FAQ

In a parliamentary assembly, elected representatives convene. In most cases, a parliamentary assembly is an organ of an international organization which is otherwise comprised of political appointments representing only the executive branch and the ruling parties of each member state. Members of a parliamentary assembly, in contrast, include delegates from each major political group in a state party’s parliament. The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe is the oldest assembly of this kind.

The UN and the organizations included in the UN system are important instruments of international cooperation. A Parliamentary Assembly is intended to make the activities and decisions of these organizations, as well as global governance in general, more democratic, more transparent, and more responsive to the needs of the world’s citizens.

The purpose of a Parliamentary Assembly at the United Nations is to give the citizens of UN member states a voice in political negotiations and decisions at the global level. The assembly would provide independent oversight of the UN’s bureaucracy and budget. With members directly elected or appointed by national or regional parliaments, it would add a democratic and independent complement to existing intergovernmental bodies.

The United Nations is a forum of national governments. Its principal organs are comprised of representatives and officers of the executive branch of member states, normally selected by the ruling majority party or coalition. The diverse political spectrum within member states is therefore not represented. In addition, each member state has one vote, regardless of population size, so democratic representation of the world’s population is not ensured.

Parliamentary assemblies exist in numerous multilateral organizations, including the Council of Europe, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, NATO, the African Union, and Mercosur. Important lessons can also be drawn from the development of the European Parliament, which began as a consultative assembly and evolved over decades into a directly elected legislature.

The establishment of a Parliamentary Assembly would not change the nature of the UN as an organization of its member states. Existing bodies and organs composed of representatives of member states would not be affected by establishing a complementary Parliamentary Assembly.

Members of the Parliamentary Assembly would group themselves by political affiliation rather than by national origin, helping develop cross-border political identity. UN parliamentarians could represent their constituents as well as the common interest of humanity and provide better oversight of the UN’s activities.

Because of proportional seat distribution and cross-national cooperation of independent delegates, decisions of the assembly would have symbolic legitimacy, acceptance, and validity. Including the assembly in international decision-making could therefore make international decisions more effective.

A Parliamentary Assembly could exercise independent democratic oversight through rights of information, hearings, and inquiries. It could, for instance, establish inquiry committees to investigate fraud, corruption, or waste within the UN system in cooperation with existing oversight mechanisms.

Members could form groups according to shared political affiliations rather than national origins. This would strengthen cross-national dialogue and peaceful international cooperation. Compared with political appointees, delegates would be freer to balance national priorities against common, cross-border interests.

A Parliamentary Assembly would give a voice to representatives of national parliamentary opposition groups at the UN. Their international office could strengthen their position at home and make restrictions on their rights more difficult. Participation could also expose delegates from autocratic systems to democratic parliamentary practice.

Citizens would be able to contact and directly lobby the assembly delegate who represents their country or constituency on issues that concern them. Where delegates are directly elected, citizens would take part in their initial and periodic election.

A Parliamentary Assembly could establish its own committee on human rights. Independent members would be less constrained by diplomatic imperatives than government representatives and could address human rights issues more openly. The assembly could also create inquiry committees on specific situations.

A Parliamentary Assembly would create a different political dynamic from current intergovernmental bodies. Its members would be more independent, could organize in cross-national political groups, and would be in a stronger position to develop common global solutions rather than purely national positions.

A Parliamentary Assembly could provide innovative means of including civil society groups, such as public hearings of committees or temporary non-voting advisory members at committee level. Civil society groups could also engage with assembly delegates individually.

The UN General Assembly is the body where governments of UN member states are represented with one vote each. The proposed Parliamentary Assembly would be a new body representing the world’s peoples, with graduated distribution of seats and representation of political diversity within countries.

The proposed Parliamentary Assembly would initially have largely consultative and supervisory functions. A world parliament is conceived as a body able to pass globally binding law and whose members are directly elected. The Parliamentary Assembly may be the first small step toward this long-term goal.

The Parliamentary Assembly would complement the UN Security Council and General Assembly as a consultative body. It could submit recommendations for consideration and, as it developed credibility, could be included in decision-making processes. In the long run, the General Assembly and Parliamentary Assembly could become two chambers of a world parliament.

The Inter-Parliamentary Union is an association of national parliaments. Its principal goal is to strengthen the ability of national parliaments to exercise oversight of international activities at the national level. A UNPA would exercise parliamentary functions directly at the international level, in its own right.

The range of issues should closely parallel those on the agenda of the UN General Assembly. Under Article 10 of the UN Charter, this includes questions or matters within the scope of the Charter or relating to the powers and functions of UN organs.

A Parliamentary Assembly would be part of the United Nations and bound by Charter provisions on domestic jurisdiction. It would not be entitled to deliberate on issues which, according to established UN standards, are matters essentially within the domestic jurisdiction of a state.

Initially, an assembly could have a largely consultative role. Over time, it could develop rights of information, participation, and oversight, and eventually become a main organ that complements the General Assembly.

National sovereignty is already affected by global interdependence. A world parliament would strengthen political autonomy and accountability by enabling peoples to participate directly in international decisions democratically. Under subsidiarity, only questions that can and must be dealt with globally should be regulated globally.

It could be set up as a subsidiary body by a vote of the UN General Assembly under Article 22 of the UN Charter. Alternatively, it could be created on the basis of a new international treaty, or as part of a broader reform of the UN Charter.

No. A Parliamentary Assembly can be established without amending the UN Charter if it is created as a subsidiary body of the General Assembly under Article 22 or on the basis of a new treaty between governments.

Security Council approval, including approval of the permanent members, would only be required if the procedure involved an amendment of the UN Charter. It would not be required for an Article 22 route or a treaty-based route.

The headquarters would be decided during intergovernmental negotiations. It would be practical to choose a location where UN administrative offices are based, such as New York or Geneva, although other suitable locations could be considered.

Initially, plenary sessions could take place once per year or every two years for a few weeks, for example in parallel to the UN General Assembly’s general debate. Committees and sub-committees could meet more frequently and flexibly.

If established as a subsidiary body of the General Assembly, it would likely be funded through the assessed UN regular budget, with other means such as voluntary contributions also possible. Costs would depend on the number of delegates, staffing, meeting frequency, venues, and translation needs.

A Parliamentary Assembly at the UN should be open to all UN member states.

Initially, member states could decide whether delegates are chosen by direct elections or indirectly from within their national parliament. In the latter case, selection should reflect the existing political spectrum as closely as possible. Eventually, all delegates should be directly elected by the world’s citizens.

The size should balance representativeness and efficiency. Existing models often assume an upper range of roughly 700 to 900 members, comparable to other large parliamentary bodies.

The allocation of seats would be determined by international negotiations. A key feature should be graduated representation, with population size as an important criterion. Degressive proportionality could balance democratic representation with the equality of states.

Representation from countries without adequately free and fair elections is difficult, but such countries could be represented if delegates are at least chosen from within the constitutional national parliament, including opposition factions. Appointment directly by governments should be impermissible.