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MINUTES OF THE SITTING OF THURSDAY, 21 APRIL 2005

(2005/C 272/04)

(The sitting opened at 9.22 a.m.)

IN THE CHAIR: Mrs KINNOCK

Co-President

1.   Substitutes

The Co-President announced the following substitutes: van den Berg (for Bullmann), Czarnecki (for Kozlik), Fava (for Rosati), Mauro (for Daul), Schröder (for Langendries) and García-Margallo y Marfil (for López-Istúriz White).

2.   Approval of the minutes of the sitting of Tuesday, 19 April morning and afternoon and of Wednesday, 20 April morning

The minutes were approved.

3.   Debate on consequence of the December 2004 tsunami for the ACP countries and measures to be taken in future

The Co-Presidents would address a letter to the Brussels-based ambassadors of the countries affected by the tsunami, to inform them of the compassion of the JPA and its continuing interest in their situation.

4.   Debate on the situation in Togo

Speakers: Kpade (Togo), Gessesse (Ethiopia), Akpovi (Benin), Gahler, Bounkoulou (Congo), Keita (Mali), Carlotti, Beda (Sudan), Kembukusua (DRC), Nyassa (Cameroon), Aubert, Diallo (observer, ECOWAS Parliament) and Malin (European Commission).

The Co-President reminded members that there was no resolution to wind up the debate.

5.   Summary reports on the workshops

IN THE CHAIR: Mrs HAY WEBSTER

Co-President

6.   Vote on the motions for resolutions included in the reports submitted by the three standing committees

7.   Vote on urgent motions for resolutions

8.   The Bamako Declaration on the Millennium Development Goals

This declaration was adopted by acclamation.

9.   Any other business

The Co-President expressed special thanks to Mr Assarid Imbarcaouane for his excellent organisation of the JPA session in Mali.

10.   Date and place of the 10th session of the ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly

The 10th session would be held from 18 to 24 November 2005. Its location would be announced later.

The Co-President announced the following dates for 2006, subject to confirmation:

The order of the plenary sessions would be inverted, the first plenary session in the year being held in the EU and the second plenary session in an ACP country in the future.

(The sitting closed at 11.40 a.m.)

Sharon HAY WEBSTER and

Glenys KINNOCK

Co-Presidents

Sir John KAPUTIN

and Dietmar NICKEL

Co-Secretaries-General

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ANNEX I

ALPHABETICAL LIST OF MEMBERS OF THE JOINT PARLIAMENTARY ASSEMBLY

COMMITTEE ON POLITICAL AFFAIRS

COMMITTEE ON ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, FINANCE AND TRADE

COMMITTEE ON SOCIAL AFFAIRS AND THE ENVIRONMENT

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ANNEX II

RECORD OF ATTENDANCE AT THE SESSION FROM 18 TO 21 APRIL IN BAMAKO

Observer:

Cuba: POLANCO, OVIEDO

Also present:

ACP-EU COUNCIL

COMMITTEE OF AMBASSADORS

EUROPEAN COMMISSION

MILLENNIUM DEVELOPMENT GOALS CAMPAIGN OF UNDP

ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMITTEE OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES (ESC)

AKOUETE

BEDOSSA

FLORIO

MAKEKA

TALL

VEVER

TECHNICAL CENTRE FOR AGRICULTURAL AND RURAL COOPERATION (CTA)

BURGUET

ISOLINA BOTO

ECOWAS PARLIAMENT

UEMOA

DUARTE BARROS

ACP SECRETARIAT

EU SECRETARIAT

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(1)  Country represented by a person other than a Member of Parliament

(2)  Present on 18 April 2005

(3)  Present on 19 April 2005

(4)  Present on 20 April 2005

(5)  Present on 21 April 2005

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ANNEX III

RESOLUTIONS AND DECLARATION ADOPTED

RESOLUTION (1)

on the progress made in achieving universal primary education and gender equality in the ACP countries in the context of the Millennium Development Goals (MDG)

The Joint Parliamentary Assembly,

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(1)  Adopted by the ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly on 21 April 2005 in Bamako (Mali)

(2)  General Assembly Resolution 55/2

(3)OJ C 72 E, 21.3.2002, p. 244.

(4)  Not published in the OJ.

(5)OJ L 143, 30.04.2004.

RESOLUTION (1)

on post-conflict rehabilitation in ACP countries

The ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly,

Emergency aid and the link between relief, rehabilitation and development

Social and professional reintegration

Reconciliation

Transition towards a democratic society, including preparations for elections

Emergency aid and the link between relief, rehabilitation and development

Social and professional reintegration

Reconciliation

Transition towards a democratic society, including preparations for elections

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(1)  Adopted by the ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly on 21 April 2005 in Bamako (Mali)

(2)OJ L 317, 15.12.2000, p. 3.

RESOLUTION (1)

on budgetisation of the European Development Fund (EDF)

The ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly,

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(1)  Adopted by the ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly on 21 April 2005 in Bamako (Mali)

(2)OJ L 317, 15.12.2000, p. 3.

(3)  Minutes of 1.4.04.

(4)OJ C 26, 29.1.2004, p.7.

RESOLUTION (1)

on the situation in the Sudan

The ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly,

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(1)  Adopted by the ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly on 21 April 2005 in Bamako (Mali).

(2)  Source : Report of the International Commission of Inquiry on Darfur

RESOLUTION (1)

on the situation in the African Great Lakes region

The ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly,

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(1)  Adopted by the ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly on 21 April 2005 in Bamako (Mali).

21 April 2005

The Bamako Declaration on the Millennium Development Goals (1)

We, Members of the African, Caribbean, Pacific — European Union Joint Parliamentary Assembly, meeting in Bamako, Mali, from 18 to 21 April 2005, declare our unwavering support for a renewed global effort to ensure the attainment of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

At the turn of the Millennium our leaders met at a Special Session of the United Nations General Assembly and agreed on a programme aimed at reducing the proportion of people living in extreme poverty by half by 2015.

The world's leaders decided to work towards attaining the MDGs, recognising that defeating poverty is a global challenge. Its attainment is in the vital interests of all humanity. A number of actions have been identified, commitments made and indicators agreed so as to measure progress in achieving the MDGs.

As the UN General Assembly prepares for its five-year review of the MDGs, we are alarmed at growing indications that, as a global community, we are not currently on course to reach the MDGs. Credible research has suggested

The Joint Parliamentary Assembly (2) represents a sizable proportion of the world's elected representatives. We call on our leaders to commit themselves at the highest level to a renewed effort to attain the MDGs by 2015. In particular we support calls being made for a ‘big push’, involving the identification of new initiatives to propel the process forward at a faster pace. This must include at least the following:

We call on the EU Member States to ensure that the commitments made by the European Council in Barcelona in March 2002 are expeditiously implemented, including

We call on the EU countries, other industrialised countries and countries in transition to be open to new proposals and commitments that may be identified in the MDG review process.

We call on the ACP countries to implement fully the commitments made as part of the MDG process, including

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(1)  Adopted by the ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly on 21 April 2005 in Bamako (Mali)

(2)  The JPA comprises parliamentarians from 77 ACP countries and Members of the European Parliament from 25 European countries

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