Protesting for "real democracy" in Israel and the world, Israeli citizens cede their vote to Palestinians

Ahead of the upcoming elections in Israel on 22 January 2013, Israeli and Palestinian peace activists have called on Israeli citizens to cast their vote according to instructions taken by Palestinian counterparts. Making use of a Facebook page established for the purpose, numerous pairs of Israeli and Palestine citizens have already agreed on such an arrangement.

A statement published on the Facebook page declares that 

We are Palestinians and Israelis who refuse to participate in the illusion of democracy anymore. In the upcoming Israeli elections we, citizens of Palestine, will exercise our civic right to vote. We, Israeli citizens, will give up our own votes and instead vote as our Palestinian counterparts tell us to.

According to the statement, the campaigners believe that the principle of democratic equality requires that "either the Israeli occupation stops, or  all Palestinians must be allowed to vote in the Israeli elections." "To leave Palestinians subjects of a state in which they are not full citizens, is in contradicion with the basic principles of democracy."

The campaign's statement also declares that "without equality between citizens, the UN and other global institutions cannot be democratic."

In addition to "getting rid" of the veto power of the five permanent members of the UN Security Council as "one of the most important steps" to make the UN more democratic, the campaigners thus are convinced that

No less important is giving citizens, not just governments, a voice in the UN system. A specific proposal that has been gaining considerable support in recent years is the establishment of a United Nations Parliamentary Assembly. Such a UNPA, an embryo for a UN parliament and modelled after the European Parliament, would allow representation even for those citizens that have no recognized government, like the Palestinians. A UNPA will also give a voice not just to the majority but also to minorities within Israel - minorities that are not represented by the Israeli government but by opposition parties.

For more information, visit the campaign's Facebook page.

Final resolution of the 13th International Conference of Chief Justices

A few days ago we reported on the International Conference of Chief Justices of the World that was organized for the 13th time by City Montessori School in Lucknow, India.

At the closing session of the conference, the participating chief justices and judges unanimously passed a final resolution. This resolution states, among other things, that the participants are...

of the view that the present world scenario requires a democratic global governance structure and enforceable world law, for which the world urgently requires a World Parliament

and that they...

urge all the Heads of State and heads of government of the world, as representatives of the people of their respective countries, to urgently meet to form such a democratic World Parliament in a time-bound manner, on a pattern based on the European Parliament of 27 European nations and the Euro currency of 16 countries.

The full resolution can be downloaded here as a PDF file.

Le « Sommet mondial de la justice » à Lucknow confirme son appel à un parlement mondial

Des juges et experts judiciaires de plus de 60 pays ont réfléchi à une gouvernance mondiale plus démocratique et plus efficace

La création d'un parlement mondial a été l'un des principaux thèmes de la 13e « Conférence internationale des juges en chef du monde », réunie ce week-end par l'école City Montessori School à Lucknow, en Inde. Lors de ce symposium, juges en chef (titre du système judiciaire anglo-saxon équivalent à Président de la Cour suprême), juges et experts judiciaires ont discuté de la nécessité de renforcer

Mercredi, les élèves de l'école ont chaleureusement accueilli les participants à la conférence.

Image : CMS

le droit international, afin de relever le défi posé à l'échelle planétaire par des problèmes tels que le changement climatique.

Lors de l'ouverture de la conférence, le juge en chef Benjamin Odoki, venu d'Ouganda, a déclaré qu'« il était nécessaire de prendre des mesures visant à établir un système judiciaire mondial, ainsi qu'un parlement mondial. Personne n'est au dessus de la loi, le droit international doit être strictement appliqué et exécuté. » Mata Prasad Pandey, président de l'Assemblée législative de l'État de l'Uttar Pradesh, a souligné qu'un parlement mondial était « l'impératif de notre époque ».

Selon Jagdish Gandhi, l'organisateur de la conférence, les juges en chef réunis à Lucknow ont généralement convenu « qu'en dépit des grandes différences entre les cultures et traditions de chaque pays, une unité sous-jacente l'emporte car nous sommes tous membres d'une seule famille humaine. C'est pourquoi nous avons besoin d'un droit international applicable unique pour nous unir et éviter les guerres. Ce n'est que lorsque les lois mondiales seront uniformisées et également applicables dans tous les pays que nous pourrons espérer créer une société mondiale pacifique et heureuse ». Le docteur Gandhi a ajouté que les juges en chef participant sont convaincus que cette mission « ne peut être accomplie qu'au moyen de la création d'un parlement mondial composé de représentants de tous les pays ».

De nombreuses interventions ont évoqué le sujet d'un parlement mondial. Par exemple, Ali Alkan, le Premier président de la Cour suprême de Turquie, a déclaré qu'« un parlement mondial élu de manière démocratique, quelques modification de la Charte de l'ONU, telle que l'exclusion des droits de veto, et un système judiciaire applicable nous permettront de protéger le futur des enfants du monde et des générations à naître ».

Lors de la précédent conférence l'année passée, une résolution finale a été adoptée à l'unanimité, qui recommandait qu'un « parlement mondial puisse être constitué » pour « faire appliquer le droit international ».

Forte de plus de 44 000 élèves, la City Montessori School est reconnue comme la détentrice du record Guiness de la plus grande école au monde. Cette institution se considère « la gardienne autoproclamée des deux milliards d'enfants du monde et des générations à venir ».

La conférence de Lucknow a été couverte par plusieurs journaux indiens, tels qu'entre autres le Deccan Herald, The Indian Express et The Pioneer.

Site Web de la conférence

Précédents rapports

10 février 2010: Les juges suprêmes des pays du Sud appellent à un parlement mondial

Image du haut : séance plénière du Sommet mondial de la justice 2012. Photo : City Montessori School

"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.

Le Parlement des Nations unies a été encouragé lors du Forum suédois pour les droits humains

Séminaire sur « le droit d'avoir une influence dans une société globale » présente les caractéristiques d'une proposition pour une Assemblée parlementaire des Nations unies.

La campagne internationale pour une Assemblée parlementaire des Nations unies était présente lors du Forum suédois annuel pour les droits humains qui s'est tenu dans la ville de Gothenburg les lundi et mardi de cette semaine. Le lundi, Christer Winbäck, membre du Parlement suédois et supporter de la campagne ainsi que Petter Ölmunger, coordinateur national de la campagne en Suède tinrent un séminaire très fréquenté sur « le droit d'avoir une influence dans une société globale. »

Christer Winbäck, un membre de la commission des affaires étrangères,

Les partisans sur le stand de la campagne lors du Forum suédoise pour les droits de l'homme. À la gauche Petter Ölmunger, le coordonnateur national

Image: CEUNPA

expliqua que le gros avantage des Nations unies, c'est que presque tous les pays en sont membres et que l'organisation est très respectée dans la plupart d'entre eux. Il dit cependant : « ce qui manque à l'ONU, c'est une participation parlementaire, le caractère démocratique. » Cela pourrait être réalisé par l'instauration d'une assemblée parlementaire. « Je suis convaincu », affirma M. Windbäck, « qu'avec une ONU qui deviendrait plus démocratique avec cette assemblée parlementaire, nous aurions une organisation plus transparente et légitime. »

Comme les réformes fondamentales de l'ONU sont difficiles à réaliser, on pourrait dans une première étape installer la nouvelle assemblée en tant qu'organe consultatif : « si nous le voulons, il est tout à fait possible de créer une telle assemblée au sein de l'ONU. Les dispositions existantes permettent à l'Assemblée générale de l'ONU de le faire, » dit M. Winbäck à une assistance d'environ 80 personnes. M. Windbäck, répondant à une question sur la possibilité qu'une telle démocratisation de l'ONU puisse inspirer aussi un développement démocratique au niveau national, dit qu'il pensait que tel serait le cas, à la fois à travers les échanges interparlementaires qu'une Assemblée parlementaire de l'ONU augmenterait et par le fait que l'ONU deviendrait, à cet égard, un « meilleur exemple ».

En plus du séminaire, les supporters d'une Assemblée parlementaire de l'ONU utilisèrent l'occasion du Forum suédois pour les droits humains pour se réunir, discuter et promouvoir la proposition et le projet sous-jacent de renforcer la voix de l'humanité dans les affaires internationales. Il y avait parmi eux Johan Lönnroth, ancien parlementaire suédois et vice-président du Parti de Gauche qui a écrit sur la nécessité d'une démocratie globale dans son livre De tredje vänstern (La troisième Gauche).

Petter Ölmunger qui coordonne les activités de la campagne en Suède évalua ensuite la participation au Forum suédois des droits humains : « Nous avons eu un très bon séminaire, plusieurs discussions et réunions de grande valeur et ce n'est pas le moindre, nous nous sommes bien amusés ! Aussi, à travers notre participation, il nous a semblé très juste d'aider à souligner le rapport entre les droits humains et la démocratie. Si les droits humains sont mondiaux, alors la démocratie doit aussi être mondiale. »

Un flyer suédois nouvellement créé a été distribué durant le forum et M. Ölmunger dit qu' : « il apportait une aide importante pour présenter la campagne. »

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

La Campagne célèbre le 90e anniversaire de l'ancien Secrétaire général de l'ONU

L'ancien chef de l'ONU a aidé le lancement de la Campagne internationale pour une Assemblée parlementaire des Nations unies

L'ancien homme politique et diplomate égyptien Boutros Boutros-Ghali, qui a servi en tant que sixième Secrétaire général de l'Organisation des Nations unies de 1992 à 1996, a fêté ses quatre-vingt-dix ans ce mercredi. La Campagne internationale pour une Assemblée parlementaire des Nations unies compte parmi les organisations qui ont transmis leurs félicitations. « Nous félicitons M. Boutros-Ghali à l’occasion de son 90ème anniversaire. Dès l’origine, il a fortement soutenu la Campagne pour une Assemblée parlementaire des Nations unies. A cette occasion,

Boutros Boutros-Ghali lors des célébrations du 50e anniversaire de l'ONU en 1995

Image: Nations unies

nous tenons à le remercier une fois encore pour son soutien et ses encouragements. », a déclaré Jo Leinen, co-président du groupe parlementaire de la Campagne et membre du Parlement européen.

En avril 2007, M. Boutros-Ghali fut l'un des premiers signataires de la déclaration de la campagne appelant l'ONU et les gouvernements de ses Etats membres à mettre en place une Assemblée parlementaire des Nations unies. Dans un message adressé aux partisans de la campagne (PDF ici), il écrit que « nous avons besoin de promouvoir la démocratisation de la mondialisation, avant que la mondialisation ne détruise les fondements de la démocratie nationale et internationale. L'établissement d'une Assemblée parlementaire au sein des Nations unies est devenu une étape indispensable pour obtenir le contrôle démocratique de la mondialisation. ». Plus tard cette même année, il fut président d'honneur de la première réunion internationale de la Campagne au Palais des Nations à Genève.

Au cours de son mandat en tant que Secrétaire général de l’ONU, M. Boutros-Ghali avait déjà abordé la question de la démocratie internationale et mondiale. « Ayant reconnu le lien entre le développement et la paix d'une part, et la démocratie d'autre part, j'ai décidé que je devrais également explorer plus en détail le rôle de l'Organisation des Nations unies en matière de démocratisation. », note M. Boutros-Ghali dans la préface d’un livre récent sur l’idée d’un parlement mondial. L'un des résultats de cette réflexion a été le fameux « Agenda pour la démocratisation » (PDF ici) dans lequel le Secrétaire général déclare : « Si la démocratisation est le moyen le plus fiable pour légitimer et améliorer la gouvernance nationale, c'est aussi le moyen le plus efficace pour légitimer et améliorer l'organisation internationale […]. En outre, tout comme la démocratisation au sein des États, la démocratisation au niveau international est basée sur la dignité et la valeur de la personne humaine, de même que sur l'égalité fondamentale de toutes les personnes et de tous les peuples, principes qu’elle vise également à promouvoir. ».

Image du haut : S.E. Dr. Boutros Boutros-Ghali dans son bureau à Paris en septembre 2011. Photo : CEUNPA