The increasing public problems related to climate change and the economic and political transformations of the 21st century demand more democracy. New worldwide problems demand new institutional solutions. The United Nations needs to recognize that being an exclusive club of governments and involving some representatives of civil society is not enough to connect citizens with the international decision-making system. The political pluralism of the world's societies is not represented at the United Nations. International political decisions have to be informed by all perspectives. Governments have their own self-serving interests and this is especially true for authoritarian and totalitarian regimes. The United Nations need to make a step forward in the quality of plural representation that makes minorities seen and heard. This is the main reason why it is necessary to support the creation of a United Nations Parliamentary Assembly.

Existe un conjunto de riesgos existenciales confrontando a todos los que vivimos en este planeta. Cada uno de ellos involucra un escenario de cataclisma al cual no estamos preparados para enfrentar. La realidad es que ningún país del mundo tiene la capacidad de protegernos de un desastre a escala planetaria. El multilateralismo ha fallado. El retorno al unilateralismo ha aumentado los riesgos. Realmente, la única esperanza para nosotros y nuestras generaciones futuras es una Asamblea Parlamentaria de la ONU y una gobernanza global que de impulso a un movimiento de integración. La alternativa es la aniquilación.

The establishment of a UN Parliamentary Assembly is an important proposal that I am delighted to support. To a great extent the UN Security Council is incapable of fulfilling its duty of maintaining international peace and security. The rise of the extreme right in some countries and the lack of diplomatic ability is undermining international collaboration. In this situation, a UN Parliamentary Assembly can help mobilize citizens and parliaments in support of the UN and help strengthen multilateralism and the international system.

The United Nations matters to all people, everywhere. If we are to manage global catastrophic risks - from climate change to nuclear weapons - we desperately need an effective UN that is open and accountable to the people it serves. A UN Parliamentary Assembly would be a positive step in this direction. It would send a strong message about the need to involve stakeholders in the work of the UN, and help to boost the organisation’s legitimacy and efficacy. The UN was created for “we the peoples”. It is only right that people around the world are able to engage meaningfully with its work.

In 2020, the UN will be 75 years old. This may be a good moment to analyse at a summit some institutional changes necessary to increase its legitimacy and effectiveness, such as the reform of the Security Council to make it more representative and limit the use of the vetoes of the great powers, or the establishment of a parliamentary assembly, thus strengthening the role of civil society and the democratic dimension of the multilateral system.