Summary
While the Inter-Parliamentary Union has increasingly claimed for itself the space of a United Nations ‘parliamentary dimension,’ questions persist around whether it can fully play important representation and oversight roles at the global level. On balance, it is concluded here, a standing, initially consultative UN parliamentary assembly would be the better option, with the IPU serving as a complementary institution. A key interim step toward developing a standing parliamentary body could be the creation of a Parliamentary Network on the United Nations.
About the author
Luis Cabrera graduated with a PhD in Political Science from the University of Washington in 2001, after an earlier career as a staff reporter for The Associated Press in Seattle and Spokane, Washington. He taught at Arizona State University from 2002-2007, and the University of Birmingham (UK) from 2007-2014. He joined Griffith University in July 2014. He has written widely on issues of global justice and global citizenship, and on ethical issues arising around migration and economic integration between states. His current work is focused on diversity within existing and potential practices of trans-state democracy, and on much longer-term prospects for comprehensive global political integration. He serves as Vice-President of the international professional association Academics Stand Against Poverty www.academicsstand.org.
