Program Areas

Program Areas

Advancing the common interest of humanity

Campaign for a UN Parliamentary Assembly

The UN serves member states

Consider climate change. We have known for over 30 years that carbon emissions need to be reduced, yet we have failed to take effective action, risking environmental catastrophe. Why? Because the United Nations seeks consensus amongst almost 200 competing member states, a recipe for doing too little, too late.

A UNPA serves global citizens

A United Nations Parliamentary Assembly (UNPA) would give a voice to citizen-elected representatives and would make decisions in people’s best interest. For example, living sustainably is unquestionably in the collective interest of humanity, even if it may not be in the interest of any one nation to lead the way.  

An incremental approach

Initially, UNPA members could come from national parliaments. In the long run they should all be directly elected. Starting as a largely consultative body, the rights and powers of the UNPA could be expanded over time as its democratic character increases. Eventually it would become a real world parliament.

Join the global campaign

Democracy Without Borders coordinates the campaign for a UNPA supported by numerous civil society organizations, as well as individuals from 150 countries, among them over 1,600 current and former members of parliament and numerous distinguished personalities from all walks of life. Join them here.

Civil society statement

A UN Parliamentary Assembly is one of three demands of the “We The Peoples” campaign for inclusive global governance launched in April 2021 and endorsed by over 200 organizations and networks. 

Main partners
Award

The Campaign for a UN Parliamentary Assembly received the 2nd prize in the NGO category of The Good Lobby Awards 2019, “symbolizing the sort of democratic innovations the world urgently needs.”

News and developments in this campaign

Global People’s Assembly addresses demands to UN member states
While heads of states and governments meet in New York for the annual general debate of the United Nations, Global Call to Action Against Poverty (GCAP) hosted an alternative online
DWB | 23.09.2022
Lawmakers from over 40 countries call for an inclusive and democratic UN
In a statement published on Wednesday, 26 January 2022, over 120 sitting parliamentarians from more than 40 countries and six continents call on the United Nations and its member governments
DWB | 26.01.2022
Virtual assembly adopts declaration, addresses demands to the UN
Global Call to Action Against Poverty (GCAP) hosted an online Global People’s Assembly from 21 to 23 September 2021, in parallel to a high-level segment of the UN General Assembly
George Blundell | 19.10.2021
Join the Week for World Parliament in October
Join this year’s Week for World Parliament from October 21-28 2021 and support the call for the establishment of a world parliament that will give representation and political power to
Petter Ölmunger | 29.09.2021