Resolution on natural disasters in ACP States: EU funding for preparedness (EDF funds) and relief (ECHO funds)
Date: 2007-11-22
Institutions: ACP–EU Joint Assembly
Subjects: ACP countries, EU aid, EU financing, climate change, exploitation of resources, man-made disaster, natural disaster, sustainable development

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Official Journal of the European Union

C 58/35

45. Calls for the international donor community to support the WHO and its Preventative Chemotherapy
Strategy in increasing access to adequate and reliable supplies of high-quality anthelmintic drugs (alben-
dazole, ivermectin, praziquantel) to prevent and treat parasitic worm infections, and for the establish-
ment of a global procurement facility;

46. Calls for a commitment by ACP countries and the EU to strengthen care for those with mental illnesses
and neurological disorders and injuries, by improving primary care and community-based rehabilitation
whilst increasing public and professional awareness and combating stigma and discrimination;

47. Believes that services able to diagnose, manage and treat conditions such as diabetes would save many
lives and reduce disability and, in particular, that access to insulin and drugs should be expanded and
networks of specialists and specialist training established;

48. Calls on the ACP governments and the Commission to support programmes to prevent and cure obste-
tric fistula, including enforcement of laws on the legal age for marriage, promotion of universal access
to obstetric care and reproductive health education and social rehabilitation of girls and women after
treatment;

49.

Instructs its Co-Presidents to forward this resolution to the ACP-EU Council, the WHO, the European
Commission, the African Union, the World Bank and the IMF.

RESOLUTION (1)

on natural disasters in ACP States: EU funding for preparedness (EDF funds) and relief (ECHO funds)

The ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly,

— meeting in Kigali (Rwanda) from 19 to 22 November 2007,

— having regard to Article 17(2) of its Rules of Procedure,

— having regard to the Cotonou Agreement, and in particular Articles 30 (regional cooperation) and 32

(environment and natural resources) thereof,

— having regard to the Environment Initiative of the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD),

— having regard to the Decision on Climate Change and Development and the Decision on the imple-
mentation of the Green Wall for the Sahara Initiative, taken by the Assembly of the AU at its session
of 29-30 January 2007,

— having regard to Decision No 3 of the 79th Session of the ACP Council of Ministers, held in Gaborone
(Botswana) on 4 and 5 May 2004, which reaffirmed the need to mainstream desertification policies
and dry land issues in order to address critical sustainable management matters, such as drought, defor-
estation and water resources,

— having regard to Decision No 3/LXXIX/04 of the 4th Summit of ACP Heads of State and Government,
held in Maputo (Mozambique) on 23 to 24 June 2004, which underlined the extreme vulnerability of
many ACP States, regions and populations to natural disasters and their associated environmental
problems, and encouraged a commitment to support pro-active initiatives to combat these problems,

(1) Adopted by the ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly on 22 November 2007 in Kigali (Rwanda).

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— having regard to the Presidency Conclusions of the European Council of 8-9 March 2007, underlining
the importance of achieving the strategic objective of limiting the global average temperature to not
more than 2 °C above pre-industrial levels,

— having regard to the agreement of the EU, Canada and Japan at the G8 meeting in Heiligendamm in

June 2007 to at least halve the level of global emissions of CO2 by 2050,

— having regard to the reports of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), which was
awarded the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize, and in particular to the Fourth Assessment Report of Working
Group II of the IPCC entitled ‘Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability’,

— having regard to the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment Report of 2005, studying the use and degrada-

tion of many of the planet's natural resources,

— having regard to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and its

Kyoto Protocol,

— having regard to Agenda 21, the Rio Declaration on Environment and Development, and the Statement
of Principles for the Sustainable Management of Forests, adopted by more than 178 governments at
the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) held in Rio de Janeiro
(Brazil) from 3 to 14 June 1992 and whose principles were strongly reaffirmed at the World Summit
on Sustainable Development
to
4 September 2002,

(WSSD) held in Johannesburg (South Africa)

from 26 August

— having regard to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification, which was adopted in Paris

on 17 June 1994 and entered into force on 26 December 1996,

— having regard to the final report of the World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) of
18-22 January 2005 and, in particular, the Hyogo Framework for Action 2005-2015: Building the
Resilience of Nations and Communities to Disasters,

— having regard to UN General Assembly Resolution 57/256 of 20 December 2002 on the review of the
Yokohama Strategy and Plan of Action for a Safer World — Guidelines for Natural Disaster Prevention,
Preparedness and Mitigation, and the UN ‘Barbados plus 10’ International Meeting on Small Island
Developing States (SIDS) held in Mauritius in January 2005,

island developing states in the context of

— having regard to its previous resolutions adopted on 1 April 1999 in Strasbourg on climate change
the ACP-EU cooperation framework (1), on
and small
19 February 2004 in Addis Ababa on the damage caused by cyclones in the Pacific, the Indian Ocean
and the Caribbean and the need for a rapid response to natural disasters (2), on 25 November 2004 in
The Hague on the hurricane damage in the Caribbean region (3) and on 24 November 2005 in
Edinburgh on causes and consequences of natural disasters (4),

— having regard to the report of its Committee on Social Affairs and the Environment (APP/3802/05),

A. whereas disasters and the depletion of natural resources pose a serious threat to poverty reduction and

to the achievement of the MDGs,

B. whereas the contribution of ACP countries to the causes of climate change is negligible, while they are
the ones suffering its consequences most severely; whereas climate change can slow the pace of
progress towards sustainable development, either directly through increased exposure to adverse impact
or indirectly through erosion of the capacity to adapt,

(1) OJ C 271, 24.9.1999, p. 30.
(2) OJ C 120, 30.4.2004, p. 44.
(3) OJ C 80, 1.4.2005, p. 36.
(4) OJ C 136, 9.6.2006, p. 22.

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C. whereas the impact of natural disasters is particularly detrimental for developing countries, reversing
the beneficial effects of development cooperation, hampering further growth and poverty eradication
and causing severe biodiversity losses,

D. whereas the ACP States face a key challenge to effectively address the long-term impact of natural disas-
ters through developing and strengthening national and regional disaster risk reduction, recovery and
management activities,

E. whereas ACP countries provide a wide range of ecosystem services to the world, without due compen-

sation,

F.

whereas new studies confirm that Africa is one of the most vulnerable continents to climate variability
because of multiple stresses and low adaptative capability; whereas by 2020 between 75 and
250 million Africans are projected to be exposed to increased water stress due to climate change;
whereas agricultural production, fisheries and access to food are also projected to be severely compro-
mised,

G. whereas climate change is projected by 2050 to reduce water resources to the point where they
become insufficient to meet demand in many small island states, e.g. in the Caribbean, Indian Ocean
and Pacific, which are especially vulnerable to rises in sea-level and natural disasters,

H. whereas towards the end of the 21st century, projected rises in sea-level will affect low-lying coastal
areas with large populations and are expected to exacerbate flooding, storm surges, erosion and other
coastal hazards, affecting local resources and tourism, threatening settlements, facilities and vital infra-
structure,

I.

J.

whereas non-climate stresses can increase vulnerability to climate change and natural disasters by redu-
cing resilience and can also reduce adaptative capacity and the effects of prevention and mitigation
policy because of resource deployment to competing needs,

whereas few plans for promoting sustainability and reducing vulnerability to climate change and
natural disasters have included promoting adaptative capacity,

K. whereas DRR is primarily a national responsibility, and whereas there is a need for strengthened coop-

eration and partnership at the regional and international level,

L.

whereas environmental concerns, disaster preparedness and prevention and climate change mitigation
are not mainstreamed in all EC aid programmes and related instruments, while they are important for
all countries,

M. whereas policies for the promotion of energy security and other mitigation efforts over the next
decades will have a large impact on opportunities to achieve lower stabilisation levels of greenhouse
gas emissions,

N. whereas the financial

flows to developing countries through the Clean Development Mechanism
(CDM), the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and development assistance for technology transfer have
so far been limited and geographically unequally distributed,

O. whereas making development more sustainable by changing development paths can make a major
contribution to climate change mitigation, but implementation may require resources to overcome
multiple barriers,

1.

Stresses the threats posed by natural disasters and climate change to sustainable development, poverty
eradication and the achievement of the MDGs; also stresses the importance of MDG 7 on ensuring
environment sustainability;

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2. Notes the growing number and frequency of natural disasters, their devastating impact and the particu-
lar vulnerability of poor people in these situations; underlines the increasing difficulty to distinguish
natural from man-made disasters, when risks are determined not only by natural hazards, but also by
human activity and lack of planning;

3.

4.

Stresses that there is a need for an effective global response to the problem of natural disasters in
ACP countries in which industrialised countries should assume their responsibility and take the lead in
combating the effects of greenhouse gases, which have contributed to climate change;

Asks ACP and EU governments and parliaments
the exploitation of natural
resources does not cause major ecological imbalances; in this connection, notes with concern that
excessive tree-felling and illegal logging can lead to desertification and other climatic changes, against
which action should be taken through responsible and effective forestry policies, appropriate reaffores-
tation practices and sustainable agricultural practices; calls on companies exploiting natural resources
to comply with environmental standards and regulations;

to ensure that

5. Notes the consequences and the challenges of climate change, namely in the form of extreme weather
conditions and receding natural resources, with serious development and security implications, like
increased vulnerability, conflicts over natural resources and disaster-driven migration; underlines, there-
fore, that DRR must address climate change mitigation and adaptation;

6. Notes that natural disasters may lead to large-scale population movement and acknowledges that,
although DRR is above all a national responsibility, it is incumbent on ACP and EU governments to
demonstrate solidarity with affected nations;

7. Highlights the WHO warnings on the extremely high risk that global warming poses to health in
Southern countries, particularly with regard to malaria and eyesight, and urges action to be taken to
support measures to prevent, ameliorate and manage these exacerbated health problems;

8.

9.

Calls for a time-bound comprehensive strategy to mainstream DRR, disaster preparedness and climate
change strategies into all National Development Plans, EU development policy and humanitarian aid;
stresses that these strategies should support action by civil society, local communities and authorities in
a long-term approach to reducing vulnerability to disasters;

Calls on EU Member States to support ACP countries in designing people-focused DRR, climate change
and pre-crisis plans that should include mitigation and adaptation strategies, early warning systems,
disaster preparedness and evacuation strategies, emergency safety zones, insurance schemes and the
funding of humanitarian resources for rapid distribution; calls also on ACP countries to ensure these
actions are a national and local priority with a strong institutional basis for implementation and taking
into consideration the needs of vulnerable groups;

10. Calls on the EU to allocate at least 10 % additional funding to humanitarian assistance budgets for
reducing disaster risks and to increase significantly resources for DRR and climate-change mitigation
and adaptation within development aid budgets, without jeopardising other efforts, in particular in the
field of basic health and education;

11. Underlines that ACP States and regions demand the support of the international community which is
necessary in order to improve their national and regional disaster mitigation, preparedness and early
warning capacities, increase public awareness about disaster reduction and prediction and respond to
emergency situations,

12. Regrets the very low level of resources allocated to the ACP-EU Natural Disaster Facility, despite
increasing needs, while welcoming its creation; calls on the EU to allocate additional resources to the
Facility under the 10th EDF and other EU budget lines, in order to adequately assist ACP States and
regions in DRR and emergency relief, rehabilitation and development (LRRD) capacity building and the
financing of improved early-warning and rapid-response systems;

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13. Urges the European Commission, therefore, to continue, under the 10th EDF, to support the ACP-EU
Natural Disaster Facility, and to further extend its scope by providing at least EUR 250 million out of
the resources earmarked for intra-ACP cooperation, also using part of
the resources under the
proposed ‘reserve’ to assist ACP regions and ACP States, in particular the small island ACP States, in
the comprehensive implementation of an all-ACP natural disaster preparedness and management
programme and long term post-disaster reconstruction;

14. Believes that the European Development Fund (EDF) needs sufficient funding in order to assist devel-
oping countries in their adaptation and the mitigation of effects caused by climate change, emphasises
in this regard the importance of capacity building, disaster prevention, education, working infrastruc-
tures and access to medicines, and points to the need to build capacity in science, impact and adapta-
tion assessment, forecasting of risks, and the preparation of CDM (Clean Development Mechanism)
projects;

15. Stresses the need to increase funding for the development of the relevant human resources for disaster
prevention, preparedness, mitigation and management and for climate change adaptation, as well as for
strengthening South-South cooperation in these areas;

16. Calls on the European Commission and EU Member States to take all the necessary measures to enable
the quickest possible mobilisation of adequate financial support for emergency and humanitarian relief;

17. Stresses the need for a constant update of the ACP country environmental profiles and for environment
mainstreaming in the Country Strategy Papers (CSPs), Regional Strategy Papers (RSPs) and thematic
programmes; underlines the importance of associating national parliaments and civil society in this
process;

18. Believes that development policy cannot be dissociated from environment and other policies and calls
for a holistic sustainable development policy approach, which integrates the environmental dimension
in ACP country and regional strategy papers, as well as in all development programmes and projects;

19. Calls for the Global Climate Change Alliance (GCCA) to become a key instrument in addressing disaster

prevention and preparedness as well as climate-change adaptation and mitigation;

20. Urges ACP governments to design pre-crisis emergency and contingency plans that should include
evacuation strategies, emergency safety zones, insurance schemes and the financing of humanitarian
resources for rapid distribution;

21. Stresses the need for a truly global approach on natural disasters and climate change and calls on the
international community to commit itself to international progressive solutions; calls, therefore, for the
launch of negotiations at the UN International Climate Conference on a global and comprehensive
post-2012 agreement, which should build upon and broaden the Kyoto Protocol;

22. Urges developed countries to commit more resources for the existing funding mechanisms under the

Kyoto Protocol and to seek to make these contributions a binding commitment;

23. Calls for the sharing of best practices, technology transfer and awareness raising, namely on land-use

planning, construction in risk zones, safe building construction and the protection of critical facilities;

24. Calls for improved regional and international cooperation in order to facilitate information and
communication technology (ICT) sharing and the continued financing of low-tech solutions such as
radio in rural and remote locations;

25. Calls on ACP countries to agree regionally on the management of river basins, taking coordinated

measures on water and fisheries resources;

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26. Notes that the use of renewables, such as solar, wind and biomass energy, would make ACP countries
less dependent on oil, calls on the EU and its Member States to transfer the appropriate technology
and provide adequate funding, and urges the European Commission to review the criteria to include
in determining eligibility for access to the
pro-environment, vulnerability and insularity criteria,
resources of the Energy and Water Facilities under the 10th EDF;

27. Calls on ACP and EU countries to fix a specific target for the use of renewable energy, and considers
that renewable energy should be put at the heart of ACP-EU development cooperation programmes
under the Cotonou Agreement;

28.

Instructs its Co-Presidents to forward this resolution to the ACP-EU Council, the European Commis-
sion, the African Union and the Secretary-General of the United Nations.

RESOLUTION (1)

on the situation in the Democratic Republic of Congo, particularly in the East of the country, and
its impact on the region

The ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly,

— meeting in Kigali (Rwanda) from 19 to 22 November 2007,

— having regard to Article 17(2) of its Rules of Procedure,

— having regard to its previous resolutions on the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and the Great

Lakes region,

— having regard to the resolutions of the United Nations (UN) Security Council on the situation in Demo-

cratic Republic of Congo and the monthly reports of the UN Secretary-General on this matter,

— having regard to the resolution of the European Parliament of 15 December 2004, on the situation in

the eastern DRC (2),

— having regard to the Pact for Security, Stability and Development in the Great Lakes region that was
signed in Nairobi (Kenya) on 16 December 2006 by the Heads of State and Government of the coun-
tries of the Great Lakes region,

— having regard to the International Convention on the Rights of the Child of 20 November 1989,

which prohibits the involvement of children in armed conflicts,

— having regard to the report of the mission of the ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly on the obser-
vation of the presidential and legislative elections held in the DRC on 30 July and 29 October 2006
respectively,

— having regard to the joint action of the Council concerning the mission of the European Union (EU) to

provide advice and assistance in the framework of the reform of the security sector in the DRC,

— having regard to the Kimberley process, which aims, ultimately, to put an end to the circulation of
blood diamonds and to improve governance in those countries rich in natural resources through the
verification and complete publication of all payments made by the companies and the revenue derived
by the governments from oil, gas, and mining products,

(1) Adopted by the ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly on 22 November 2007 in Kigali (Rwanda).
(2) OJ C 226E, 15.9.2005, p. 359.