A World Parliament: Governance and Democracy in the 21st Century

Apr 25, 2018 | Defense and Military, Essay & Opinion, World Parliament | 77 comments

unpa campaign

Campaign for a United Nations Parliamentary Assembly

Now Published

An event on 11 April 2018 hosted at the UN in New York marked the publication of the book “A World Parliament: Governance and Democracy in the 21st Century” authored by Jo Leinen, a Member of the European Parliament, and Andreas Bummel, Director of Democracy Without Borders.
The book describes the history, relevance and practical steps to implement a democratic world parliament as centerpiece of a peaceful, just and sustainable world community. For more than ten years, Jo Leinen and Andreas Bummel have been at the forefront of the international campaign for a United Nations Parliamentary Assembly that is endorsed by politicians, former UN officials, distinguished scholars, cultural innovators, representatives of civil society organizations, and many committed citizens from all walks of life in 150 countries.
First Review
In a first review the American professor emeritus of international law at Princeton University Richard Falk strongly recommended the book and called it “a great gift to humanity at a time of global emergency.”

Experts Say

Experts who had an opportunity to read an advance copy included Frank Biermann, chair of the Earth System Governance project and professor at Utrecht University. According to Biermann, the book represents “the new standard work on the idea of a world parliament” and “a milestone in the debate on the democratization of global governance.”

The 1st Part

of the book explores the philosophical foundations of cosmopolitanism and a world parliament since ancient times and traces the history of the idea and of the attempts to bring it about from the French Revolution to the present day. For the first time, there is a detailed account of the efforts for the creation of a United Nations Parliamentary Assembly.

The 2nd Part

sets the issue in the context of today’s global challenges such as climate change and planetary boundaries, the management of public goods, the stability of the financial system, combating tax evasion, terrorism and organized crime, disarmament, and protecting human rights. The construction of global democracy also plays a decisive role in combating hunger, poverty and inequality and in global water policy. There is an overarching narrative that describes the dysfunctions and failings of today’s international order.

The 3rd Part

discusses a possible path and scenarios towards the realization of a world parliament and the transition to a democratic world order. The book takes a pragmatic approach and suggests that the establishment of a consultative United Nations Parliamentary Assembly represents a first step that is long overdue.

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