Warwick. The inaugural meeting of the convening group was held in April 2008. To learn more about the programme and the presentations at the UN, visit programme’s website www.buildingglobaldemocracy.org.

Submission to UN Commission: Parliamentary Assembly should be part of renewed system of financial and economic governance

In a contribution to the NGO consultation of the Commission on Financial Reforms set up by the President of the UN General Assembly which ran from 26 January-13 February, the Campaign for the Establishment of a United Nations Parliamentary Assembly (CEUNPA) commented on the theme of reforming the global financial architecture. According to the submission of the campaign, "the establishment of a United Nations Parliamentary Assembly should be an important part of the renewed system of international financial and economic governance". The compilation report to the Commission on Financial Reforms, prepared by the UN's Non-Governmental Liasion Service (UN-NGLS), quotes from the campaign's contribution that a UN Parliamentary Assembly "could monitor the interlinkages and impact of the international system’s financial and economic policies in other fields such as sustainable development, food supply, education, health or eradication of poverty."

The "Commission of Experts of the President of the UN General Assembly on Reforms of the International Monetary and Financial System" is chaired by the well known economist Joseph Stiglitz and is mandated to reflect on the causes of the global financial crisis, assess its impacts on all countries and suggest adequate responses to avoid its recurrence and restore global economic stability. "Given the short-time frame and heavy burden of the Commission’s work, this will likely be the only input from civil society that they will review," UN-NGLS states on its website. Other themes included financial regulation; multilateral issues; macroeconomic issues and addressing the crisis.

Kenya: Speaker of National Assembly supports campaign for elected UN body

The Speaker of the National Assembly of Kenya, Hon. Kenneth Marende, has joined the call for the establishment of a popularly elected body at the world level. At a press briefing in his office following a meeting with representatives of the Campaign for the Establishment of a UN Parliamentary Assembly (CEUNPA) on Monday, Hon. Marende stressed the need of achieving good governance at all levels, “including the United Nations and its agencies”. The Speaker expressed the support of the Kenyan parliament in the efforts to create a United Nations Parliamentary Assembly (UNPA). The head of the Secretariat of CEUNPA, Andreas Bummel, who was visiting Kenya these days, said at the briefing that one of the purposes of a UNPA is to “connect global decision-making more closely to the grassroots level”.

The day before meeting the Speaker of the National Assembly, local activists with the Citizens Awareness Network (Cianet) organized a tour of the CEUNPA representative through Kibera, one of Africa’s largest slums located southwest of Nairobi city centre. On the occasion of this tour, Cianet officer Thomas Akendo described the Slum upgrading programme in Kibera as “an example for the disconnect of an UN-sponsored undertaking and the people on the spot who are affected by it”. “When the programme was hatched out at UN-HABITAT five years ago, nobody from Kibera was involved and there were no consultations with the people on the ground. The result is a programme which actually does not work. If there was a UN Parliamentary Assembly, we could urge our representatives to address this issue directly at the UN”, Mr Akendo said. On Tuesday the visit of the CEUNPA representative was concluded with a briefing of the Kenyan parliament’s Committee on Defense and Foreign Relations.

Uganda: Consultations on UN Parliamentary Assembly

The establishment of a parliamentary body at the United Nations was subject of consultations in Kampala this week, held on the occasion of a visit of the head of the Secretariat of the Campaign for the Establishment of a United Nations Parliamentary Assembly (CEUNPA), Andreas Bummel, to the Parliament of Uganda and local activists. At an official courtesy call on Monday, broadcasted on national television, the Speaker of Parliament, Hon. Edward Ssekandi, reiterated his support of the objective to create a UN Parliamentary Assembly. Two years ago Hon. Ssekandi was one of the first Speakers of a national parliament in the world to endorse CEUNPA’s appeal.

Hosted by Hon. Johnson Bartile Toskin, MP in Uganda and member of the Pan-African Parliament, meetings with MPs were held. At courtesy calls on the leader of the opposition, Hon. Prof. Morris Ogenga-Latigo, and the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Uganda, Hon. Benjamin J. Odoki, both welcomed the initiative for a UN Parliamentary Assembly and expressed their support. The visit was concluded on Wednesday with a briefing of the parliament’s Commission on Foreign Affairs.

The local delegation was headed by Prince Joseph Simbwa, President of the African Federalist Association based in Kampala. In the coming days, further consultations of parliamentarians, local activists and the CEUNPA Secretariat are scheduled in Kigali and Nairobi.

Over 600 MPs support call for UN Parliamentary Assembly

More than 600 Members of Parliament from over 90 countries now endorse the appeal for the establishment of a United Nations Parliamentary Assembly (UNPA). "Over the past six months over 100 further elected representatives have joined our call", the campaign's international Secretariat in Berlin announced today. The 600th Member of Parliament who signed the appeal was Senator Tadashi Inuzuka, a member of the House of Councillors in the Japanese Diet (in the picture). "The establishment of a United Nations Parliamentary Assembly is an important and highly topical issue. I hope that it will gather even more support in the near future," Senator Inuzuka commented the occasion.

The Head of the campaign's Secretariat, Andreas Bummel, pointed out that "the parliamentarians who endorse this campaign democratically represent more than 100 million people from their constituencies around the world." According to the campaign, a UNPA would be "a unique hinge between local constituencies, parliaments, civil society, the UN system and governments." As such, its proponents argue, the body could become an "important catalyst for global change" and would facilitate "a reform of the present system of global institutions and governance."

Event in London debates global democracy

A panel discussion held at the London School of Economics (LSE) in London on 28 January, chaired by Professor David Held, explored the question whether or not the concepts and practices of democracy can be extended beyond borders to embrace the global order. In his presentation Daniele Archibugi, professor of innovation, governance and public policy at Birkbeck College, pointed out that "democracy is universally accepted as political system". However, he questioned the logic that it is sufficient to spread democracy at the national level in order to achieve a stable and democratic international system. Archibugi argued that democracies do not necessarily pursue peaceful and considerate foreign policies. Thus there is also "need to create conditions for global democratization". The columnist for The Guardian newspaper and book author George Monbiot called for a "revitalization of democracy at all levels, nationally and globally", arguing that "power has fled from the solely national domain". Monbiot complained about a "complete disconnect between the people and the UN". Michael Cox, professor of international relations at LSE, voiced deep scepticism about whether the current situation of world affairs offers any suitable starting point for a global democracy project. "It now seems that there is no inevitability of globalization any more", Cox said under the impression of the global financial crisis and its repercussion on global economic growth.

The panelists agreed that the election of Barack Obama as President of the United States is a "ray of sunshine" and might lead to a more multilateralist approach in the US foreign policy. Archibugi and Monbiot stressed the importance of a world parliament to achieve global democracy. In his recently published book "The Global Commonwealth of Citizens" which was the occasion for the panel debate, Daniele Archibugi writes that "A world parliamentary assembly would solve the problems of representativeness and legitimacy encountered by any global democracy project, as it would again place decision-making power directly in the hands of a body representing all the inhabitants of Earth".

Three of the four panelists, David Held, Daniele Archibugi and George Monbiot, are listed among the supporters of the "Appeal for the Establishment of a Parliamentary Assembly at the United Nations" (UNPA) published by a global campaign in April 2007. The campaign regards a UNPA as a first practical step towards the creation of a world parliament.

Latin-American Parliament backs proposal for a United Nations Parliamentary Assembly

The Latin-American Parliament (Parlatino) backs the call for the establishment of a Parliamentary Assembly at the United Nations (UNPA). The XXIV. ordinary session gathered on 5-6 December 2008 in Panamá passed an according resolution. It notes that a UNPA shall help to strengthen "the effectiveness, transparency, representativeness, plurality and legitimacy of the international system." The resolution passed by the plenary of the continental body follows on a declaration of its Commission on Political Affairs in June which strongly endorsed a UN Parliamentary Assembly. In that declaration, the Commission invited "all parliamentary organizations to participate actively in the process of its creation." Furthermore, on 14 November 2008 the Senate of Argentine was the first national parliamentary chamber to voice its unconditional support.

The Argentine deputy and member of Parlatino, Fernando Iglesias, stressed the importance of the recent resolution: "The support given by the Latin-American Parliament to the Campaign for a Parliamentary Assembly at the United Nations constitutes an unprecedented milestone. Indeed, the continent that few decades ago was the scenario for political genocide and for many of the most terrible military dictatorships, expresses now, through this resolution of its oldest and biggest supranational parliamentary institution, its deep conviction on the virtues of democracy at any level of political decision-making."

The head of the Secretariat of the Campaign for a UNPA, Andreas Bummel, added: "Following the European Parliament, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe and the Pan-African Parliament, Parlatino is the fourth continental parliamentary body in the world supporting the creation of a United Nations Parliamentary Assembly. Considering the urgent need of more democratic and effective oversight of international institutions which has become apparent through the global financial crisis, it is high time that the creation of a world body composed of elected representatives is seriously considered by the United Nations and its member states."

The Latin American Parliament was created 1964 and is based on an international treaty concluded 1987 which by now 22 member states from the region have joined. (Image: Parlatino)

Colloquium in Athens calls for "globalisation of democracy"

The 5th colloquium of the "Association of former members of parliament of the member states of the Council of Europe or the European Union" which convened on 18 October 2008 in Athens has deliberated on "representative and participatory democracy" and the challenges for democracy in times of globalization. The final declaration adopted by 75 former parliamentarians from 18 European countries stated, among other things, that "a UN Parliamentary Assembly should be set in place." The Association's Honorary President, Prof. Uwe Holtz from Germany, commented: "The colloquium rightfully urged the establishment of a United Nations Parliamentary Assembly because democracy needs to be globalized and parliaments need to have a greater say in global affairs, especially at the United Nations." With regard to the review of the global financial system in the wake of the financial crisis, the meeting claimed that "parliaments must have the right to supervise the revisions of world governance in the pipeline."

Senate of Argentina declares support for creation of UN Parliamentary Assembly

On November 5th, the Senate of the Republic of Argentina became the first national parliament in the world to adopt a declaration unconditionally calling for the establishment of a United Nations Parliamentary Assembly (UNPA) "in order to strengthen the effectiveness, transparency, representativeness, plurality and legitimacy of the resolutions of the institutions that compose the UN system." In a rationale provided by Senator Sonia Escudero, it is argued that "establishing such an institution would be a decisive step in the democratic consolidation of the UN system. Without the need to change any of the 111 articles of the UN Charter, an Assembly of this range can create an important link between the United Nations, its agencies, national governments and parliaments, and civil society."

The assembly would be an advisory body that would review the activities of the UN and its agencies and give elected representatives for the first time direct representation at the global level. The Campaign for the Establishment of a UN Parliamentary Assembly, a global network of parliamentarians and non-governmental organizations launched in April 2007, however, aspires that a UNPA would eventually develop into a "world parliament" vested with distinctive rights and functions.

"The support given by the Senate of the República Argentina to the creation of a United Nations Parliamentary Assembly constitutes a historic milestone within an incredibly successful campaign. We expect that further parliaments will join our efforts to democratize globalization by globalizing democracy," said Fernando Pedrosa, President of Democracia Global, a non-governmental organization in Argentina which coordinates the activities of the campaign in the country.