A UN World Citizens’ Initiative
Enabling people to put forward proposals for UN action
#WorldCitizensInitiative
We are all connected
Pandemics, climate change and many other challenges underline the fact that all people on this planet are connected to each other. As world citizens we are all in the same boat but we have no say at the United Nations (UN) as the most important arena of planetary politics. The Security Council decides on matters of international peace and security and the General Assembly makes recommendations, launches treaty negotiations or is engaged in international agenda-setting. The UN, however, is an exclusive club of appointed government diplomats.
The UN’s democratic deficit has been complained about for decades. While the UN has made some effort to include civil society organizations and other major groups in some of its deliberations, there are no means for ordinary citizens to take influence.
Precedents
In many countries there are instruments that allow citizens to provide input for consideration of the executive or legislative branch of government. In the European Union there is the official instrument of a European Citizens’ Initiative (ECI) which gives citizens the power to submit a legislative proposal to the European Commission.
In principle, the ECI enables everyday citizens to identify a problem, propose a solution and submit their proposal, based on the support of one million EU citizens, to the European Commission for review. The ECI represents the first transnational tool of participatory democracy in the world.
The idea
The idea of a UN World Citizens’ Initiative (UNWCI) is that if a certain number of citizens from around the world endorse a proposal, UN bodies such as the General Assembly or the Security Council have to put the item on their agenda and give representatives of the initiative the floor to make their case. In terms of the General Assembly, this could be done during the annual general debate while heads of state and government are present.
A UNWCI will allow citizens around the globe to have more impact in a world with growing dilemmas that require global cooperation of both states and citizens alike. It will help create a citizen-based global political sphere that transcends national boundaries.
To learn more about why a UNWCI is needed and how it can be implemented, read our detailed report:
Our other proposals:
A UN Parliamentary
Assembly
Giving elected representatives a voice in global decision-making.
- It is vital that citizens mobilise to insist on a global response to the current pandemic and the World Citizens’ Initiative seems the perfect way to do it.
- Edward Mortimer
- Former UN official
- A UN World Citizens' Initiative and a UN World Parliamentary Assembly represent innovative mechanisms for citizen involvement in global affairs which I proudly associate with.
- Livingstone Sewanyana
- Former UN Independent Expert
- The European Citizens' Initiative shows us that transnational participatory democracy can exist and can work. A World Citizens' Initiative can become a reality!
- Daniela Vancic
- Democracy International
Together, we call for a more inclusive and accountable UN — add your voice.
News & Notes
Ahead of the UN Summit of the Future in September 2024, over 150 organisations in a joint open letter call on UN Member States to consider four priority measures for making global governance more inclusive and accountable.
September 12, 2024
A public opinion survey across 22 countries revealed a robust demand for citizen participation in global governance and validated the proposals put forward by the We The Peoples campaign
June 24, 2024
At the UN's conference on Sustainable Development Goal 16 on peace, justice and strong institutions, a civil society declaration was presented by the Transparency, Accountability and Participation (TAP) network. In the section on strengthening and expanding civic space and fundamental freedoms, the document calls for "institutional changes that aim at improving representation, participation and deliberation at the global level" including through the initiatives proposed by the We The Peoples campaign.
May 12, 2025
