BERLIN, Germany, Jan 20 (IPS) – With democracy under pressure around the world and confidence in international law declining, a new global survey shows that citizens in a large majority of countries support the idea of creating a citizen-elected world parliament to tackle global problems.
The survey, commissioned by Democracy Without Borders and conducted in 101 countries representing 90% of the world’s population, shows that 40% of respondents support the proposal, while only 27% are against. It is the largest survey conducted on this topic to date.
Support is strongest in the countries of the South, especially in sub-Saharan Africa, and among groups that are often underrepresented in national political systems: young people, ethnic minorities and people with lower incomes or education levels. In 85 of the 101 countries surveyed, more respondents support the idea than oppose it.
“The message is clear: people around the world are ready to expand democratic representation to a global scale,” said Andreas Bummel, executive director of Democracy Without Borders. “This research shows that there is a growing global constituency that wants a voice in decisions that affect humanity as a whole,” he added.
The findings come at a time when the international system is coming under increasing pressure from climate change, war, geopolitical conflict, authoritarian resurgence and stalled global cooperation. The results suggest that many citizens – especially in less powerful countries – see a world parliament as a path to fairer and more effective global governance.
In countries with limited political freedoms, support for a world parliament is particularly strong. According to Democracy Without Borders, this points to the public perception that global democratic institutions can also help promote democracy at home.
A remarkable 33% of respondents worldwide took a neutral stance, indicating unfamiliarity with the concept. An analysis of the research results shows that this indicates a wide open space for public involvement. If the idea gains more visibility, support could grow substantially, the report says.
“The international system created in the last century to prevent war and mass violence is built on the United Nations. But many UN member states do not represent their people. They represent oppressive authoritarian elites who have seized power.
The proposed vision of a world parliament elected by citizens could be a crucial step in the discussion on building a more democratic world order,” said Oleksandra Matviichuk, head of the Nobel Peace Prize-winning Center for Civil Liberties in Ukraine.
According to the research, net opposition in individual countries is most concentrated in high-income democracies. “This is not a rejection of democracy. It is a reminder that privilege can lead to complacency, and that those who benefit from existing arrangements may underestimate how urgently innovation is needed,” said George Papandreou, Greek MP and former Prime Minister.
Democracy without bordersan international civil society organization, advocates the establishment of a United Nations Parliamentary Assembly as a step towards a democratic world parliament. The organization says the survey results reinforce the urgency for democratic governments to consider this long-standing proposal.
IPS UN Office
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