Civil society assessment of global governance: It's inefficient and undemocratic

Global governance “isn't working,” new report says, stresses urgent need of improved democratic participation

CIVICUS, a global non-governmental organization that identifies itself as world alliance for citizen participation, has released a new assessment of national and international government organizations. In detailing the recent turmoil that has driven a wedge between governments and citizens in countries like Brazil, Turkey, and Venezuela, the group

determines in its State of Civil Society Report 2014 that people across the world are losing faith in both national and global institutions.

Of particular focus in the report was the inability of international government organizations to adequately respond to the needs of its constituents, and these organizations’ overall lack of vital democratic mechanisms that would allow greater input by citizens into the management of world governance. “Global governance isn't working. Global problems still lack global people-oriented solutions,” the report sums up and warns that “international governance institutions with limited scope for people’s participation risk becoming irrelevant.”

CIVICUS highlighted how global governance organizations, due to their lack of accountability to the global populace, are instead influenced by the whims of wealthy nations and powerful multinational corporations. In turn, this causes these institutions to de-emphasize issues that matter to the average citizen, and further fuels the notion that global governance is too disconnected from the needs of common people. The report states that a stronger mandate for democratic participation in world governing bodies would alleviate the influence of the wealthy in these institutions, and would also allow citizens a chance to bring some of their most pressing concerns to the forefront.

Right to democratic global governance

The report includes guest contributions on civil society perspectives on the state of global governance. The director of the Campaign for a UN Parliamentary Assembly, Andreas Bummel, writes in an article on the campaign's proposal that “intergovernmental bodies are largely disconnected from democratic oversight, participation and deliberation.” He stresses that “the right to democratic governance” as enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights is “indivisible and cannot be limited to the national level” as “agenda-setting and decision-making on important policies are shifting to the UN and its specialised institutions, as well as to international fora such as the G8 and the G20.” A UN Parliamentary Assembly, he says, would be a means to “improve global governance by adding a democratic and independent complement to existing intergovernmental bodies.”

In the report's foreword, CIVICUS Secretary-General Dhananjayan Sriskandarajah stresses that “there is an urgent need to democratise global governance, to support greater participation of citizens in decision-making and to engender an environment that enables civil society to substantively engage in these processes.”

Website of the State of Civil Society Report 2014

Top image: CIVICUS World Assembly in Montreal, September 2012. Photo credit: Tristan Brand

Activists call for 2nd Global Week of Action for a World Parliament

Activists around the world are preparing for a second Global Week of Action for a World Parliament that is scheduled to take place this year from 17-26 October 2014. During the week of action, citizens, civil society, and grassroots movements are called upon to organize activities and events to support the establishment of a democratically elected global parliament.

The week of action's announcement declares that people across the world feel to be voiceless in global decision-making. It says that "world’s citizens have little influence on decisions taken at institutions such as the UN, the IMF, the WTO, the World Bank, the G20 or the G8." Further it states that the governments represented in these bodies are "often being influenced heavily by the lobbyists of global corporations." An elected world parliament, by contrast, "would be an instrument to find and implement solutions that are democratic, accountable and serve the best interest of humanity."

Invitation to open conference call

The coordination team has invited everybody who is interested to be involved in the global week of action to participate in an open teleconference that will be held via Skype on 29 May 2014. Here is the Facebook page of the call that provides more details.

The first week of action was organized last year. Here is a report.

Great Transition Initiative enters new phase, relaunches website

For over a decade, the Great Transition Initiative has advanced a visionary scenario of a future rooted in human solidarity, well-being for all, and ecological sustainability. It now enters a new phase with renewed energy and heightened sense of urgency. Its new website serves as a platform for exploring bold visions and change strategies.

According to GTI, "History has entered the Planetary Phase of Civilization, a profound shift in the condition of society and the dynamics driving change. In our time, multiple threads of interdependence are binding people, places, and the wider community of life into a single social-ecological system." Yet, as the initative highlights, "the worldviews and institutions of the past persist, a disjuncture where crises incubate and a zeitgeist of apprehension spreads."

Transformative scenarios, which the initiative terms "Great Transitions," envision the advent of a new paradigm redirecting the global trajectory.

GTI’s past and future publications engage with the questions of global citizenship and global democracy on both a theoretical and a practical level.

A paper published in 2010, for example, states that "One specific change to work towards is creating a bicameral system for the United Nations to consist of the existing General Assembly representing nations and a new World Parliament elected through universal suffrage and representing the citizens of the world."

http://www.greattransition.org/

Expert: UN needs to address "democratic deficit" and "include the voice of the citizens" better

Chair of the Earth System research alliance addresses UN General Assembly at Interactive Dialogue, supports proposal for a UN Parliamentary Assembly

At an interactive dialogue organized by the United Nations General Assembly on the occasion of "Mother Earth Day" on 22 April in New York, the chair of the

Professor Biermann speaking at the UN General Assembly

Image: UN

international Earth System Governance Project, Frank Biermann, urged the international community "to engage in a process of serious reform of international governance and institutions" in order to achieve "new types of multilateralism." The professor of political science stressed that humanity is faced with "a fundamental transformation of core elements of the entire earth system" and that existing international arrangements are not sufficiently effective to cope with this challenge.

Decision-making, accountability and equity need to be improved

According to Mr Biermann, research reviewed by the Earth System alliance indicates that "the decision-making rules in multilateral negotiations and in the UN system are largely outdated. They are not effective, and generally not fair," he told the audience. Instead of consensus rule majority voting could speed up decisions. "We could think about different majority and voting rules for different issue areas. We can think about multiple, complex, combined, or layered majorities. And surely, we need to clearly define institutional guarantees that protect smaller countries," the professor suggested.

Referring to a "democratic deficit" of the UN that is felt in "many parts of the world," the scientist said that "When we want to strengthen the United Nations in order to help with our overarching goal of planetary stewardship, we have to address this potential lack of trust or understanding among citizens."

As examples for better including "the voice of the citizens in UN processes" that are discussed in the academic community he highlighted "global deliberative assemblies of citizens of all countries and regions," a "parliamentary assembly as a second chamber in the UN system, bringing in the direct representatives of the people," and "upgrading the major-groups in the UN system through a forum of civil society organizations."

Finally, Mr Biermann voiced concern the unequal division of wealth in the world. "There is no doubt that equity and fairness must be at the heart of a durable international framework for sustainable development," he said.

Bold proposals like that for a UN Parliamentary Assembly are needed

In a comment made after the presentation, Mr Biermann told the international Campaign for a UN Parliamentary Assembly that personally he supports "the general idea for a Parliamentary Assembly in the UN system because, as I highlighted in my speech to the UN General Assembly earlier this week, there is an urgent need to address legitimacy and accountability concerns in global institutions."

In addition he stressed that "General support for the UNPA proposal is growing, and I hope that bringing the topic up in bodies such as the UN General Assembly can help to increase interest among policy makers. However, incremental reforms of the UN System will be insufficient to deal with the problems of the 21st century and the democratic deficit at the global level. Bold thinking, and bold proposals like that for a Parliamentary Assembly at the United Nations, or the proposal for qualified majority voting decision-making in the UN, which I also mentioned in my speech, are needed to inspire and set in motion transformative change."

UN webcast of the interactive dialogue

Full text of Professor Biermann's speech

Read more

28 November 2012: Interview with Frank Biermann: 19th century global governance not fit to tackle climate change

20 April 2012: Debate on global parliament at Earth System Governance conference

Top image: Panel during the interactive dialogue, screenshot of webcast, source: United Nations

Now over 1,300 sitting and former elected representatives endorse the appeal for a UN Parliamentary Assembly

In the course of 2014 so far, 52 members of parliaments from 11 different countries have signed the international appeal for a United Nations Parliamentary Assembly, UNPA. The signatories come from Australia, Austria, Botswana, Brazil, Denmark, Finland, Ghana, Germany, Malaysia, New Zeeland and Tunisia.

In total, 807 sitting members of parliament from 106 countries and all populated continents now support the call for the establishment of a UN Parliamentary Assembly (here's the list). We estimate that they represent around 130 million constituents. Together with 524 former elected representatives who in the course of time left parliament after signing the appeal, the total number of endorsements from current and former members of parliament counts 1,331.

This worldwide, continued support by parliamentarians from across the political spectrum and a broad range of political traditions, is based on the efforts of those individuals and organizations involved in the international campaign for a UNPA. In particular, we would like to express thanks to all volunteers for assisting the campaign at the national, regional, and international levels.

Proposal for a UN Parliamentary Assembly presented at Parliament of Catalonia

Foreign Affairs Commission of the regional parliament considers a resolution

On Friday, March 21, a local campaign group promoting the creation of United Nations Parliamentary Assembly in Spain presented the proposal to the Foreign Affairs Committee of the regional Parliament of Catalonia.

Supporters of the UNPA Campaign after the presentation in the Catalan Parliament

Image: WDGpa

The presentation was well attended by all large political groups represented in the parliament and also by supporters of the campaign who demonstrated the interest that civil society has in the establishment of a UN Parliamentary Assembly, UNPA.

The president of the World Democratic Governance project association, WDGpa, Josep Xercavins, and the coordinator of the UNPA campaign in Spain, Joan Marc Simon, briefed the deputies about the origins and raison d'être of the campaign. Furthermore, a proposal for a resolution to be approved by the plenary of the Catalan Parliament was presented.

The participating representatives of all political groups expressed their interest in the campaign, agreed to support it, and said that they will try to have a resolution approved by the Catalan Parliament as soon as possible.

Joan Marc Simon stated that after the Catalan Parliament adopts a resolution, the UNPA campaign will aim at bringing the issue to the Spanish Parliament in Madrid.

Read more

20 March 2013: Presentation of the UNPA Campaign in Barcelona

25 June 2012: New association to push for Spain’s support of a UN Parliamentary Assembly

Top image: Presentation of the UNPA to the Foreign Affairs Commission, by WDGpa

Women in Parliaments Global Forum stresses the need of gender equality in a future UN Parliamentary Assembly

The Women in Parliaments Global Forum that has held its first international conference from 27 to 29 November 2013 in the European Parliament in Brussels has emphasized the need "that the gender dimension will be taken into consideration" in the efforts for the establishment of a United Nations Parliamentary Assembly.

"We want to ensure gender equality in a new UN Parliamentary Assembly that will address global challenges and take global decisions, on behalf of citizens worldwide," the Global Forum announced on its website.

Following this initiative, the international Campaign for a UN Parliamentary Assembly has confirmed that ensuring gender equality is an important goal that should be implemented in a future global parliamentary assembly. "This is a matter that we will pursue," said the Co-Chair of the Campaign's Parliamentary Advisory Group, Gabriela Michetti, who is a member of the Argentinian Senate.

In December last year, more than fifty members of the Women in Parliaments Global Forum individually endorsed the international appeal for a UN Parliamentary Assembly that was handed over to a representative of the UN Secretary-General in Brussels.

At the moment, the list of supporters includes 1,281 sitting and former members of parliament from over 100 countries.

Proposal for a UN Parliamentary Assembly presented at forum on "parliaments in global governance"

On Tuesday, 18 February, the Parliamentary Forum on “EU Parliaments in global governance”, hosted by the European Parliament's Vice-Presidents Miguel Angel Martínez and Othmar Karas in Brussels, focused on the "role of parliamentarism in an increasingly connected world" and the question whether "current forms of political representation are adequate to address today's international challenges."

The Co-Chair of the Parliamentary Advisory Group of the Campaign for a UN Parliamentary Assembly, European lawmaker Jo Leinen, introduced the campaign and its proposal at the afternoon session of the conference that was devoted to global parliamentary initiatives. Mr Leinen emphasized that it was no longer sufficient that parliamentarians occasionally participate as observers in government delegations to intergovernmental organizations. Instead, he said that elected representatives should be formally recognized and included at the UN through a new parliamentary body.

Other speakers at the conference who voiced support of the proposal of a UN Parliamentary Assembly included the Member of the European Parliament Silvana Koch-Mehrin who represented the Women in Parliaments Global Forum and Jan Wouters, a professor of international law and director of the Leuven Centre for Global Governance Studies.

The Secretary-General of the Inter-Parliamentary Union, Anders Johnson, complained that in his opinion there are too many inter-parliamentary initiatives. He was skeptical towards the idea of a world parliamentary assembly and said that "national parliaments constitute the cornerstone of an international democratic environment" and that "international negotiations are the prerogative of governments, but under scrutiny of national parliaments."

Speaking at the opening session, Othmar Karas stressed his view that parliamentarians should play a "decisive role" in international organizations.

New statements in support of a United Nations Parliamentary Assembly

In the past five months since we last posted an overview of new supportive statements on a UN Parliamentary Assembly, many more have accumulated.

If you follow this blog, you've already seen some of the extraordinary statements made on the occasion of the 5th International Meeting on a UN Parliamentary Assembly that was held in Brussels in October 2013 which we published here in full, namely from the president of the European Parliament, Martin Schulz, the chair of the Foreign Affairs Commission of the European Parliament, Elmar Brok, and the UN's Independent Expert on a Democratic and Equitable International Order, Alfred de Zayas (by the way, here on Youtube you can watch contributions made by Alfred de Zayas, Hanno Schedler, Antonio Vigilante, and Gerald Häfner at a panel during the conference).

Here are now some of the new sound bites. We begin with a statement from Fernando Iglesias, a former member of parliament from Argentina who was co-chair of the UNPA campaign's  parliamentary advisory group and who now serves as council chair of the World Federalist Movement. According to him,

There are different ways to build a better global order and many initiatives for any of them. But there is only one path towards a democratic global order: a world parliament. The campaign for a UN Parliamentary Assembly currently is the most advanced initiative in existence that works towards this goal.

Last year, the Italian member of parliament Federica Mogherini introduced a motion in the Italian parliament in support of a UN Parliamentary Assembly. We asked her to describe briefly why she endorses the proposal. Here's her statement:

Faced with the globalization of economy and finance, the mounting imbalance in the distribution of wealth, or asymmetric threats to international security, the answer that is provided by the cooperation of nation-states is often no longer enough. There's an increased urgency that political institutions and instruments of participation and democracy also go through a process of globalization. That's why I support the establishment of a UN Parliamentary Assembly.

The parliamentarian and leader of the Norwegian liberal party Venstre, Trine Skei Grande, described her motiviation to support a UNPA as follows:

We are all global citizens. Our mutual challenges are dealt with by a variety of international institutions and forums, unfortunately with varying lack of effectiveness, and varying lack of transparency and democratic participation. Venstre supports the establishment of a UN Parliamentary Assembly in order to increase democratic participation in the world’s most important international institution.

The Vice-President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, Swiss parliamentarian Liliane Maury Pasquier, said that:

The creation of a consultative Parliamentary Assembly at the United Nations would strengthen the legitimacy of the UN and make it breathe some air of democracy. Just like what happens in the Council of Europe, the Parliamentary Assembly could function as the UN's democratic conscience and as an engine for change.

In a written message addressed to the participants of the conference in Brussels, the Minister of Textiles in the Union Government of India, Kavuri Sambasiva Rao, explained:

The UN system as it exists today does not reflect the changing dynamics of the new world order. Minority communities and opinions continue to be neglected. It is essential that a United Nations Parliamentary Asembly comes into place which reflects the vast diversity of this globe. This could result in better collaboration between governments and addresses current concerns like war, poverty, terrorism, drug trafficing etc. in a better manner.

Speaking at the conference, the co-founder and secretary-general of the UNPA campaign, Andreas Bummel, emphasized the idea of an inclusive parliamentary assembly that was also part of the final declaration:

A UN Parliamentary Assembly could be designed in more innovative ways than just as a copy of existing parliaments at the global scale. I conceive of it as a Cosmopolitan Congress that deals with all matters that concern humanity. In addition to elected representatives as core members it could also involve other international parliamentary networks as well as cities and local authorities, civil society, and representatives of indigenous peoples and nations.

The founder of the feminist initiative of Sweden and former member of parliament Gudrun Schyman said that:

A democratic world parliament could strengthen the voice of our world's women who are often marginalized in the forums of male-dominated national governments. A United Nations Parliamentary Assembly would be a decisive step in this direction.

As always, we've posted these and more statements here at Flickr and here on Facebook.

Manifesto for Global Democracy presented in Paris

On Tuesday last week, 31 January, the Manifesto for Global Democracy was presented in Paris at an event held at the university Sciences-Po which was attended by around 150 people including students of political sciences and international relations and several civil society activists.

The speakers included Mr. Boutros Boutros-Ghali, former Secretary-General of the United Nations; Mr. Pascal Lamy, former director of the World Trade Organization; and professors Bertrand Badie (Sciences-Po), Fernando Iglesias (Spinelli Chair, CUIA), Alain Touraine (Ecole des Hautes Etudes en Sciences Sociales) and Heikki Patomäki (University of Helsinki). The discussion focused on global challenges and how institutions that are responsible to deal with them could be structured in a democratic way.

In the beginning, Fernando Iglesias introduced the manifesto and reported on the previous four presentations that were made in London, Rome, San Sebastián and Buenos Aires during 2012 and 2013. Professor Patomäki referred to different proposals for achieving a more democratic global order, pointing out in particular the creation of a Parliamentary Assembly at the United Nations. Alain Touraine stressed that an initiative like this should have a universal character while Pascal Lamy raised doubts about the possibility of achieving democratic representation on a global scale. Mr. Boutros-Ghali related the initiative of the manifesto with the necessary democratic reform of the international system and the UN itself according to the agenda for democratization that he developed during his term as UN Secretary-General. The host, Bertrand Badie, closed the panel by stressing the importance of the concept of global democracy in order to overcome the limits of the global debate that is currently dominated by the controversy between neoliberalism and populist nationalism.

Among other things, the manifesto includes support for "a United Nations Parliamentary Assembly as the embryo of a future World Parliament." The next presentation of the manifesto will take place in the last week of March in Helsinki.

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Presentation of the manifesto in Rome in 2012
Publication of the manifesto in June 2012