What if cooperation could win elections?
How Simpol connects citizens, candidates and countries around a practical question: can nations make progress by agreeing to act together?
A government wants stronger environmental protections. Businesses warn that investment could move elsewhere. Voters demand action, but leaders hesitate.
That is the problem Simpol sets out to address: competition between countries can make cooperation politically and economically difficult. Its proposed response is to coordinate action so participating nations move together, reducing the disadvantage a country might face by going first.
Founded by John Bunzl and run by the International Simultaneous Policy Organisation, Simpol is an international citizens’ initiative. Its name stands for Simultaneous Policy. It works across political parties to build support for international cooperation.
What does it actually do?
Simpol connects an electoral strategy with a proposed policy process:
- Citizens register their support. They signal that candidates who sign the Simpol pledge will receive strong consideration at future national elections.
- Politicians pledge support in principle. They support a process for coordinated international action.
- Participating countries would negotiate policy packages. Simpol envisages expert and NGO contributions, government agreement, and citizen involvement in choosing priorities.
- Agreed measures would take effect together. Implementation would follow domestic approval and a common internationally agreed date.
A hypothetical example: countries could negotiate climate measures alongside financial arrangements that help distribute their costs. Simpol proposes combining issues so a country facing costs in one area can gain in another. This remains a proposed approach.
What are its benefits?
The potential benefits follow from that design:
- A clearer role for citizens: connect concern about global problems with the choices candidates make.
- An incentive for politicians: demonstrate cooperation to voters who value it.
- More confidence for governments: negotiate with an expectation that other participating countries would implement agreed measures too.
- Room for different political traditions: candidates can support the process while retaining their party affiliations.
These are intended benefits. Their scale depends on participation, the quality of negotiated policies and governments following through.
How is it different from other participatory websites?
Simpol’s distinctive feature is the connection it seeks to build between public participation, electoral incentives and coordinated implementation.
A petition usually asks a decision-maker to take a particular action. A discussion platform helps people exchange ideas. Simpol asks supporters to make international cooperation a consideration when choosing representatives, then asks those representatives to pledge support for a shared process.
Other civic platforms can also influence elections and policy. What distinguishes Simpol is its particular combination of voting preference, a cross-party pledge and simultaneous action across countries.
I’m a citizen. Why sign up for free?
Because it offers a specific way to tell politicians that cooperation matters to your vote.
Supporting Simpol is free. Its registration statement asks you to give strong preference at future national elections to politicians or parties that have signed the pledge. Your ballot remains secret, and your final voting decision remains yours.
The form also lets you request campaign alerts, connections with nearby supporters or opportunities to volunteer. These give people ways to participate beyond registration. simpol.org
For someone who feels that national elections struggle to address international problems, the appeal is practical: join others in making cooperation visible to candidates. The value would come from an active constituency asking questions and following up.
Read the citizen statement and sign up.
I’m a politician or candidate. Why sign the pledge?
It gives you a public way to support international problem-solving and engage voters who want that cooperation.
The pledge supports the process in principle. Future negotiated policies would still come before the relevant legislature through its usual procedures. Implementation would depend on participating nations approving their commitments and agreeing when to act. simpol.org
The framework also limits its scope to problems requiring coordinated action because acting alone could create a significant competitive disadvantage. Matters countries can address independently remain outside that scope. simpol.org
Signing provides a statement constituents can examine. Credibility would then depend on explaining the commitment and supporting the work needed to turn it into policy.
Read the politician and candidate pledge.
What has it achieved—and what remains to be done?
Simpol has attracted political supporters. Over 100 UK MPs and significant numbers in some other national Parliaments have pledged so far. In April,2025, the organisation reported that Elizabeth May and Jessica Fancy-Landry had become its first pledged Canadian MPs following the federal election. That demonstrates recruitment across both countries and party lines; it does not establish that Simpol caused their election victories.
Its policy page describes the full negotiation process as a later stage, requiring very broad international support, including major non-democratic countries. Simpol is currently campaigning to build that support. simpol.org
The practical tests remain substantial: how much participation is enough, how citizens influence negotiations, and how countries verify and enforce agreements. Coordinating a start date would still require careful policy design and lasting political commitment.
Why engagement matters
Shared problems expose a gap between the scale of our challenges and the scale at which we usually exercise political power. We vote within nations, while many decisions affecting our lives cross borders. Simpol offers a way to connect those levels by making international cooperation an explicit public expectation.
That connection needs continuing engagement. Citizens can read the proposal, question its assumptions, invite candidates to respond and follow their commitments. Politicians can explain where cooperation is needed and help develop agreements people can understand and scrutinise. Participation gives the proposal both support and a necessary test of its democratic quality.
Simpol offers one approach worth examining: organise public demand for cooperation, connect it to political responsibility and work toward shared implementation. Its promise will be tested by people who participate thoughtfully and expect results.