Official Journ alof the EuropeanUnion 14.9.2009
RESOLUTION
(1) Adopted b y the ACP-E U Joint Parliamen tary Assembly on 9  April 2009 in  Prague (Czech Repub lic) (1)
on the role of the Cotonou  
Partnership Agreement in addressing the food and financial crisis in ACP 
countries
The 
ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly,
—meeting 
in 
Prague 
(Czech Repub lic) 
from 6 to 9 April 2009, 
—having 
regard 
to Article 17(2) of its Rules of Procedure, 
—having 
regard 
to the objectives 
of the ACP-E C
 Partnership 
Agreement 
sign
ed in 
Cotonou 
on 23 
June 
2000, 
and 
revised in  
2005
(2) OJ L 317, 15.12.2000, p. 3. Ag reement as amended most recen tly by Decision No 1/2006 of the ACP-E C Council of
Ministers 
(OJ L 247, 9.9.2006, p. 22) (2), 
—having
 regard
 to the G20 declaration on the financial crisis of 15 Novemb er
 2008
(3) ‘Declaration  of the Summit on  Financial Markets and the World E conomy ’, adopted in  Washington on 15  November
2008 (3), and to the G20 
Leaders’ 
Statement 
at the Lon don 
Summit of 2 April 2009, 
—having 
regard 
to its Port Moresb y 
Declaration  
on 
the global 
food and 
finan
cial crises, adopted on
28 Novemb er 
2008
(4) ACP-EU/100.393/08 (28.11.2008) (4), 
—having
 regard
 to the Un ited
 Nations
 Millennium
 Developmen t
 Goals (MDGs), an d
 the commitmen t
 to 
halving 
the proportion  
of people sufferin g 
from hun ger 
and 
living 
on 
less than 
one 
US dollar a day, 
—having 
regard 
to the Commun ication 
from the Commission  
of 9 April 2008 en t
itled ‘The EU 
– a global 
partner
 for developmen t
 – Speedin g
 up prog ress
 towards the Millen nium
 Development Goals’  
(COM(2008) 177), 
—having 
regard 
to the Commission  
communication 
adopted on  8 
April 2009 on  
supportin g 
developin g 
countries 
in 
coping 
with the crisis, 
—having 
regard 
to the Mon terrey 
Consensus 
adopted at the UN I nternational 
Conference 
on 
Financing 
for 
Developmen t 
of 21 and 22 
March 2002, an d 
to the Doha Declaration  
on 
Financin
g 
for Developmen t 
of
2 Decemb er 
2008 adopted at the Follow-up I nternational 
Conference 
on 
Fina
ncing 
for Developmen t 
to 
Review the I mplementation 
of the Mon terrey 
Consensus
(5) ‘Doha Declaration on Fin ancing  for Developmen t:  outcome documen t  of the Follow-up I nternational  Conference  on
Financing 
for Developmen t 
to Review the I mplementation 
of the Mon terrey 
Consensus
’ (doc. A/CONF.212/L.1/Rev.1*) (5), 
—having 
regard 
to the Paris Declaration
(6) ‘Paris Declaration on Aid E ffectiveness,  Ownership,  Harmonisation,  Alignment,  Results an d  Mutual Accoun tability ’,
adopted on  2 
March 2005 at the Paris Hig h 
Level Forum: ‘Joint 
Progress 
toward Enhanced 
Aid Effectiveness
’ (6) and the Accra Ag enda for Action
(7) Adopted at the 3rd Hig h Level Forum on  Aid Effectiveness, Accra (Ghan a), 2- 4 Septemb er 2008 (7), 
—having 
regard 
to the recen tly 
released IMF 
report entitled ‘
The implication s 
of the Glob al 
Financial 
Crisis 
for Low-Income 
Countries
’, 
—having 
regard 
to the con clusions 
of the 2007 Millen nium 
Ecosystem 
Assessmen t 
Report
(8) See http://www.millen niumassessment.org/en/index.aspx (8),N E 8 3 / 1 2 2 C
Official Journ alof the EuropeanUnion C 221/39
—having reg ard to the con clusions of the World Food Summit of 1996
(1) Rome (Italy), 13 -17 Novemb er 1996 (1) and its objective of reducin g by 
half 
the number 
of people on  
Earth 
suffering 
from hun ger 
by 
2015, 
—having 
regard 
to the report from the UN Special Rapporteur on  
the Right 
to Food, sub mitted 
to the UN 
General 
Assembly 
on 25 
October 
2007
(2) UN General Assembly, 62nd session, doc. A/62/289 of 22.8.2007 (2), 
—having
 regard
 to Regulation
 (EC)
 No 1337/2008 of the E uropean
 Parliamen t
 and
 of the Coun cil
 of
16  Decemb er 
2008 estab lishing 
a facility for rapid respon se 
to soaring 
food prices in  
developin g 
countries
(3) OJ L 354 of 31.12.2008, p. 62 (3), 
—having 
regard 
to its previous resolution s 
on 
food security issues in  
ACP coun tries 
and 
the role of ACP-E U 
cooperation ,
A. whereas 
the Millen nium 
Developmen t 
Goals, in 
particular the eradication  
of extreme poverty an d 
hunger, 
as 
well as the developmen t 
targets 
and 
principles 
agreed 
in 
the United 
Nations’ 
Conferences, 
provide a 
clear vision  
and 
must underpin 
ACP-EC 
cooperation  
within 
the Coton ou 
Partnership 
Agreement,
B. whereas, 
as a result of the fin ancial 
crisis, some don or 
countries 
have reduced their fin ancial 
contribution 
to 
Official Developmen t 
Assistance 
(ODA) to developing  
countries, which already have frag ile 
economies,
C. whereas 
the objective 
of promotin g 
the integration 
of the ACP coun tries 
into 
the global 
economy, 
pro­
vided for in  
the Lomé an d 
Cotonou 
Agreements, 
has yet to b e 
attained 
and 
their share of the imports to 
the EU 
has continued 
to decrease,
D. whereas the ACP coun tries 
are depen dent 
on 
exports of commodities that con stitute 
over 50 % of their 
foreign 
currency 
revenue, 
and 
the financial 
crisis is resultin g 
in 
decreasing 
exports from, an d 
remittance 
flows 
into, 
many 
developin g 
countries, 
reduced access to credit an d 
reduced foreig n 
direct investment, 
and 
the 
plummetin g 
of commodity prices,
E. whereas 
new 
World Ban k 
estimates for 2009 sug gest 
that lower econ omic 
gr
owth will trap 46 million  
more 
people on  
less than 
USD 1,25 a day than  
was expected prior to the crisis, thereb y 
adding 
to the 130 
to 155 million  
people pushed in to 
poverty in  
2008 because 
of soaring 
food and fuel prices; whereas each 
1 percent 
drop in 
growth 
could trap an other 
20 million  
people in 
poverty,
F. whereas, accordin g 
to a recen t 
Executive 
Report by 
Global 
Financial 
Int
egrity 
(GFI), 
debt 
service repay­
ments 
from developin g 
countries 
reached USD 540 b illion 
in 
2006 and 
these coun tries 
lost close to USD 
1 trillion 
in 
illicit financial 
outflows; whereas b orrowing 
costs are up sharply for developin g 
countries 
and 
currencies 
have weak ened 
significantly; 
whereas econ omic 
and 
financial 
integration 
has never 
been 
greater 
and 
foreign 
bank 
claims on  
developin g 
countries 
have almost tripled to USD 3,1 trillion  
in 
the last five 
years; whereas, accordin g 
to some estimates, g lobal 
financial 
flows to developin g 
countries 
will tumb le 
from 
USD 1 trillion  
in 
2007 to USD 165 b illion 
this year,
G. whereas, despite the proven  
importance 
of the agricultural 
sector to ACP coun tries, 
neither 
national 
gov­
ernments
 nor
 EU
 developmen t
 cooperation policies award adequate priority to this k ey
 sector, puttin g
 
hundreds 
of million s 
of people in  
danger 
of extreme poverty, hun ger 
and 
malnutrition,
H. whereas 
a serious ob stacle 
to increasing 
agricultural 
output in 
developin g 
countries, 
which is fun damen­
tal 
to reduce food in security, 
is the fact that small farmers, especially women , 
often 
lack 
access to lan d, 
loans 
or microcredit for in vestment 
in 
seeds, fertilisers and irrigation  
mechanisms 
and 
the necessary 
range 
of 
crop protection  
tools,N E 9 0 0 2 . 9 . 4 1
Official Journ alof the EuropeanUnion 14.9.2009
I. whereas the abolition of agricultural subsidies in ACP coun tries and export orien ted subsidies in devel­
oped coun tries
 have con tributed
 to a decrease in yields an d
 in agricultura
l production ,
 resulting
 in an 
increase 
in 
imports of food products,
J. whereas the ag ricultural 
sector is hit b y 
increasingly 
frequent 
natura
l disasters, an d 
whereas at the same 
time the resources allocated for food aid b efore 
and 
after such disasters are decreasin g,
G20 
and the London Su mmit
1. Endorses 
the outcome an d 
commitmen ts 
of the Lon don 
G20 Meetin g 
of 2 April 2009, in  
particular ref­
erences 
to: restorin g 
growth 
and 
jobs; 
strengthening 
financial 
supervision  
and 
regulation; 
strengthening 
global 
financial 
institutions; 
resisting 
protection ism; 
promoting 
glo
bal 
trade and 
investment; 
ensuring 
a 
fair and 
sustainable 
recovery for all; an d 
delivering 
on 
aid commitmen ts;
2. Welcomes, 
therefore, the ag reed 
USD 1,1 trillion  
and 
trusts that close to on e 
quarter of that sum will b e 
devoted
 to developin g
 countries;
 calls on G20 coun tries
 to deliver that amoun t
 to them throug h
 the 
speedy disb ursement 
of truly new 
and 
additional 
funds;
3. Calls 
on 
the G20, E U 
and 
ACP coun tries 
to do their utmost to preven t 
the spreadin g 
global 
crisis from 
becoming 
a severe human  
crisis, and 
highlights 
the importan ce 
of social protection  
and 
investment 
in 
food 
security to address the immediate n eeds 
of the poor;
4. Calls for the disb ursement 
of the USD 50 b illion 
dedicated to low-in come 
countries 
to be 
made in 
form 
of direct g rants 
rather than  
loans, 
in 
order to support social protection , 
boost 
trade and 
safeguard 
devel­
opment 
in 
low income 
countries;
5.
 Supports the G20’s in tention
 for resources to b e
 used effectively an d
 flexibly
 to support g rowth;
 wel­
comes the prog ress 
made by 
the IMF 
with its n ew 
Flexible 
Credit Lin e, 
moving 
away from its past pre­
scriptive an d 
rigid 
lending 
and 
conditionality 
framework , 
as illustrated in  
its recent 
report on  ‘
The 
implication s 
of the global 
financial 
crisis for low-in come 
countries
’ in 
which it states that ‘in formulating 
spending policies, priority should be given to protecting or expanding social programmes or bringing forward approved 
investments, and, in general, to preserving the momentum toward achieving the MDGs’;
6. Fully supports the G20’s determin ation
 to reform in ternational
 financ
ial institutions,
 but
 considers
 it 
impossible 
to wait un til 
2011 to g ive 
greater 
voice and 
representation 
to developin g 
countries 
at the level 
of international 
finance, 
especially in  
the light 
of the IMF’s 
new 
responsibilities, 
and 
in 
this regard 
asks 
for 
improved tran sparency 
and 
accountability 
and 
for a new 
approach to developmen t 
policy; these g over­
nance 
reforms n eed 
to be 
agreed 
at the ne
xt World Ban k 
and 
IMF 
committee meetin gs 
on 25
 and 26 
April 
2009;
7. Calls on 
the EU 
and 
ACP States to tak e 
action 
to eradicate tax evasion  
and 
illicit capital flig ht 
from devel­
oping 
countries, 
which cost these coun tries 
an 
estimated E UR 
800 billion 
per year, in  
other words over 
eight 
times what they receive in  
aid;
8. Regrets 
that the G20’s promises on  
Aid for Trade an d 
ODA were in sufficien
t; stresses that, althoug h 
the 
communiqué 
lists financial 
measures to in crease 
resources for the developin g 
world throug h 
the World 
Bank
 and
 IMF,
 there was n o
 specific commitmen t
 to ensuring
 that Aid for Trade represen ts
 additional
 
funding;
9. Believes 
that the challen ge 
of climate chan ge 
must be 
addressed throug h 
structural reforms an d 
calls for 
a systematic climate chan ge 
risk 
assessmen t 
in 
all aspects of policy plan n
ing 
and 
decisions, 
including 
trade, 
agriculture,
 food security, etc; requests that the result of this assessmen t
 be
 used for formulatin g
 clear 
guidelines 
for a sustain able 
developmen t 
cooperation  
policy;N E 0 4 / 1 2 2 C
Official Journ alof the EuropeanUnion C 221/41
Financial crisis
10. Calls 
on 
the EU 
Member 
States to hon our 
their commitmen ts 
as regards 
ODA – i.e. 0,56 % of Gross 
National 
Income 
by 
2010 and 
0.7 % by 
2015 – an d 
not 
to use the fin ancial 
crisis to justify aid cutb acks;
11.
 Considers
 that the situation requires in itiatives
 and
 mechanisms
 to solve the curren t
 debt
 problems
 of 
developin g 
countries, 
and 
calls on 
the EU 
Member 
States not 
to include 
in 
their ODA fig ures 
resources 
provided for deb t 
relief;
12. Considers 
that greater 
efforts are required for mob ilizing 
more domestic an d 
international 
resources for 
sustainable
 developmen t,
 which implies providin g
 unive
rsal access to b a
sic economic
 and
 social infra
­
structure an d 
inclusive 
social services, as well as capacity-b uilding;
13. Recalls 
that sustain able 
and 
fair incomes 
and 
wealth distrib ution 
require a modern  
and 
effective fiscal sys­
tem; calls for ACP-E U
 cooperation to promote fiscal reform that allows for in creasing
 tax reven ues
 
through 
more efficien t 
tax collection , 
a broader 
tax base 
and 
a more effective fig ht 
against 
tax evasion ;
14. Calls 
on 
the international 
community, 
and 
in 
particular on  
the EU 
Membe
r States, to g ive 
a more cen tral 
role 
to employmen t 
and 
labour 
market 
issues in 
international 
developmen t 
policy, in 
order to reduce the 
effects of the g lobal 
economic 
slowdown  
on 
developin g 
countries’ 
growth, 
trade and 
foreign 
direct invest­
ment 
flows, by 
helping 
to strengthen 
further their tradin g 
capacity an d 
improve their in frastructure, 
and 
by 
facilitating 
remittances;
15. Underlines 
that free an d 
fair trade, mark et 
principles 
promoting 
inve
stment, 
entrepreneurship 
and 
inno­
vation, 
and 
effectively reg ulated 
financial 
markets 
are fundamental 
for economic 
growth, 
employmen t 
and 
poverty 
reduction;
16.
 Believes that n on-discriminatory
 and
 equitable
 international
 trade can b e
 a strong
 engine
 for develop­
ment 
and 
sustained 
economic 
growth, 
but 
affirms that it should b e 
guided 
by 
transparent 
rules agreed 
by 
all; 
reminds 
the ACP an d 
EU 
Member 
States of the n ecessity 
of establishing 
coherence 
between 
trade poli­
cies and 
developmen t 
goals, 
including 
in 
the process of E PA 
negotiations;
17. Underlines 
the need 
to avoid over-reg ulation 
that would hamper econ om
ic growth, 
and 
stresses the n eed 
for 
increased 
dialogue 
between 
the state an d 
the business 
community 
to find innovative 
ways to set clear 
rules, enforce 
respect for property rig hts 
and 
create financial 
infrastr
ucture promotin g 
micro business 
and 
SMEs;
18. Calls 
on 
the ACP an d 
the EU, 
in 
the light 
of the impact of the curren t 
finan
cial crisis on  
ACP coun tries, 
to 
commit themselves to open , 
transparent 
and 
inclusive 
EPA 
negotiations;
19. Calls 
on 
all stakeholders 
to work 
together 
to secure a successful, sustain able 
and 
timely con clusion 
of the 
Doha Developmen t 
Round;
Food 
crisis
20. Calls on 
the European 
Commission  
and 
the EU 
Member 
States to improve policy coheren ce 
for develop­
ment 
in 
the fields of ag riculture 
and 
trade;
21. Reiterates the prin ciple 
of the right 
to food; remin ds 
EU 
and 
ACP leaders that they have pledg ed 
to halve 
the number 
of people who suffer from hun ger 
by 
2015, and 
urges 
the Commission , 
the EU 
Council 
and 
the 
ACP coun tries 
to adopt – an d 
properly fin ance 
– whatever measures are n e
eded in 
order to hon our 
that 
commitmen t;N E 9 0 0 2 . 9 . 4 1
Official Journ alof the EuropeanUnion 14.9.2009
22. Calls on ACP and EU governments to respon d to the urg ent needs of the most vuln erable – particularly 
women 
and 
children 
– by 
enhancing 
sustainable 
nutrition 
interventions 
and safety n ets 
and 
expanding 
social 
protection  
systems;
23. Calls on 
ACP governments 
to involve 
farmers an d 
pastoralists, man y 
of whom are women , 
in 
the elabo­
ration 
of their ag riculture 
and 
land-use 
policies, an d 
to ensure 
their access to lan d, 
credit and 
new 
tech­
nologies 
that will in crease 
production ;
24.
 Calls, in framework of the on going
 review of the Coton ou
 Partnership
 Agreemen t,
 for the revision of 
Article 54 to accommodate the ob jectives 
of Millennium 
Developmen t 
Goal 1, which aims to cut the pro­
portion 
of people sufferin g 
from hun ger 
by 
half by 
2015;
25. Calls on 
ACP and 
EU 
governments 
to ensure 
jointly 
that sufficien t 
aid and pub lic 
spending 
is channelled 
towards 
achieving 
food security, as stated in  
the Maputo Declaration  
of the ACP Heads of State an d 
Gov­
ernment 
of June 
2004
(1) 4th Summit of ACP Heads of State an d  Government,  Maputo (Mozamb ique),  23-24 June  2004: Maputo declaration :
‘
Together 
shaping 
our future’ (doc. ACP/28/010/04 [Fin al]), 
Maputo, 24 June 
2004 (1);
26. Calls on 
wealthy n ations, 
including 
EU 
Member 
States, as well as the n ew 
US Admin istration, 
to reduce 
agricultural 
subsidies 
and 
eliminate 
agricultural 
export sub sidies, 
as most rich coun tries 
promised to do at 
the outset of the Doha Developmen t 
Round, 
although 
since 
then 
there has n ot 
been 
much prog ress;
27.
 Strongly
 condemns
 the activities of speculators on g lobal
 commodities, ag ricultural
 raw materials an d
 
energy 
markets, 
which con tribute 
to exacerb ating 
the volatility of food prices an d 
to deepen ing 
the global 
food 
crisis; stresses that it is n ot 
acceptable 
that the hun ger 
for some mean s 
profits for others, an d 
calls 
for adequate reg ulation 
and 
effective oversig ht 
at national 
and 
internat
ional 
level to preven t 
the violation  
of 
the right 
to food, throug h 
speculation ; 
calls on 
EU 
and 
ACP coun tries 
and 
companies 
to fully imple­
ment 
the Extractive 
Industries 
Transparency 
Initiative;
28. Notes 
with alarm that the E C 
is concluding 
a deal on 
bananas 
with MFN
(2) Most Favoured Nation (2) suppliers in  Latin America 
that 
will threaten  
the viability 
of the ACP b anana 
industry 
and 
in 
particular the sustain ed 
economic 
and 
social 
developmen t 
of small vuln erable 
economies; 
calls on 
the European 
Commission  
to ensure 
that mea­
sures are tak en 
to safeguard 
the livelihoods of small b anana 
farmers, who are the most vuln erable;
29. Calls 
on 
the EU 
institutions 
to speedily implemen t 
the recently-agree
d USD 1 b illion 
Food Facility pro­
posal without correspon ding 
cuts in 
bilateral 
aid budgets, 
and 
to push food production  
back 
up the inter­
national 
agenda 
in 
line 
with Article 23(d) of the Coton ou 
Partnership 
Agre
ement;
30. Calls 
upon 
the EU 
and 
ACP coun tries 
to design 
mechanisms 
and 
policies to cushion  
the effects of com­
modity price volatility an d 
to encourage 
diversification  
of local an d 
supportin g 
industries 
of the ACP coun ­
tries’ 
economies 
wherever possib le; 
recognizes 
that the tran sfer 
of technology 
and 
business 
skills 
can 
have 
a positive impact on  
developmen t; 
calls on 
ACP and 
EU 
countries 
to develop efforts aimed at maximizin g 
linkages 
with domestic production  
activities, en hancing 
technology 
transfer 
and 
creating 
training 
oppor­
tunities 
for the local lab our 
force;
31. Stresses the urg ent 
need 
for the EU 
and 
the ACP to draw up comprehen sive 
and 
effective strateg ies 
for 
addressing 
emergency 
situations 
arising 
from natural 
disasters in  
the agricultural sector;
32. Instructs 
its Co-Presiden ts 
to forward this resolution  
to the ACP-E C 
Council, 
the Commission , 
and 
the gov­
ernments 
and 
secretariat of the G20 Group.N E 2 4 / 1 2 2 C