Source: World Economic Forum/Flickr
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.
Amre Moussa, Former Foreign Minister of Egypt and former Secretary-General of the Arab League, 2019
Wikimedia Commons/
As the 75th anniversary of the UN is approaching in 2020, it is important to review the world organization's work and design. Just as the Pan-African Parliament is giving a voice to the continent's citizens, a UN Parliamentary Assembly should give a voice to "We, the Peoples" of this planet. I am convinced that this innovation will benefit the UN and global governance.
Stephen Masele, Member of Parliament from Tanzania and First Vice-President of the Pan-African Parliament, 2019
© UNA-UK
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.
Natalie Samarasinghe, Executive Director of the United Nations Association in the UK, 2019
Parliamentarians should not only play a role in galvanizing intergovernmental action and in implementing global commitments nationally. Elected representatives should have a formal role to play in international negotiations and decision-making. The creation of a UN Parliamentary Assembly should be promoted as a key reform in order to achieve this goal and to increase the UN's democratic legitimacy. The UN cannot go on as an exclusive club of governments. Otherwise the world organization will not be able to advance much.
Florence Mutua, Member of the National Assembly of Kenya, 2019
© Foreign Ministry of Spain
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.
Josep Borrell, Foreign Minister of Spain and former President of the European Parliament, in the newspaper El País, December 2018
The escalating crisis in international cooperation shows that new ways must be found to combat global problems. The United Nations brings together diplomats appointed by member state governments. It is time for an additional body composed of democratically elected representatives: a UN Parliamentary Assembly.
Daniel Jositsch, Swiss Senator and Co-President of the Parliamentary Group for a UNPA, 2018
© International IDEA
The world needs more courageous decisions in order to address the urgent global issues of mass migration, terrorism without borders and climate change. These problems are too important to leave them over to national leaders only. Global Governance with a citizen's driven democratic legitimacy and accountability is the right way to make the difference we need. That's why I support the creation of a UN Parliamentary Assembly.
Yves Leterme, Former Prime Minister of Belgium and Secretary-General of International IDEA, October 2018
As a longtime enthusiastic supporter of the United Nations as the world’s best convener and promoter of global democratic standards and norms for humanity’s common future on this planet, I am honored to support the international Campaign for a UN Parliamentary Assembly. A Parliamentary Assembly will augment all the positive global programs embodied in the UN Sustainable Development Goals which I support and promote, as well as the UN Principles of Responsible Investment, of which our company is a signatory member.
Hazel Henderson, futurist and author, founder and CEO of Ethical Markets Media and producer of its TV series “Transforming Finance”, 2018
As multilateralism and international solidarity are more than ever under threat, it is time to give a new democratic breath to global institutions. The United Nations organization must open up to representatives directly elected by the people in order to get the legitimacy necessary to act in the name of humanity's general interest. We need to move forward quickly with essential reforms in support of environmental protection, the fight against poverty or international trade regulation. The best way to ensure this is to create a United Nations Parliamentary Assembly. It would be complementary to the General Assembly which brings together the governments representing the interests of the states. As a progressive, I support this goal of democratic and not only economic globalization, and therefore I give my full support to the international campaign for the creation of a United Nations Parliamentary Assembly.
Marietta Karamanli, Member of the French National Assembly, August 2018
UN Photo/Rick Bajornas
In a time where we see less connection between the will of peoples and the policies put forward in their name, the world's citizens need representation on the global stage. Democratic initiatives, including the proposal to create a World Parliamentary Assembly, would include all citizens in global decision-making and give voice to currently neglected global public opinion.
Alfred de Zayas, first UN Independent Expert on the Promotion of an Equitable and Democratic International Order, March 2018
© Jens Holm
My longterm vision is the creation of a World Parliament. Instead of power lying in the hands of a few ministers of government who are to decide about the most pressing challenges of the world behind locked doors, I want more of the influence to be placed in a directly elected Parliamentary Assembly, which could be a complement (like a second chamber) to the UN's General Assembly.
Jens Holm, Member of the Swedish parliament for the left party in his book "Om inte vi, vem?" (If not we, then who), 2017
