"World Judiciary Summit" in Lucknow affirms call for a World Parliament

Judges and legal experts from over 60 countries deliberated on more democratic and more effective global governance

The establishment of a world parliament was a main subject endorsed at the 13th "International Conference of Chief Justices of the World" that was convened by City Montessori School in Lucknow, India, this weekend. At the meeting, chief justices, judges and legal experts from over 60 countries deliberated on the need of strengthening international law in order to meet the challenges of global problems such as climate change.

Pupils warmly welcomed the arriving conference participants on Wednesday

Image: CMS

At the opening, chief justice Benjamin Odoki from Uganda stated that "steps are needed to constitute a world judicial system and world parliament. No one is above the law, international law must be strictly enforced and implemented." Uttar Pradesh Assembly speaker Mata Prasad Pandey emphasized that a world parliament was "the need of the hour."

According to the organizer of the conference, Jagdish Gandhi, the chief justices gathered in Lucknow generally agreed "that even though the cultures and traditions of various countries are widely different, still there prevails an underlying unity as we are all members of one human family. Therefore, we need one enforceable international law to hold us together and prevent wars. Only when world laws are uniform and equally applicable on all countries, can we hope for a peaceful and happy world society." Dr. Gandhi added that the participating chief justices are convinced that this mission "can only be accomplished by the establishment of a World Parliament with representatives of all countries."

The subject of a world parliament was addressed in many interventions. The First President of the Supreme Court of Turkey, Ali Alkan, for instance, stated that "a democratically elected world parliament, some amendments in the UN charter like exclusion of veto powers and an enforceable legal system are the ways which can help us protect the future of the world's children and generations yet unborn."

At the previous conference last year, a final resolution was adopted unanimously that included the recommendation that "for the enactment of world law", a "World Parliament may be constituted."

With over 44,000 pupils, City Montessori School is recognized as Guiness record holder for being the world's largest school. The instituion considers itself the "self-appointed guardian of the world's two billion children and of future generations."

The conference in Lucknow was covered by the Deccan Herald, The Indian Express, The Pioneer, and other Indian newspapers.

Conference website

Previous reports

09 February 2010: Chief Justices of Global South call for world parliament

Top image: Plenary of the World Judiciary Summit 2012. Photo: City Montessori School

U.S. Senator and UNPA Supporter Benjamin Cardin Wins Re-Election

The first sitting U.S. parliamentarian to endorse the establishment of a UN Parliamentary Assembly easily secured re-election in U.S. elections last month.

Senator Benjamin Cardin of Maryland has served in the U.S. legislature since 1987, first in the lower chamber and then, from 2007, in the upper chamber. His re-election in November was to a second six-year term in the U.S. Senate. He won his seat again by a better than 2:1 margin. He endorsed the establishment of a UNPA in October 2011. 

Mr. Cardin has a long-standing interest in foreign affairs, democratization and human rights. He serves on the Senate Foreign Affairs Committee and is co-chair of the U.S. Helsinki Commission. This latter role also engaged him in the Parliamentary Assembly of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe. He served as Vice President of the Assembly until last year. His engagement and leadership in the intergovernmental parliamentary body encouraged the Campaign to approach him as a likely supporter of a UNPA.

Mr. Cardin’s endorsement of a UNPA came after a committed outreach effort by the Campaign’s U.S. coordinator, Mr. Tony Fleming, who also happens to be a constituent of the Senator.

Mr. Fleming met with the Senator’s legislative staff on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, then with his staff at the Helsinki Commission. Over the course of several conversations, Mr. Fleming shared the Campaign’s goals and discussed the costs, timing, logistics, representation and accountability of the proposed Assembly. In addition to meetings with legislative staff, he met with officials at the U.S. State Department to introduce the Campaign and to gather their perspective on the proposed assembly. At two of these meetings, the Secretary-General of the international Campaign, Andreas Bummel from Germany, participated as well.

During the annual meeting of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly in summer 2011, Senator Cardin met with several other OSCE PA members at a sidebar convention about the UNPA proposal. Canadian Senator Consiglio Di Nino and Swedish parliamentarian Åsa Lindestam had each previously endorsed the Campaign and encouraged Senator Cardin’s support. At the meeting, they largely agreed on the objectives of establishing a UNPA in the future and on the need for a very specific plan of action with steps for the short, medium and long term if the project was to succeed.

The Co-Chair of the UNPA Campaign, the European parliamentarian Jo Leinen, expressed his encouragement to the Senator in a letter on other human rights efforts. In response, Senator Cardin concluded from the discussions so far that

...to the extent that the establishment of a UNPA would bring more transparency, oversight and effective governance to the Secretariat and other structures of the United Nations, I would support its establishment.

A number of former U.S. officials have recently added their support, including former Senator Adlai Stevenson and former Representative Paul Findley of California. Mr. Cardin is the first sitting U.S. parliamentarian to endorse the proposal of a UN Parliamentary Assembly, and his broad respect across the U.S. political spectrum encourages Campaign supporters in the United States.

Internationally, more than 800 sitting members of parliament and over 300 former elected representatives are on record as supporters of a UNPA.

UN's Independent Expert reasserts that the establishment of a UN Parliamentary Assembly should be explored

Following a similar statement at the UN General Assembly's Third Committee in New York earlier this month (here's our report), the UN's Independent Expert on the Promotion of a Democratic and Equitable International Order, Alfred de Zayas, has now reasserted this week that the establishment of a United Nations Parliamentary Assembly should be explored. The recent remark was made by Mr. de Zayas at an international expert meeting in Caux, Switzerland, on a draft declaration on the right of peoples to peace that is being worked on by the UN Human Rights Council's Advisory Committee. 

Here's the respective excerpt from Mr. de Zayas' speech (that can be downloaded in full from the UN's website):

Article 3 of the Draft Declaration deals with the issue of disarmament, which is crucial to the prevention of armed conflict.  Not only is article 6 of the ICCPR in play, but also the right to individuals to meaningfully participate in the conduct of public affairs, as stipulated in article 25 of the ICCPR.  There is a very obvious disconnect between governments and the people, and a worrisome lack of transparency.  In many countries it is quite evident that the military-industrial complex exercises a thoroughly undemocratic influence over government policies and that the voice of the people that demands education and health care instead of more guns is not being heard.  The whole contemporary discussion over “austerity measures” gains a particular relevance in connection with military expenditures which are not democratically decided by the people, and would certainly be rejected if there were the least attempt to carry out referenda thereon.  In this context the establishment of a United Nations Parliamentary Assembly should be explored. Such an Assembly would give greater voice to the real needs of peoples and could also facilitate, coordinate or conduct world referenda or opinion polling that would better reflect vox populi.

The meeting in Caux was attended by diplomats from over twenty countries and was organized by the Permanent Mission of the Organisation of the Islamic Cooperation to the UN in Geneva in cooperation with the Spanish Society for International Human Rights Law, the International Observatory of the Human Right to Peace, the World Council of Churches, the Japanese Committee on the Human Right to Peace and the International Association of Peace Messenger Cities.

New statements in support of a United Nations Parliamentary Assembly

There are many remarkable sound bites on the need and the importance of a UN Parliamentary Assembly, a world parliament, and global democracy. We've collected around one hundred of them so far in this document. Recently, we've started to post them one by one as "quote of the day" on our wall at Facebook and to an album at Flickr.

We now want to highlight six remarkable new statements that were made in the past several weeks by supporters of the Campaign for a UN Parliamentary Assembly. If you follow the campaign at Facebook, you might have seen them already. At any rate, here they are again:

Let's start chronologically with a statement made by the President of the Parliament of Mercosur, Ignacio Mendoza from Paraguay, at the beginning of October:

The Mercosur Parliament supports the establishment of a UN Parliamentary Assembly as a means to create a citizen-based democratic world order. As a regional international parliament we very well understand the challenges but also the tremendous benefits that this endeavour entails.

You can read more about the Mercosur Parliament's endorsement in this news report of December 2011. 

After that Ove Bring, a professor emeritus of international law at Stockholm University, Sweden, stated that...

A world parliament of citizens would complement the UN system in a democratic way and contribute to strengthening the compliance to international law and human rights principles.

Then Heikki Patomäki, Professor of World Politics, University of Helsinki, Finland, put a spotlight on the need to create international law democratically:

Global crises require global solutions. Occasional summits, intergovernmental agreements and international cooperation are not enough. For instance, the globalization of finance requires new functional and democratic institutions as well as an elected body capable of coordinating their activities and determining the contents of international law, a world parliament.

Under the impression of the terrible civil war in Syria, Abdulbaset Sieda, then President of the Syrian National Council and in exile in Sweden, said on October, 26 that...

The United Nations is dysfunctional and unable to act. I strongly support the creation of a democratically elected UN Parliamentary Assembly. This is what is desperately needed to give the world's citizens a true voice.

Around two weeks later, we were delighted to publish a statement by Yossi Beilin, an experienced Israeli politician who was a member of the Knesset for more than ten years and who has held ministerial positions in the governments of Yitzhak Rabin, Shimon Peres and Ehud Barak:

There is no substitute for the United Nations as the primary organization in which almost all countries participate. However, reflecting the realities of an ever-changing world, the UN should be complemented by a Parliamentary Assembly that helps maintain a strong relationship with the public across the world, feels its pulse, and tries to meet people's needs and desires.

Last but not least, for the moment, the well-known Nigerian environmentalist and until November chair of Friends of the Earth International, Nnimmo Bassey, spoke out in favor of a UN Parliamentary Assembly because...

Intergovernmental summits have proven to be ineffective, too ineffective, in addressing the challenges of climate change, the loss of biodiversity or environmental protection. Negotiators are trapped in narrow national interests as well as the interests of corporations on their national delegations. The lowest common denominator negotiated by the world's governments is not enough. It is indeed time to have the world's citizens heard through an elected UN Parliamentary Assembly.

Se promocionó al Parlamento de la ONU en Foro Sueco por los Derechos Humanos

El seminario sobre "El derecho a tener influencia en la sociedad global" resalta la propuesta de una Asamblea Parlamentaria en la ONU

La Campaña Internacional por una Asamblea Parlamentaria en la ONU estuvo presente en el Foro anual sueco por los Derechos Humanos llevado a cabo en la ciudad de Gotemburgo el lunes y el martes de esta semana. El día lunes, Christer Winbäck, miembro del parlamento sueco y partidario de la campaña, y el coordinador nacional de la campaña en Suecia, Petter Ölmunger, mantuvieron un seminario muy concurrido sobre "El derecho a tener influencia en la sociedad global".

Durante el seminario, el Sr. Winbäck, miembro del Comité de Relaciones Exteriores del parlamento nacional,

Partidarios en el mostrador de información de la campaña durante el Foro Sueco por los Derechos Humanos. A la izquierda, Petter Ölmunger, el coordinador nacional

Imagen: CEUNPA

explicó que la gran ventaja de las Naciones Unidas es que casi todos los países son miembros y que la organización es muy respetada en casi todos ellos. Sin embargo, dijo, "lo que nos falta en la ONU es la participación parlamentaria, el carácter democrático". Esto podría lograrse con el establecimiento de una asamblea parlamentaria. "Estoy convencido", afirmó el Sr. Winbäck," que con una ONU más democrática, que tendríamos con esta asamblea parlamentaria, conseguiríamos una organización mucho más transparente y mucho más legítima".

Debido a que las reformas fundamentales de las Naciones Unidas son muy difíciles de conseguir, un primer paso podría ser el establecimiento de la nueva asamblea como órgano consultivo: "Si queremos, es totalmente factible crear una asamblea en la ONU. Las disposiciones existentes permiten que la Asamblea General de la ONU lo haga", dijo el Sr. Winback ante la audiencia de unas 80 personas. Respondiendo a la pregunta de si tal democratización de la ONU podría inspirar el desarrollo democrático también a nivel nacional, el Sr. Winbäck dijo que sí, tanto por el intercambio interparlamentario que la Asamblea Parlamentaria en la ONU mejoraría, como también porque la propia ONU sería más bien "un buen ejemplo" en este aspecto.

Además del seminario, los partidarios de la Asamblea Parlamentaria de las Naciones Unidas utilizaron el Foro Sueco por los Derechos Humanos como una oportunidad para reunirse y tratar y promover la propuesta y la visión subyacente de fortalecer la voz de la humanidad en los asuntos internacionales. Entre los que estábamos allí, se encontraban el ex parlamentario sueco y vice-presidente del Partido de Izquierda, Johan Lönnroth, que ha escrito sobre la necesidad de la democracia global en su libro "Den tredje vänstern" ("La tercera izquierda").

Petter Ölmunger, que coordina las actividades de la campaña en Suecia, evaluó posteriormente la participación en el Foro Sueco de los Derechos Humanos: "Tuvimos un seminario muy bueno, muchas conversaciones y reuniones valiosas y, no menos importante, también nos divertimos mucho. Además, estuvo perfectamente bien que, a través de nuestra participación, ayudásemos a poner de relieve la relación existente entre los derechos humanos y la democracia. Si los derechos humanos son globales, entonces la democracia también debe ser global".

Se distribuyó un nuevo volante sueco en el foro "siendo de gran ayuda en la comercialización de la campaña", afirmó el Sr. Ölmunger.

Galería de fotografías
Volante sueco (PDF)
Video del seminario

Imagen superior: Christer Winbäck (izquierda) y Petter Ölmunger (derecha) durante el seminario. Foto: CEUNPA

United Nations parliament promoted at the Swedish Forum for Human Rights

Seminar on "The right to have influence in a global society" features proposal for a UN Parliamentary Assembly

The international Campaign for a UN Parliamentary Assembly was present at the annual Swedish Forum for Human Rights that was held in the city of Gothenburg on Monday and Tuesday this week. On Monday, Christer Winbäck, a member of the Swedish parliament and a supporter of the campaign, and the campaign's national coordinator in Sweden, Petter Ölmunger, held a well-attended seminar on "The right to have influence in a global society."

During the seminar, Mr Winbäck, a member of the national parliament's Committee on Foreign Affairs,

Supporters at the campaign's information desk during the Swedish Forum for Human Rights. At the left, Petter Ölmunger, the national coordinator

Image: CEUNPA

explained that a big advantage of the United Nations is that almost all countries are members and that the organization is highly respected in almost all of them. However, he said, "what we miss in the UN is parliamentary participation, the democratic character." This could be achieved with the establishment of a parliamentary assembly. "I'm convinced", Mr Winbäck stated, "that with a more democratic UN, which we would have with this parliamentary assembly, we would get a much more transparent and a much more legitimate organization."

As fundamental reforms of the UN are very hard to achieve, a first step could be to establish the new assembly as an advisory body: "If we want to, it's totally possible to create such an assembly within the UN. The existing provisions allow the UN General Assembly to do so," Mr Winbäck told the audience of around 80 people. Answering the question whether such a democratization of the UN could inspire democratic development also at the national level, Mr Winbäck said that he thinks it would, both through the inter-parliamentary exchange that a UN Parliamentary Assembly would enhance, and also because the UN itself would then be more of "a good example" in this regard.

In addition to the seminar, supporters of a UN Parliamentary Assembly used the Swedish Forum for Human Rights as an opportunity to come together and to discuss and promote the proposal and the underlying vision of strengthening the voice of humanity in international affairs. Among those who were there was former Swedish parliamentarian and vice-chair of the Left Party, Johan Lönnroth, who has written about the need of global democracy in his book "Den tredje vänstern" ("The third Left").

Petter Ölmunger, who coordinates the activities of the campaign in Sweden, evaluated the participation in the Swedish Forum of Human Right afterwards: "We had a very good seminar, many valuable talks and meetings and, not the least, lots of fun! Also, it felt perfectly right for us to, through our participation, help highlight the connection between human rights and democracy. If human rights are global, then democracy needs to be global too."

A newly created Swedish flyer was distributed during the forum and "was a big help in marketing the campaign," Mr Ölmunger said.

Photo gallery
Swedish flyer (PDF)
Video recording of seminar

Top image: Christer Winbäck (left) and Petter Ölmunger (right) during the seminar. Photo: CEUNPA

Ex Secretario General Boutros-Ghali cumple noventa, la campaña lo felicita

El ex jefe de la ONU ayudó a lanzar la Campaña internacional para una Asamblea Parlamentaria en la ONU

El ex político y diplomático egipcio Boutros Boutros-Ghali, quien se desempeñó como sexto Secretario General de las Naciones Unidas del 1992 al 1996, cumplió noventa años este miércoles. La Campaña Internacional para una Asamblea Parlamentaria en las Naciones Unidas fue uno de los que transmitieron sus felicitaciones. "Felicitamos al Sr. Boutros-Ghali en su cumpleaños número 90. Desde el principio, ha apoyado fuertemente la Campaña para una Asamblea Parlamentaria de las Naciones Unidas. En esta

Boutros Boutros-Ghali, celebrando el 50º aniversario de la ONU en 1995

Imagen: Naciones Unidas

ocasión deseamos darle las gracias nuevamente por su apoyo y aliento", expresó Jo Leinen, Copresidente del grupo parlamentario de la campaña y miembro del Parlamento Europeo.

En abril de 2007, el Sr. Boutros-Ghali fue uno de los primeros firmantes de la declaración de la campaña que hace un llamamiento a las Naciones Unidas y a los gobiernos de sus estados miembros para establecer una Asamblea Parlamentaria en las Naciones Unidas En un mensaje dirigido a los partidarios de la campaña (Aquí PDF), escribió que "tenemos que promover la democratización de la globalización, antes de que la globalización destruya las bases de la democracia nacional e internacional. El establecimiento de una Asamblea Parlamentaria en las Naciones Unidas se ha convertido en un paso indispensable para lograr el control democrático de la globalización". Ese mismo año fue patrocinador honorario de la primera reunión internacional de la campaña en el Palais des Nations en Ginebra.

Durante su mandato como Secretario General, el Sr. Boutros-Ghali ya había abordado la cuestión de la democracia internacional y global. Después de haber reconocido la relación entre el desarrollo y la paz, por un lado, y la democracia, por otro, decidí que también debía explorar más detalladamente el papel de las Naciones Unidas en la democratización", señaló el Sr. Boutros-Ghali, en el prólogo de un libro reciente sobre un parlamento global. Uno de los resultados fue el famoso "Programa de Democratización" (Aquí PDF) en el que el Secretario General declaró que "si la democratización es la forma más confiable para legitimar y mejorar el gobierno nacional, también es la forma más confiable para legitimar y mejorar la organización internacional. … Por otra parte, al igual que la democratización de los Estados, la democratización a nivel internacional se basa y tiene como objetivo promover la dignidad y el valor del ser humano individual y la igualdad fundamental de todas las personas y de todos los pueblos".

Imagen superior: S.E. el Dr. Boutros Boutros-Ghali en su oficina en París en septiembre de 2011. Foto: CEUNPA

Former UN Secretary-General Boutros-Ghali turns ninety, campaign congratulates

Former UN chief helped launching the international Campaign for a UN Parliamentary Assembly

The former Egyptian politician and diplomat Boutros Boutros-Ghali who served as sixth Secretary-General of the United Nations from 1992 to 1996, turned ninety this Wednesday. The international Campaign for a United Nations Parliamentary Assembly was among those who transmitted congratulations. "We congratulate Mr. Boutros-Ghali on his 90th birthday. From the very beginning, he has strongly backed the Campaign for a UN Parliamentary Assembly. On this

Boutros Boutros-Ghali, celebrating the 50th anniversary of the UN in 1995

Image: United Nations

occasion we wish to thank him again for his support and encouragement," said Jo Leinen, Co-Chair of the campaign's parliamentary group and a member of the European Parliament.

In April 2007, Mr. Boutros-Ghali was one of the initial signatories of the campaign's statement that appeals to the UN and the governments of its member states to establish a UN Parliamentary Assembly. In a message addressed to the campaign's supporters (PDF here), he wrote that "we need to promote the democratization of globalization, before globalization destroys the foundations of national and international democracy. The establishment of a Parliamentary Assembly at the United Nations has become an indispensable step to achieve democratic control of globalization." Later that year he was honorary patron of the campaign's first international meeting in the Palais des Nations in Geneva.

During his term as UN Secretary-General Mr. Boutros-Ghali already addressed the issue of international and global democracy. "Having recognized the connection between development and peace on the one hand, and democracy on the other, I decided that I should also explore the role of the United Nations in democratization in more detail," Mr. Boutros-Ghali noted in the foreword of a recent book on a global parliament. One of the outcomes was the famous "Agenda for Democratization" (PDF here) in which the UN Secretary-General stated that "If democratization is the most reliable way to legitimize and improve national governance, it is also the most reliable way to legitimize and improve international organization. ... Moreover, just like democratization within States, democratization at the international level is based on and aims to promote the dignity and worth of the individual human being and the fundamental equality of all persons and of all peoples."

Top image: H.E. Dr. Boutros Boutros-Ghali in his office in Paris in September 2011. Photo: CEUNPA

Experto Independiente de la ONU examina propuestas para una Asamblea Parlamentaria

Declaración en la Asamblea General de la ONU en Nueva York, informe detallado sobre el orden democrático internacional en preparación

El experto independiente de la ONU sobre "la promoción de un orden internacional democrático y equitativo", Alfred de Zayas proveniente de Estados Unidos, declaró el viernes en la ONU que está "estudiando las propuestas para la creación de una Asamblea Parlamentaria de las Naciones Unidas con el fin de aumentar la participación de la sociedad civil en el marco de las instituciones internacionales".

El experto en derecho internacional y ex alto funcionario de la ONU explicó en una declaración al Tercer Comité de la Asamblea General de las Naciones Unidas que está trabajando en un informe detallado sobre

El experto independiente Alfred de Zayas con la embajadora Laura Dupuy Lasserre de Uruguay, Presidenta del Consejo de Derechos Humanos, mayo de 2012 en Ginebra

Imagen: alfreddezayas.com

la participación equitativa y efectiva conforme a lo dispuesto por el Consejo de Derechos Humanos de la ONU el pasado mes de septiembre. La cuestión de una Asamblea Parlamentaria de las Naciones Unidas es uno de los temas que de Zayas está estudiando como parte de las consultas en curso con los gobiernos, las organizaciones intergubernamentales y la sociedad civil.

La Campaña para una Asamblea Parlamentaria de las Naciones Unidas, una red internacional de legisladores, representantes y expertos de la sociedad civil, acogieron con agrado que de Zayas esté considerando la propuesta. Desde nuestro punto de vista, el establecimiento de una Asamblea Parlamentaria de las Naciones Unidas es indispensable y largamente esperado. No se entiende por qué los representantes elegidos por los ciudadanos no deben participar formalmente en las deliberaciones y, con el tiempo, en la toma de decisiones en las Naciones Unidas. En otras organizaciones intergubernamentales esto queda por sentado. Una Asamblea Parlamentaria haría que la ONU sea más vívida, más democrática y la acercaría a los ciudadanos", comentó el Secretario General de la Campaña, Andreas Bummel. "Estamos dispuestos a ayudar al Sr. de Zayas en todas las formas posibles", agregó.

En un primer informe preliminar que de Zayas presentó en agosto, el experto independiente de la ONU abordó el "problema de la ponderación" de los votos en los organismos de las Naciones Unidas. Afirmó que "la democracia puede comprenderse de manera interna pero también a nivel internacional, ya que la voluntad de la mayoría de los Estados en la Asamblea General merece respeto. Considerando que todos los miembros de la Asamblea General tienen el mismo derecho a votar, también debe tenerse en cuenta el hecho de que algunos Estados cuentan con poblaciones muy grandes y con un solo voto, lo cual plantea un problema de ponderación".

De acuerdo con la resolución del Consejo de Derechos Humanos de la ONU que estableció el mandato el pasado mes de mayo, el experto independiente tendrá que: "identificar los posibles obstáculos para la promoción y protección de un orden internacional democrático y equitativo, y presentar las propuestas y / o recomendaciones al Consejo de Derechos Humanos sobre las posibles acciones al respecto". El Consejo de Derechos Humanos especificó que desde su punto de vista, un orden internacional democrático y equitativo requiere la realización, entre otras cosas, de "la promoción y consolidación de las instituciones internacionales democráticas, transparentes, justas y responsables en todas las áreas de cooperación, en particular mediante la implementación del principio de la plena y equitativa participación en sus respectivos mecanismos de toma de decisiones" y "el derecho a la participación equitativa de todos, sin discriminación alguna, en la toma de decisiones nacionales y mundiales".

Sitio web oficial del experto independiente

Imagen superior: El Tercer Comité de la Asamblea General de las Naciones Unidas (Asuntos Sociales, Humanitarios y Culturales) durante la primera reunión de su 67ª sesión, el 8 de octubre de 2012. Foto de la ONU Nº 531291

UN's Independent Expert to examine proposals for a UN Parliamentary Assembly

Statement at the UN General Assembly in New York, in-depth report on international democratic order in preparation

The UN's independent expert on "the promotion of a democratic and equitable international order," Alfred de Zayas from the United States, said on Friday at the United Nations that he is "exploring proposals for a United Nations Parliamentary Assembly in order to enhance the participation of civil society within international institutions."

The expert in international law and former senior UN official explained in a statement to the Third Committee of the United Nations General Assembly that he is working on an in-depth report on

Independent expert Alfred de Zayas with ambassador Laura Dupuy Lasserre from Uruguay, President of the Human Rights Council, May 2012 in Geneva

Image: alfreddezayas.com

equitable and effective participation as mandated by the UN's Human Rights Council last September. The question of a UN Parliamentary Assembly is one of the issues that de Zayas is considering as part of ongoing consultations with governments, inter-governmental organizations and civil society.

The Campaign for a United Nations Parliamentary Assembly, an international network of legislators, civil society representatives and experts, welcomed that de Zayas is considering the proposal. "From our point of view, the establishment of a UN Parliamentary Assembly is indispensable and long overdue. It is not understandable why citizen-elected representatives should not be formally involved in deliberations and, eventually, decision-making at the United Nations. In other intergovernmental organizations this is taken for granted. A parliamentary assembly would make the UN more vivid, more democratic, and bring it closer to the citizens," commented the campaign's Secretary-General, Andreas Bummel. "We are ready to assist Mr. de Zayas in every possible way," he added.

In a first preliminary report that de Zayas presented in August, the UN's independent expert addressed the "problem of weighting" at votes in UN bodies. He stated that "Democracy can be understood internally but also internationally, since the will of a majority of States in the General Assembly deserves respect. Whereas every member of the General Assembly has an equal right to vote, consideration must also be given to the fact that some States have very large populations and only a single vote, posing a problem of weighting."

According to the resolution of the UN's Human Rights Council that established the mandate last May, the independent expert shall, "identify possible obstacles to the promotion and protection of a democratic and equitable international order, and submit proposals and/or recommendations to the Human Rights Council on possible actions in that regard." The Human Rights Council specified that from its point of view a democratic and equitable international order requires the realization, inter alia, of the "promotion and consolidation of transparent, democratic, just and accountable international institutions in all areas of cooperation, in particular through the implementation of the principle of full and equal participation in their respective decision-making mechanisms" and "the right to equitable participation of all, without any discrimination, in domestic and global decision-making."

The independent expert’s official website

Top image: The UN General Assembly’s Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural) during its first meeting of the 67th session on 8 October 2012. UN Photo # 531291