Statements

The time is right to put into practice the principle "That which concerns everyone must be decided by everyone." The Security Council – with the five permanent members’ power of veto – more often than not serves only to block decisions adverse to those five, or even only one of them. Where really is democracy in the world today? We need a World Parliament which effectively represents all the peoples of the Earth.

Mario Capanna, Italian politician and writer, President of the Genetic Rights Foundation in Rome, 2010

Democracy is only complete if elected representatives take part in decision-making. That's why a parliamentary assembly also needs to be created for international organizations. It needs to be vested with adequate powers and shouldn't be a mere talking shop.

Eva Högl, Member of the German Parliament, 2010

Today democracy has become the touchstone for legitimate governance at the local, provincial and national levels. Perhaps the international system's greatest anomaly in our age of globalization is that it is not yet organized along democratic lines. It is time for a global parliamentary assembly.

Andrew Strauss, Professor of Law at Widener University School of Law, United States, 2010

To the extent that the establishment of a UN Parliamentary Assembly would bring more transparency, oversight and effective governance to the Secretariat and other structures of the United Nations, I would support its establishment.

Benjamin Cardin, U.S. Senator, 2011

It is remarkable that major international organizations do not yet possess any formal parliamentary organ, not even in an advisory capacity. In particular, this is the case with regard to the UN, the WTO, the World Bank and the IMF. A United Nations Parliamentary Assembly would contribute significantly to overcoming an ever-growing legitimacy gap at the international level.

Claudia Kissling, Board member of the Committee for a Democratic U.N. in Berlin, 2011

We are struggling badly in the world, and we have not adopted a proper solution to our problems. In order to have a globally organized world, we also need global structures. We need a global parliament.

Lech Wałęsa, Nobel Peace Prize laureate, co-founder of Solidarność and President of Poland 1990-95, 2004

Parliamentary oversight of the multilateral system at the global level should be progressively expanded. We propose the creation of a Parliamentary Group concerned with the coherence and consistency between global economic, social and environmental policies, which should develop an integrated oversight of major international organizations.

Tarjo Halonen, From the report of the World Commission on the Social Dimension of Globalization co-chaired by Tarjo Halonen, President of Finland (in the picture), and Benjamin Mkapa, President of Tanzania, 2004

A parliament at the United Nations would symbolize the notion of humanity as a community of world citizens.

Günter Grass, Nobel Laureate in Literature, 2006

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 UN has become an indispensable step to achieve democratic control of globalization.

Boutros Boutros-Ghali, Former UN Secretary-General, 2007

We need a United Nations Parliamentary Assembly, where our directly elected representatives can monitor and contribute to the performance of executive governments. They do need help. Those who have been practising double standards need the realisation that the representatives of the citizens of this planet are close by, watching, and alert to expose all unethical international behaviour.

Erskine Childers, Former BBC correspondent and UN senior civil servant (1967-1989), 1994