More than 1,250 sitting and former lawmakers from over 100 countries and hundreds of renowned personalities from politics, science, cultural life and civil society have signed an international appeal urging the United Nations and its member states "to establish a Parliamentary Assembly at the United Nations."
On Thursday, the appeal and the list of signatories was officially presented to the representative .
The appeal that is also endorsed by around 400 professors from 50 countries states that "to cope with major challenges such as social disparity, proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, the threat of terrorism or the endangerment of global ecosystems, all human beings must engage in collaborative efforts." It says that "people must be more effectively and directly included into the activities of the United Nations and its international organizations" and recommends "a gradual implementation of democratic participation and representation at the global level." The appeal was originally launched in 2007 and is open for endorsement on a continuing basis.
During the presentation, the co-chair of the international campaign for a UN Parliamentary Assembly and member of the European Parliament, Jo Leinen, pointed out that "the daily lives of the world’s citizens are increasingly shaped by economic, social and political forces that transcend national boundaries." A UN Parliamentary Assembly would "enable citizen representatives to be directly involved in global political deliberations, agenda-setting, and decision-making."
The Secretary-General of the campaign, Andreas Bummel, stressed that the UN would benefit from the inclusion of elected representatives as it would bring the world organization closer to the world's citizens. He recalled that the establishment of a UN Parliamentary Assembly has been endorsed by the European Parliament, the Pan-African Parliament, and the Latin-American Parliament, among others.
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