European Parliament resolution on the EU's priorities and recommendations for the 61st session of the UN Commission on Human Rights in Geneva (14 March to 22 April 2005)
Date: 2005-02-24
Institutions: European Parliament
Subjects: UN technical commission, human rights, political situation, the EU's international role

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7.
Considers that Europe must promote innovation by developing its industrial interests, especially in the
advanced and high technology sectors, supporting appropriate industrial redeployment plans; emphasises
that investment in research and development can be used to develop the new materials, designs and pro-
cesses that can reconfigure traditional industries;

Asks the Commission to present a communication on the current state of the steel sector and to

8.
create a high-level group on this sector;

Invites the Commission, after the expiry of the ECSC Treaty, to present a strategy for the future

9.
prospects of the steel sector in order to promote independent European capacity in this sector;

10.
Calls on the Member States to promote and step up the social dialogue on a basis of compliance with
national and European legislation on informing and consulting employees, and to adopt effective measures
aimed at protecting trade union representatives;

Calls on the Commission to work for a decision at WTO and OECD level which would ensure the

11.
protection of the Union's steel industry on the international market;

Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the Governments

12.
and Parliaments of the Member States, the WTO, the OECD and the social partners.

P6_TA(2005)0051

Human Rights (Geneva, 14 March to 22 April 2005)

European Parliament resolution on the EU's priorities and recommendations for the 61st session of
the UN Commission on Human Rights in Geneva (14 March to 22 April 2005)

The European Parliament,

— having regard to the 61st session of the UN Commission on Human Rights (UNCHR), which will be

held in Geneva from 14 March to 22 April 2005,

— having regard to the EU Treaty and its provisions on human rights,

— having regard to Articles I-3(3) and III-292 of the Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe,

— having regard to the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union,

— having regard to the Commission communication to the Council and the European Parliament on the
European Union's role in promoting human rights and democratisation in third countries (COM(2001)
0252) and its resolution of 25 April 2002 on that communication (1),

— having regard to its resolution of 22 April 2004 on human rights in the world in 2003 and European

Union human rights policy (2),

— having regard to its previous resolutions on the UNCHR since 1996,

— having regard to its resolution of 29 January 2004 on the relations between the European Union and

the United Nations (3),

— having regard to Rule 103(2) of its Rules of Procedure,

(1) OJ C 131 E, 5.6.2003, p. 147.
(2) Texts Adopted, P5_TA(2004)0376.
(3) Texts Adopted, P5_TA(2004)0037.

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A. whereas one of the main objectives of the European Union must be to uphold the universality and
indivisibility, as well as the interdependent and interrelated nature, of all human rights, including civil,
political, economic, social and cultural rights, and the so-called third-generation human rights, such as
the rights to development, to peace and to a healthy environment,

B.

C.

whereas respect for human rights is essential with a view to achieving the objective of sustainable
development which respects both human beings and the environment,

whereas the protection and promotion of human and fundamental rights are among the most funda-
mental principles of the Union,

D. whereas the promotion and defence of human rights and the defenders of those rights, of democracy
and of the rule of law are a high priority for the European Union in all its relations with third coun-
tries, in particular in its Common Foreign and Security Policy and in its Development and Coop-
eration Policy,

E.

F.

G.

whereas the UN Human Rights Norms for Business represent a major step forward in the process of
establishing a common global framework for understanding the responsibilities of business enterprises
with regard to human rights; and whereas the EU committed itself to promoting the development of
an intergovernmental framework of corporate accountability at the UN World Summit for Sustainable
Development in Johannesburg in September 2002,

whereas the UNCHR is one of the main UN bodies for the promotion and protection of human rights
around the world,

taking note of the report of the High-level Panel on Threats, Challenges and Change and its recom-
mendations on the UNCHR,

H. welcoming the European Union initiatives tabled at the 60th session of the UNCHR, including eight
country resolutions and two thematic resolutions, and the numerous resolutions which the EU co-
sponsored, making it one of the most active players at the UNCHR,

I.

J.

K.

L.

M.

N.

welcoming the reintroduction of resolutions on the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Burma,
Burundi, Chad, Liberia, Somalia, Cuba, Belarus, North Korea, Turkmenistan, and the question of the
violation of human rights in the occupied Arab territories, including Palestine, as well as Chair State-
ments on East Timor, Haiti and Nepal,

having regard to the conclusions contained in the Declaration issued at the International Cooperation
and Coordination Meeting for Colombia, which was adopted at Cartagena as a follow-up to the recom-
mendations issued in London in the presence — ‘inter alia’ — of the UN,

supporting the recommendations of the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights in
Colombia,

concerned at the fact that resolutions were not adopted on the following countries and territories in
relation to which the European Parliament had called on the European Union to sponsor or co-spon-
sor texts: Chechnya, Iran, Pakistan, India, Indonesia, Côte d'Ivoire, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Saudi Arabia
and the Central African Republic,

concerned at the fact that the resolutions on Zimbabwe sponsored by the EU as well as on China were
rejected at the 60th session of the UNCHR,

concerned in particular by the motion of ‘no-action’ adopted at the initiative of the Republic of Congo
on Zimbabwe, as well as the motion on China adopted at the initiative of the latter,

O. welcoming the appointment of six new experts on human rights: two for thematic issues (the United
Nations Special Rapporteur on trafficking in persons, especially women and children, and the Indepen-
dent Expert on Human Rights and Terrorism) and four for country mandates (the Special Rapporteur
on Belarus, the Special Rapporteur on the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, the Independent
Expert on Chad and the Independent Expert on Sudan),

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P.

Q.

R.

S.

T.

welcoming the fact that the 60th UNCHR session forcefully condemned the death penalty, with more
votes than in previous years, and confirmed the obligation for a State which has received a request for
extradition on a capital charge to refuse to comply with it in the absence of effective assurances that
capital punishment will not be carried out,

stressing in this regard the fact that the EU objective is the adoption by the UN General Assembly of a
resolution establishing a worldwide moratorium on capital executions as a first step towards the uni-
versal abolition of the death penalty,

recalling the indignation and outrage it has expressed at all terrorist attacks, particularly those of
11 September 2001 and 11 March 2004, and its solidarity with the victims of those attacks, as well
as its sympathy for the pain and suffering of their families, friends and relatives,

whereas contemporary terrorism, and in particular global terrorism directed against democracy and its
defenders, causing massive indiscriminate civilian casualties by brutal, murderous and cowardly attacks,
nowadays represents the most violent threat to basic and fundamental human rights that our societies
are faced with,

reaffirming that, in order to tackle this terrible modern threat, the prime duty of democratic govern-
ments is to protect our citizens with resolve, to fight terrorism firmly and tenaciously and to detect
and dismantle any terrorist networks,

U. whereas the fight against terrorism should not be used by any government to act against the legitimate
exercise of basic human rights and democratic principles, but must contribute to the strengthening of
the rule of law and these fundamental principles,

V.

W.

X.

Y.

Z.

whereas terrorism can never be justified and the fight against it necessitates the setting-up of compre-
hensive strategies that can help to address the causes of extreme poverty, insecurity, State breakdown
and the growth of fundamentalism, which may contribute to the emergence of terrorist activity,

having regard to UN General Assembly Resolution 57/219 of 18 December 2002, UN Security Coun-
cil Resolution 1456 of 20 January 2003 and UNCHR Resolution 2003/68 of 25 April 2003, which
affirm that States must ensure that any measure taken to combat terrorism is in conformity with their
obligations under international law, in particular international human rights law, the law on refugees
and international humanitarian law,

welcoming the Sana'a Declaration on democracy, human rights and the role of the International
Criminal Court, adopted by the representatives of all the Arab countries and the countries of the
Horn of Africa,

whereas the fact that there is a human rights dialogue between the EU and a third country should not
prevent the EU from either submitting a resolution on the human rights situation in that country or
providing support for an initiative by the third country, as is clearly indicated by the Council in its
conclusions of 20 October 2004 on China and Iran, as well as in the guidelines on human rights
dialogues,

whereas a permanent and constructive interinstitutional dialogue between the European Parliament,
the Commission and the Council is essential to give consistency and coherence to the action of the
European Union at the 61st UNCHR session,

AA. worried by the functioning of the UN Committee on NGOs, in which in recent years certain inter-
national organisations promoting democracy and human rights worldwide have been subjected to
political trials by non-democratic countries,

AB.

concerned at the fact that too often the UNCHR has failed to carry out its proper role of upholding
rights and has instead sought to protect its members accused of abuses, as pointed out by the body
appointed by the UN Secretary-General to put forward proposals to reform the Institution,

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General considerations

Reaffirms that respecting, promoting and safeguarding the universality of human rights is part of the

1.
European Union's ethical and legal acquis and one of the cornerstones of European unity and integrity;

Reaffirms the need for strengthened consultation, cooperation and coordination between the EU and

2.
the UN, in particular the UNCHR;

3.

Urges the EU to play a pioneering role in the UNCHR;

Country and territory situations

4.
Calls on the EU, while taking due account of the fact that the following list is not exhaustive, that the
circumstances differ substantially from country to country and that the situation in some countries has
improved, to sponsor or co-sponsor resolutions on:

— all countries for which an expert on human rights has been appointed with a country mandate (Afgha-
nistan, Belarus, Burma, Burundi, Cambodia, Chad, Cuba, the Democratic Republic of Congo, the Demo-
cratic People's Republic of Korea, Haiti, Iraq, Liberia, Somalia, Sudan) and the question of the violation
of human rights in the occupied Arab territories, including Palestine;

— all countries on whose human rights situations the EU has reiterated its serious concern in international
fora (listed in the European Union Annual Report on Human Rights adopted by the Council) without a
country mandate in the UNCHR, namely: Zimbabwe, China, India, Indonesia, Pakistan, Nepal, Vietnam,
the Russian Federation (Chechnya), Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Algeria, Libya, Iran, Mauritania, Tunisia
and Saudi Arabia;

— all countries on whose human rights situations the European Parliament has reiterated its deep concern

(the Central African Republic, Côte d'Ivoire, Cameroon, Eritrea and Togo);

— China, strongly condemning in particular the unjustified use of arbitrary detention, the repressive action
in Tibet, in Xinjiang, and against the Falun Gong movement and any form of political opposition;
calling for the immediate and unconditional release of all prisoners of opinion and conscience, respect
for the freedoms of thought, conscience and religion, and respect for women's and workers' rights;
calling for the rapid ratification of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights; condemning
the intended lifting of the EU arms sales embargo; condemning the unjustified and excessive use of the
death penalty; calling for the adoption of a moratorium on executions, as well as the ratification of the
Second Protocol to the ICCPR as soon as possible; and calling for the continuation of the Sino-Tibetan
dialogue between the envoys of His Holiness the Dalai Lama and the Chinese Government to establish a
real autonomy for Tibet within the Chinese borders;

— Iran, condemning the serious increase in human rights violations, notably the growing number of
reports about executions, including executions of juvenile offenders, amputations, flogging in public, a
generalised crackdown on the press and media, and widespread arrests — especially of women and
young people — on unclear or minor charges; calling for a moratorium on all executions; expecting
the Iranian authorities to enact the promised legislation to prohibit the use of the death penalty for
offences committed under the age of 18; and calling on the UNCHR to re-appoint a special represen-
tative to monitor the human rights situation in Iran and on the Iranian Government to grant free access
for human rights monitors to the country;

— Iraq, condemning violations of human rights and humanitarian law in particular, the execution of
civilians, the taking of hostages and their barbaric execution by terrorist groups, regular attacks on
minority groups such as Assyrians and others, obstruction of access to medical care, and acts of torture
against civilian populations; condemning the Iraqi Interim Government's decision to restore capital
punishment; asking that allegations of human rights violations and war crimes committed during the
last three decades be investigated by the Iraqi authorities as quickly as possible and that those respon-
sible be punished; insisting on the right of every detainee to fair legal treatment in accordance with
inhuman or
law; reiterating its condemnation of the use of torture and other cruel,
international

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degrading treatment of prisoners; calling for thorough, impartial, public and transparent investigation of
allegations of torture and ill-treatment; asking for appropriate sanctioning through appropriate chan-
nels; welcoming the holding of the Iraqi elections and insisting that human rights and democracy be
the main values on which the future constitution of the country is based;

— Chechnya, condemning first and foremost the terrible Beslan massacre, but also the increasing number
of war crimes and crimes against humanity committed by the Russian authorities against the civilian
populations, in particular abductions and forced disappearances, and targeted operations which have
taken on a systematic and punitive character; condemning the situation of women, particularly targeted
in such punitive operations; deploring the continued impunity enjoyed by the perpetrators of such
crimes; condemning the systematic abuses committed and obstructive measures taken by the Russian
army against human rights defenders in the exercise of their activities, obstruction and violation of the
freedom of the press and the threats against people lodging complaints with the European Court of
Human Rights; and calling for an immediate start to political negotiations between the parties to the
conflict with a view to finally finding a peaceful solution to the conflict;

— Turkmenistan, condemning the violent repression of any form of press freedom and political convic-

tion;

— Zimbabwe, condemning the Mugabe regime for its relentless and brutal oppression of an impoverished
and starving people, its systematic subversion of judicial, press and individual freedom, and its destruc-
tion of a once successful economy; calling upon responsible authorities in Zimbabwe and Zimbabwe's
neighbours to use their power and influence to ensure that the forthcoming elections (on 31 March
2005) are held in accordance with international principles and norms and in the presence of a robust
international monitoring mission; and calling upon the UN Security Council to intervene decisively in
the Zimbabwean crisis should the regime fail to uphold the principles of democracy, the rule of law
and respect for human rights throughout the forthcoming election period;

— Uzbekistan, condemning the outlawing of religious groups in particular and the serious interference

with activities of political parties;

— Afghanistan, recognising the need to support the elected new government; condemning violations of
human rights, the taking of hostages, their ill-treatment and execution; and asking that allegations of
human rights violations and war crimes committed over the last decade be investigated and the per-
petrators held to account;

— Sudan, calling on all parties to the Darfur conflict to immediately cease all violence and attacks, refrain
from forcible relocation of civilians, cooperate with international humanitarian relief and monitoring
efforts, ensure that their members comply with international humanitarian law, facilitate the safety and
security of humanitarian staff, and fully cooperate with the UN Commission of Inquiry investigations
into violations of international humanitarian law and human rights, allowing it to also confirm whether
acts of genocide have occurred and to identify perpetrators of such violations; calling on the UN
Security Council to seriously consider a global arms embargo on Sudan and other targeted sanctions
against those responsible for massive abuses of human rights and other atrocities in view of recent
breaches of ceasefire and peace process commitments, and to ensure that any such sanctions do not
add to the suffering of the population of Sudan; welcoming the signature on 9 January 2005 of the
peace agreement between the Khartoum government and the Sudan People's Liberation Movement/
Army and looking forward to its rapid and complete implementation;

Calls on the Council to support the appointment of a Special Rapporteur to scrutinise Nepal's human

5.
rights record;

Calls on the EU to issue a public statement conveying to the Chinese Government its deep concern

6.
about the repeated violations of human rights;

Calls, following the advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice on the legal consequences of
7.
the construction of a wall in the occupied Palestinian territory, and its validation by the General Assembly,
for the adoption of a resolution calling for international law to be applied so that Israel's violation of its
international obligations ceases, namely through the suspension of construction of the wall on lands that
are on the West-Bank side of the internationally recognised ‘green line’ between Israel and the Palestinian
Territories, its dismantling and the repeal of all legal or regulatory acts relating to its construction, and also

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so that third countries honour their obligations by refraining from supporting the building of the wall; calls
on the Council and the Commission to intensify their efforts to achieve a just and lasting solution to the
conflict in the Middle East through the negotiation of a firm and final peace agreement as laid out in the
Roadmap for Peace, without prior conditions, based on the existence of two democratic and sovereign states
— Israel and Palestine — coexisting peacefully side by side within secure and recognised frontiers; reaffirms
its commitment to the creation of a viable sovereign Palestinian state in 2005;

Thematic issues

8.

Calls on the Presidency to sponsor or co-sponsor resolutions on:

— civil and political rights: protection of human rights in the fight against terrorism; racism; the question
of the violation of human rights and fundamental freedoms in any part of the world; the questions of
torture and cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, freedom of expression, the indepen-
dence of the judiciary, impunity and religious intolerance; the rights of the child, with an emphasis on
full implementation of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child and particularly the
dramatic plight of children in armed conflicts and violence against children; the rights of women and
girls need for protection against the use of rape as a ‘tool of war’ in conflict situations; the right to
reproductive health; migrant workers, minorities and displaced persons; indigenous peoples; disappear-
ances and summary executions; human rights defenders; freedom of the press and protection of jour-
nalists; protection of internally displaced persons; modern forms of slavery (namely in the field of child
labour, trafficking in people and trafficking in human organs); and discrimination on grounds of sexual
orientation and gender identity; and the responsibilities of transnational corporations and related busi-
ness enterprises with regard to human rights;

— economic, social and cultural rights: the right to development; the right to food; extreme poverty; the
Additional Protocol to the Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights; businesses and human
rights; and disability, race, age and religion;

Calls on the EU to continue to support the Working Group on the Right to Development in its efforts

9.
to develop a clear methodology for the implementation of the right to development;

10.
Calls on the Presidency and the Council fully to support the mandate of the UN Special Rapporteur
on trafficking in persons, especially in women and children, established by the Commission on Human
Rights in 2004;

11.
Recalls, in line with the 1986 UN Declaration recognising the right to sustainable development as an
inalienable human right, the EU commitment to promote an international economic order based on equal-
ity, sovereignty, interdependence and mutual interest; calls on the EU to focus on the need for development
at the next WTO negotiations due to take place in December 2005 in Hong Kong;

12.
Calls on the EU and its Member States to take all the necessary measures to achieve the Millennium
Development Goals, especially those of eradicating poverty, widespread hunger, gender inequality, environ-
mental deterioration and lack of education, health care and clean water;

13.
Reiterates its request to the Presidency to continue its efforts in favour of the Brazilian initiative on
discrimination on grounds of sexual orientation and gender identity by gathering other countries' support
for a resolution on this problem.

14.
Calls on the Council, the Member States and the Commission to strengthen the activities of the
UNCHR as well as those of the UN Sub-Commission on the Promotion and the Protection of Human Rights
dedicated to indigenous issues, in particular those of its Working Group on Indigenous Populations;

15.
Calls on the Presidency, the Council and the Member States to give unequivocal support to the draft
resolution from the Sub-Commission on the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights (Sub-Commission
resolution 2004/17) to the 61st session of the Commission on Human Rights proposing a study on dis-

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crimination based on work and descent, and the development of a draft set of principles and guidelines for
the elimination of caste-based discrimination in a comprehensive response to a massive and systematic
human rights problem that affects the lives of an estimated 260 million people around the world;

16. Welcomes the work of the inter-sessional open-ended working group of the UNCHR in charge of
preparing a draft legally binding normative instrument for the protection of all persons from enforced
disappearance; and supports the drafting of a convention on protection and assistance for victims of terror-
ist attacks; calls on the UNCHR to adopt, as a matter of priority, a draft convention on the protection of all
persons from enforced disappearance; and urges the Council and all governments of Member States to
support both working groups, with a view to early adoption of the convention by the General Assembly
of the United Nations;

Calls on the Commission and the Council to give due attention to the question of impunity in respect

17.
of violations of international human rights, war crimes and humanitarian law;

18.
Calls on the Special Rapporteur on freedom of expression to look specifically at the issue of journal-
ists in areas of conflict and the dangers and threats facing them; calls, in this respect, on the Commission on
Human Rights to instruct its Sub-Commission to give careful consideration to this issue and draw up new
standards or guidelines aimed at ensuring that the rights and fundamental freedoms of journalists working
in areas of conflict are fully respected;

Recalls that 2005 is the 10th anniversary of the Beijing Conference on Women and should constitute

19.
an important occasion to advance the human rights of women worldwide;

Calls on the EU to support the full integration of a gender perspective throughout the United Nations

20.
system;

21. Welcomes the fact that, from 1997 onwards, on the initiative of the European Union, the UNCHR
has adopted a resolution calling for an end to the death penalty or for its application to be limited as much
as possible; calls for action to be taken in favour of renewal of that resolution during the 61st session of the
UNCHR;

22.
Calls on the Member States to ratify the UN Migrant Workers' Convention and to support the
universal ratification thereof; calls, in this respect, on the EU to strongly support the renewal of the mandate
of the Special Rapporteur on the human rights of migrants;

23.
Calls on the Commission, the Council, the Presidency and the Member States to do their utmost to
ensure that the UN General Assembly adopts at its next session a resolution establishing a worldwide mora-
torium on capital executions as a first step towards the universal abolition of the death penalty;

24.
Expresses its concern, however, about the risks of a slow-down or even a reversal of the abolitionist
tendency, and calls on all States that retain the death penalty to act in accordance with Resolution 2004/L94
adopted at the 60th session of the UNCHR;

25.
Calls on the EU to ensure that the omnibus resolution on torture strongly reaffirms that no state
may expel, return or extradite a person to another state where there are substantial grounds for believing
that this person would be in danger of being subjected to torture or other cruel, inhuman and degrading
treatment;

26.
Calls on the Presidency to sponsor a resolution calling on the US to immediately clarify the situation
of the prisoners in Guantánamo and in other locations in respect of international human rights standards
and humanitarian law, and recalls its positions on the dramatic situation of the prisoners in Guantánamo,
reiterated through several resolutions;

27.
Reaffirms that, through its development and trade policy, the EU has an important role to play in
eroding the support base for terrorist networks and movements through its focus on poverty reduction,
land reform, governance and the fight against corruption;

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28.
Calls on the EU to support the setting-up of an UN special monitoring mechanism on human rights
and counter-terrorism to examine the effect of counter-terrorism measures, laws and practices on human
rights and to make recommendations to states on respecting human rights while combating terrorism;

Calls on the Presidency to make efforts to progress towards the creation of an ‘International Arms
29.
Exports Treaty’, taking note of Parliament's resolution of 17 November 2004 on the Council's Fifth Annual
Report according to Operative Provision 8 of the European Union Code of Conduct on Arms Exports (1);

30.
Continues to support wholeheartedly the process towards a new International Convention on the
Human Rights of Persons with Disabilities; encourages the Council and the Commission to play a leading
role in order to achieve a comprehensive Convention at the earliest opportunity, which will ensure equal
and effective enjoyment of all human rights by persons with disabilities throughout the world; calls on the
EU Presidency to take account of Parliament's resolution of 3 September 2003 on the UN Convention (2)
when representing the EU in the negotiations within the UN ad hoc committee responsible for drafting the
UN Convention; reminds the Council and the Commission to continue and increase the dialogue with the
representative disabled people's organisations;

Efficient functioning of human rights instruments and mechanisms

Calls on the Council and the Commission to work towards the universal ratification of all human

31.
rights instruments;

32. Welcomes the work done by the European Union in favour of the universal ratification of the Rome
Statute of the International Criminal Court, and calls on the Union to continue its work; calls, in particular,
on the United States to ratify this Statute and not to negotiate a special status for its military personnel
which would guarantee them a form of ‘international immunity’;

Calls on the Commission to provide for sufficient budgetary funds in order to ensure the promotion

33.
and follow-up of the Sana'a process;

34.
Calls on the Presidency and Member States to request that, as a prerequisite for membership of the
UNCHR, governments should have ratified core human rights treaties, complied with their reporting obli-
gations, issued open invitations to the UN human rights experts and endeavoured to implement their rec-
ommendations;

Urges the Council and the Member States to ensure that all recommendations outlined in the experts'
35.
reports, aimed at improving the promotion of human rights within the Commission on Human Rights as
well as protecting this Commission, be taken into account and followed up in the reform process;

36.
Calls, in particular, on new members and the Chair of the UNCHR to use their term on the UNCHR
to demonstrate their commitment to human rights by taking concrete steps to improve respect for human
rights in their countries;

37.
Calls on the Council and the Commission to support the UN in its efforts to send human rights
Special Rapporteurs, according to their terms of reference, to countries where human rights violations are
taking place, in particular countries which have close ties with the EU;

38.
Calls on the Presidency and the Member States to sponsor or co-sponsor a resolution to strengthen
the special procedures of the UNCHR, including through allocating adequate resources to assist their effec-
tive functioning;

39.
Deplores the deterioration in certain UNCHR debates, which concentrate solely on support for coun-
tries accused of human rights violations, and calls on the Presidency and the Member States to step up the
number of joint or individual declarations, as well as questions and declarations following the reports of the
Special Procedures;

(1) Texts Adopted, P6_TA(2004)0058.
(2) OJ C 76 E, 25.3.2004, p. 231.

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40.
Calls on the Commission, the Council and the Member States to monitor carefully the procedures
and decisions taken by the UN Committee on NGOs in order to prevent and avoid any violation of the
fundamental freedom of expression of NGOs inside the UNCHR;

41.
Calls on the Council Presidency to sponsor or co-sponsor a resolution to create an effective system
for monitoring and evaluating the implementation by governments of recommendations from the UNCHR
and the Special Procedures in order to achieve greater accountability by States;

Encourages the EU to respond to the call by the High Commissioner for Human Rights, in her 2005
42.
Annual Appeal, to ensure appropriate resources for her Office's work in servicing the Commission on
Human Rights and its Sub-Commission, and for supporting the treaty bodies and the special procedures;

Preparation and follow-up of the 61st session of the UNCHR

43.
Reaffirms the need for a coordinated, concerted and well prepared approach on the part of the
European Union prior to, during and after the 61st UNCHR session so as to ensure an efficient and effective
contribution to its proceedings;

Asks its Conference of Presidents to establish an ad hoc delegation of Members of the European

44.
Parliament to attend the 61st session of the UNCHR;

45.
Calls on the Council and the Commission to report back in full to Parliament in plenary session on
the outcome of the UNCHR no later than May 2005; and points out that their report should outline in
detail not only the issues on which the EU and its Member States sponsored or co-sponsored resolutions
and the range of actions taken by the EU during the UNCHR session, but also when and why such sponsor-
ing was not undertaken;

*

*

*

46.
Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the governments
and parliaments of the Member States, the Secretary-General of the United Nations, the Council of Europe,
and the governments of the countries mentioned in this resolution.

P6_TA(2005)0052

Action against hunger and poverty

European Parliament resolution on action against hunger and poverty

The European Parliament,

— having regard to the New York Declaration on Action against Hunger and Poverty of 20 September

2004, signed by 111 national governments, including all the EU Member States,

— having regard to the UN Millennium Declaration of 8 September 2000, which sets out the Millennium
Development Goals (MDGs) as criteria established jointly by the international community for the elim-
ination of poverty, and the UN Millennium Project report ‘Investing in Development: a practical plan to
achieve the Millennium Development Goals’ made public on 18 January 2005 in Brussels,

— having regard to the UN Conference on Trade and Development's report of 2002 on Least Developed

Countries, entitled ‘Escaping the Poverty Trap’,

— having regard to Rule 108(5) of its Rules of Procedure,