In a lecture on "The United Nations
Organization and the Imperatives of International Democracy," the
President of the International Progress Organization, Dr. Hans Koechler,
called for a comprehensive democratic reform of the United Nations
Organization and for a stronger role of the European Union in that process.
He presented, inter alia, the proposal of the Committee for a
Democratic UN (CDUN) for the establishment of a United Parliamentary
Assembly on the basis of Art. 22 of the UN Charter. According to Dr.
Koechler's analysis, the proposal of the UN-appointed High-level Panel
on Threats, Challenges and Change under the chairmanship of Anand
Panyarachun (Thailand) for the enlargement of the membership of the
Security Council from 15 to 24 member states does not address the basic
issue of democratic legitimacy of that body as long as the veto right of
the five permanent members is not put into question.
The lecture was delivered on 1 December at
the European Public Debate on "The European Union and the Reform of the
United Nations." The meeting was organized by the Union of European
Federalists (UEF) at the European Parliament in Brussels. Statements were
made by Mr. Armin Laschet, Member of the European Parliament,
Rapporteur on the Relations between the EU and the UN; Mr. Fernando
Valenzuela Marzo, Deputy Director-General of External Relations of the
European Commission; and Ms. Irune Aguirrezabal-Quijera of the
World Federalist Movement. The debate was chaired by the Secretary-General
of the Union of European Federalists, Mr. Bruno Boissière.
The meeting was attended by members of the
European Parliament, diplomats and representatives of international NGOs.
Following the meeting, Dr. Hans Koechler met
with UEF Vice-Presidents Alojz Peterle, member of the European
Parliament and former Prime Minister of Slovenia, and Philipp Agathonos
(Austria).
-
The United Nations and
International Democracy: The Quest for Reform
-
I.P.O. papers and resolutions on
UN reform and the advancement of international law
-
Union of European Federalists (UEF)
-
Committee for a Democratic United Nations (CDUN)
END/The European Union and the Reform of the
United Nations/2004-12-03/P/RE/18965c-is