A United Nations Parliamentary Assembly is envisioned as a new principal body of the United Nations. At first, however, it could be formally created by the UN General Assembly as a subsidiary organ.
Legal routes
Implementation under international law
Reforming the UN Charter requires, among other things, the agreement of each of the five permanent members of the UN’s Security Council.
A UN Parliamentary Assembly at first can be set up below that threshold by a decision of the UN General Assembly alone. Under Article 22 of the UN Charter, the General Assembly “may establish such subsidiary organs as it deems necessary for the performance of its functions.”
On this basis, the General Assembly can instigate the preparatory process, and finally adopt the assembly’s statutes. Limited only by the scope of the General Assembly’s own powers, this initial UNPA could be vested with distinct rights and functions.
Alternatively, a UNPA could be created through a new international treaty. The treaty would be negotiated by a group of like-minded governments. Rights and functions vis-a-vis the UN eventually would need to be confirmed by a decision of the UN General Assembly.
If broader UN Charter reform becomes politically possible, a UNPA could either be upgraded into a principal body or directly created through Charter reform. The Article 22 route thus could either be skipped or serve as a preparatory stage.
Preparing the ground
A Group of Friends of credible and like-minded states could prepare the ground for either legal route. Working with experts, parliamentarians, and civil society, such a group could explore the political conditions and practical steps needed to establish a UNPA and deliberate on its exact design.
Various models have already been put forward to demonstrate how a UN Parliamentary Assembly could work, including options for the allocation of seats. Numerous existing international parliamentary institutions provide important experience to draw upon.
The establishment of a UNPA could be supported by a United Nations Parliamentary Network set up by individual parliamentarians.
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