European Parliament resolution on the outcome of the United Nations World Summit of 14-16 September 2005
Date: 2005-09-29
Institutions: European Parliament
Subjects: UNO, development policy, institutional cooperation, institutional reform, international security, peace, summit meeting

C 227 E/582

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Official Journal of the European Union

21.9.2006

Thursday, 29 September 2005

— put forward proposals for car manufacturers to develop cleaner and less oil product-consuming

vehicles,

— counter, together with the Member States, the risk of increased social exclusion and reduce the negative

effects of rising oil prices on the most vulnerable social groups,

— work towards greater use of environmentally-friendly coal-based energy;

16. Regrets, however, that in its communication of 6 September 2005 on the ‘five-point plan to react to
the surge in oil prices’, the Commission completely omitted to address the transport sector;

Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission and the govern-

17.
ments and parliaments of the Member States.

P6_TA(2005)0362

Reform of the UN, the Millennium Development Goals

European Parliament resolution on the outcome of the United Nations World Summit of
14-16 September 2005

The European Parliament,

— having regard to its resolution of 12 April 2005 on the role of the European Union in the achievement
of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), (1) as well as those of 9 June 2005 on the reform of the
United Nations (2) and of 29 January 2004 on the relations between the European Union and the
United Nations (3),

— having regard to the Millennium Declaration of 8 September 2000, which sets out the Millennium
Development Goals established jointly by the international community as a means by which to elimi-
nate world poverty,

— having regard to the report of the UN Secretary-General of 21 March 2005 entitled ‘In larger freedom:

towards development, security and human rights for all’,

— having regard to the report of the UN Millennium Project of 17 January 2005 entitled ‘Investing in

Development: a Practical Plan to Achieve the Millennium Development Goals’,

— having regard to the report of the High-Level Panel on Threats, Challenges and Change of 1 December

2004 entitled ‘A more secure world: Our shared responsibility’,

— having regard to the statements made by the President of the Commission and the Commissioner for

External Relations to the High-Level Plenary Meeting of the UN General Assembly,

— having regard to the Outcome Document of the 2005 UN World Summit adopted in New York on

16 September 2005,

— having regard to Rule 103(4) of its Rules of Procedure,

(1) Texts Adopted, P6_TA(2005)0115.
(2) Texts Adopted, P6_TA(2005)0237.
(3) OJ C 96 E, 21.4.2004, p. 79.

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A. whereas world Heads of State and Government gathered at the UN World Summit held in New York
from 14 to 16 September 2005 to decide on further measures to fight world poverty, ensure peace and
human security, strengthen human rights and the rule of law and take further concrete steps to reform
the UN,

Thursday, 29 September 2005

B. whereas the Outcome Document of that World Summit was the result of a difficult negotiation process

which was at several times in danger of collapse,

C. recalling the importance of an enhanced and closer partnership between the UN and the EU institu-
tions, with a view to achieving better coordination between national and regional entities, international
organisations and donors in the effective implementation of global policies,

D. whereas the UN constitutes the most appropriate and only global institution which is potentially able
to develop solutions to global problems in a manner which is both legitimate and efficient; whereas the
UN needs to adapt to new challenges; whereas however its reform should not be viewed as an end in
itself, but rather as the necessary and inevitable consequence of an in-depth analysis of the political and
security, social and economic parameters and factors at stake,

1. Reaffirms its commitment to a strong UN, reiterating that genuine multilateralism is the most appro-
priate tool for solving the challenges, problems and threats faced by the international community; hopes
that the outcome of the above-mentioned World Summit will be an important milestone towards achieving
both the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) by 2015 and the reform whose successful completion is
necessary in order to ensure that the UN continues to play a leading role in today's international system;
takes note of the commitments stated in the Outcome Document and considers this document to be the
working basis for further improvements by the 60th General Assembly of the UN in the various areas at
stake;

2. Commends the decision to create a Peace-Building Commission to help countries make the transition
from war to peace, and recognises that peace-building requires an entirely different set of skills to peace-
keeping; considers that there is a need for regional and global peace-building commissions to develop the
necessary skills and capabilities, backed by a support office and a standing fund, thereby raising the UN's
profile in crisis and post-conflict areas; calls on the 60th General Assembly swiftly to implement these
provisions; greatly welcomes the inclusion of the concept of human security in the official UN framework;

3. Welcomes the recognition of the international community's responsibility to protect populations from
genocide, war crimes, ethnic cleansing and crimes against humanity, as well as the clear responsibility of
each individual state to protect their own citizens from these crimes, including by means of the prevention
of such crimes; further underlines the importance of the International Criminal Court as an essential body
in the task of prosecuting the perpetrators of any such crimes;

4. Commends the UN Secretary-General, Kofi Annan, the President of the 59th General Assembly of the
UN and his team and the secretariat of the United Nations for their considerable efforts and valuable
contribution in reaching an agreement on the adoption of the above-mentioned Outcome Document; calls
in particular on all member states of the UN to stick firmly to their commitments and swiftly to turn them
into concrete action;

5. Welcomes the renewed commitment by the international community to achieving the MDGs and to
promoting sustainable development; recalls that reducing extreme poverty and child mortality, providing
education as well as access to clean water and enhancing gender equality must remain at the centre of the
development agenda; regrets the lack of a precise timetable committing all developed countries to the
pursuit of the intermediate and final MDG targets;

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Official Journal of the European Union

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Thursday, 29 September 2005

6. Deeply regrets that the above-mentioned World Summit did not issue a further appeal to those donor
countries which have not yet formally committed themselves to the goal of allocating 0,7 % of their Gross
National Income (GNI) to Official Development Assistance (ODA) by 2015; commends the EU for its
leading role on this issue and invites it to maintain pressure on all donors to set timetables, which should
be monitored;

7.
Fully endorses the specific calls made by the UN Secretary-General to establish a clear timetable for
developed countries to achieve the target of allocating 0,7 % of GNI to ODA and to recognise the special
needs of Africa;

8. Welcomes the agreement to provide immediate support for quick impact initiatives (quick wins) to
support anti-malaria efforts, education and health care;

9. Welcomes the Outcome Document's chapter on ‘Meeting the special needs of Africa’ and invites the
Commission to make the achievement of MDGs the central issue in its forthcoming Strategy for Africa and
in its review of the Development Policy Statement;

10. Notes that where the Member States found common positions they were able to achieve better
results in negotiation; stresses, nevertheless, that the outcome of the Summit falls short of the Parliament's
published ambitions for UN reform;

Insists that reform efforts have to continue and calls on the Council and Member States to bring

11.
their weight to bear to reach concrete results within the 60th General Assembly by the end of next year;

12.
Fully endorses the clear condemnation of terrorism by the above-mentioned World Summit; regards
as a serious failure, however, the lack of agreement on a comprehensive definition of terrorism and urges
the UN member states to rectify this without delay;

13. Welcomes the Summit's commitment to reinforcing the role and doubling the resources of the
Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, thus allowing for better monitoring and implementa-
tion of adopted resolutions;

14. Deplores, however, the vague wording in the terms of reference of the Human Rights Council and
the absence of a precise time scale, mandate, working methods and composition thereof; calls on the 60th
General Assembly to regard this issue as a priority;

15. Urges the General Assembly to establish clear criteria for the use of force by the Security Council,
along the lines proposed by the above-mentioned High-Level Panel report;

16.
Believes that members of the new Human Rights Council should abide by the highest human rights
standards and that membership of the Council is a privilege not a right; believes that the Human Rights
Council should be in permanent session, thus avoiding long delays and political manoeuvring by states
against which complaints are made;

17. Deeply regrets the Summit's failure to reach agreement on measures for nuclear non-proliferation
and disarmament, and insists that work and efforts to make progress on these issues must intensify consid-
erably, first of all through ensuring full respect for the existing Treaties, especially the Treaty on the Non-
Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons;

18. Reaffirms its belief that the capacity of the UN to respond quickly and effectively to humanitarian
disasters which require global leadership needs to be reconsidered and improved; nevertheless welcomes
the commitment to establishing a world-wide early warning system for all natural hazards;

19. Regrets that no firm commitment was made with a view to giving more authority to the UN Secre-
tary-General as Chief Administrative Officer of his secretariat; calls on the 60th General Assembly to recon-
sider this issue;

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Thursday, 29 September 2005

20. Regrets that no agreement was reached on the reform of the UN Security Council, but welcomes the
fact that the General Assembly will have to report on the Security Council by the end of 2005 on the basis
of new proposals, which should take into account the aims of ensuring better representation in and trans-
parency and effectiveness of the Security Council; reiterates its commitment to the prospect of a common
European seat on the Security Council as soon as the political, constitutional and legal conditions for such
a seat are met;

Supports and welcomes the new commitment by the UN on the Democracy Fund as an important
21.
tool for the world-wide promotion of democracy, and calls on the Commission and the Member States
fully to support it both politically and financially; reaffirms its belief that the UN itself needs to enhance
considerably democracy within its structures, and therefore underlines its call for a core group of democra-
cies within the UN General Assembly;

22. Restates its opinion that the diplomatic representation of the EU to the UN is of the utmost impor-
tance for improving relations between the two organisations and for the influence of the EU on the inter-
national stage; therefore encourages the Council and the Commission actively to pursue the merging of
their liaison offices and delegations into a common external EU delegation in each of the UN headquarters
in New York, Geneva, Vienna and Nairobi;

23. Welcomes the call for strengthened cooperation between the United Nations and national and
regional parliaments, which constitutes a recognition of the specific role of parliaments in the development
and democratisation process;

24. Welcomes the renewed commitment on granting 100 % debt relief to 18 of the poorest and most
heavily indebted countries made at the meeting of the World Bank, International Monetary Fund and
African Development Bank which followed the above-mentioned World Summit;

25.
Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council and the Commission, the govern-
ments and parliaments of the Member States, the UN Secretary-General, the President and member states
of the UN Security Council, the President of the 60th General Assembly and the President of the UN
Economic and Social Council.

P6_TA(2005)0363

Belarus

The European Parliament,

European Parliament resolution on Belarus

— having regard to its previous resolutions on the situation in Belarus,

— having regard, in particular to its resolution of 10 March 2005 on Belarus (1) and its resolution of 7 July

2005 on the political situation and the independence of the media in Belarus (2),

— having regard to its Sakharov Prize for freedom of thought, which was awarded to the Belarussian

Association of Journalists in December 2004,

— having regard to the United Nations resolution of 12 April 2005 on the human rights situation in

Belarus,

— having regard, in particular, to the ‘EU action plan for promoting democracy in Belarus’ adopted by the

European Parliament's Delegation for relations with Belarus on 23 February 2005,

— having regard to the Communication from the Commission of 12 May 2004 on the European Neigh-

bourhood Policy (COM(2004)0373),

(1) Texts Adopted, P6_TA(2005)0080.
(2) Texts Adopted, P6_TA(2005)0295.