14 November 2008

Senate of Argentina declares support for creation of UN Parliamentary Assembly

On November 5th, the Senate of the Republic of Argentina became the first national parliament in the world to adopt a declaration unconditionally calling for the establishment of a United Nations Parliamentary Assembly (UNPA) "in order to strengthen the effectiveness, transparency, representativeness, plurality and legitimacy of the resolutions of the institutions that compose the UN system." In a rationale provided by Senator Sonia Escudero, it is argued that "establishing such an institution would be a decisive step in the democratic consolidation of the UN system. Without the need to change any of the 111 articles of the UN Charter, an Assembly of this range can create an important link between the United Nations, its agencies, national governments and parliaments, and civil society."

The assembly would be an advisory body that would review the activities of the UN and its agencies and give elected representatives for the first time direct representation at the global level. The Campaign for the Establishment of a UN Parliamentary Assembly, a global network of parliamentarians and non-governmental organizations launched in April 2007, however, aspires that a UNPA would eventually develop into a "world parliament" vested with distinctive rights and functions.

"The support given by the Senate of the República Argentina to the creation of a United Nations Parliamentary Assembly constitutes a historic milestone within an incredibly successful campaign. We expect that further parliaments will join our efforts to democratize globalization by globalizing democracy," said Fernando Pedrosa, President of Democracia Global, a non-governmental organization in Argentina which coordinates the activities of the campaign in the country.

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