Mr. Abdelwahed Radi, President of the Chamber of Representatives of Morocco: The United Nations was established, in the wake of the Second World War, to safeguard peace and to work towards the settlement of disputes by negotiation, arbitration or other peaceful means with the primary aim of averting war. Issues relating to cooperation in the areas of culture and development gradually assumed increasing importance. In the international context, these issues were viewed as falling essentially within the competence of the Executive and of experts in the fields concerned. But half a century later, international affairs have become more complex. There are more problems to be addressed. Democracy has made impressive headway in every continent. As a result of the growing influence of the media, the impact of globalisation and changing attitudes, people have become interested in international decision-making and have developed a sense of involvement. This necessitates a complete overhaul of international relations, especially of the global organisation responsible for managing such relations, in order to allay the concerns of voters and inspire them with confidence. It is difficult to graft a parliamentary dimension onto the United Nations in its current form by artificial means. However, in the context of a complete overhaul of the UN's structures, operating methods and perhaps even its objectives, the introduction of a parliamentary component into all the United Nations organs, particularly the General Assembly, is conceivable. There are regional organisations such as the European Union and NATO that have a parliamentary assembly, and a similar approach is perfectly conceivable at the global level. There are also other possible scenarios of a more symbolic and less cumbersome nature based on consultation or coordination. With regard to your second question, economic globalisation, when viewed as an imposed and uncontrollable phenomenon or as something ordained by fate, tends to scare ordinary people, fuelling a debate that is gathering momentum. The WTO, which some see as being dominated by those who wield political, military, technological, financial and commercial power in the world, has emerged as the symbol of this worrying globalisation. If NGOs seek to block the system with some measure of success, as was the case in Seattle, they will find it difficult to initiate positive action. But State institutions comprise not only governments but also parliaments, which can more easily and effectively serve as the representatives and advocates of citizens who feel concerned and apprehensive. Parliamentarians are usually closer to the people than others. As well as offering a democratic safeguard, they can reassure, allay fears and promote cooperation in a more serene environment based on solidarity rather than confrontation. Lastly, the Inter-Parliamentary Union has a major role to play, on behalf of parliaments and parliamentarians, both in relation to the parliamentary dimension of the United Nations and in associating civil society with the decisions of the WTO. Ms. Frene Noshir Ginwala, Speaker of the National Assembly of South Africa: I think Parliaments can provide a parliamentary dimension to the UN at two levels. One is to make sure that, within our own countries, there is a much greater involvement of parliament in determining the role of our governments in the UN, but of course within the UN system the emphasis is on governments. What we are saying is that, as the directly elected representatives, we should be having a much greater say. And, as I said, it has to function at two levels: within countries, and within the UN system. Yes, Parliaments can play a role in furthering the aspirations of civil society because as the directly elected representatives of the entire population, we represent the society in its broadest sense. It varies you see. In some countries, parliaments are much more involved even in the trade talks. In others they are not. So one of the issues we have to discuss is how to facilitate involvement so that you affect the positions your government takes. But also by discussing as parliamentarians. Moreover, parliamentarians add dimensions to the debate which quite often governments don't address, because they tend to be much more at an executive level, at the implementing end

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