Parliamentary conference on desertification supports a UN Parliamentary Assembly
International meeting of 65 legislators adopts declaration
The Parliamentary Round Table on Desertification that took place in Windhoek, Namibia, on 20 and 21 September 2013, issued a declaration on "the role of Members of Parliament in the efforts to combat desertification, land degradation and drought" and on "parliamentary contributions to achieving a land-degradation neutral world in the context
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| Logo of the UNCCD COP11 conference in Windhoek |
| Image: UNCCD |
of the Post-2015 Development Agenda". The final of twenty recommendations says that legislators should "promote the establishment of a United Nations Parliamentary Assembly". The document also declares that "parliamentary oversight mechanisms, e.g. vis-à-vis the Global Environment Facility, regional development banks, the Green Climate Fund" should be created.
The 10th Round Table of Members of Parliament was held in parallel with the ongoing eleventh session of the Conference of the Parties to the UN Convention to Combat Desertification, UNCCD. Co-organized by the Namibian National Parliament and the UNCCD secretariat, the Round Table brought together 65 Parliamentarians from 18 countries. The declaration will be presented at the last plenary session of the Conference of State Parties, COP11, which ends Friday, 27 September.
A United Nations handbook on the role of parliamentarians in the implementation of the UN Convention to Combat Desertification that was published at the end of July suggested that parliamentarians involved in the process "could play a leadership role" in the establishment of a United Nations Parliamentary Assembly.
In November 2009, a declaration adopted by the Parliamentary Round Table on the UNCCD said that "a UN Parliamentary Assembly could strengthen the effectiveness, transparency, representativeness, plurality and legitimacy of the work of the institutions that compose the UN system. The establishment of a UNPA could also be a parliamentary oversight centrepiece of the renewed system of international financial and economic governance."
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Top image: Desertification Management in Tinfu, Morocco, 2011, by Richard Allaway, CC BY 2.0
Experto de la ONU recomienda estudio sobre Asamblea Parlamentaria de las Naciones Unidas
Experto Independiente de la ONU en el Orden Internacional Democrático y Equitativo, presenta el informe de situación en Ginebra
El experto independiente de la ONU sobre "la promoción de un orden internacional democrático y equitativo”, Alfred de Zayas, recomienda que el Consejo de Derechos Humanos de la ONU debería llevar a cabo un estudio sobre cómo una Asamblea Parlamentaria Mundial "puede llegar a promover una verdadera participación". Dicho estudio debería asignarse a la Comisión Asesora del Consejo, expresó el Sr. de Zayas.
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| El experto independiente de la ONU, Alfred de Zayas |
El Sr. de Zayas hizo la recomendación durante la presentación del 10 de septiembre en Ginebra, de un informe de situación sobre sus actividades en calidad de experto independiente y que forma parte de la 24ª sesión del Consejo de Derechos Humanos. El jurista y ex funcionario de la ONU señaló en su declaración que "la participación en la toma de decisiones internacionales está todavía lejos de ser igualitaria o equitativa. De hecho, el Consejo de Seguridad de las Naciones Unidas no es democrático, ni tampoco lo son las instituciones de Bretton Woods".
De acurdo al Sr. de Zayas, el órgano parlamentario mundial que le brindaría a la sociedad civil una voz en la ONU a través de una representación más directa constituye " una iniciativa prometedora que vale la pena explorar en futuros informes". En su informe escrito elabora aun más la propuesta y señala que la idea de una asamblea parlamentaria mundial "es para hacerle frente a los déficits democráticos, al darle voz y voto a la opinión pública mundial, e incluir a los ciudadanos en las fuerzas globales de toma de decisiones a través de los funcionarios electos". Llega a la conclusión de que las decisiones globales tendrían mayor legitimidad a través de la participación ciudadana, si la Asamblea General representara a la gente, así como a los Estados.
Egipto considera “positivamente” la propuesta de una Asamblea Parlamentaria en las Naciones Unidas
Durante el debate, el representante de Egipto hizo hincapié en que la visión de su país “es positiva con respecto a la propuesta de la Asamblea Parlamentaria de las Naciones Unidas como un instrumento de participación de la opinión pública mundial en el proceso global de toma de decisiones”. Añadió que Egipto dio la bienvenida a "las importantes conclusiones del experto independiente incluidas en su informe sobre las buenas prácticas destinadas a mejorar y a promover un orden internacional democrático y equitativo".
Como respuesta, la Campaña para una Asamblea Parlamentaria de las Naciones Unidas, una red internacional de legisladores, representantes de la sociedad civil y expertos, afirmó que el estudio realizado por el Comité Asesor del Consejo de Derechos Humanos sobre el tema de una Asamblea Parlamentaria de las Naciones Unidas sería un gran paso hacia adelante. "Esta sería la primera vez que un organismo de la ONU considera realmente el asunto en detalle. Aplaudimos dicha sugerencia”, explicó Andreas Bummel, Secretario General de la campaña. "Instamos a los miembros del Consejo de Derechos Humanos a cumplir con esta recomendación de su experto independiente", agregó el Sr. Bummel.
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Imagen superior: 24ª sesión del Consejo de Derechos Humanos, Foto de la ONU, CC BY-NC-ND 2.0
UN expert recommends study on a UN Parliamentary Assembly, Egypt voices support
UN's Independent Expert on a Democratic and Equitable International Order presents progress report in Geneva
The UN's Independent Expert on "the promotion of an equitable and democratic international order," Alfred de Zayas, recommends that the UN's Human Rights Council should conduct a study on how a World Parliamentary Assembly "may advance genuine participation." The study should be assigned to the Council's Advisory Committee, Mr. de Zayas said.
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| The UN's independent expert Alfred de Zayas |
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Mr. de Zayas made the recommendation during a September 10 presentation in Geneva of a progress report on his activities as an independent expert, part of 24th session of the Human Rights Council. The legal scholar and former UN official noted in his statement that "participation in international decision-making is still far from equal or even equitable. Indeed, the United Nations Security Council is not democratic, nor are the Bretton Woods institutions."
According to Mr. de Zayas, a world parliamentary body that would give civil society a voice at the UN through more direct representation is "a promising initiative worth exploring in future reports." In his written report he elaborates more on the proposal and states that the idea of a world parliamentary assembly "is to address democracy deficits by giving expression to global public opinion and including citizens in global decision-making through elected officials." He concludes that global decisions would have greater legitimacy through citizen input and involvement, if the General Assembly represented people as well as states.
Egypt views proposal of a United Nations Parliamentary Assembly "positively"
During the debate, the representative of Egypt emphasized that his country views "in positive regard the reference to the proposed United Nations Parliamentary Assembly as one instrument of involving the global public opinion in the global decision-making process." He said that Egypt welcomed "the important findings the independent expert included in his report regarding good practices aimed at enhancing and promoting a democratic and equitable international order."
In a first reaction, the Campaign for a United Nations Parliamentary Assembly, an international network of legislators, civil society representatives and experts, said that a study conducted by the Human Rights Council's Advisory Committee on the subject of a UN Parliamentary Assembly would be an important step forward. "This would be the first time that a UN body actually considers the matter in detail. We very much applaud this suggestion," said Andreas Bummel, the campaign's Secretary-General. "We urge the members of the Human Rights Council to follow this recommendation of its independent expert," he added.
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17 May 2013: New world citizens' assembly should be part of post-2015 agenda, campaign suggests
03 November 2012: UN's Independent Expert to examine proposals for a UN Parliamentary Assembly
Top image: 24th session of the Human Rights Council, UN Photo, CC BY-NC-ND 2.0
As part of an "electoral rebellion for global democracy", Germans give their vote to people abroad
The campaign protests against "the lack of real democracy in international decisions"
Ahead of the general elections in Germany on 22 September, an initiative calls on German voters to cede their vote to citizens in other countries.
Activists of the campaign “Electoral Rebellion” argue that everywhere in the world people are affected by policies that were not made in their own country:
Politics does not stop at national borders but democracy does. In Spain, Greece or Portugal, for example, people are affected by the policies of the German government. Austerity measures are only one part of it. Nevertheless, these people have no say.By calling on Germans "to give their votes" to people in other countries, Electoral Rebellion wants to set an example for "more and true democracy" and start a debate about how the current political system can be democratized at the global level.
How it works
On Facebook, German citizens post on the page of the "Electoral Rebellion" that they are willing to give their vote to someone in another country. People in other countries who want to join the action and wish to use a vote can comment on these posts, explaining who they are and how they are affected by German or global politics. Then they send a Facebook friend request to their "voting buddy." Before elections day on 22 September, the voter outside of Germany will tell the "voting buddy" where to mark the ballot paper. "It will only take you ten minutes to join in," the campaign's activists assure.
The campaign was launched by Egality, a group of German and international activists who advocate global democracy.
A similar initiative was launched ahead of the elections in Israel on 22 January this year (here's our report).
UNCCD handbook reasserts support for the establishment of a UN Parliamentary Assembly
Recently published: The UNCCD's handbook on the role of parliamentarians
A United Nations handbook on the role of parliamentarians in the implementation of the UN Convention to Combat Desertification that was published at the end of July (see PDF here) suggests that parliamentarians involved in the process "could play a leadership role" in the establishment of a United Nations Parliamentary Assembly.
The handbook that was authored by former parliamentarian Uwe Holtz from Germany points out that:
A United Nations Parliamentary Assembly (UNPA) could strengthen the effectiveness, transparency, representativeness, plurality and legitimacy of the work of the institutions that compose the United Nations system. The establishment of a UNPA could also be a centrepiece for parliamentary supervision of the renewed system of international financial, economic and environmental governance. The Round Table of the Parliamentarians under the UNCCD could play a leadership role in this context.Support for a UN Parliamentary Assembly in the context of UNCCD was mandated by the Parliamentary Round Table on UNCCD in a declaration adopted at the ninth session of the conference of the parties of the UNCCD in Buenos Aires in 2009 (see our report here).
Beginning with the second session of the conference of parties of the UNCCD in 1998, the Round Table of Parliamentarians has become an established forum for the exchange of views between parliamentarians working on sustainable development and desertification in particular.
The handbook will be discussed at the next Round Table for Parliamentarians on UNCCD on 20 September in Windhoek (here's the agenda of the meeting).
Students from over 30 countries met in Canberra for a Model Global Parliament
Participants of the Model Global Parliament in Canberra
On 27 July 2013, around 50 students from over 30 countries met in the House of Representatives at Old Parliament House to hold an inaugural Model Global Parliament in Canberra. A report from Nicolás H. Martins and Sandesh Silpakar.
The increasing connectivity among nations from all over the world, the growing convergence of complex worldwide policy issues, and the universal awareness of human dignity are demanding a strengthened global democracy. Although the idea of global parliament dates back centuries ago, the actual need was materialised only after World War II with formation of international organisations like the United Nations, which was an attempt to bring nations together for peaceful future working through cooperation and negotiation. There however is more to be done as such organisations face its own limitations. A Global Parliament therefore is a global body where democratically elected members representing state and non-state actors are able to legislate on global issues on a level playing field.
At the Model Global Parliament in Canberra, several motions under an agenda of education, human rights and environmental issues were debated by students, who represented as elected members of different regions, governments and non-state actors. Negotiations were part of the political debate, while motions were passed valuing democratic principles of ‘one person, one vote, one voice’. The majority ruled the day – even if consensus on an issue was not reached, members were bound to the collective voice of the Parliament.
Building on previous sessions of the Model Global Parliament held in Melbourne, the Canberra session had the opportunity to hear from former parliamentarian, the Hon Bob Brown.The Model Global Parliament might be a sign that a global democratic world is possible if we are willing to make it happen Special guests included Mr Steve Killelea Founder and Chairman of the Institute for Economics and Peace, Associate Professor Chris Hamer, Professor Bruce Chapman, Professor Charles Sampford and Professor Glenn Withers. The Canberra session was proudly supported by the Crawford School of Public Policy at the Australian National University, Ms Pera Wells, currently the Australian representative on the Steering Committee for the Global Interdependence Movement, the Museum of Australian Democracy and the World Citizens Association.
So, what’s next? If a growing consensus is reached in the near future on the need to address global challenges in a more sustainable, cooperative and cohesive basis, the concept of a Global Parliament has an indisputable role to play. The Model Global Parliament – Canberra was a joint vision of the participants from across multidisciplinary studies, such as public policy, environmental sciences, international development policy, economics and international relations. This might be a sign that a global democratic world is possible if we are willing to make it happen. Building on the knowledge capital of modelling global parliament, the next session of the MGP will be held in Sydney.
For more information, visit the Model Global Parliament's website and the Facebook page.
Report to the Human Rights Council elaborates on the idea of a World Parliamentary Assembly
Alfred de Zayas at the UN General Assembly on 2nd November 2012
In a report to the Human Rights Council, the UN's Independent Expert for the Promotion of an Equitable and Democratic International Order, Alfred de Zayas from the United States, has elaborated on the question of a World Parliamentary Assembly.
The report which was published online yesterday includes reflections on the nature of democracy, and identifies deficits and obstacles at the domestic and international levels. "In order to test the existence or otherwise of international democracy in recent times," the report says,
one may ask whether States and peoples, including non-represented peoples, have had a democratic opportunity of participating in decisions concerning important issues, such as war and peace, global warming, the environment, trade relations, access to medicine and the common heritage of humankind.In a part on good practices, the independent expert elaborates on the proposal for a World Parliamentary Assembly (see para. 49) and writes that the idea of the proposal "is to address democracy deficits by giving expression to global public opinion and including citizens in global decision-making through elected officials." After stating, among other things, that UN Charter reform would not be required to establish the assembly, he concludes that
global decisions would have greater legitimacy through citizen input and involvement, if the General Assembly represented people as well as States.In the section on good practices, the report also refers to several other initiatives that "endeavour to advance a democratic and equitable international order by providing judicial and constitutional review as well as enforcement mechanisms," in particular the Tunisian proposal to establish an International Constitutional Court and the proposals for a World Court of Human Rights and an International Court for the Environment.
The independent expert will be a special guest at the upcoming 5th international meeting on a UN Parliamentary Assembly which will take place on 16/17 October 2013 in the European Parliament in Brussels. The Secretary-General of the Campaign for a UN Parliamentary Assembly, Andreas Bummel, recently participated in a consultation convened by Mr. de Zayas in Geneva.
First Global Week of Action for a World Parliament to take place in October 2013
To date, activities are being prepared in 30 locations
Groups and activists around the world are preparing for a Global Week of Action for a World Parliament that will be held for the first time this year from 17 to 24 October. The announcement of the week that was worked out in the last months declares:
If you feel that our current political system is inadequate to deal with growing global challenges, you are not alone! Join our week of action on October 17-24 to call for the establishment of a World Parliament that will give real representation to all citizens.The idea is to make the proposal of a world parliament known through a coordinated global effort. Recently, a provisional website, a Facebook page, and a Twitter account was created to build momentum and to organize the week's supporters. To date, a bit more than 70 days before the week's launch, events and activities are already being prepared in 30 locations on all the world's continents.
The announcement suggests among other things that during 17-24 October, groups should gather in the public space, for example at important landmarks, and hold up a banner with the week's slogan "World Parliament Now!" Pictures of these gatherings will then be posted on the website, Facebook, and elsewhere. In order to generate public attention, supporters of the week will also organize all sorts of other events including discussion meetings or "model parliaments."
The week's organizers argue that...
A world parliament would be an instrument to find and implement solutions that are democratic, accountable and serve the best interest of humanity. It would reflect the social, political, religious, ethnical, and cultural variety of all the world’s citizens, transcending national boundaries.If you are interested to participate in the week and to organize some activity or event, have a look at the website and write to the week's coordination team at team@worldparliamentnow.org.
The Global Week of Action for a World Parliament is supported by the Campaign for a United Nations Parliamentary Assembly. The 5th international meeting of the campaign that will take place in the European Parliament in Brussels from 16-17 October 2013 is one of the kick-off events.
More new statements in support of a United Nations Parliamentary Assembly
Today we published the 50th "Quote of the Day"
As readers of this earlier post and followers of the campaign's page at Facebook know, we've started a while ago to collect and publish supportive statements on the creation of a UN Parliamentary Assembly.
Today we published the 50th "Quote of the Day" (which can all be found either at Flickr or Facebook).
We want to use this occasion to provide an overview of ten interesting new statements that were made this year:
Let's start with the latest one which was made today by Alban Bagbin, a member of parliament, former minister of health and now a cabinet minister in the office of the president of Ghana in charge of priority projects:
The absence of a UN Parliament has left a wide gap in the architecture of global democratic governance and must be bridged as soon as possible. Representatives of governments alone do not sufficiently represent the people.Around a month before this, on 4 July, another government member voiced support, namely the foreign minister of Malta, George Vella. He said that he agrees with...
the setting up of a Parliamentary Assembly for the United Nations, as I am a firm believer in parliamentary democracy, and believe that such an assembly will be the embodiment of the whole concept of representative governance and the epitome of what we mean by democratic empowerment of elected representatives.
George Vella, foreign minister of Malta, supports a UNPA
Although there are many former foreign ministers who endorsed a UNPA, Mr. Vella might well be the first in office to do so in decades. It is also worth noting that decisive initiatives for the convention on the law of the sea emanated from Malta.
The member of the European Parliament Isabella Lövin from Sweden published the book "Silent Seas. The Fish Race to the Bottom" last year in English. On 4 July 2013, she made this statement:
We must not be silent when the Oceans are dying because short-sighted national interests make effective global rules impossible. Through a United Nations Parliamentary Assembly a platform could be established that finally makes the voice of humanity heard in support of the global interest and sustainable life on Earth.The need to transcend national political divisions was also highlighted in a way by Kansei Nakano, a former vice-speaker of the Japanese house of representatives, in a statement he made a day before:
A global parliamentary body elected by and accountable to the world's citizens would increase understanding and solidarity across national borders in an unprecedented way and would contribute to the emergence of a real democratic world community. As a first step, a UN Parliamentary Assembly should be established.The former minister of health and social affairs and former deputy prime minister of Sweden, Lars Engqvist, said the following on 3 June:
Our global society needs a reformed United Nations: a democratically structured, global decision-making organization, that better mirrors our world of today. For this reason, I support the establishment of a United Nations Parliamentary Assembly.The new co-chair of the campaign's parliamentary advisory group, the Argentinian member of parliament Gabriela Michetti, was interviewed by us in May. The following quote of the day from her was published:
Sooner or later, the creation of a UN Parliamentary Assembly as a key for a more democratic global order will be at the top of the political agenda. It is inevitable to give democratically elected representatives of the world's citizens a say in matters that affect all of humanity, for instance environmental and climate protection, global financial issues, human rights, or disarmament.In a statement made in February, Daniel Innerarity, professor of political and social philosophy and the director of the Institute for Democratic Governance in San Sebastián in Spain said that
Institutions such as the United Nations Parliamentary Assembly would help to reduce what is today an outrageous distance between those who decide and those affected by their decisions.
Youssou N'Dour
On the occasion of an official meeting in Senegal in March, the world-famous singer Youssou N'Dour who is also minister for tourism argued:
Just as every town has an elected city council or just as every democratic nation has a parliament, a UN Parliamentary Assembly that reflects the diversity of the world’s citizens and cultures needs to be established at the global level. Such a global parliament would allow for global issues to be dealt with in a democratic and legitimate way.Then, on 4 February, Rafael Domingo, visiting professor of law at Emory University in Atlanta and author of the interesting book "The New Global Law" (2010) provided the following statement:
Because parliament is the democratic institution par excellence and the cradle of true democracies, a democratic global order worth this name has to be based on a global parliament that represents humanity as a whole.The last quote in this overview is from Mathias Koenig-Archibugi, a senior lecturer in global politics at the London School of Economics and Political Science. On 16 January 2013 we published the following quote of the day from him, a quote which we believe gives a lot food for thought:
The possibility of social events depends in part on beliefs about their possibility. Thus, the possibility of a global parliament is not independent from people’s beliefs about the possibility of a global parliament.Finally, we do not want to miss mentioning that on 14 June, the secretary-general of the Parliamentary Forum for Democracy, Mátyás Eörsi, provided a statement that we featured on our blog already in full here and another one from Margaret Zziwa, the speaker of the East African Legislative Assembly, in February was featured here.
In October, MEPs host the 5th International Meeting on a United Nations Parliamentary Assembly
The European Parliament in Brussels, Image: Ziutograf, 2008
We are delighted to announce the 5th international meeting on a United Nations Parliamentary Assembly which will take place on 16-17 October 2013 in Brussels. The conference is organized in collaboration with the Union of European Federalists and will be hosted in the European Parliament by MEPs Jo Leinen, Graham Watson, and Elmar Brok.
This conference will bring together parliamentarians, campaigners and experts who are at the cutting edge in the efforts for democratizing the global order through the establishment of a parliamentary body.
In two working sessions devoted to the international Campaign for a UN Parliamentary Assembly, campaign supporters will share reports, experiences and views, consider the campaign's policy and strategy, and develop future plans and priorities.
The meetings's official hosts: MEPs Jo Leinen, Graham Watson, and Elmar Brok
In addition, there will be a public round table discussion on the proposal for a UN Parliamentary Assembly and global democracy, a public reception, and, as a special highlight, a public consultation with Alfred de Zayas, the UN's Independent Expert for the Promotion of an Equitable and Democratic International Order.
Finally, the conference will be a kick-off event for the first "Week of Action for a World Parliament," that is currently in preparation. As part of this week of action, we plan to organize a nice photo event somewhere in the public space in Brussels on Friday, 17 October.
Special guest: Alfred de Zayas
Ours is a world with a growing need for improved and reformed institutions of global governance. As the meeting's hosts Jo Leinen, Graham Watson, and Elmar Brok wrote in their invitation letter that was sent today to the campaign's supporters, "Our goal remains: The establishment of a UN Parliamentary Assembly that allows for democratic participation of the world's citizens in global affairs through elected representatives."
If you wish to attend the 5th international meeting on a UN Parliamentary Assembly, please register as soon as possible by completing this online registration form. More information and future updates are available on this page.
To promote the meeting, we've also created an event page at Facebook.