Campaign presented at UK International Law Association conference and UNA UK Bath branch

Gordon Glass, Director of 2020*Vision Ltd. and representative in the international Co-ordinating Committee of the Campaign for a United Nations Parliamentary Assembly, presented a paper on the Campaign to the Spring Conference of the British Branch of the International Law Association hosted by the Sussex Law School at the University of Sussex on 20 and 21 April 2007. The keynote session on the topic was chaired by Jeremy Carver CBE, President of the British Branch. The paper was followed by a discussion which raised a number of questions about the implications of the proposal for a UNPA, especially in relation to state sovereignty. On 23 April Gordon Glass also delivered a presentation to the Bath and District Branch of the United Nations Association.

Probe into UN activities confirms need for parliamentary body

Reacting to UN-Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon's order for a system wide external inquiry into the activities of UN funds and programmes, the Committee for a Democratic UN has reiterated its call for a UN Parliamentary Assembly. The pending probe into UN activities once again confirms the need for a standing independent body able to scrutinize UN operations and to verify allegations such as those now in the air, says the Committee. U.S. officials had alleged that the UNDP's North Korea operation had been run in violation of UN rules for years.

European Parliament Working Group discusses UN Parliament proposal

On Wednesday the EU-UN Working Group of the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the European Parliament dealt with the issue of the establishment a United Nations Parliamentary Assembly (UNPA). On the invitation of the group's chairman, Alexander Graf Lambsdorff, MEP, the chairman of the Committee for a Democratic UN (KDUN) presented the proposal in Strasbourg. During the discussion, Miguel Angel Martínez, MEP and President of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) from 1997-1999, and currently Honorary President of the Union, stressed that the IPU should be the starting point to create a UNPA. However, Martínez admitted that "certain change" at the IPU would be necessary. KDUN also promotes the option of a UNPA as additional institution. The European Parliament has repeatedly supported the establishment of a UNPA, last time in a resolution of June 2005.

President of Rwandan Chamber of Deputies supports UN Parliament proposal

On Monday, 20 November, the assistant of the Committee for a Democratic UN for Rwanda, Christophe Hategekimana, was received by the President of the countries' Chamber of Deputies, Alfred Mukezamfura, to present the proposal of a United Nations Parliamentary Assembly (UNPA). Subsequently, the President of the parliament supported an appeal prepared by the Committee which will be published in April 2007. The establishment of a UNPA is also being endorsed by the former Foreign Minister of Rwanda, Augustine Iyamuremye, the Speaker of the neighboring country Uganda, Edward Sekandi, and the President of the Pan-African Parliament, Gertrude Mongella.

World Federation of United Nations Associations supports UN Parliament proposal

In a resolution adopted on last Friday, 10 November 2006, at its 38th Plenary Assembly the World Federation of United Nations Associations (WFUNA) in Buenos Aires "supports the establishment of a United Nations Parliamentary Assembly". WFUNA is a global non-governmental network of hundreds of thousands of people linked together through United Nations Associations in over 100 member states of the UN. The Committee for a Democratic UN strongly welcomes the resolution and considers WFUNA''s support of the UNPA proposal as a very significant and important step in this cause.

UN-Reform is more than Security Council expansion: de Cuellar

At a high-level "Cafe Crossfire" organized by Friends of Europe in Brussels, former UN Secretary-General Javier Perez de Cuellar stressed that the reform of the United Nations can not be reduced to the question of Security Council reform. Economic and social questions are just as important said de Cuellar, who held the top job at the UN from 1982 to 1991. Co-panelists Andreas Bummel, chairman of the Committee for a Democratic UN, and Reed Brody, Counsel at Human Rights Watch, focussed on citizen participation and human rights respectively. While Bummel stressed the need for the establishment of a United Nations Parliamentary Assembly, Brody expressed doubts about the effectiveness of the new Human Rights Council at the UN. During the debate de Cuellar demonstrated support for the cause of a UN Parliamentary Assembly.

Parliamentary Assembly at the UN: Frequently Asked Questions now online

In a compilation now published, the Committee for a Democratic UN (KDUN) has collected more than 30 of the most common questions being posed regarding the proposal to establish a United Nations Parliamentary Assembly (UNPA). This collection follows the publication and distribution of KDUN's strategy paper on the issue.

UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan welcomes initiative for UN Parliament

At a meeting with the Commission on Foreign Affairs of the Swiss National Council on Monday in New York, UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan has welcomed the idea of a Parliamentary Assembly at the UN (UNPA). According to media reports, however, Annan also referred to difficulties such a body would entail. He also expressed doubts whether the governments in the United Nations would be interested in establishing a parliamentary body. Before the meeting, Swiss deputy Andi Gross had called for more say of parliaments at the UN in a message delivered to the General Assembly. The proposal to establish a UNPA was put forward more than a year ago in an open letter of over 100 Swiss deputies addressed to Annan.

Meeting in Berne discusses campaign for UN Parliamentary Assembly

For the fourth time since December 2005, representatives of the Committee for a Democratic UN, the Society for Threatened Peoples Switzerland and 2020*Vision Ltd. met to discuss the design of an international campaign for the establishment of a United Nations Parliamentary Assembly (UNPA). At the recent meeting in Berne on 9-10 October it was decided to prepare for the campaign to be launched in 2007.

South Africa: Meetings with MPs on UN Parliamentary Assembly

During a visit to South Africa the Vice-Chairperson of the Committee for a Democratic UN (KDUN), Claudia Kissling, met with parliamentarians from the two South African chambers. MPs from the governing ANC as well as from the opposition parties DA, ID and the UDM joined KDUN's proposal to establish a United Nations Parliamentary Assembly (UNPA) and signed a respective appeal. They especially emphasized the need for a UNPA from an African perspective. In the picture: Claudia Kissling and Kgoshi Mokoena, Chairperson of the Select Committee On Security and Constitutional Affairs, National Council of Provinces.