Nouvel appel de la politique allemande soutenant la création d'une assemblée parlementaire de l'ONU

Un catalogue de revendications concernant la politique allemande de l’ONU, avec dix priorités présentées par l’Association Allemande pour les Nations Unies (DGVN) à l’occasion des élections fédérales le 24 Septembre 2017, mentionne l’appui à la création d'une assemblée parlementaire des Nations Unies (APNU).

Le premier point présenté, approuvé par le Conseil de l’Association, traite de la réforme de l’ONU. Le document explique que l’Allemagne devrait montrer le bon exemple en soutenant un « intérêt général mondial » et un ordre international « avec les Nations Unies au centre. »

Selon le document, il faut continuer de poursuivre la réforme de l’ONU comme un objectif de première priorité. L’objectif principal de l’Allemagne dans ce projet devrait être de « représenter de manière adéquate toutes les régions du monde. » Le catalogue identifie d’autres « réformes importantes », en particulier « la possibilité de la réélection des membres non permanents », « la réforme des méthodes de travail et plus de transparence au sein du Conseil et des autres instances des Nations Unies. » ainsi « qu’une assemblée parlementaire ».

« Le projet de créer une assemblée parlementaire à l’ONU est depuis longtemps une revendication de l’association sur le plan politique. Nous voulons que le gouvernement fédéral et le Parlement prennent des mesures en la matière. », a déclaré Detlef Dzembritzki, président de l’Association et ancien député.

Le député Jürgen Klimke de la CDU, parti conservateur de Angela Merkel, vice-président de DGVN et membre du sous-comité sur les Affaires des Nations Unies au parlement allemand, a indiqué que l’ONU et l’ordre multilatéral « sont très fortement sous pression ». « Maintenant il est important de faire tout notre possible pour renforcer l’organisation mondiale, d’augmenter sa transparence et de la rapprocher des citoyens. Créer une assemblée parlementaire à l’ONU est une étape importante en vue d’atteindre ces objectifs. et d'augmenter sa transparence pour les citoyens. Une assemblée parlementaire à l’ONU est une étape importante en vue d’atteindre ces objectifs. Le parlement allemand et le gouvernement devraient soutenir le projet. »

Dans une résolution adoptée en Octobre 2015 avec les votes de la coalition au pouvoir CDU/CSU et SPD, le parlement allemand a demandé au gouvernement d’examiner la création de l'APNU. « A notre connaissance, le ministère des Affaires étrangères allemand n’a pas encore présenté d’étude sérieuse », a ajouté Andreas Bummel, coordinateur de la campagne international pour l'APNU.

Avant qu’il ait été nommé ministre des Affaires étrangères en Janvier, Sigmar Gabriel (SPD) a plaidé pour une assemblée parlementaire à l’ONU à plusieurs reprises, ainsi que plus récemment en Avril 2016 à l’occasion d’un événement à Halle.

Image en haut: Detlef Dzembritzki ouvrant une conférence à Berlin, DGVN

World's longest scarf dedicated to world peace and global democracy

To promote world peace and global democracy over 700 women from across India and other countries joined efforts to knit the world's longest scarf measuring 14.09 kilometers. A certificate of the Guinness World Records was presented on May 21 to the founder of Mother India’s Crochet Queens, Subashri Natarajan, in Chennai.

“This was the result of four months of intense involvement by more than 700 members from across the country and the globe who wished to do something for society,” Ms. Natarajan said according to a report in The Hindu.

The women who participated hope to spread the message of peace and solidarity across the world. As Ms. Natarajan explained, the initiative which was carried out in association with the Indian Skill Development Council supports the establishment of a United Nations Parliamentary Assembly.

By now, the world-record scarf was dismanteld into nearly 5400 individual pieces, most of which will be donated to local NGOs across India. Around 900 scarfs will be sent to the Secretary-General of the United Nations and heads of state and government. "We will deliver the message to the UN that a citizen-elected Parliamentary Assembly is needed as a step towards global democracy," said Ms. Natarajan.

"We want peace in this world," she added.

Workshop on a UN Parliamentary Assembly held in the Dominican Republic

Last March 26, a workshop on a United Nations Parliamentary Assembly (UNPA) was held at the Universidad Autonoma de Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic. 54 Lawyers from the master’s program took part in the event and discussed an array of topics in relation to the establishment of a UNPA.

The participants were divided on different working groups whose goal was to clearly analyze the UNPA campaign proposal and to come up with specific questions that the event's organizer, Dr. Rommel Santos Diaz, would answer later. After an interesting and diverse discussion was held in each group, participants agreed on a list of 5 issues that they wanted to address.

To start with, workshop participants committed themselves to assist the efforts to make the campaign as visible as possible. Secondly, a task force was created whose goal it is to follow up on the conclusions that came up from the workshop and share that information with other NGOs and universities that might be interested in the campaign’s progress. Thirdly, a general consensus was made, stating that help should be given to Dr. Rommel Santos with regards to the work related to the campaign. Fourthly, they reached an agreement related to the development of a short-term plan for 2017 whose goal it is to expand the debate regarding the UNPA campaign to cover as many social groups from the Dominican Republic as possible. Lastly, Dr. Santos committed himself to establishing an active collaboration with the UNPA campaign’s international secretariat and to create a Facebook page for the UNPA campaign in the Dominican Republic.

The workshop shows once again that there is a growing support towards the establishment of a UNPA. The Dominican Republic is one of many countries from different regions around the world where support is growing and where the need to establish democratic governance at the international level is increasingly recognized.

Guidelines for a classroom exercise on a UN Parliamentary Assembly

The co-conveners of the World Government Research Network, Luis Cabrera and James Thompson, have prepared a simulation exercise on the issue of a United Nations Parliamentary Assembly (UNPA) that may be of use for classroom teaching.

The suggested exercise engages students in evidence-based debate on whether to support the development of an initially consultative UNPA. Suggested student instructions and readings are included in the document (download PDF here).

The simulation gives students the opportunity for active engagement with dialogues on more participatory international institutional development. It should deepen student understanding of existing international organizations and lead them to think more critically about accountability issues in global governance.

According to the authors of the guideline this lesson is well suited for tutorials/quiz sections in large undergraduate lecture courses, or for standard sessions in upper-division courses. It can be used in a wide range of courses in International Relations, political theory, political sociology, political economy, human geography, and other fields. Versions of it have been conducted in IR and political theory courses, with very positive student engagement and feedback.

Boutros-Ghali Observatory launched in Paris

Inaugurated at an event in Paris on March 31, the Boutros-Ghali Observatory is a new initiative promoted by the French, Canadian and Belgian governments which seeks to improve peacekeeping operations in Francophone countries. As many as 7 out of 16 United Nations peace operations are currently located in countries where French is frequently spoken. The observatory, by focusing on better tailoring peacekeeping missions to Francophone environments and pooling Francophone countries’ experiences together, could thus make a significant impact on the UN’s operations.

The Observatory also intends to act as a nexus for cooperation between experts from Francophone countries. Indeed, the Observatory’s own Research and Information Group on Peace and Safety (GRIP), headquartered in Brussels, is already involved with researchers from the Catholic University of Louvain/Leuven (Belgium) and the Network for Peace Operations (Canada).

The Observatory’s ethos is embodied by its homage to the late former U.N. Secretary General, Mr. Boutros-Ghali (1922-2016). In addition to his work at the U.N., Mr. Boutros-Ghali also served as the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Egypt. His commitment to peaceful international relations had brought him to help negotiate the Camp David accords. He also showed a keen interest in the French language and, following his term as Secretary General, served for five years as Secretary General of the Francophonie.

Mr. Boutros-Ghali was also one of the most important supporters of the Campaign for a United Nations Parliamentary Assembly. In a message addressed to the campaign's supporters he wrote in 2007 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.”

 

Jens Orback

Humanity is a community of fate that is increasingly faced with cross-border challenges. That's why global decision-making is inevitable. Through a World Parliament we need to make sure that the emerging world order is democratic and as close to the citizens as possible.

Global Parliament of Mayors launched, attracts support

The Global Parliament of Mayors has recently welcomed in its ranks its new high-profile member, Mayor Eric Garcetti of Los Angeles. The GPM was founded last September 2016, based on the ideas outlined by political theorist Benjamin Barber in his 2013 book, “If Mayors Ruled the World: Dysfunctional Nations, Rising Cities”. Barber’s key argument is that cities, rather than nation-states, will be the drivers of future change.

According to Barber cities have accrued considerable power during the Twenty-First Century by becoming home to over half of the world’s population and contributing approximately 80 percent of global GDP. More importantly, he argues that local officials tend to practice a pragmatic and innovative style of governance.

Past initiatives have already shown the efficiency of inter-city collaboration. For instance, the C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group, a network of ‘megacities’ dedicated to reaching environmental targets such as the Paris Agreements, has resulted in a massive ‘scaling-up’ of local initiatives such bike-sharing programs.

The GPM, by creating an international forum for local officials, will allow Mayors to discuss and develop solutions for the most pressing issues facing cities today. Information-sharing could improve the living conditions of citizens everywhere as urban policies with a proven track-record would quickly spread across nations.

Advocates of the GPM have also pointed out that cities’ commitment to diversity and progressive-leanings could become a valuable bulwark to the rising tide of far-right nation-states.

Less than a year since its inception, the GPM already brought together over 60 local officials, including Mayor Giorgos Kaminis of Athens, Mayor Park Won-Soon of Seoul and Mayor Sanjeev Nayyar of North-Delhi.

As Benjamin Barber himself puts it: “If you’re down, if you’re feeling dispirited, if you’re feeling nothing works, have a second look at cities”.

Shortly after its launch 10 years ago, the international Campaign for a UN Parliamentary Assembly recognized the global importance of cities and determined that “consideration may be given for the inclusion of local authorities in the consultative UN Parliamentary Assembly”.

Read more

4 February 2013: Cities and their role in global governance, an important debate

Mohamed Fadhel Mahfoudh

Convaincu par la revolution tunisienne et par la transition democratique qui s'en est suivie, j'étais également convaincu de l’urgente nécessité de créer un lien démocratique puissant entre le peuple et son gouvernement. Pour faire face aux défis économiques, sociaux et environnementaux mondiaux, le système de gouvernance internationale a également besoin d’une révolution démocratique. Avec le soutien des peuples et la légitimité démocratique nécessaire, des représentants élus dans une Assemblée parlementaire des Nations Unies pourraient travailler efficacement à élaborer de nouvelles solutions globales, pour lutter contre la pauvreté et les conséquences du changement climatique. Nous devons agir dès maintenant et porter les principes démocratiques à l’échelle de gouvernement la plus large, si nous voulons qu'ils survivent à la récente montée du nationalisme qui menace la paix et la l’entente internationale.

Harry van Bommel

It’s my personal experience that Parliamentary Assemblies can work quite effectively, for example within NATO and the OSCE.  The United Nations is - and should be - the world’s most important organisation where almost all of the world’s nations and peoples meet. It’s high time that the UN gets its own Parliamentary Assembly.

Prize competition for innovative models of global governance

The Global Challenges Foundation, founded in 2012 in Sweden, announced last November the launch of the ‘New Shape’ competition. The prize rewards the model of international governance which would address most efficiently urgent global threats such as “climate change, large-scale environmental degradation, violent conflict and extreme poverty”. At stake are US$5 million in prizes for the best ideas that re-envision global governance for the 21st century.

The Foundation’s objective is to raise awareness about political and environmental risks, as well as encourage innovative thinking. Its founder, Swedish investor Laszlo Szombatfalvy, became a billionaire by developing a new method of risk management on the stock market. Today, he is convinced that the consequences of global warming are severely underestimated by world leaders and that the old system of international governance is unable to cope with the challenges which lie ahead.

“We urgently need fresh new thinking in order to address the scale and gravity of today’s global challenges, which have outgrown the present system’s ability to handle them”, stressed Mr. Szombatfalvy in an open letter on the competition.

The competition is open to all. Participants can register their interest until February 15. Proposals have up to May 2017 to be submitted, and the final decision will be made in November 2017 by a panel of academics and experts. Meanwhile, the Foundation hopes to generate worldwide debate and momentum around the idea of international reform.

Despite being disappointed by the short-sightedness of the global community regarding global warming, Mr. Szombatfalvy remains hopeful: “Our industrial development has indeed caused some of the problems we now face, but I firmly believe that human ingenuity, having brought us this far, will also manage to find solutions to them”.