Roger Nkodo Dang

More than 70 years after the establishment of the United Nations, global inter­dependence has made us all world citizens. It is long overdue that “We, the Peoples”, as the UN Charter begins, have more say in global affairs. For this purpose, a United Nations Parliamentary Assembly needs to be established. I am happy to confirm my personal support of the international campaign that works towards this goal.

President of the Pan-African Parliament: African governments should back a UN Parliamentary Assembly

Meeting on the occasion of the parliament’s session in Midrand, South Africa

The president of the Pan-African Parliament, Nkodo Dang from Cameroon, voiced support for the establishment of a United Nations Parliamentary Assembly, in short UNPA, on the occasion of a meeting in Midrand, South Africa, during the current ordinary session of the continental parliamentary body.

At the meeting, PAP parliamentarian Ivone Soares from Mocambique presented Mr. Dang with the international appeal for a UNPA which is supported by numerous politicians, former UN officials, distinguished scholars, cultural innovators, and representatives of civil society organizations from all over the world.

In the conversation, it was recalled that in 2007, the Pan-African Parliament (PAP) adopted a resolution that called for the creation of a UNPA. "In this resolution, PAP recommended the establishment of a consultative UNPA within the UN system according to Article 22 of the Charter which enables the UN General Assembly to establish subsidiary bodies. It is our hope that African governments eventually will back this proposal," Mr. Dang said in a subsequent letter addressed to the UNPA campaign.

"More than 70 years after the establishment of the United Nations, global interdependence has made us all world citizens. It is long overdue that 'We, the Peoples,' as the UN Charter begins, have more say in global affairs. For this purpose, a United Nations Parliamentary Assembly (UNPA) needs to be established. I am happy to confirm my personal support of the international campaign that works towards this goal," PAP’s president wrote.

The Pan African Parliament was established as an organ the African Union to ensure the participation of African citizens in the development and economic integration of the continent. It was inaugurated in 2004. The agreed aim is to evolve it into a parliamentary institution with full legislative powers whose members are elected across the continent by universal adult suffrage.

"PAP was established in order to bring Africa’s 1.1 billion citizens closer to their continental organization, the African Union. Without this element, stronger regional integration and cooperation is no longer possible. In the same way, the United Nations must evolve and open its doors towards parliamentary participation," Mr. Dang stated.

Sigmar Gabriel

Unfortunately, in many cases the authority of the United Nations is insufficient. That's why it needs to be a common aspiration to change this and to make the United Nations more effective, transparent, and democratic through a reform of its structures and decision-making procedures. This is also the starting point of the Campaign for a United Nations Parliamentary Assembly which shows important perspectives on the path towards the creation of a world parliament and which I am delighted to support since 2007.

Cem Özdemir

The United Nations has been the global and crucial voice for peace, human rights, justice and environmental protection since its founding. At the same time, the UN faces limitations when member state governments do not represent the interests of their citizens. This is why the creation of the UN Parliamentary Assembly is so relevant for us – to give voice to every citizen, woman and man, all over the world; to create legitimacy by true representation, and to enhance political responsibility of the states’ leaders.

Students simulate UN negotiations on the creation of a UN Parliamentary Assembly

"Model UN Parliament" held in Halle, Germany

Around fifty students from Germany, Europe, and around the world came together in Halle (Germany) over the previous weekend in order to simulate international negotiations on the establishment of United Nations Parliamentary Assembly, in short UNPA. Assuming the role of diplomats of UN member states, the students discussed the details of a draft statute which was adopted by a majority vote in a final session on Sunday. “It was very exciting to follow the debates on issues like what powers the future world parliament should have or how the world’s citizens should be represented in the body,” said Michael Puntschuh, the lead project manager.

At this time, the establishment of a UN Parliamentary Assembly is not yet on the official reform agenda of the United Nations. Support for the proposal is constantly growing, however, since the international campaign for a UNPA was launched. The campaign, which supported the simulation in Halle, is endorsed by numerous politicians, former UN officials, distinguished scholars, cultural innovators, and representatives of civil society organizations.

The chairman of Germany’s Green party and patron of the event in Halle, Cem Özdemir, wrote in a message to the participants that he supported the idea of a UN Parliamentary Assembly from the beginning. He added that “the UN faces limitations when member state governments do not represent the interests of their citizens. This is why the creation of the UNPA is so relevant for us – to give a voice to every citizen, woman and man, all over the world; to create legitimacy by true representation, and to enhance political responsibility of the states’ leaders.”

In another message to the participants, the Vice-Chancellor of Germany and chairman of the Social Democratic party, Sigmar Gabriel, noted that he was “delighted” to confirm his support of the UNPA campaign “which shows important perspectives on the path towards a world parliament.”

The model conference in Halle was followed by a public panel discussion. The coordinator of the UNPA campaign, Andreas Bummel, said that he was impressed with the professionalism and the realistic results of the simulated negotiations. “We will examine this carefully,” he stated.

The event was held in the premises of Martin-Luther-University Halle Wittenberg. Sponsors included the Left party of Halle, the Association of Friends and Supporters as well as the Student Council of the university, and lastly the United Nations Association of Germany as the main partner. It was organized in collaboration with the Young Initiative on Foreign Affairs and International Relations and the UN University Group Halle.

Group of Canadian parliamentarians advocates more democratic global governance

"Friends of the UN" in the Canadian Parliament support a UN Parliamentary Assembly

Following the federal elections of October 2015, members of the Canadian House of Commons and the Canadian Senate came together on April 11 in Ottawa to re-establish a joint all-party group that deals with UN matters. The purpose of the Canadian Parliamentary Friends of the United Nations is to “support the UN’s current mandate and Canada’s involvement in the UN,” as the group’s co-chair Don Davies, a parliamentarian from Vancouver, explained.

“Important global issues need global cooperation and solutions. In the view of many Parliamentarians, we need to better understand, support, strengthen and improve the United Nations, our only truly global institution,” Mr. Davies said.

The group decided to organize a delegation of eight to twelve parliamentarians who will visit the UN in late May. They will focus on two issues in particular. First is a look into the process for the selection of the UN Secretary-General. The next Secretary-General will be elected later this year. In a departure from past practice, the General Assembly is holding public meetings where UN members can question official candidates. The Canadian group’s members are interested in the efforts to make the selection process more transparent and democratic.

As part of its general interest in democratic global governance, the friends group also intends to explore support for the proposal to establish a UN Parliamentary Assembly (UNPA). “It is time to consider the creation of a democratic parliamentary assembly at the UN so that the voices of the people of every nation are reflected on the world stage,” Mr. Davies stated.

In 1993 and 2007, the Canadian House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee endorsed the proposal for a UNPA. Approximately 130 current and former Canadian parliamentarians and Senators are on record as supporters of the international campaign. As a member of parliament, the newly elected Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, signed the appeal for a UNPA in July 2010.

In a letter sent this January addressed to Canadian foreign minister Stéphane Dion, the UNPA campaign stated its hope “that the new Canadian government will consider to take an active role in promoting a UNPA.” To date, a reply from the government is still pending.

Top image: Parliament Hill in Ottawa as viewed from Gatineau, 2009, CC BY-SA 3.0

Talks with parliamentarians in Malaysia

Several Parliamentarians in Malaysia have already signed the appeal for a United Nations Parliamentary Assembly. This was a good basis for the UNPA campaign's representative Rasmus Tenbergen to initiate talks with supporters from the government party and the opposition during his visit to Kuala Lumpur last December.

Member of Parliament Irmohizam Ibrahim, chairman of the Fisheries Development Authority of Malaysia, and a member of the ruling party UMNO's Supreme Council and strategic director to the president of UNMO invited Rasmus Tenbergen to the Putra World Trade Center in Kuala Lumpur and spoke about the importance of participatory democracy in South East Asia and on a global scale. He saw a logical connection between these beliefs and his support for the UNPA Campaign. Furthermore, he made sure that an official letter from the campaign's global coordinator Andreas Bummel to the foreign minister of Malaysia was well received.

In the Headquarter of the Democratic Action Party, one of the most important opposition parties in Malaysia with a social-democratic philosophy, Member of Parliament Liew Chin Tong expressed his support for the UNPA campaign, referring to the third and fourth wave of democratization. He also developed plans to strengthen the UNPA idea within the networks of the Socialist International in South East Asia and globally.

The talks in Malaysia can be seen as a small, but important, step to broaden the support for the UNPA campaign in different countries and regions. Countries like Malaysia could be avant-garde nations and be crucial for the success of the campaign.

Dato Irmohizam Bin Ibrahim

As I believe in participatory democracy, it is a logical step for me to support the establishment of a United Nations Parliamentary Assembly.

South-South cooperation should embrace goal of “One World” and a UN Parliament

Proposal for a UN Parliamentary Assembly presented at conference in New Delhi

The proposal for a UN Parliamentary Assembly was presented at an international conference on South-South cooperation, SSC, that was held in New Delhi last week. In a session on "One World Global Citizenship," the representative of the Campaign for a UN Parliamentary Assembly in India, James Arputharaj, suggested that South-South politics should pursue the goal of democratizing global institutions.

James Arputharaj

Image: CEUNPA

"People should be at the center of any debate on South-South cooperation. Issues like eradicating extreme poverty or mitigating climate change are global in nature. The Global South should promote a UN Parliamentary Assembly so that the world's citizens, including those from the South, are adequately represented in global decision-making," Mr. Arputharaj stated. "If there was a global parliamentary assembly directly elected by the people, this would boost the sense for global citizenship. This is urgently needed," he added.

In his presentation, Mr. Arputharaj recalled that the founding fathers of independent India, in particular Jawaharlal Nehru and Mahatma Gandhi, were strong supporters of a "One World" policy and endorsed the goal of a world federation. "In India, over 60 current and former members of parliament now support the campaign for a UN Parliamentary Assembly, as do over 1,300 more from around the world. This is a good starting point to revive this tradition," he noted.

The conference in New Delhi was organized by Research and Information System for Developing Countries (RIS), a New Delhi based think-tank under the Ministry of External Affairs of India. In a press release issued ahead of the event, the organizers stated that "India's vision of one world has existed for centuries, it has only attracted greater attention in contemporary times when the world is faced with graver problems such as climate change, environmental pollution, growth in inequality, etc which require global solutions. However, given the global real politic, it may seem incongruent to assume unilateral pursuance of the idea. In this context SSC stands for human centric development and not economic development alone."

The conference was attended by more than 100 eminent speakers from abroad in addition to a large number of Indian scholars, researchers, subject experts, high ranking government officials, and representatives of civil society organizations.

German parliament urges the government to examine a UN Parliamentary Assembly

Parliament adopts joint motion of coalition parties CDU/CSU and SPD

Jürgen Klimke (CDU) speaks during the panel debate

Image: Deutscher Bundestag / Achim Melde

In a joint motion of the governing coalition parties the German parliament urged the government under Chancellor Angela Merkel to support efforts to reform the United Nations that aim at making the world organization more efficient and more transparent. The democratic legitimacy of the UN needs to be guaranteed through modernization, the motion says. "This includes to examine the establishment of a United Nations Parliamentary Assembly," the parliament stated.

The motion was adopted after a governmental statement by foreign minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier on "70 years United Nations" on 14 October of the previous year. During the plenary debate the chairman of the conservative CDU/CSU parliamentary group in the parliament's subcommittee on United Nations, globalization, and international organizations, Jürgen Klimke (CDU), said that it was necessary to think about a parliamentary assembly at the UN.

"On the basis of our parliamentary decision I expect from the federal government to examine this issue in a serious way. A parliamentary assembly at the United Nations would support parliamentary oversight and the democratic quality of the United Nations and enhance its transparency as well. The parliamentary assembly of the OSCE could be an example to draw upon," Mr. Klimke said in a statement to the international campaign for a UNPA.

The chairman of the Social Democratic group in the parliament's subcommittee on UN issues, Josip Juratovic, said that in dealing with crises, the system of the UN Security Council was failing 70 years after the establishment of the United Nations. "That's why I explictly endorse the establishment of a parliamentary assembly at the United Nations. When governments fail to come to agreement, citizen-elected representatives may succeed," the member of parliament stated.

Josip Juratovic (SPD)

Image: J. Juratovic

The vice-chair of the subcommission, Egon Jüttner (CDU), welcomed the parliament's decision "extraordinarily." "The democratic legitimacy of the UN and its decision-making needs to be improved and needs to become much more transparent. As the Parliamentary Assembly of the OSCE, where I am a substitute member, shows, such a body is an important institution that can call for and establish transparency and internal democracy. In addition, I hope that the creation of a parliamentary assembly will strengthen the perception of the UN as a global player in international politics within the German population," he said.

Three years ago the German government was already urged by the German United Nations Association to present proposals for the establishment of a UNPA. "It is good that the German parliament has taken up the idea of a UN Parliamentary Assembly in its decision on the United Nations. Together with other European countries Germany should introduce the experiences with the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe into the UN system," the chairman of the assocation, Detlef Dzembritzki, declared.

On the occasion of a resolution of the European Parliament, around 40 German civil society organizations wrote to the federal government and asked it to endorse a UNPA in the UN General Assembly.

Top image: Deutscher Bundestag