Global Democracy and a UN Parliamentary Assembly

Resolution

The Global Greens Congress:

1. Reaffirms its condemnation of all dictatorships and regimes which deny human rights and re-emphasize their commitment to representative and participatory democracy as expressed in point 12 of the declaration on 21 Commitments for the 21st Century adopted at the preceding Global Greens Congress 2008 in Sao Paulo, Brazil.

2. Recognizes that the need to strengthen democracy and participation in the system of global governance has become urgent. The ongoing attempt of some governments to implement a potentially far-reaching multinational treaty for the purpose of establishing international standards for intellectual property rights enforcement (the so-called Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement ACTA) without any meaningful public consultation and discussion makes it evident that parliaments, elected representatives, citizen groups and the public need to be involved early in international agenda-setting and rule-making.

3. Notes that organizations such as the European Union, the Pan-African Parliament, the Mercosur Community, the Arab League, the Council of Europe and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe include parliamentary assemblies as treaty organs in order to involve elected representatives in their work.

4. Takes note of the fact that no parliamentary body exists within the framework of the United Nations, the World Bank group, the International Monetary Fund or the World Trade Organization. We believe that the lack of parliamentary representation in these organizations strongly contributes to the international democratic deficit.

5. Reaffirms its support for the creation of a United Nations Parliamentary Assembly (UNPA) as a parliamentary body within the UN system that is complementary to the UN General Assembly. As a first step it should be composed of representatives of national parliaments but ultimately it should become a body that is directly elected by the world’s citizens.

6. Notes that in a first step the creation of a UNPA does not require a change of the UN Charter. It could be established by the UN General Assembly according to Article 22 of the Charter or through a new intergovernmental treaty.

7. Calls upon Greens around the world to participate in the international campaign for a UNPA.

8. Calls also upon the Green members of parliament to be active in their national parliaments to promote the goal of a UNPA.

9. Invites the Global Greens Secretariat, working in consultation with the International Secretariat of the UNPA Campaign, to prepare a report on the various issues involved in establishing a UN Parliamentary Assembly, and report back to Federations within 12 months.