Elizabeth May, Green World Congress Call for UN Parliamentary Assembly

SÃO PAULO - Green Party of Canada leader Elizabeth May has joined with Green Party delegates from around the world to pass a resolution calling for "the establishment of a UN Parliamentary Assembly" to reduce the "international democratic deficit." Representatives of green parties and movements from over 80 countries gathered in Sao Paulo last weekend for the second Global Greens Congress. "Governments mainly care about advancing their national interests," Ms. May commented. "By contrast, a UN Parliamentary Assembly could help to promote the global common interest. The resolution adopted by the congress underlines that the green movement is convinced that a dialogue is needed on the notion of a bi-cameral system at the UN." The Global Greens are the third major international party network to endorse the proposal for a UN Parliamentary Assembly, following the Liberal International and the Socialist International. The support of the Global Greens adds momentum to an international campaign for the establishment of a UN Parliamentary Assembly which was launched in April 2007. The campaign is backed by more than 450 members of parliament and over 100 nongovernmental organizations from around the world. Recent Canadian endorsers include Roméo Dallaire, Flora MacDonald, John Turner, David Suzuki, John Polanyi, Ed Broadbent and Lloyd Axworthy. The Committee for a Democratic U.N., an NGO based in Berlin, Germany, acts as the UNPA campaign's international secretariat. The World Federalist Movement-Canada (WFM-C) is the Canadian affiliate. CONTACT: Elizabeth May, Leader, Green Party of Canada, Phone (613) 240-8921, Email debra@greenparty.ca Fergus Watt, WFM-C Executive Director, Phone (613) 232-0647 Email wfcnat@web.ca Andreas Bummel, Executive Chairman, Committee for a Democratic U.N., Phone +27 827 610 979, Email bummel@kdun.org MORE INFORMATION ON THE INTERNET: 2nd Global Greens Congress: http://www.globalgreens.org.br Committee for a Democratic UN: http://www.kdun.org Campaign for a UN Parliamentary Assembly: http://www.unpacampaign.org