Campaign for UN parliament underway:
An international Campaign for a United Nations Parliamentary Assembly (UNPA) has been launched.

During a three-week period in April and May, conferences and press events were held in 12 cities around the world, including Vancouver (April 24) and Ottawa (May 10). By mid-May, 550 political leaders, among them 378 MPs from 70 countries, had signed the International Appeal for a UNPA.

The appeal states that in an age of globalization, citizens need to be vested with a stronger voice in global affairs. The appeal recommends “a gradual implementation of democratic participation and representation on the global level.” To achieve this, the establishment of a consultative UNPA is “an indispensable step.”

Creating a consultative parliamentary assembly as a “subsidiary organ of the present UN General Assembly” would not require reform of the existing UN Charter. Initially, the UNPA could be composed of a representative number of parliamentarians from each national parliament. However, the appeal suggests that over time the assembly should be vested with “genuine rights of information, participation and control” and could eventually be composed of directly elected members. In the long run, the UNPA could evolve into a world parliament.

Organizers were satisfied with the results of the international campaign launch. In addition to the two Canadian cities, launch events were held in Berlin, Berne, Brussels, Buenos Aires, Dar es Salaam, Dhaka, London, Madrid, Mumbai, and Rome. Press coverage varied, with significant national news coverage in the United Kingdom and Switzerland. An international syndicated columnist (Gwynne Dyer) and wire service (UN Wire) helped put the campaign on the map internationally. In Canada, the Vancouver launch was attended by 60 persons and led to articles in five newspapers including the Vancouver Sun. In Ottawa, the press conference was held in a media room in parliament and was covered by two radio stations and an Ottawa tabloid specializing in international issues (Embassy Magazine).

A strongly worded endorsement of the UNPA initiative was provided by former Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali (see below). Dr. Boutros-Ghali is expected to lead in the next phase of the campaign, convening a global conference of parliamentarians in 2008.

More information on the UNPA campaign can be found at the Canadian and International websites at www.unpacampaign.ca and www.unpacampaign.org, or the WFM–Canada site (www.worldfederalistscanada.org).

——————

In a message dated May 16, 2007 from his office, Dr. Boutros-Ghali commented on the campaign to establish a UN Parliamentary Assembly:

“It is with great pleasure that I convey these greetings to the organizations and individuals who have joined forces to advocate for the establishment of a Parliamentary Assembly at the United Nations.

“States and societies everywhere in the world increasingly confront forces far beyond the control of any one state or even group of states. Some of these forces are irresistible, such as the globalization of economic activity and communications. In the process, problems which can only be solved effectively at the global level are multiplying and requirements of political governance are extending beyond state borders accordingly. Increasing decision-making at the global level is inevitable. In this process, however, democracy within the state will diminish in importance if the process of democratization does not move forward at the international level.

“Therefore, we need to promote the democratization of globalization, before globalization destroys the foundations of national and international democracy.

“The establishment of a parliamentary assembly at the United Nations has become an indispensable step to achieve democratic control of globalization. Complementary to international democracy among states, which no less has to be developed, it would foster global democracy beyond states, giving the citizens a genuine voice in world affairs.

“As the campaign’s appeal rightly implies, a United Nations Parliamentary Assembly could also become a catalyst for a comprehensive reform of the international system. In particular,
I would like to point out, it should become a force to provide democratic oversight over the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund and the World Trade Organization.

“We cannot just dream, or wait for someone else to bring our dream about. We must act now. In this sense, I strongly encourage you in your struggle for a United Nations Parliamentary Assembly. Once established, this new body will be a decisive contribution to strengthen democracy at all levels.”