Resolution on human rights throughout the world in 1995- 1996 and the Union's human rights policy
Date: 1996-12-12
Institutions: Committee on Foreign Affairs, European Parliament
Subjects: EU policy, activity report, human rights













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51996IP0400

Resolution on human rights throughout the world in 1995- 1996 and the Union's human rights policy  


Official Journal C 020 , 20/01/1997 P. 0161 





A4-0400/96Resolution on human rights throughout the world in 1995-1996 and the Union's human rights policyThe European Parliament,- having regard to Articles B, F, J, J.1, and J.7 of the Treaty on European Union and Articles 130u, 228 and 238 of the Treaty establishing the European Community,- having regard to its previous resolutions and, in particular, those on human rights in the world of 12 March 1993 and 26 April 1995 ((OJ C 115, 26.4.1993, p. 214; OJ C 126, 22.5.1995, p. 15.)),- having regard to its resolution of 21 April 1994 on human rights in the European Union's foreign policy ((OJ C 128, 9.5.1994, p. 370.)),- having regard to its resolution of 20 September 1996 on the communication from the Commission on respect for democratic principles and human rights in agreements between the EC and third countries (COM(95)0216 - C4- 0197/95) ((Minutes of that Sitting, Part II, Item 10.)),- having regard to the Council's 1995 annual memorandum for the European Parliament on the activities of the European Union in the field of human rights (C4-0410/96),- having regard to the recent international conferences relating to human rights organized by the United Nations in Vienna, Cairo, Copenhagen and Beijing,- having regard to the Communication from the Commission to the Council and the European Parliament on 'the European Union and the external dimension of human rights policy: from Rome to Maastricht and beyond' (COM(95)0567),- having regard to the proceedings of the Intergovernmental Conference set out in the report of the European Council Presidency (conf/3860/1/96),- having regard to the resolutions on human rights it has adopted since the previous annual report, particularly those of:. 13 July 1995 on the need to establish a permanent international court to try and punish war crimes and crimes against humanity and the operation of the ad hoc tribunals on the former Yugoslavia and Rwanda ((OJ C 249, 25.9.1995, p. 154.)),. 18 April 1996 on the resolution on China and Tibet submitted to the United Nations Commission on Human Rights and the position of the EU countries ((OJ C 141, 13.5.1996, p. 211.)),. 16 November 1995 on the United Nations Declaration on the rights of indigenous peoples ((OJ C 323, 4.12.1995, p. 117.)),. 14 March 1996 on antipersonnel landmines and the Vienna International Conference on the review of the Protocol on Certain Conventional Weapons ((OJ C 96, 1.4.1996, p. 292.)),. 21 September 1995 on support for the Network of Cities of Asylum ((OJ C 269, 16.10.1995, p. 172.)),. 18 July 1996 on abduction of children of bi-national marriages in the Member States ((OJ C 261, 9.9.1996, p. 157.)), and. 26 October 1995 on racism, xenophobia and anti-Semitism ((OJ C 308, 20.11.1995, p. 140.)),- having regard to Rule 148 of its Rules of Procedure,- having regard to the annual report of the Committee on Foreign Affairs, Security and Defence Policy and the opinion of the Committee on Women's Rights (A4-0400/96),A. having regard to the encouraging progress made with regard to the principle of respect for human rights and democracy both in the Treaties establishing the European Community and European Union and in their foreign policy strategies,B. recalling that respect for human rights, which was not specifically mentioned in the EEC Treaty, now constitutes the central element of European Union membership (Article F(2) of the Treaty on European Union) and recalling that the establishment of the CFSP is based on the development and consolidation of democracy and the rule of law, and respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms (Article J.1(2) of the Treaty on European Union),C. having regard to the efforts of the Council, the Commission and Parliament to include human rights clauses more and more systematically in agreements with third countries and to specify the scope of such clauses ((Cf. COM(95)0216 on the inclusion of respect for democratic principles and human rights in agreements between the Community and third countries. Cf. abovementioned European Parliament resolution of 20 September 1996. Cf. joint public hearing on the human rights clause and EU external agreements, held by the Subcommittee on Human Rights and the Committee on External Economic Relations (20-21 November 1995).)),D. whereas, however, such clauses too often remain merely statements of intention and are not translated into effective action to take account of the human rights situation in third countries,E. whereas advances made in the international recognition of human rights since the Second World War and the increasingly frequent references to human rights in international relations, thanks notably to the action of the UN, UNESCO and regional organizations such as the OSCE, the Council of Europe, the OAU and the OAS, etc., constitute a favourable context and can only encourage the European Union to step up its action in this field,F. whereas the European Union specifically refers to the principles of the United Nations Charter and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the conventions relating thereto, as well as to the Council of Europe's Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms,G. having regard however, to the number and seriousness of human rights violations in the world in 1995-1996, and noting that there has even been an upsurge in the most barbarous forms of violence,H. deeply concerned, in particular, at the resurgence of ethnic regional conflicts such as those in the former Yugoslavia, Chechnya, Rwanda, Burundi, Zaire, that affecting the Kurdish people, etc., and resulting mass and collective human rights violations,I. disturbed by the continuing violations of human rights in East Timor by the Indonesian forces, which are persisting with their illegal occupation of the territory in the face of the decisions of the UN and other international bodies and are preventing the exercise of the right to self-determination, and convinced of the justness of the struggle of the Maubere people, as recognized by the awarding of the Nobel Prize to Bishop Ximenes Belo and Mr Ramos Horta,J. deeply shocked at the continuing use, in most countries of the world, and even in democracies, of reprehensible practices such as the death penalty (which it has consistently denounced), torture and inhuman or degrading treatment in places of imprisonment, or the forced displacement of peoples, and resolved to fight against such practices,K. forced to note the slow pace of human rights reforms in certain countries undergoing transition in Central Europe and, even more so, in Eastern Europe (the Republics of the former USSR, including Russia), and convinced of the need for a permanent effort to establish new legislation not only where the public authorities are concerned but also for the whole of civil society,L. concerned at the resurgence of fanaticism and political or religious intolerance, with its accompanying litany of human rights violations and, to an even greater extent, violations of the rights of women and children, for example in Afghanistan, Algeria, Iran, etc., and concerned at the continuing attacks on freedom of thought and information, such as those in China, Belarus and elsewhere,M. aware, in view of these facts, of the difficulty of making an accurate assessment of the progress achieved and of the scale of the task remaining to be completed, but expressing with the utmost vigour its intention to continue its fight to protect human rights, which are one of the fundamental values of European civilization,N. concerned at the continuing human rights violations in certain Latin American countries, which are a serious threat to the stability and democratic development of their institutions,O. aware of the weaknesses and potential inconsistencies resulting from inadequate coordination between European Union bodies, between the Union and its Member States and between the Union and other international organizations,P. whereas the more widely and commonly human rights are invoked, the greater the ambiguity and weakness surrounding both the concept itself and the scope of the obligations derived therefrom,Q. aware of the difficulty of incorporating a moral component in international relations, which traditionally express the political, economic and geostrategic interests of the states concerned,R. whereas, consequently, clarifications and greater consistency are now essential to prevent the destruction of the credibility of human rights and of the Union, in particular with regard to its foreign policy,S. whereas the European Parliament must preserve and enlarge its pioneering role in this field; whereas, however, to this end, clarifications are also required to determine its specific role,T. whereas the Intergovernmental Conference must, without fail, provide an opportunity to make these clarifications,As regards international and European protection of human rights1. Notes and welcomes the many declarations and decisions made by the Council and the Commission and the many resolutions and recommendations adopted by the European Parliament, which in 1995 and 1996 have shown the determination of the Union and its Member States to react to human rights violations in the world, and which are called for and endorsed by human rights activists and NGOs;2. Draws attention, in particular, to its abovementioned resolution of 26 April 1995 and to the proposals contained therein which have not yet been implemented;3. Notes and welcomes the human rights provisions which are now contained in most of the Union's agreements with third countries, and the will, shown by the Commission in particular, to be increasingly specific about the substance of these requirements ((cf. in particular abovementioned Commission communication (COM(95)0216).));4. Approves the fact that similar analyses and converging views are expressed by the Council, the Commission and the European Parliament;As regards the conditions for improving the system of protection of human rights by the European Union5. Stresses the dangers, both for human rights and the Union, arising from declarations being made in support of human rights and not being followed by practical measures;6. Recalls its priorities regarding human rights as set out in its previous resolutions, and with the aim of giving its work greater impact, calls for a number of concepts which have frequently given rise to divergent interpretations within international organizations to be clearly defined:- the scope of the principles of universality and indivisibility,- the respective places of civil and political rights, economic and social rights, cultural rights, the rights of people belonging to minority groups, in particular national minorities, the rights of refugees, women's rights, children's rights, the right to a healthy environment, the rights of the individual in relation to life sciences, etc.,- the links between democracy and human rights,- the relationship between humanitarian action and law, and human rights;7. Recalls that, on the subject of human rights, the UN World Conference on Human Rights held in Vienna in 1993 reaffirmed the right to development as a universal and inalienable human right and as an integral component of fundamental human rights; considers that the EU should promote effective international cooperation for the fulfilment of the right to development and the elimination of obstacles to development (('Development' is, according to a 1986 declaration of the UN General Assembly, a global economic, social, cultural and political process, which tends towards the constant improvement of the wellbeing of the whole population and of all individuals, on the basis of their active, free and significant participation in development and in the fair distribution of the benefits deriving from it.));8. Calls, despite the steps already taken, for guarantees, controls and any penalties, whether legal, political, commercial or economic, to be more clearly defined, in particular with a view to permitting effective implementation of the human rights and democracy clause after an agreement with a third country enters into force, and thus to avoid human rights being denied and violations going unpunished;9. With regard to social clauses, calls on the Commission to ensure, as part of the activities that it carries out as the European Union's representative at the World Trade Organization, that minimum social clauses are defined to determine the legality of trade transactions, particularly with regard to work imposed on children, forced labour or work carried out in degrading conditions;10. Regrets that the Council recently decided not to propose setting up a working group on social standards at the WTO ministerial meeting in Singapore in December 1996;11. Calls for agreements concluded between the Union and third countries not to be approved on grounds of a satisfactory human rights situation where such approval is manifestly unjustified;12. Considers that the fundamental rule when concluding agreements between the Union and third countries must be that the country meets the Union's requirements in the field of human rights;13. Calls, accordingly, on the Commission to submit to the Council and the European Parliament a proposal for a procedure which would enable binding steps to be taken in the event of human rights violations in third countries which have an agreement with the European Union;14. Considers it preferable, in exceptional cases where other circumstances make such an agreement necessary, that the Union should indicate clearly that it has been approved despite an unsatisfactory human rights situation and should require it to promote the development of human rights;15. Stresses that, where human rights are concerned, at every juncture and in each specific local situation, it is just as important to draw up a detailed analysis of current practices, in relation to the standards laid down in the Universal Declaration, as it is to determine whether recent developments regarding freedoms and the behaviour of the police and the system of justice show an improvement or a deterioration; the latter criterion, which takes into account the policies followed by local public authorities, is much better than any assessment of an absolute level for illuminating the political or economic decisions of the international community;16. Calls for the policy of 'conditionality' of aid, introduced by the Council Decision of November 1991 breaking with the policy of unconditional development aid, to be clarified in order to avoid in future the ambiguity of certain agreements such as the partnership agreement with Russia and the customs union agreement with Turkey;17. Insists that a coherent policy of guarantees and sanctions should be set up and applied through a firm political will, which is a necessary condition for establishing the Union's credibility on the international scene;18. Considers that international monitoring of the arms trade is indispensable for the conduct of preventive diplomacy in the interests of peace and human rights;19. Regrets the ambiguity of the positions adopted by the Commission, which considers that, in the event of non-execution by either party of the obligations under an agreement, appropriate measures may be taken, but that, in the selection of measures, 'priority must be given to those which least disturb the functioning of this Agreement';20. Calls on the Commission and the Council rapidly to submit a proposal on a Code of Conduct for European companies operating in third countries which obliges them to respect human rights in all their forms (civil, social, economical, environmental), including mechanisms of control and sanction on the grounds of the existing OECD proposal;21. Calls for a genuine CFSP to be established for the Union following the IGC, removing the distinction between the first and second 'pillars', and for the Union to be provided with the instruments required to formulate and implement the CFSP, failing which the EU will be unable to defend human rights in the world effectively;22. Calls for this CFSP, despite the problems which exist, to seek to introduce a moral concept, such as human rights, into the various policies, such as the CFSP itself, arms sales, economic policies and development policy;23. Stresses, finally, that it is essential not to pursue contradictory policies, by continuing to export not only arms and anti-personnel mines, but also instruments of torture, while Union Member States simultaneously claim to defend human rights;24. Warns against the reasoning of those countries which wish to separate foreign policy and human rights issues, as they have managed to do at the UN, refusing to allow the Security Council to consider human rights issues, which are reserved for the specialized Commission and the Economic and Social Council;25. Calls for the CFSP to find solutions which would enable political sanctions to be exercised against governments responsible for human rights violations (for example, exclusion from international fora), in cases where the suspension or cancellation of an agreement would be ineffective or the population unjustly penalized;26. Calls also for the CFSP to specify what it means by the right or duty of intervention - both in the field of humanitarian action and in that of human rights -, the limits of its interventions and the political, legal and material means with which it is to be provided;27. Calls for the Union to provide itself with the necessary means to take action in humanitarian and peacekeeping missions;28. Considers, however, that any type of military intervention can only take place as part of a United Nations mandate and under the control of the competent UN bodies, so as to avoid any colonialist or imperialist interpretation;As regards institutions and procedures29. Is aware of the necessity and difficulty of reconciling two essential requirements, i.e. on the one hand the need for specialized bodies with a thorough knowledge of human rights concepts and rules and, on the other, the need to avoid creating a barrier between human rights specialists and those responsible for the whole range of policies conducted by the Union;30. Insists that the Union institutions (including financial bodies such as the EIB and EBRD) and Member States must adopt a common and coherent approach to human rights and calls for their statements and actions in this field to be coordinated, taking into account the observation made in paragraph 13, since the highlighting of recent developments regarding human rights is often a better indicator of the policy to be followed than the level achieved at a particular juncture when compared abstractly with the requirements of the Universal Declaration;31. Calls, in particular, for closer coordination between human rights initiatives of the Council, the Commission and the European Parliament and for the greatest possible account to be taken of the views expressed by Parliament, which necessitates an appropriate follow-up mechanism;32. Calls for the Commission to strengthen its specialized services to enable them to make an objective assessment of human rights obligations, failure to respect such rights and possible sanctions;33. Calls, therefore, for these services to work in close cooperation with bodies that have acquired a wide experience in this field, such as the United Nations Commission on Human Rights and the Council of Europe's European Court of Human Rights and Human Rights Directorate, with a view to achieving as close a consensus as possible in defining the criteria relating to the substance and legal scope of human rights and possible sanctions in the event of violation;34. Reaffirms its belief that a member of the Commission should be appointed to be responsible for human rights, in order to guarantee consistency between the Commission's various areas of action which have a bearing on human rights and that this Commissioner, working in close contact with the President of the Commission, should be able to take initiatives in the field of human rights in the same way as the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights;35. Calls on the Commission, for the same purpose of consistency and clarity, to submit to Parliament a document listing the appropriations used in the various activity sectors and which relate to human rights and giving reasons for the choices made in granting funding;36. Calls for the Commission's 'interservice group' to be strengthened and to cooperate closely with the relevant European Parliament and Council officials;37. Calls for the Commission and its services to arrange for genuine cooperation with the most representative human rights NGOs and to grant them the status of organizations recognized by the Union;38. Calls also for the Commission, in particular through the ECHO programme, to continue to support humanitarian NGOs and to work with them, but to avoid confining human rights action solely to humanitarian action, and to ensure improved coordination between the areas of intervention covered by ECHO and TACIS, so as permit continuity between humanitarian interventions and structural measures to support reconstruction and the establishment of normal living conditions in areas of conflict;39. Stresses the importance that it attaches to the creation by the Commission of a Centre for the Active Prevention of Conflicts, working in conjunction with the European Parliament in accordance with its resolution of 14 June 1995 on the establishment of a European Union Analysis Centre for Active Crisis Prevention ((OJ C 166, 3.7.1995, p. 59.)); such a centre should, among other things, include respect for human rights among the criteria that it uses to prepare analyses of political tensions likely to lead to violence;40. Calls for consideration of the possibility of establishing a European Civil Corps with a view to enhancing conflict prevention activity;41. Calls on the Council, with regard to the political and material means which it will be given by the IGC to formulate and implement the CFSP, in cooperation with the Commission and Parliament, to act with the utmost rigour and firmness whenever it refers to humanist values and, in particular, respect for human rights;42. Calls also on the Council to act with the utmost transparency whenever human rights are at stake, since these represent the fundamental values forming the basis of European integration;43. Wishes the Council to act by a qualified majority in deciding whether to suspend an agreement on grounds relating to human rights;44. Calls on each Council Presidency to define its priorities in the field of human rights and, when doing so, to take account of the European Parliament's recommendations;45. Insists that Parliament should be systematically informed of positions adopted by the Commission and Council with respect to human rights in third countries and, in accordance with the Treaty on European Union, should be consulted, where necessary under procedures guaranteeing confidentiality;46. Insists, in particular, that Parliament should be consulted on the implementation of human rights clauses contained in agreements between the Union and third countries, in particular with regard to agreements requiring Parliament's assent;47. Undertakes to step up its own efforts to follow a consistent political line with regard to human rights in its resolutions, recommendations and inquiries and to clarify the concepts it uses, with a view to increasing its influence and that of the Union;48. Undertakes to step up its own efforts, through the introduction of more effective administrative resources to ensure a follow-up on the action taken on its resolutions, recommendations and inquiries regarding human rights;49. Reaffirms the European Parliament's duty, as the world's only supranational parliament elected by direct universal suffrage, to defend human rights in whatever form, but points to the difficulties involved insofar as Parliament also wishes to take on responsibilities in all areas of Union policy, including foreign policy;50. Calls for its various bodies (committees and delegations) working in different ways in the field of human rights to coordinate their work more effectively and to consult the Subcommittee on Human Rights more frequently with regard to the guarantees and controls applied in this area;51. Considers that effective methods for joint action by Union bodies, and by the Union together with the OSCE and Council of Europe, should be defined with a view to evaluating the policies and activities pursued by the European Union in the field of human rights and establishing a genuine human rights doctrine, based on philosophical, legal and political tenets, which is now needed by the various European organizations on the continent as a whole and in their relations with third countries;52. Considers that the creation of a Human Rights Centre should in any case be based on the analyses and proposals to be made in the report currently being drafted by the Committee on Foreign Affairs, Security and Defence Policy on the setting-up of specialized European Union bodies to deal with human rights matters;As regards action to be taken in third countries53. Considers that the emphasis should be placed, as a matter of priority, on prevention, incentives and measures to support the democratization process in third countries;54. Supports, therefore, measures such as the establishment of democratic institutions with free elections, political parties, a free press and the introduction of the rule of law in places where it was previously non- existent;55. Wishes to continue monitoring electoral processes before, during and after the first elections;56. Encourages action to back up democratic movements in countries in transition, stresses the importance of programmes such as PHARE, TACIS and MEDA, and welcomes the Commission's proposal to maintain the appropriations earmarked for these programmes; considers, however, that more emphasis should be placed on health and education programmes which are fundamental for the exercise of human rights; calls for them to be drawn up and implemented more rigorously and for experts to be better prepared for the tasks awaiting them in the countries concerned; and places particular emphasis on actions which will have a multiplier effect;57. Stresses that Chapter B7-70 'European initiative for democracy and the protection of human rights' of the Community budget, which was introduced in 1994, constitutes the Union's major instrument in the field of human rights; regrets, however, that, in the 1997 budget, although commitment appropriations are maintained at the same level as in 1996, payment appropriations have dropped by ECU 4.2 million, and therefore insists that these appropriations should be restored to their previous level;58. Calls for a budget line concerning support for freedom of opinion and freedom of the press to be entered;59. Welcomes the efforts of the ACP-EU Joint Assembly to promote respect for human rights and democracy in the ACP countries; supports, in this context, the decision by the Bureau of the Joint Assembly to postpone the plenary meeting in Togo in view of the problems related to human rights and democracy in that country; calls on the Joint Assembly, on the basis of this precedent, not to propose plenary sessions in countries with which cooperation has been suspended;60. Recommends the setting-up of educational programmes, in particular audiovisual programmes, to promote human rights in countries in transition and EU support for programmes of this kind that have been set up by other organizations such as the Council of Europe and UNESCO;61. .Considers that it is essential to do more to educate and increase the awareness of young Europeans about respect for human rights by involving them in work to promote and protect human rights throughout the world by means of voluntary service with specialized NGOs based in third countries; considers, in this connection, that budget line B3-1011 should make it possible to finance such work, and calls on the Commission to lay down a European legal framework for voluntary service by young people in third countries, and to draw up a multiannual programme;62. Believes that the Union should take part in or launch information campaigns in favour of tolerance and respect for human rights and against racism, xenophobia, ethnic cleansing and antisemitism; welcomes the Council's decision designating 1997 European Year against Racism and Xenophobia, also supports the decision taken by the last European Council in Florence to set up a European Monitoring Centre on Racism and Xenophobia, and hopes that the Centre will cooperate closely with similar Council of Europe bodies;63. Recalls the undertaking made by the European Union at the 49th session of the United Nations General Assembly to allocate new resources to activities concerned with human rights, such as the United Nations Centre for Human Rights, the International Criminal Tribunal at The Hague and the United Nations High Commission for Refugees, in proportion to the increasing scale of the functions assigned to them;64. Proposes that, as part of the reform of the United Nations and taking into account the fact that the protection and promotion of human rights are a priority for the United Nations, massive human rights violations should be referred directly to the Security Council and would then become its direct responsibility;65. Believes that, wherever human rights are violated, the Union should take action, in the form of both sanctions and reconstruction measures, including the following priorities for 1997:- unconditional political support and, if necessary, financial backing for the international criminal tribunals on war crimes in the former Yugoslavia and Rwanda, with the aim of converting these ad hoc tribunals into a genuine international criminal court;- setting up democratic institutions in the former Yugoslavia, support for measures seeking to ensure freedom of movement, the right of return for refugees, freedom of expression and the holding of local elections;- ensuring that the definitions of serious war crimes such as terrorism and torture contained in Additional Protocol II to the Fourth Geneva Convention should include 'systematic rape';- launching programmes for reconciliation of the civilian population, particularly programmes promoting education for peace, and rehabilitation of victims of torture, rape and psychological trauma caused by war in the former Yugoslavia, as well as in other countries which have experienced large-scale conflicts;- establishing special protection for the most disadvantaged groups, through specific projects aimed at increasing their access to protection, education and training;- confirmation of European programmes for reconstruction and development in South Africa, the Middle East and Bosnia Herzegovina;- confirmation of appropriations for the European Community Humanitarian Office (ECHO);- support for European programmes for the consolidation of democracy, institutions and civil society in the countries of Latin America and elsewhere;- suitable measures, to be decided by the European Council, in relation to Indonesia, in accordance with the joint position on East Timor adopted on 24 June 1996;66. Calls on the Council to adopt, pursuant to Article J.3 of the Treaty on European Union, a joint action to permit the creation of a permanent International Criminal Court which would have jurisdiction to try those responsible for human rights violations and crimes against humanity and would also have the requisite financial resources to carry out its functions properly;67. Calls on the Commission and the Council to follow closely the development of civil society in the countries of Central and Eastern Europe, including the promotion of respect for human rights and the rule of law;68. Underlines the need for close coordination of the action taken by the Commission with the Member States, with regard to both preventing abuses and promoting human rights, and considers that such action by the Commission should be financed by the Community budget and not left to the goodwill of the Member States;69. Recommends, as regards texts, that:- the IGC give the Union, in the new Treaty, the legal powers that it needs with regard to human rights, since this basis is necessary to develop its own policy in this area and to accede directly to international legal instruments such as the Council of Europe's Convention on Human Rights;- the Member States comply with the Council of Europe's revised European Social Charter and supplement this by undertakings and specific legal instruments in the context of the European Union;- the Member States and as many third countries as possible accede to the European Convention for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities, the Charter for Regional and Minority Languages and the Council of Europe's other legal instruments;70. Calls for the Union, in agreements with third countries, to continue extending its requirements in relation to human rights in particular:- by revising agreements which do not yet contain a democracy clause in order to make up for this shortcoming, while ensuring that such clauses do not become a mere formality which will be disregarded at the first opportunity,- by including social clauses reflecting the relevant standards laid down in the ILO Conventions, with a view to combating abuses relating to work imposed on children, prisoners or other disadvantaged sections of the population,- by developing clauses relating to environmental protection,- by setting up political, economic or legal mechanisms, guarantees, controls and sanctions, without which these various clauses will remain ineffectual;71. Calls on the Commission to ensure, as part of the activities that it carries out as the European Union's representative at the World Trade Organization, that minimum humanitarian clauses are defined to determine the legality of trade transactions, particularly with regard work imposed on childen, prisoners or other disadvantaged sections of the population;72. Calls on the European Council, the Council and the Commission to explore the possibility of making the year 2000 a symbolic year for human rights and the occasion for European and worldwide consideration of the human rights situation here and throughout the world and of the means to be used to ensure that they are respected; calls in particular, in preparation for this event, for the adoption in 1997 of a three-year programme (1998-2000), aimed at the young generation in the Member States, which will seek to spread awareness of human rights, promote encounters between different cultures and religions and spread respect for the dignity of individuals;73. Instructs its President to forward this resolution and the report of its committee to the Council, the Commission, the European Council, the parliaments and governments of the Member States, the Council of Europe, the Secretaries-General of the United Nations and UNESCO, the OSCE, the OAS, the OAU, ASEAN, and the parliaments and governments of all the countries mentioned in this resolution.