RESOLUTION(1)

on the participation of civil society in the development process

The ACP-EU Joint Assembly,

- meeting in Strasbourg (France) from 29 March to 1 April 1999,

- having regard to the negotiating guidelines for a new ACP-EU Convention adopted by the Council of the European Union on 30 June 1998,

- having regard to the ACP negotiating mandate adopted on 30 September 1998,

- having regard to the results of the negotiations so far with a view to concluding a new partnership agreement, and particularly the conclusions of the ACP-EU ministerial conference in Dakar on 8 and 9 February 1999,

- having regard to Council Regulation (EC) No 1658/98 of 17 July 1998 on co-financing operations with European non-governmental development organisations (NGOs) in fields of interest to the developing countries,

- having regard to Council Regulation (EC) No 1659/98 of 17 July 1998 on decentralised cooperation,

- having regard to Council Regulation (EC) No 2836/98 of 22 December 1998 on integrating gender issues in development cooperation,

- having regard to the report on the Commission communication on the guidelines for the negotiation of new cooperation agreements with the ACP countries ("Rocard report"),

- having regard to the communication from the Commission to the Council and the European Parliament (COM(98)667) on a European Community strategy for private sector development in ACP countries,

- having regard to the opinion of the Economic and Social Committee on the Green Paper on the relations between the EU and ACP countries,

A. whereas it is important that the participation of civil society should be boosted, especially looking ahead to the next Lomé Convention,

B. whereas the participation of civil society in the dialogue on political guidelines and in cooperation projects is essential to the stability and prosperity of any country and constitutes a guarantee for the success and sustainability of such projects,

C. whereas in civil society, population groups form private, non-profit-making organisations, non-governmental organisations, foundations, associations or trade unions, which define themselves by their guiding principles and objectives, which are concerned with socio-economic issues, the public good or the community,

D. whereas local authorities and NGOs are important as players in decentralised cooperation,

E. whereas, in this connection, representatives of economic and social partners have a key role to play,

F. whereas civil society draws its strength from communication and interaction and from the ability to form networks, and whereas an essential precondition for this is the establishment of democracy and the rule of law, particularly including freedom of expression and association,

G. whereas, in order for development policy objectives to be attained, it is particularly important to build up structures which give the various parties concerned, such as local authorities, associations, non-governmental organisations, migrants' associations, private patrons and indeed enterprises, training establishments or non-governmental development organisations, the opportunity to make an effective contribution through their commitment,

H. whereas women have taken on a role both in the development process and in organising the interests of civil society,

I. whereas civil society must also be strengthened in big cities, where there are large-scale problems with drugs and social exclusion,

J. whereas civil society may be the key to the organisation of labour and of the system of education and to the strengthening of cultural identity and social equilibrium,

K. whereas there is a need for a coordinated strategy which is tailored to the needs of the societies and cultures of the ACP States and enables more people to benefit from sharing economic, social and cultural resources,

L. drawing attention to the importance of disaster prevention and preparedness, as emphasised by the UN international decade,

M. whereas, since the first Lomé Convention was concluded in 1975, there has been a spectacular increase in the number of natural and man-made disasters, with five times as many people as before now being affected by major crises,

N. whereas disaster prevention and preparedness are not specifically included among the objectives and priorities laid down in the Lomé IV Convention,

1. Stresses that any development process must be based on full participation by civil society in the taking of decisions and the management of cooperation;

2. Endorses the decision to make the political dimension of the ACP-EU partnership a priority in the negotiations on the new ACP-EU partnership agreement, a dimension characterised by respect for human rights and the fundamental principles of democracy, the rule of law and good governance;

3. Calls on the ACP-EU Council and the Commission to encourage civil society organisations and those active in the social and economic spheres by strengthening socio-economic institutions, the freedom of the press and the independence of the media;

4. Welcomes the activities of the European Union in the field of decentralised cooperation and stresses in this context that decentralised cooperation should be assigned higher priority as one of the premises of cooperation in the future ACP-EU agreement;

5. Considers that the specific and at the same time complementary roles of the State, decentralised public administration, the private sector and all the numerous components of society and civil society are indispensable to the development process and to the creation of a stable and politically democratic society;

6. Welcomes and encourages the activities of the European Economic and Social Committee in organising the dialogue between civil society organisations of the ACP and EU countries;

7. Calls for the future Lomé Convention to give an appropriate place to local authorities and NGOs as bodies which play a leading role in civil society as regards implementation of decentralised cooperation;

8. Wishes to see an independent arbitration body set up, the task of which would be to enable any beneficiary of a Lomé Convention development project which is experiencing difficulties or which considers itself to have suffered as a result of the implementation of the programmes to have its case heard and to lodge an appeal;

9. Considers it essential that parties involved in the economy, social affairs and civil society at national, local or regional level organise themselves, and calls on the governments of the ACP countries, therefore, to create the necessary regulatory conditions to promote private initiative and facilitate the establishment of a wide variety of associations;

10. Takes the view that the Commission and the governments of the EU Member States and the ACP States must do all they can to facilitate direct links between those active in civil society, North and South;

11. Notes that particular support must be provided for the purpose of creating links amongst associations and NGOs in ACP States and developing forms of direct cooperation between them;

12. Calls on the ACP Governments, in accordance with the principles of democracy and the rule of law, to create the preconditions to enable citizens to participate in all aspects of society, in order to be able to defend their own interests, and to participate in general decision-making and the administration of public funds, and in particular to facilitate and promote participation by women on an equal footing in all social processes;

13. Reaffirms that all sections of society, and particularly representatives of civil society, must have access to free and independent media;

14. Considers that, in the context of urban development, priority must be given to grassroots urban economic activity, aid for training and the marketing of products;

15. Recalls the importance of fair trade, which is genuine North-South cooperation between citizens, and calls for measures to promote such trade to be included amongst the aims of the next Lomé Convention and for the Commission to introduce a policy to support fair trade on the basis of the recommendations adopted by the European Parliament;

16. Stresses that the ACP countries should assign priority to the development of human resources, which are the basis for enhanced dialogue between the government, economic and social representatives and other civil-society organisations, and draws attention, therefore, to the need to make it possible for all girls and boys to receive primary schooling and the need to carry out adult literacy campaigns and in addition to reinforce education programmes, particularly including citizenship elements;

17. Urges all the bodies involved in the negotiations on the renewal of the Lomé Convention to acknowledge that disaster prevention and preparedness form an integral part of sustainable development;

18. Calls for the new Lomé Convention to make provision for disaster prevention and preparedness strategies involving representatives of civil society and NGOs in the ACP regions most exposed to major risks;

19. Instructs its Co-Presidents to forward this resolution to the ACP-EU Council and the Commission.

(1) Adopted by the ACP-EU Joint Assembly on 1 April 1999 in Strasbourg (France).