Study: Creation of a world parliament "in full harmony with papal doctrine"

On 7 July 2009 Pope Benedict XVI published his first social encyclical called "Caritas in Veritate", charity in truth. In this writing, the Pope contemplated on the nature and consequences of globalization, the global economic crisis and the world order. Benedict XVI stressed the importance of a reform of the United Nations Organization and of international economic and financial institutions. "There is urgent need of a true world political authority," the Pope proclaimed. According to a study published today by the Committee for a Democratic U.N. (KDUN) in Germany, "it is possible to derive from catholic social doctrine the creation of a democratic world legislative which, in particular, has the task to exercise oversight over the executive world authority."

"The establishment of an effective political world authority has been continously advocated by the Holy See since Pope Pius XII in the 1950s and was now again reiterated by Benedict XVI. On this occasion we wanted to look at this concept more closely", Andreas Bummel, Chairman of KDUN and one of the paper's co-authors said. The world order model included in Papal social teaching traced by Mr Bummel and his co-author Maja Brauer, a KDUN board member, is based on principles like subsidiarity, federalism, relative sovereignty of states, human dignity, common welfare of all, democracy and separation of powers. "All this together results in a relatively clear picture of how the Catholic Church's vision of a future world order looks like," Bummel said. Added his colleague, Maja Brauer: "It's a world federalist model."

According to KDUN, the paper's conclusions are particularly relevant to the international Campaign for the Establishment of a United Nations Parliamentary Assembly (UNPA) which was launched two years ago. Proponents of a UNPA argue that it could start as a consultative body and then gradually develop into a fully-fledged global parliament. As the study claims, this program "is in full harmony with papal doctrine."

Encyclicals such as "Caritas in Veritate" are much noticed Papal statements which are generally used to deal with issues which have high priority for the Church.

Former WTO Director-General endorses creation of a UN Parliamentary Assembly

In a comment published today, the former Director General of the World Trade Organization (WTO) and former Prime Minister of New Zealand, Mike Moore, has spoken out for the creation of a United Nations Parliamentary Assembly (UNPA). "The global architecture is in need of refurbishing. It is necessary to build democratic principles into global governance," said Moore who was also Member of Parliament for the New Zealand Labour Party for over 20 years. During his term at the WTO from 1999 to 2002, Moore gave particular attention to helping poor countries participate more effectively in the multilateral trading system. He actively supported global parliamentary meetings on international trade and thus contributed to the formation of the Parliamentary Conference on the WTO in 2003 which is jointly organized by the Inter-Parliamentary Union and the European Parliament. In his recent statement Moore highlights the ongoing "trend of the globalization of public policy issues" and points out that "informal ways of involving elected representatives in international institutions are no longer sufficient. A bolder step is necessary. The creation of a UN Parliamentary Assembly composed of national legislators could be part of the solution." According to Moore, a UNPA could help to make "our irreplaceable international instutions more relevant and answerable to the people."

The view that parliamentary involvement in international affairs needs to be strengthened by the establishment of a formal body is by now shared by a wide range of political institutions and opinion leaders. The European Parliament, for instance, not only endorses the creation of a UNPA; in a resolution adopted in April 2008 it stressed "the need to create a WTO parliamentary assembly with consultative powers, given the WTO’s lack of democratic accountability and legitimacy." According to former United Nations Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali a separate body for the WTO would not be necessary because a UNPA at the same time could act as a body which also provides for "democratic oversight over the World Bank, the IMF and the WTO." On the occasion of the G8 Summit in London in April 2009, the Campaign for the Establishment of a UNPA, a global network of parliamentarians and non-governmental organizations, claimed that a UNPA " should be an important part of the renewed system of international financial and economic governance."

Campaign supporters at Facebook team up

Hundreds of members of the social media platform Facebook have teamed up in support of the establishment of a United Nations Parliamentary Assembly (UNPA). Around 1.000 have subscribed to a Facebook group which promotes this goal. Says Tony Fleming, one of the group founders: "Platforms such as Facebook are an excellent and easy way for people all over the world who share a common goal to get into touch. Our group has attracted many new supporters recently and we're only at the beginning." The campaign which coordinates pro-UNPA efforts internationally encourages its supporters to link up in social media networks and to promote the campaign there. "We will use Facebook in particular to facilitate a decentralized exchange among supporters and to strengthen the flow of information," says Andreas Bummel who leads the campaign's Secretariat. For this purpose supporters are now able to join a new Campaign page at Facebook which allows for informal communication and discussions.

Documentary film on world referendum presented

What would ordinary people around the world say if they would be asked whether they would wish to participate in a global referendum? Would they agree that every person on the planet should have an equal vote in such an exercise of global democracy? And is it actually possible to accomplish the logistical requirements? These are the main questions which filmmaker Joel Marsden pursues in his documentary "World Vote Now" which was premiered in Madrid at the beginning of this month. Shots for the 77-minute film were taken in 26 countries over a period of eight years. The first part of the film deals with national elections and the different state of democracy in the world. It includes, in particular, impressions from the constitutional referenda in the Democratic Republic of Congo in December 2005 and in Venezuela in December 2007 or from local elections in Kashmir and parliamentary elections in Iran.

"The fundamental and simple idea behind the film is that if democracy is such a beneficial way to improve the governance and development of so many countries and their people, why not try it at the global level as well?" said Marsden after a presentation in Berlin on 25 June. "After all the encounters we had during the development of the film I am convinced that there is broad support in the world for having a first global ballot. Many people do not think that sufficient efforts are made in the interest of the global common good, for example to improve the livelihood of the poorest in the world. They would highly welcome the opportunity to express this sentiment in a vote, as citizens of the world," the filmmaker stated. In fact Marsden plans to pursue the project further and to make a global referendum a reality.

"The film appeals to emotions and rises a feeling of solidarity. It is wonderfully suited to make the idea of global democracy known to a broader public. The documentary will most certainly ignite debates which go beyond a world referendum as the movie's actual focus, for example on the idea of a world parliament. We therefore hope that as many people as possible will have the opportunity to see it," said Andreas Bummel, Chairperson of the Committee for a Democratic U.N. and leader of the Secretariat of the Campaign for the Establishment of a United Nations Parliamentary Assembly (CEUNPA).

Boutros-Ghali: Parliamentary Assembly inevitable to democratize Global Governance

In a comment published at OpenDemocracy, former UN Secretary General Boutros Boutros-Ghali makes the case for the establishment of a Parliamentary Assembly at the United Nations. In order to fight global crises more effectively, a "direct democratic connection between the world's citizens and the world's governance needs to be created," says Boutros-Ghali. In the article he refers to the expansion of democracy at the national level throughout the world and that now emerging states from the South are increasingly included in global intergovernmental deliberations. By contrast to that, Boutros-Ghali says, "a third dimension of democratization is almost completely neglected: Developing global democracy beyond states."

Committee for a World Parliament joins global campaign

The Committee for a World Parliament (COPAM), based in Paris, has joined the Campaign for the Establishment of a United Nations Parliamentary Assembly (CEUNPA). The decision followed on a meeting of COPAM President, Olivier Giscard d'Estaing (in the picture), and the Head of the CEUNPA Secretariat, Andreas Bummel, in Paris. COPAM was established in 1995 in order to build support for the creation of a world parliament. The organization's Honorary Committee includes over 20 personalities, most of whom are former heads of state or government. COPAM and the CEUNPA Secretariat agreed on collaborating in specific areas. "The objective to create a world parliament is demanding and complex. However, I believe that eventually it will be achieved. Still, to make this possible, it is important that all like-minded institutions, groups and individuals in the world work together and coordinate their activities. That's one of the purposes of the Campaign for the Establishment of a UN Parliamentary Assembly. We are therefore pleased to join this network," Mr Giscard d'Estaing stated. "Regarding the details of the proposal I would like to highlight that from our point of view future delegates of a global parliamentary assembly initially could be appointed by national parliaments. However, we believe that the delegates do not necessarily need to be elected MPs themselves. The cumulation of the global mandate with another parliamentary mandate at the national level would be to the disadvantage of the former," Mr Giscard d'Estaing added.

Among the personalities who supported COPAM are Andreas van Agt, former Prime Minister of the Netherlands, Jacques Delors, former President of the European Commission, Sonia Gandhi, President of the Congress Party of India, Valéry Giscard d'Estaing, former President of France, Felipe Gonzalez, former President of Spain, Nelson Mandela, former President of South Africa, Shimon Peres, former Prime Minister of Israel, Mario Soares, former President of Portugal and Gaston Thorn, former Prime Minister of Luxemburg.

Event in Delhi: "India could play a significant role in a UN Parliamentary Assembly"

A public meeting in New Delhi on the establishment of a United Nations Parliamentary Assembly (UNPA) was held in the heart of the power centre of Indian democracy, at the Constitution Club in New Delhi, hardly a kilometer from the Indian Parliament building on 28 March.

After the participants were welcomed by UNPA-Campaign India Coordinator Ms Sonal Kellogg, Dr James Williams Arputharaj, President of the South Asian Federalists explained that the globe is facing a financial crisis mainly due to the fact that there isn’t an effective global governance system in place. "In order to remedy the situation, stimulus packages alone will not help, we need to redefine a new mechanism of global governance," said Arputharaj. The veto power in the Security Council is seen as undemocratic by many, he observed. “India, though unsuccessful in getting a permanent seat in the Security Council, could view the creation of a UN Parliamentary Assembly with optimism, considering its rich tradition in parliamentary democracy. In addition, as the world's largest democracy, it could play a significant role in a UNPA.” He further elaborated on the UNPA concept and how the campaign is moving ahead.

Ms Kellogg reported on recent meetings with Indian parliamentarians. She explained that four MPs from diverse political parties and from different regions in India recently expressed their support, including Najma Heptullah who was the President of the Inter-Parliamentarian Union from 1999-2002.

Later at the discussion, participants asked questions on the viability of the campaign and the rationale behind establishing yet another body at the UN, among other things. Dr Arputharaj explained that a UNPA would not simply be a new body. "A UNPA would be the first body in human history to directly represent the world population at the world level," he said.

Call on world leaders: Global parliament to exert "oversight" of international system

Three days prior to the gathering of world leaders in London to address the global financial crisis, politicians, academics and representatives of civil society organizations from 61 countries have issued a joint statement calling for the establishment of a United Nations Parliamentary Assembly. The proposal is in line with similar recommendations already passed by the European Parliament, the Pan-African Parliament, the Latin-American Parliament and the Senate of Argentina.

"The establishment of a United Nations Parliamentary Assembly should be an important part of the renewed system of international financial and economic governance," the document stipulates. According to the statement, this global parliamentary forum could initially be created as a consultative body. It suggests, however, that "in the long run", the parliament "could exercise genuine global oversight over the system's institutions."

The list of signatories to the "Call for Global Democratic Oversight of International Financial and Economic Institutions" includes 140 members of parliament and numerous former government ministers, among them Hans Eichel who served as German Minister of Finance from 1999-2005.

The request is also backed by former United Nations Secretary General Boutros Boutros-Ghali from Egypt. "At this critical juncture we urge the United Nations and the governments of its member states to support the establishment of a United Nations Parliamentary Assembly in their deliberations on the reform of international monetary, financial and economic institutions," Mr Boutros-Ghali stressed.

The statement notes, among other things, that the new body could "monitor the interlinkage and impact of the system's financial and economic policies in other fields such as sustainable development, food supply, education, health or eradication of poverty."

Panel in Washington D.C. debates Global Parliament

During its annual meeting March 19-21 in Washington D.C., Citizens for Global Solutions (CGS) presented a plenary session to discuss the topic, “Is the World Ready for a Parliamentary Assembly?” organized by CGS’s think tank, the World Federalist Institute. The panel consisted of four speakers: Faye Leone, Program Officer for International Democratic Governance at the World Federalist Movement; Jeffrey Laurenti, Senior Fellow and Director of Foreign Policy Programs at the Century Foundation; Andrew Strauss, Professor of International Law at Widener University’s School of Law; and Fernando Iglesias, Member of Parliament, Argentinian Low Chamber. The moderator for the session was Joseph Schwartzberg, Professor Emeritus in Geography at the University of Minnesota.

Ms. Leone gave a brief history of the movement to create a United Nations Parliamentary Assembly (UNPA) and pointed out the key tension between the size of a parliamentary assembly and the size of the constituencies represented. Then, Mr. Laurenti expressed his skepticism about a global UNPA being successful. His key objection was that if more than half of the world operates under non-democratic regimes, what authority would a UNPA possess and why should serious policy makers even participate?

Dr. Strauss stated that the international status quo does not represent people and therefore lacks the authority to deal effectively with global threats like nuclear annihilation. Acknowledging Laurenti’s point that initially a UNPA would lack decision-making power, Strauss argued that by representing citizens it would acquire more authority which would ultimately lead to political power. Pursuing the same logic, Mr. Iglesias used the Spanish word “parlamento” which is derived from the Latin root “to speak,” to emphasize that parliament is a place where discussion occurs, even if action cannot immediately follow. He then recited several cases in history when social change seemed impossible, such as the eradication of slavery, but eventually was achieved through public debate and political pressure.

Proposal for UN Parliamentary Assembly presented at Renmin University of China

The proposal for the establishment of a United Nations Parliamentary Assembly (UNPA) and the international campaign for a UNPA was presented at events at Renmin University of China in Beijing. Dr. Robert Sheppard, Professor at Tsinghua University and member of the Advisory Board of the Committee for a Democratic U.N., delivered speeches on the topic in last October and, more recently, on 11th March. The speeches were attended by students, professors, news media and professionals from the Chinese capital and the academic community. The reception of the UNPA proposal was very positive and scholars and students were quite interested to learn more about a concept that was largely new and unfamiliar to them. "To illustrate the concept of a consultative UN Parliamentary Assembly it is possible to give the example of the China People's Political Consultative Committee which acts as a kind of advisory upper house of the legislature," Dr. Sheppard stated.

Dr. Sheppard also pointed out that the National People's Congress of China, nominally China's highest state body, is composed of around 3,000 delegates who meet for two weeks each year. Between these annual sessions business is maintained by a Standing Committee of around 150 delegates. "A similar procedure, with a large plenary which meets only once a year and a smaller standing Committee, might be applicable to a UN Parliamentary Assembly as well," Dr. Sheppard suggested.

The recent event in March initiated a student's project group in Beijing which will undertake translation and promotion work. Besides of the aforementioned events, Dr. Sheppard in past months also spoke on the creation of a global parliament at the Model United Nations program at Renmin University and the Beijing Foreign Studies University.