Parliamentarism is always part of the solution

The UN summit, entitled "Summit of the Future," is an initiative of the UN Secretariat-General to promote "multilateralism" in times of crisis. In other words, to put it simply: the family of nations should finally be brought back to the table and everyone should talk to each other.

The cause is undoubtedly worthy of all honor. But it also shows how much divergence has occurred over the years, how much some leaders in some UN member states do not share the noble goals that still resonate when one hears or speaks the word "UN": human dignity, civil liberties...

But talking to one another is undoubtedly always better than not doing so, especially when one is required to do so in leadership responsibility in the service of others. Talking to one another – that is the core task, and hopefully also the core competence, of parliamentarians.

This is not the only reason why it is valuable that the “summit”, which is usually an event of governments, like the UN as a whole, and not of elected parliaments – especially since there are no democratically legitimized parliaments in many UN member states – is fully involved.

A good dozen members of the European Parliament attended the summit in New York. The boost in practical relevance and citizen proximity that we were able to provide there was even more valuable than I had previously expected. It will be important to put the whole thing on a sustainable footing, i.e., to pursue it over the long term.

In numerous discussions with high-ranking representatives of various UN agencies, I focused particularly on these topics:

· Reducing the root causes of displacement through humanitarian assistance: I have been in contact with the World Food Programme (WFP) for many years, primarily to contribute to alleviating and overcoming crises. As WFP experts repeatedly emphasize, it is 17 times more expensive to pay for the consequences of irregular migration than to invest in combating malnutrition and hunger. – Nevertheless, it is still evident across the political spectrum that there are forces that fail to understand this simple connection and the need for practical solutions to migration issues – rather than ideological approaches. This makes it all the more important for me to remain active in this area.

· "He For She": I have been active in this area ever since my colleague Bettina Rausch introduced me to the UN initiative "He For She" more than ten years ago. I held a special working meeting with this initiative in New York and am delighted that the President of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola, took up my proposal for ongoing cooperation between the European Parliament and "He For She" in the Interparliamentary Assembly. A colleague from the Social Democratic and Liberal groups also immediately responded positively. So there is a chance for a strong follow-up.

Strengthening parliamentarism: Genuine parliamentarism is always part of the solution – I have shared this conviction on several occasions, particularly in my speech at the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) meeting at UN headquarters. Members of parliament from different parts of the world and with different structures were gathered there, but it was possible to agree on some fundamental values ​​and on working on behalf of citizens to oversee and engage governments and administrations. The European Parliament even hosted a follow-up meeting the following day at the EU Representation in New York. This networking also needs to be deepened.

Of course, many other important topics were also discussed. I was able to highlight a few other priorities, such as equal opportunities for girls and boys (at UNICEF, the United Nations Children's Fund, which does a lot of work in this regard) and the role of the UN's Peacekeeping Forces.