The 2015 Global Week of Action for a World Parliament celebrated its 3rd appointment on October 15-25, featuring activities around the planet in support of a democratic World Parliament. Around 40 smaller and larger actions were organized on all inhabited continents, from North and South America to Asia and Oceania. Most of the activities took place during the actual ‘week’, others some time before or after.
The first photo action for a World Parliament was organized in September during the Ventotene International seminar organized by the Altiero Spinelli Institute for Federalist Studies. In Buenos Aires, a teleconference on the subject of a United Nations Parliament was organized at the Argentine Council on International Relations (CARI). The speakers of the meeting were Andreas Bummel, coordinator of the Campaign for a UN Parliamentary Assembly, Fernando Iglesias, co-chair of the campaign, and former Argentina ambassador Raúl Ricardes. Mr. Bummel introduced the debate by outlining the most important arguments for the creation of a parliamentary body at the UN as a response to the global democratic deficit. Mr. Iglesias gave an overview of the apparent contradictions between globalization and the democratic process, noting that democracy was lagging behind and needed to advance to the global scale. He ended his presentation by stressing that ‘global problems need global institutional solutions.’ Ambassador Raúl Ricardes concluded with an analysis of the proposal for a UN Parliamentary Assembly, noting that the body would have to be a subsidiary organ of the General Assembly since it would be ‘very hard, if not impossible’ to achieve a Charter reform.
In Minneapolis, a conference titled ‘Creating a Workable World’ was organized at the University of Minnesota’s Humphrey School of Public Affairs. The discussions of the conference included, among many other subjects, the proposal to establish a United Nations Parliamentary Assembly (UNPA). During the conference, there was a photo action in support of a World Parliament.
Many photo actions and flash mobs during the Global Week of Action were organized also in different cities in Italy –such as Genova, Rome, Taranto (before a meeting on sustainable development and COP 21) and Verona; as well as in the United States, in cities like Boston, Cincinnati and New York. Other photo events took place in Australia, Germany, Japan, Pakistan, Russia, Sweden and in Thailand. During the broadcast of Radio Cooperativa (Italy) titled ‘Europe of citizens’ the appeal ‘Let the people decide - World Parliament now!’ was integrally read.
In Sweden, a seminar on the topic of a World Parliament was held at the premises of the Parliament of Sweden, hosted by MPs from five different parties, both governing and opposition. Folke Tersman, professor of practical philosophy at the University of Uppsala, gave a lecture. He said: ‘We have global common challenges. Then we should also be able to take decisions on sound, common, solutions.’ A key tool to achieve this would be the gradual development of a parliament within the United Nations, Mr Tersman pointed out. Such World Parliament would also serve to protect human beings from destructive interests. ‘Why should all citizens of the world be able to take part in global decision making? Because we are all vulnerable and affected by these decisions, for example on how we should deal with global warming,’ Mr Tersman stated.
The Campaign for a UN Parlimentary Assembly was also presented at the College of Europe - Natolin (Poland). In Ahero, Kenya, the CHEAD youth club organized a clean up day to improve the local environment as a way to mark their support for a World Parliament.
A full selection of stories and photos can be found on the Global Week of Action website. The struggle for international democracy and universal political equality will continue next year in October 2016 for the 4th Global Week of Action.
Author: Nicola Vallinoto
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