Background Paper #1, October 2008

by Andreas Bummel

Proponents of the establishment of a UN Parliamentary Assembly are often faced with the argument that the “parliamentary dimension” of the UN is already provided by the Inter-Parliamentary Union – the umbrella organization of national parliaments. This analysis examines the similarities, differences and relations between the IPU and the proposed parliamentary assembly. It concludes that there are fundamental differences and that both bodies are not mutally exclusive. A UNPA would not replace or duplicate the IPU. It is supposed to play a role that the IPU neither has, nor currently aspires.

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