Campaign for a UN Parliamentary Assembly receives Good Lobby Award

At an award ceremony last Friday in Brussels the Campaign for a UN Parliamentary Assembly (UNPA) received the second prize in the category “non-governmental organizations of the year” in The Good Lobby Awards 2019.

The founder of The Good Lobby Awards, Alberto Alemanno, commented that the UNPA campaign advocates “the sort of democratic innovations the world urgently needs”. The professor of law at the business school HEC Paris added that “unless we democratize globalization, the political system will continue to lag behind our increasingly internationalized societies”.

By now the UNPA campaign has been supported by over 1,600 current and former members of parliament, over 400 civil society groups and networks as well as thousands of individuals from more than 150 countries. Last year, the European Parliament adopted a resolution supporting the proposal.

“This great recognition belongs to all who’ve been involved in our efforts for democratic global governance”, said Andreas Bummel, coordinator of the UNPA campaign. He congratulated the winner of the first prize in the “NGO of the year” category, the European Trade Union, as well as all other winners. All in all, there are nine categories in The Good Lobby Awards.

The second prize for the UNPA campaign was received by Pilar Llorente, an associate of the campaign in Brussels.

Lutfi Sheriff Mohamed

As the world becoming one global village in this information era, the 75th anniversary of the UN is a good moment to revise its work and make institutional changes, in particular to establish a UN Parliamentary Assembly which can serve and represent the global citizens and address the global issues of terrorism and climate change, among others.

New York: People's Assembly calls for better participation and representation at the UN

Civil society conference in New York calls for a UN Parliamentary Assembly

An alternative People's Assembly on the implementation of the UN's Sustainable Development goals was held this week in parallel to the high-level debate of the 74th session of the UN General Assembly and the UN's SDG Summit in New York. 

Organized by the Global Call to Action Against Poverty in partnership with dozens of civil society groups from across the world, the event adopted a final statement yesterday calling on the world's government to address numerous urgent demands in the areas of peace and conflict, climate and the environment, inequality, "decent work and descent", gender, persons with disabilities, and civic space.

According to the declaration, "the world is on fire" and governments have showed "persisting lack of political will and leadership" to deal with profound inequality, climate emergency, a crisis of human rights and closing civic space and violence. The statement points out that "we live in a world where there is a crisis of accountability and governance."

The People's Assembly has identified more than 30 specific demands that are included in the document. In the area of civic space, the participants urge "United Nations member states to take proactive measures to reverse the closing of space for civil society, to end the attacks on human rights defenders and to expand democratic participation."

The statement demands that "existing structures are reinvigorated and others are formed to ensure that citizens of the world have a greater voice in global affairs, including a United Nations Parliamentary Assembly and a UN World Citizens' Initiative."

The call for a UN Parliamentary Assembly and a UN World Citizens' Initiative was strongly welcomed by Democracy Without Borders, an international civil society group that helps coordinate international campaigns on both projects. 

Creating more space "needs to be part of addressing the crisis of multilateralism"

"Civil society is strengthening its call for better participation and representation at the UN ahead of the world organization's 75th anniversary. It is high time for progressive governments to take action," said Andreas Bummel, Executive Director of Democracy Without Borders and coordinator of the Campaign for a UN Parliamentary Assembly, in short UNPA. 

According to Mr. Bummel, the new Alliance for Multilateralism that will be launched by Germany and France today in New York, should consider pushing both projects forward. "Creating more space for citizens, civil society and elected representatives at the UN will help build trust and confidence in the world organization and needs to be part of addressing the crisis of multilateralism," he said.

The UNPA campaign has been endorsed by over 1,600 current and former members of parliament as well as hundreds of civil society organizations and networks. More recently, Together 2030, a coalition of over 700 civil society groups, supported the call for a UN Parliamentary Assembly as well.

Top image: Participants mobilize on the street next to the UN General Assembly. Photo: Action for Sustainable Development / Twitter @Action4SD

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People's Assembly declaration

14 June 2019: Together 2030 civil society coalition endorses a UN Parliamentary Assembly

Australian government should push for a parliamentary UN body, says citizens group

A UN Parliamentary Assembly to support global democracy / Proposal presented in Canberra

Following an expert symposium on UN reform in Canberra, the World Citizens Association of Australia called on the Morrison government and the opposition to endorse the creation of a United Nations Parliamentary Assembly, in short UNPA.

“This new UN body will improve the democratic character of the United Nations and help strengthening democracy worldwide,” said the organizations’ Secretary, Chris Hamer.

“Next year the UN will commemorate its 75th anniversary. This is a good moment to consider renewal and improvement. A UN Parliamentary Assembly is a key proposal that should be on the agenda,” said Pera Wells, a former Australian diplomat and former Secretary-General of the World Federation of UN Associations. “Australia as one of the original founding members of the UN should take a lead,” she added.

“The purpose of a UN Parliamentary Assembly is to strengthen the voice of citizen-elected representatives at the UN and in global affairs. This will help bringing the UN closer to citizens and making it more accountable and responsive,” explained Andreas Bummel, global coordinator of the international Campaign for a UNPA who was visiting from Germany. 

Since its launch the campaign has been endorsed by over 1,600 current and former members of parliament from more than 100 countries and across party lines. This includes five current and seven former parliamentarians from Australia.

The former Senator and former leader of the Australian Greens, Bob Brown, said at the symposium that a global parliament was needed to deal with climate change. “It is necessary for human survival,” he stated.

The UN’s 75th anniversary in 2020 will be commemorated under the theme “The future we want, the UN we need.” Member states are encouraged to share their views on this topic.

The symposium “Towards a more democratic United Nations” was held at The Australian National University and was sponsored by the World Citizens Association of Australia, the Campaign for a UN Parliamentary Assembly, the Crawford School of Public Policy and the Institute for Global Peace and Sustainable Governance.

Image: Australian Parliament in Canberra, by Ryan Wick/Flickr

New Danish ministers previously supported a UN Parliamentary Assembly

After the Danish national elections, which were held on June 5, the election winner and Denmark's new Prime Minister Mette Fredriksen has recently formed a minority government of the Social Democrats and announced her list of cabinet members. Two of the government's ministers are on record as signatories of the international appeal for a United Nations Parliamentary Assembly (UNPA).

One of them is Jeppe Kofod, who has been appointed Foreign Minister. For the last five years Mr Kofod has served as a Member of the European Parliament, to which he was also elected for a second term in the European Parliament election in the end of May. Earlier in his parliamentary career Mr Kofod served 1998-2014 as a member of the Danish Parliament, Folketinget. 2011-2013 he was the chairman of the parliament's Foreign Policy Committee. In 2012 Mr Kofod endorsed the international call for a UNPA.

The other Danish cabinet member listed as a supporter is Dan Jørgensen, who has been appointed minister of Climate, Energy and Supply. Mr Jørgensen has also been a Member of the European Parliament (2004-2013) and he has served as Minister for Food, Agriculture and Fisheries in the Danish government 2013-2015. Mr Jørgensen signed the appeal already in 2007, the year when the international campaign for a UNPA was originally launched.

In letters sent to both ministers on behalf of the UNPA Campaign, Democracy Without Borders congratulated Mr Kofod and Mr Jørgensen on their appointments and expressed its hope that the new Danish government would help promote the cause of a more democratic UN in the intergovernmental realm.

Other prominent supporters in Denmark include three current party leaders: Pia Olsen Dyhr (Socialist’s People’s Party), Uffe Elbæk (The Alternative) and Pernille Skipper (Red-Green Alliance).

Top image: Christiansborg in Copenhagen seen from the Marble Bridge. Source: Moahim / Wikimedia Commons

Together 2030 civil society coalition endorses a UN Parliamentary Assembly

Position paper published ahead of the High Level Political Forum in July

According to Together 2030, an international coalition of more than 700 civil society organizations, over three years into the implementation of the United Nations' Agenda 2030, "stakeholder engagement remains limited" and "focused efforts to leave no one behind remain insufficient, in terms of policy design, implementation and review."

This is one of the conclusions of a position paper that the Together 2030 coalition published this week ahead of the United Nations High Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF) that will be held in New York from July 9 to 18 under the theme of "Empowering people and ensuring inclusiveness and equality." The paper includes a set of recommendations on each of the six Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) that are under review this year.

The civil society initiative suggests that "in order to ensure that empowering people and ensuring inclusiveness and equality is achieved in a way that also promotes development and protects the environment, it is important to regard the SDGs as global public goods for which costs as well as figures on interlinkages should be published."

On SDG 16 which calls for effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels, among other things, one of five recommendations included in the paper concerns the involvement of parliamentarians in the HLPF and the UN more generally.

According to Together 2030, "National Governments and their Parliaments should be requested to endorse the call for a proposed UN Parliamentary Assembly (UNPA) so that citizens of the world can have a direct and legitimate voice at the UN."

The Secretary-General of the international campaign for a UNPA, Andreas Bummel, welcomed the recommendation, adding that a UNPA may also provide new and innovative means of involving civil society organizations and other stakeholders in the UN’s work.

"Through its hearings, studies, debates, committees and other oversight functions, a UNPA would leverage its convening capacity to broaden engagement of various stakeholders. It would bring greater awareness, scrutiny and attention to efforts to fulfill the SDGs," a campaign statement said.

Top image: Session of the High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development on 17 July 2018 in New York, UN Photo 769646/Rick Bajornas

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25.09.2015: Campaign statement on the occasion of the UN’s Sustainable Development Summit

Creation of a UN Parliamentary Assembly discussed at visit in Japan

Argentine legislator Fernando Iglesias proposes a UN Parliamentary Assembly in speech, further talks in Tokyo

The Argentine legislator and Co-President of the World Federalist Movement (WFM), Fernando Iglesias, held the keynote speech at the annual congress of WFM-Japan in Tokyo on May 30th. Mr. Iglesias, who is also a Co-Chair of the Parliamentary Group for a UN Parliamentary Assembly (UNPA), proposed the establishment of a UNPA as a concrete step to counteract the world organization’s democratic deficit.

During meetings in Tokyo Mr. Iglesias suggested that the Japanese Parliamentary Committee for World Federation should consider adopting a resolution in favour of a UNPA to support international efforts. According to the Committee’s Chair, legislator Seishirō Etō, the body’s membership includes more than 100 parliamentarians and its aim is to achieve world federation through the construction and improvement of democratic global governance.

Masaharu Nakagawa, a member of the Japanese House of Representatives, emphasized the importance of achieving democratic governance worldwide and to explore measures necessary to establish a Parliamentary Assembly within the framework of the United Nations. Mr. Iglesias pointed out that once a resolution was passed within the Committee, it could be moved forward by relevant parliamentary committees to subsequently have a resolution adopted by the Japanese National Diet.

According to Tadashi Inuzuka, a former Senator in the House of Councillors of the Diet, Japan’s parliament is the only one that has passed parliamentary resolutions in support of a world federation. Pushing towards a UNPA would be in line with this vision.

The Chairperson of the Japan Commission on Global Governance, Mr. Sukehiro Hasegawa, suggested that Article 109 of the UN Charter could be activated to start the process of reviewing the UN Charter and restructure the United Nations to include a Parliamentary Assembly. He advocated not only the creation of a UNPA but also the incorporation of the G20 into the United Nations system. He argued that it would not only give legitimacy to the G20, but it would also empower the UN to achieve better global governance.

Fernando Iglesias recalled that the "Parliamentarian 20" forum, the so-called P20, will be held in Osaka in the coming months and suggested formalizing the P20 forum within the structure of the G20 so that they can adopt resolutions that are considered by the leaders at the G20 summit.

Ambassador Kansuke Nagaoka, Deputy Director-General in the Japanese foreign ministry who supervises the Committee, said that he would evaluate what could be done from the government’s perspective.

Amre Moussa: Parliamentary Assembly can help support UN and multilateralism

Security Council “incapable of fulfilling its duty”

The former senior Egyptian diplomat and presidential candidate Amre Moussa joined a call for the establishment of a United Nations Parliamentary Assembly, in short UNPA. According to a statement published by the international campaign for a UNPA in Berlin, Mr. Moussa said that a UNPA “is an important proposal“ that he is “delighted to support.”

Explaining his view the former foreign minister of Egypt and former Secretary-General of the Arab League pointed out that “to a great extent the UN Security Council is incapable of fulfilling its duty of maintaining international peace and security.” Furthermore, he raised concern about increasing nationalist populism and its impact on world politics. “The rise of the extreme right in some countries and the lack of diplomatic ability is undermining international collaboration,” Mr Moussa observed.

“In this situation, a UN Parliamentary Assembly can help mobilize citizens and parliaments in support of the UN and help strengthen multilateralism and the international system,” the former diplomat said.

Mr. Moussa served as foreign minister of Egypt from 1991 to 2001 and subsequently as sixth Secretary-General of the Arab League from 2001 to 2011. In February 2011 he participated in the protests in Cairo seeking to oust President Hosni Mubarak. As an independent candidate he received around 11 percent of votes in the first round of the presidential elections in 2012.

The call for a UNPA is endorsed by numerous politicians, former UN officials, distinguished scholars, cultural innovators and representatives of civil society organizations, among them over 1,500 current and former members of parliament from over 120 countries.

Recently, a group of elected representatives issued a statement “that the upcoming 75th anniversary of the United Nations in 2020 must be used as an opportunity to take stock and initiate far-reaching reforms, including the establishment of a United Nations Parliamentary Assembly.”

Top image: Amre Moussa at the World Economic Forum in 2007, Source: WEF/Flickr

Campaign congratulates Malta's new President, George Vella

The Campaign for a United Nations Parliamentary Assembly, in short UNPA, congratulated Malta's new President, George Vella, on assuming office on 4th April this year. A medical doctor by profession, Dr. Vella served twice as foreign minister, from 1996 to 1998 and from 2013 to 2017. He is a member of the Maltese Labour Party and was a member of parliament for almost three decades. As the sole nominee he was elected by the Maltese parliament as 10th President, succeeding Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca.

In November last year, Dr. Vella joined the new Parliamentary Group for a UNPA in his capacity as a former member of parliament. Recently, he endorsed a statement published in The Guardian warning that “the United Nations, the multilateral order and democracy are under attack.” The document urged the world's governments to take steps towards the creation of a UNPA in order to address the UN’s democratic deficit.

Speaking as Maltese foreign minister at a summit of the Commonwealth in 2013 in Sri Lanka, Dr. Vella called on Commonwealth foreign ministers to endorse the campaign for a UNPA. He stated that the 54-member block "could influence the 194-member UN and push through the establishment of an assembly which would strengthen representation and parliamentary diplomacy."

“We wholeheartedly congratulate Dr. Vella on his election,” said Andreas Bummel, the Secretary-General of the Campaign for a UNPA which is endorsed by over 1,500 current and former members of parliament from across the world. 

Top image: Department of Information of Malta by Clifton Fenech

Parliamentary involvement at the UN raised at peace forum in South Korea

The need of a United Nations Parliamentary Assembly, in short UNPA, was raised at an international peace forum organized by civil society in South Korea from 9-11 February. Bringing together participants from all over the world, the PyeongChang Global Peace Forum was held on the occasion of the anniversary of the Winter Olympics in PyeongChang one year ago to review and celebrate the peace process on the divided Korean peninsula and to consider international action for the promotion of world peace.

The purpose of one of the forum's 19 panels was to discuss an action agenda on United Nations reform in view of the UN's 75th anniversary in 2020. Attending the conference on behalf of the international Campaign for a UNPA, Kenyan parliamentarian Florence Mutua said that the creation of a UNPA should be promoted "as a key reform" in order to increase the UN's democratic legitimacy. "The UN cannot go on as an exclusive club of governments. Otherwise the world organization will not be able to advance much", she noted.

In another panel on "strengthening parliamentarian engagement on international peace and disarmament", among other things, Mutua said that "parliamentarians should not only play a role in galvanizing intergovernmental action and in implementing global commitments nationally. Elected representatives should have a formal role to play in international negotiations and decision-making," adding that "parliamentarians may be able to build bridges where others can’t."

According to Mutua, the UN should establish an "Office for Parliamentary Relations" so that individual parliamentarians, parliaments and other parliamentary institutions have a contact point at the UN. "It is remarkable that such a liaison office does not yet exist", she noted.

The involvement of elected representatives at the UN was also the subject of a study published earlier this month by Democracy Without Borders, an organization Mutua is involved with, too. Acknowledging the work of the Inter-Parliamentary Union, the umbrella organization of national parliaments, the study concluded that a UNPA would be complementary to existing bodies and efforts in this realm.

One of the keynote speakers at the PyeongChang Global Peace Forum was Nobel Peace Prize laureate Lech Walesa from Poland. In past interviews, Walesa is known to have spoken out in favor of a global parliament.

The conference is supposed to be the first step in the development of a "PyeongChang Agenda for Peace 2030."

Top image: Participants of the final plenary hold up signs calling for nuclear disarmament. Source: Asia Democracy Network