Minutes of the sitting of Friday, 28 November 2008#Annex I Alphabetical list of members of the Joint Parliamentary Assembly#Annex II Record of attendance at the session from 25 to 28 November in Port Moresby (Papua New Guinea)#Annex III Annex of the sitting of Tuesday, 25 November 2008#Annex IV Resolutions adopted#— Resolution on the protection of civilians during peacekeeping operations by the UN and regional organisations#— Resolution on aid effectiveness and defining official development assistance#— Resolution on the social consequences of child labour and strategies to combat child labour#— Resolution on the situation in Mauritania#— Resolution on the situation in Zimbabwe#— Port Moresby declaration on the global food and financial crises
Date: 2009-03-16
Institutions: ACP–EU Joint Assembly
Subjects: ACP-EU Joint Assembly, adoption of a law by vote, parliamentary assembly, parliamentary vote

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Official Journal of the European Union

16.3.2009

MINUTES OF THE SITTING OF FRIDAY, 28 NOVEMBER 2008

(2009/C 61/04)

(The sitting opened at 8.50 a.m.)

IN THE CHAIR: Ms KINNOCK

Co-President

1. Substitutes

The Co-President announced the following substitutes:

Attard-Montalto (for Fernandes), Audy (for Coelho), Budreikaitė
(for Busk), Czarnecki (for de Villiers), Ford (for Arif), Gill (for
Gröner), Goebbels (for Bullmann), Hutchinson (for McAvan),
Jäätteenmäki (for Morillon), Lavarra (for Zani), Leinen (for Jöns),
Maldeikis (for Louis), Martin D. (for Fraile Cantón), Neris (for
Ferreira E.), Olajos (for Mitchell), Sornosa Martínez (for Scheele),
Sudre (for Gaubert) and Zwiefka (for Záborská)

2. Approval of

the minutes of Thursday morning,

27 November 2008

The minutes were approved.

3. Summary reports from the workshops

— Mr Bernard Lehideux on the

autonomous

region of

Bougainville;

— Mr Waven William (Seychelles) on fisheries,

in particular
tuna, in the context of the Economic Partnership Agreement
(EPA) between Papua New Guinea and the European Union;

— Mr Ibrahim I. Matola (Malawi) on malaria, tuberculosis and

HIV-AIDS.

Co-rapporteurs: Mr Waven William (Seychelles) and Ms Anne
Van Lancker.

Amendments 1 to 5, compromise amendment 1 (with an
oral amendment
tabled by Mr Agnoletto) and amend-
ments 10 to 12 were adopted.

The amended resolution was adopted unanimously with one
abstention.

— Report on social consequences of child labour and strategies
(ACP-EU/100.247/08/fin.) —
to combat
Committee on Social Affairs
Environment.
Co-rapporteurs: Ms Ana Rita Sithole (Mozambique) and
Mr Liam Aylward.

child labour

and the

Amendment 1 was adopted.

One oral amendment on recital AD was presented by
Ms Sithole (Mozambique) and was adopted.

A separate vote on paragraph 32 was requested by five
members and the paragraph was rejected.

The amended resolution was adopted unanimously.

6. Vote on urgent motions for resolutions

— Urgent motion for a resolution on the
Mauritania (APP-EU/100.440/08/comp.)

situation in

An oral amendment on paragraph 13 was introduced by
Mr Hutchinson and was adopted.

4. Vote on amendment

for revision of

the Rules of

Amendments 1 to 4 were adopted.

Procedure

The proposal was adopted by both houses pursuant
Article 34 of the Rules of Procedure.

to

5. Vote on the motions for resolutions included in the
reports submitted by the three standing committees

— Report on the protection of civilians during peace-keeping
operations
organisations
(ACP-EU/100.291/08/fin.) — Committee on Political Affairs.
and
Co-rapporteurs: Dr Komi Selom Klassou (Togo)
Mr Johan Van Hecke.

the UN and

regional

by

resolution was

The
amendments.

adopted

unanimously without

— Report on aid effectiveness and the definition of official
development
(ACP-EU/100.300/08/fin.) —
Committee on Economic Development, Finance and Trade.

assistance

The amended resolution was adopted unanimously with one
abstention.

— Urgent motion for resolution on the situation in Zimbabwe

(APP- EU/100.439/08/comp.)

No amendments were tabled.

resolution was

The
abstentions.

adopted unanimously with two

Speaker: Ribeiro e Castro on a factual mistake.

7. Adoption of the Port Moresby Declaration on the global

food and financial crisis

The declaration was adopted by acclamation.

Explanation of votes (Article 16 of the Rules of Procedure):
Aubert and Hutchinson (orally) and Ford (in writing).

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8. Any other business

Speakers: Mugambe (Uganda) and Gomes on small arms and
light weapons, Ribeiro e Castro on the necessity to tackle in
advance the question of the high costs in Luanda (Angola), loca-
tion of the 18th session, Audy on the procedure of adoption of
declarations by acclamation, Bowis on the two visits scheduled
in parallel to the workshops, Sithole (Mozambique) to thank the
PNG authorities for the organisation, Danata (Cameroon) on
transport issues, Ramotar (Guyana) to suggest a letter to US
elected-President Barrack Obama inviting him to attend a
JPA session.

The Co-President thanked the PNG authorities for their hospi-
tality and for all their efforts in organising the 16th session of
the Joint Parliamentary Assembly in Port Moresby and the
accompanying social events.

9. Date and place of

the 17th session of

the Joint

Parliamentary Assembly

The 17th session of the JPA would be held from 6 to 9 April in
Prague (Czech Republic).

Ms Roithova told Members they would be very welcome in
Prague.

(The sitting closed at 10.15 p.m.)

Wilkie RASMUSSEN and

Glenys KINNOCK

Co-Presidents

Sir John KAPUTIN and

Dietmar NICKEL

Co-Secretaries-General

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ALPHABETICAL LIST OF MEMBERS OF THE JOINT PARLIAMENTARY ASSEMBLY

ANNEX I

ACP Representatives

EP Representatives

RASMUSSEN (COOK ISLANDS), Co-President

KINNOCK, Co-President

ANGOLA (VP)

BURKINA FASO (VP)

CONGO Republic of (VP)

CONGO Democratic Republic of (VP)

ETHIOPIA (VP)

GAMBIA (VP)

GUYANA (VP)

PAPUA NEW GUINEA (VP)

RWANDA (VP)

SOLOMON ISLANDS (VP)

SURINAME (VP)

ZIMBABWE (VP)

ANTIGUA & BARBUDA

BAHAMAS

BARBADOS

BELIZE

BENIN

BOTSWANA

BURUNDI

CAMEROON

CAPE VERDE

CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC

CHAD

COMOROS

CÔTE D'IVOIRE

DJIBOUTI

DOMINICA

DOMINICAN REPUBLIC

EQUATORIAL GUINEA

ERITREA

FIJI

GABON

GHANA

GRENADA

GUINEA

GUINEA-BISSAU

JAMAICA

HAITI

KENYA

KIRIBATI

LESOTHO

LIBERIA

MADAGASCAR

GAHLER (VP)

VENTRE (VP)

JOUYE DE GRANDMAISON (VP)

CARLOTTI (VP)

MITCHELL (VP)

AUBERT (VP)

LULLING (VP)

BIELAN (VP)

POLFER (VP)

MARTÍNEZ MARTÍNEZ (VP)

BOWIS (VP)

GOUDIN (VP)

AGNOLETTO

ALLISTER

ARIF

AYLWARD

BEREND

BORRELL FONTELLES

BULLMAN

BUSK

CALLANAN

CASHMAN

CIANI

COELHO

CORNILLET

DEVA

DILLEN

DOMBROVSKIS

FERNANDES

FERREIRA

FRAILE CANTÓN

GAUBERT

GOMES

GRABOWSKA

GRÖNER

GURMAI

HALL

HAUG

HOLM

IRUJO AMEZAGA

JÖNS

KACZMAREK

KORHOLA

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MALAWI

MALI

MARSHALL ISLANDS (Republic of the)

MAURITANIA

MAURITIUS

MICRONESIA (Federated States of)

MOZAMBIQUE

NAMIBIA

NAURU (Republic of)

NIGER

NIGERIA

NIUE

PALAU

SAINT KITTS AND NEVIS

SAINT LUCIA

KOZLIK

LANGENDRIES

LEHIDEUX

LÓPEZ-ISTÚRIZ WHITE

LOUIS

McAVAN

MARTENS

MAURO

MAYER

MORILLON

NOVAK

PLEGUEZUELOS AGUILAR

RIBEIRO E CASTRO

ROITHOVÁ

ROSATI

SAINT VINCENT AND THE GRENADINES

SANZ PALACIO

SAMOA

SÃO TOMÉ AND PRÍNCIPE

SENEGAL

SEYCHELLES

SIERRA LEONE

SOMALIA

SOUTH AFRICA

SUDAN

SWAZILAND

TANZANIA

TIMOR-LESTE

TOGO

TONGA

TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO

TUVALU

UGANDA

VANUATU

ZAMBIA

SCHEELE

SCHLYTER

SCHMIDT F.

SCHMIDT O.

SCHNELLHARDT

SCHRÖDER

SPERONI

STURDY

VAN HECKE

VAN LANCKER

VENETO

de VILLIERS

WIELAND

WIJKMAN

ZÁBORSKÁ

ZANI

ZĪLE

ZIMMER

COMMITTEE ON POLITICAL AFFAIRS

ACP Members

EP Members

IBOVI (REP. OF CONGO), Co-Chairman

CALLANAN, Co-Chairman

CHERON (HAITI), VC

AIMO (PAPUA NEW GUINEA), VC

DE SOUSA (ANGOLA)

BELIZE

DAYORI (BENIN)

CENTRAL AFRICAN REP.

COOK ISLANDS

AMON-AGO (COTE D'IVOIRE)

JÖNS, VC

POLFER, VC

BIELAN

CARLOTTI

COELHO

DILLEN

GAHLER

GAUBERT

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MUSA NAIB (ERITREA)

TOGA (ETHIOPIA)

CAVUILATI (FIJI)

MILEBOU-AUBUSSON (GABON)

KUMI (GHANA)

GRENADA GUINEA

GUYANA

KAMAR (KENYA)

KOLLIE (LIBERIA)

NIUE

GOMES

GRABOWSKA

GRÖNER

GURMAI

KACZMAREK

LÓPEZ ISTÚRIZ LOUIS

MARTÍNEZ MARTÍNEZ

MAURO

MORILLON

SANZ PALACIO

STRAKER (SAINT VINCENT AND THE GRENADINES)

SCHMIDT F.

SOUTH AFRICA

MPOROGOMYI (TANZANIA)

KLASSOU (TOGO)

TUVALU

MANDIZHA (ZIMBABWE)

VAN HECKE

VENTRE

WIELAND

ZANI

ZIMMER

COMMITTEE ON ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, FINANCE AND TRADE

ACP Members

EP Members

KGATHI (BOTSWANA), Co-Chairman

SCHLYTER, Co-Chairman

KUTEKALA (DEM. REP. OF CONGO) VC

DOMBROVSKIS, VC

WAZIRI (NIGERIA), VC

BARBADOS

MANIRAKIZA (BURUNDI)

EQUATORIAL GUINEA

DALRYMPLE-PHILIBERT (JAMAICA)

TIHELI (LESOTHO)

ASSARID (MALI)

GUELAYE (MAURITANIA)

MICRONESIA (Federal States of)

MUSHELENGA (NAMIBIA)

PALAU

POLISI (RWANDA)

SAMOA

SAO TOME & PRINCIPE

SECK (SENEGAL)

WILLIAM (SEYCHELLES)

LAHAI (SIERRA LEONE)

SAINT KITTS AND NEVIS

SAINT LUCIA

DEKUEK (SUDAN)

TONGA

TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO

MUGAMBE (UGANDA)

NJOBVU (ZAMBIA)

RIBEIRO E CASTRO, VC

AGNOLETTO

BEREND

BULLMANN

BUSK

CORNILLET

DEVA

FERREIRA

IRUJO AMEZAGA

KINNOCK

KOZLÍK

LANGENDRIES

LEHIDEUX

LULLING

MAYER

McAVAN

PLEGUEZUELOS AGUILAR

ROSATI

SCHRÖDER

SPERONI

STURDY

VAN LANCKER

de VILLIERS

ZĪLE

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COMMITTEE ON SOCIAL AFFAIRS AND THE ENVIRONMENT

ACP Members

EP Members

TOSUL (VANUATU), Co-Chairman

SITHOLE (MOZAMBIQUE), VC

DEERPALSING (MAURITIUS), VC

ANTIGUA AND BARBUDA

BAHAMAS

TAPSOBA (BURKINA FASO)

DANATA (CAMEROON)

CAPE VERDE

CHAD

COMOROS

SAID (DJIBOUTI)

DOMINICA

JIMENEZ (DOMINICAN REPUBLIC)

BALDEH (GAMBIA)

GUINEA BISSAU

KIRIBATI

MADAGASCAR

MALAWI

MARSHALL ISLANDS

NAURU (Republic of)

OUMAROU (NIGER)

SOLOMON ISLANDS

SOMALIA

RATHPAL (SURINAME)

THWALA (SWAZILAND)

TIMOR-LESTE

SCHEELE, Co-Chairwoman

NOVAK, VC

ARIF, VC

ALLISTER

AUBERT

AYLWARD

BORRELL FONTELLES

BOWIS

CASHMAN

CIANI

FERNANDES

FRAILE CANTÓN

GOUDIN

HALL

HAUG

HOLM

JOUYE DE GRANDMAISON

KORHOLA

MARTENS

MITCHELL

ROITHOVA

SCHMIDT O.

SCHNELLHARDT

VENETO

WIJKMAN

ZÁBORSKÁ

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Official Journal of the European Union

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RECORD OF ATTENDANCE AT THE SESSION FROM 25 TO 28 NOVEMBER IN PORT MORESBY
(PAPUA NEW GUINEA)

ANNEX II

RASMUSSEN (Cook Islands), Co-President

KINNOCK, Co-President

DE SOUSA (Angola) (VP)

BRATHWAITE (Barbados)

DAYORI (Benin)

NTUANE (Botswana)

KABORE (Burkina Faso) (VP)

MANIRAKIZA (Burundi)

DANATA (Cameroon)

AGNOLETTO

ATTARD-MONTALTO (for Fernandes) (2) (4)

AUBERT (VP)

AUDY (for Coelho)

AYLWARD

BIELAN (2) (3) (4)

BOWIS (VP)

BOUNKOULOU (Congo, Republic of the) (VP)

BUDREIKAITE (for Busk)

LUTUNDULA (Congo, Democratic Republic of the) (VP)

CASHMAN

JIMENEZ (Dominican Republic)

CZARNECKI (for De Villiers) (2) (3) (4)

DOUGAN MALABO (Equatorial Guinea)

NAIB (Eritrea)

TOGA (Ethiopia) (VP)

CAVUILATI (Fiji) (*)

MILEBOU AUBUSSON (Gabon)

BALDEH (Gambia)

ATTOH (Ghana)

RAMOTAR (Guyana)

JACINTHE (Haiti)

HAY WEBSTER (Jamaica)

KAMAR(Kenya)

TABAI (Kiriati)

MAFURA (Lesotho)

DEVA

DILLEN

DOMBROVSKIS

FORD (for Arif)

GAHLER (VP)

GILL (for Gröner)

GOEBBELS (for Bullmann)

GOMES

GOUDIN (VP)

GRABOWSKA

HAUG

HUTCHINSON (for McAvan)

JÄÄTTEENMÄKI (for Morillon)

MAHAZAKA (Madagascar)

JOUYE DE GRANDMAISON (VP)

MATOLA (Malawi)

ASSARID (Mali)

GUELAYE (Mauritania)

DEERPALSING (Mauritius)

KACZMAREK

LAVARRA (for Zani)

LEHIDEUX

LEINEN (for Jöns)

WELLY ( Micronesia, Federated States of)

MALDEIKIS (for Louis)

SITHOLE (Mozambique)

MUSHELENGA (Namibia)

OUMAROU (Niger)

ABDULLAHI (Nigeria)

AIMO (Papua New Guinea) (VP)

POLISI (Rwanda) (VP)

MARTENS

MARTIN (for Fraile Cantón)

MARTÍNEZ MARTÍNEZ (VP)

MAURO

NERIS (for Ferreira)

NOVAK

THOMAS (Saint Kitts and Nevis) (*)

OLAJOS (for Mitchell)

EVERISTUS (Saint Lucia)

POMES (for López-Istúriz White) (2) (3)

STRAKER (Saint Vincent and the Grenadines)

RIBEIRO E CASTRO

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SOLAMALEMALO (Samoa)

WILLIAM (Seychelles)

LAHAI (Sierra Leone)

BATA'ANISIA (Solomon islands) (VP) (*)

ROITHOVA

ROSATI

SCHMIDT O.

SCHRÖDER

SITHOLE (South Africa)

DEKUEK (Sudan)

RODGERS (Suriname) (VP)

MASUKU (Swaziland) (*)

KAGYER DARBO (Tchad)

KLASSOU (Togo)

MUGAMBE (Uganda)

TOSUL (Vanuatu)

MILUPI (Zambia)

CHIDAKWA (Zimbabwe) (VP)

SORNOSA MARTINEZ (Scheele)

SPERONI (3) (4)

SUDRE (Gaubert)

VAN HECKE (1) (2) (3)

VAN LANCKER

VENETO (1) (2) (3)

VENTRE

WIELAND

ZILE

ZIMMER

ZWIEFKA (for Zaborska)

(*) Country represented by a person other than a Member of Parliament.
(1) Present on 25 November 2008.
(2) Present on 26 November 2008.
(3) Present on 27 November 2008.
(4) Present on 28 November 2008.

Also present:

ANGOLA

PINTO

GAMBOA

SAMY

BURKINA FASO

TABSOBA

OUBA

BARBADOS

HUMPHREY

BURUNDI

NIBOGORA

CONGO (Republic of the)

OBA

CONGO (Democratic Republic of
the)

ENDUGA LITUMBA

KUTEKALA KAAWA

MBUKU LAKA

MOLEKE MOLIWA

BIE BONGENGE MAYICHA

BENIN

ALIA

SEIDOU ADAMBI

TODJINOU

CAMEROON

AWUDU MBAYA

HAMA TOUKOUR

NDOUMBA NGONO

ABDOULAYE DAOUDA

SOKENG

ETHIOPIA

ALI

ABERA

AHMEDIN

GEBRE-CHRISTOS

EQUATORIAL GUINEA

CARMELO

BACALE

GABON

MABAKA

NTEM ALLOGHO

GHANA

KUMI

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KENYA

KOMBO

MALI

BA

HAITI

DOREUS

DENIUS

NELSON

ACKLUSH

MAURITANIA

OULD BOILIL

MAURITIUS

GUNESSEE

NAMIBIA

DE WAAL

IIPINGE

RUMPF

RWANDA

AYINKAMIYE

PAPUA NEW GUINEA

DEKENA

GRAHAM

MALADINA

ZURENUOC

ASIK

WESLEY

TABAR

LAGEA

BOURSIN

SIERRA LEONE

BUNDU

SOLOMON ISLANDS

MA'AHANUA

SUDAN

JERVASE YAK

MUSTAFA

ALOPA

ABDELLA

UGANDA

ATIM-OGWAL

KATENKA-APULI

SURINAME

RATHIPAL

CASTELEN

JAIRAM

ZIMBABWE

HOLLAND

NDLOVU

NIGERIA

USMAN

AKWASHIKI

SEYCHELLES

FAURE

SOUTH AFRICA

MAGAU

OPPERMAN

SOOKLAL

TOGO

GBONE

ACP-EU COUNCIL

WILTZER

(Former Minister delegate for Cooperation and Francophony, representing the President-in-Office of the
EU Council)

BEMBAMBA (Minister of Economic and Financial Affairs (Burkina Faso), President-in-Office of the ACP Council)

EUROPEAN COMMISSION

MICHEL Member of the Commission with responsibility for Development and Humanitarian Aid

EESC

JAHIER

ANTHONY

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CTA

BOTO

DOUDET

UN MILLENNIUM CAMPAIGN

PIMPLE

PACIFIC ISLANDS FORUM SECRETARIAT

GOSSELIN

FAO

GUEYE

ACP SECRETARIAT

KAPUTIN Co-Secretary-General

EU SECRETARIAT

NICKEL Co-Secretary-General

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ANNEX III

ANNEX OF THE SITTING OF TUESDAY, 25 NOVEMBER 2008

Accreditation of non-parliamentarian delegates

FIJI

H.E. Ratu CAVUILATI

Ambassador of Fiji, Brussels

SOLOMON ISLANDS

H.E. Mr Bernard BATA'ANASIA

Ambassador of Solomon Islands, Port Moresby

SWAZILAND

Ms Pilile MASUKU

1st Secretary, Embassy of Swaziland, Brussels

ST. KITTS AND NEVIS

Mr Arnold THOMAS

Chargé d'affaires, Embassy of Eastern Caribbean States, Brussels

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ANNEX IV

RESOLUTIONS ADOPTED

— on the protection of civilians during peacekeeping operations by the UN and regional organisa-

19

tions (ACP-EU/100.291/08/fin.)

— on aid effectiveness and defining official development assistance (ACP-EU/100.300/08/fin.)

26

Page

— on the

social
(ACP-EU/100.247/08/fin.)

consequences of

child labour

and strategies

to combat

child labour

31

— on the situation in Mauritania (ACP-EU/100.440/08/fin.)

— on the situation in Zimbabwe (ACP-EU/100.439/08/fin.)

— Port Moresby declaration on the global food and financial crises (ACP-EU/100.393/08/fin.)

37

40

42

on the protection of civilians during peacekeeping operations by the UN and regional organisations

RESOLUTION (1)

The ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly,

— meeting in Port Moresby (Papua New Guinea) from 25 to 28 November 2008,

— having regard to Article 17(1) of its Rules of Procedure,

— having regard to the Geneva Conventions and in particular to the Fourth (12 August 1949) relative to
the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War, and its additional protocols of 1977 and 2005,

— having regard to the Mine Ban Treaty (Ottawa Treaty) signed in September 1997 and to the United
Nations (UN) Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons, which was concluded at Geneva on
10 October 1980 and entered into force in December 1983, and its additional protocols,

— having regard to the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights of 10 December 1948, and the Vienna
Declaration and Action Programme which resulted from the World Conference on Human Rights from
14 to 25 June 1993,

— having regard to the Rome Statute establishing the International Criminal Court adopted in 1998, and

particularly Articles 6,7 and 8 thereof,

— having regard to the Partnership Agreement between the members of the African, Caribbean and Pacific
Group of States of the one part, and the European Community and its Member States, of the other
part, signed in Cotonou on 23 June 2000 (the ‘Cotonou Agreement’) (2), and amended in Luxembourg
on 25 June 2005 (3), and in particular Articles 8, 17(2), 20, 31, 33, 96 and 97 thereof,

— having regard to its resolution on post-conflict rehabilitation in ACP countries adopted at its 9th session

in Bamako on 21 April 2005 (4),

— having regard to its resolution on the role of regional

integration in the promotion of peace and

security adopted at its 11th session in Vienna on 22 June 2006 (5),

(1) Adopted by the ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly on 28 November 2008 in Port Moresby (Papua New Guinea).
(2) OJ L 317, 15.12.2000, p. 3.
(3) OJ L 287, 28.10.2005, p. 4.
(4) OJ C 272, 3.11.2005, p. 26.
(5) OJ C 307, 15.12.2006, p. 17.

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— having regard to the report of the UN Secretary-General to the Security Council S/1998/318 of 13 April
1998 entitled ‘The Causes of Conflict and the Promotion of Durable Peace and Sustainable Develop-
ment in Africa’,

— having regard to the reports of the UN Secretary-General to the Security Council on the protection of
civilians in armed conflict contained in documents S/1999/957 (8 September 1999), S/2001/331
(30 March 2001), S/2002/1300 (30 November 2002), S/2004/431 (28 May 2004), S/2005/740
(28 November 2005), and S/2007/643 (28 October 2007),

— having regard to UN Security Council Resolutions 1265 of 17 September 1999, 1296 of 19 April
2000, 1674 of 28 April 2006, and 1738 of 23 December 2006, on the Protection of civilians in
armed conflict, which reaffirm that parties to an armed conflict bear the primary responsibility to
ensure the protection of civilians in armed conflict and which also recognise the important contribution
by regional organisations to the protection of civilians in armed conflict,

— having regard to UN Security Council Presidential Statements of 15 March 2002 and 15 December
2003 and the ‘Aide Memoire for the consideration of issues pertaining to the protection of civilians
during the Security Council's deliberation of peacekeeping mandates’,

— having regard to UN Security Council Resolutions 1325 of 31 October 2000 and 1820 of 19 June
2008, stressing the importance of women's equal participation and full involvement in all efforts for
the maintenance and promotion of peace and security,

— having regard to the EU Operation Headquarters' Final Report on Gender Work inside EUFOR DR

Congo,

— having regard to the report on ‘A More Secure World: Our Shared Responsibility’ (2004), published by
the High Level Panel on Threats, Challenges and Change, urging emphatic responses from the interna-
tional community,

— having regard to the World Summit Declaration adopted in New York in September 2005,

— having regard to the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly's Resolution 1385 (2004) and Recom-
mendation 1665 (2004) on ‘Conflict prevention and resolution: the role of women’, both adopted on
23 June 2004,

— having regard to UN Security Council Resolution S/2001/1366 of 30 August 2001 on the role of the

Security Council in the prevention of armed conflicts,

— having regard to UN Security Council Resolution S/2003/1502 of 26 August 2003 on the protection
of humanitarian personnel and the UN and its associated personnel in conflict zones, and the Conven-
tion on the safety of United Nations and associated personnel of 9 December 1994 and its Optional
Protocol of 8 December 2005,

— having regard to the biannual statements of the UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs

to the Security Council on the Protection of civilians in armed conflict,

— having regard to the UN Department of Peacekeeping Operations (DPKO) basic definition explaining
peacekeeping as ‘a way to help countries torn by conflict create conditions for sustainable peace. UN
peacekeepers — soldiers and military officers, police and civilian personnel from many countries —
monitor and observe peace processes that emerge in post-conflict situations and assist conflicting
parties to implement the peace agreement they have signed. Such assistance comes in many forms,
including promoting human security, confidence-building measures, power-sharing arrangements, elec-
toral support, strengthening the rule of law, and economic and social development’,

— having regard to the report by the Committee on Political Affairs (ACP-EU/100.291/08/fin.),

A. whereas the classic concept of peacekeeping, intended essentially to separate conflict parties after the
signing of a cease-fire, is changing over time and includes the surveillance of border lines, the creation
of demilitarized areas and, if integrated in the accords, the monitoring of prisoner exchanges and demi-
litarisation, being thus conceived as part of a ‘routinised process’ intended to provide and preserve poli-
tical space for the parties to conduct negotiations and reach a settlement of their dispute,

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B. whereas the World Summit Declaration adopted in New York in September 2005 by 109 sovereign
governments recognised the responsibility of States and the United Nations to protect populations from
genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity and ethnic cleansing,

C. whereas the multitude of tasks entailed in mandates for protection of civilians pulls peacekeepers in
different directions and forces are increasingly engaging in ‘soft security’ issues, such as development,
reconstruction and long-term peace building, all activities for which military forces do not typically
train,

D. whereas one of the challenges to the ability of peacekeeping missions to protect civilians is the under-
recognition of the potential role and ability of standing civilian capability, composed of multinational
well-trained professional civilian personnel, rapidly deployable and with adequate skills for tasks directly
relevant to the protection of civilians, such as human rights monitoring, community-level mediation,
gender advice, community mobilisation and information,

E. whereas the UN and the African Union (AU), sometimes supported by the European Union (EU), are
increasing the number of peacekeepers on the continent this year, with new missions in, among other
places, Sudan's Darfur region, Chad, the Central African Republic and Somalia,

F. whereas the African Union's peace forces have received assistance under the EDF Peace Facility,

G. whereas, since the 1997 Treaty of Amsterdam, the EU's European Security and Defence Policy (ESDP)
has had the tasks, laid down in Petersberg in 1992, of peacekeeping, protection of civilians and protec-
tion of humanitarian assistance,

H. whereas these missions are carried out under a UN mandate, and whereas five such missions are being

or have been conducted in Africa,

I. whereas EU, UN and regional organisations before deploying peacekeeping operations should carry out
a conflict and threat analysis to develop a better understanding of the context in which they work and
thus prevent their intervention from having negative impacts such as fuelling tensions and conflict,

J. whereas military actors are not yet accustomed to identifying and protecting civilians in hostile environ-
ments as part of an international or third-party intervention and frequently military personnel in peace-
keeping operations are not directly recruited by the UN or regional organisation but, rather, they are
seconded from troop-contributing countries which retain jurisdiction over the training and disciplinary
measures to be adopted towards their troops,

K. whereas the role and approach of humanitarian actors, such as NGOs and UN agencies, to the protec-

tion of civilians is different from that of peacekeeping troops,

L. whereas responsibility for determining agency practice on protection is often left to individual protec-
tion officers in the field, rather than emerging out of clear guidance developed at the institutional level,

M. whereas violence against civilians in conflict-affected countries, in particular against women and chil-
dren, is often used as a method of warfare to humiliate and psychologically weaken the victims, who
are afraid to report sexual exploitation and abuse by anyone, including peacekeeping troops and huma-
nitarian aid workers,

N. whereas the scale of a peacekeeping mission, especially with respect to the numbers of its complemen-
tary civilian unarmed peacekeepers component and its geographical reach, is an important factor in
increasing the level of protection of civilians,

Defining the protection of civilians

1. Underlines the fact that the primary responsibility for the protection of civilians and for meeting their
basic needs rests with States or other authorities or actors that have effective control over them and
that the role of external or third-party peacekeeping operations is secondary to this;

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2.

3.

Points out that the principle of non-interference must not lead to toleration of serious crimes such as
genocide and mass murder, ethnic cleansing, expulsions and mass rape, but, rather, that in this instance
the international community has the responsibility to protect and to take resolute countermeasures, in
particular to protect the population in danger and in the process, if possible, involve regional organisa-
tions in overcoming conflicts;

Stresses the value of recognising that peacekeeping operations (PKO) should have a strong enough
mandate to support the restoring or establishment of peace and rule of law, including a transition to
Security Sector Reform; states that, to that end, an integrated security strategy must be developed which
also provides for the training of civilian security forces (police), supports demobilisation measures and
lays down clear reconstruction objectives;

4. Again voices its concern at the proliferation of light and small-calibre weapons, and takes the view that
disarmament, demobilisation and reintegration must be integral components of peacekeeping
operations;

5.

6.

7.

Stresses that it is important for efforts to improve the protection of civilians to take into account the
broader complexity of challenges and threats faced by civilians, and welcomes increased interaction of
the different unarmed civilian actors in the field as added value to implement protection strategies;

Stresses that military strategies alone cannot be successful if they are not accompanied by comprehen-
sive humanitarian measures and political objectives for peace; states that a robust mandate may be
necessary for overcoming clashes between parties to a conflict and for securing pacification and recon-
struction, which must be clearly incorporated into a protection strategy;

Points out that a number of states have set up a civilian peace service and, as a result, have scored
major successes,
including in the post-conflict environment in states formerly part of Yugoslavia;
recommends that other states and regional organisations, such as the African Union and the EU, also
set up a permanent civilian peace service;

8. Welcomes the increased inclusion in peacekeeping mandates of activities for the protection of civilians
and notes the need for guidance on how to implement such mandates to ensure more comprehensive
approaches to human development, human rights, human relief and human security action; therefore
urges the UN and regional organisations to clarify how the protection of civilians is interpreted in the
mandates of their missions and in joint missions, and to support better the preparation of their troops
and personnel for such operations;

9.

Stresses the need to develop improved capacity to act, including the creation of standing civilian peace-
keeping capacity composed of a well-equipped coordinating office at operational HQ and possibly
regional levels and by a roster of rapidly deployable civilian personnel, and by determining appropriate
staffing levels;

10. Points to the need to protect the civilian population not only against violent assaults, but also against

criminal acts such as, for example, gang attacks and looting;

11. Welcomes the EU Council's decision to establish a civil protection mechanism and the new EU financial
instrument intended to improve the mobilisation and coordination of emergency civil protection assis-
tance, both inside and outside the EU;

12. Recommends that military strategies for PKOs with specific protection mandates should include prac-
tical instruments to fulfil these mandates effectively, such as civilian unarmed protection, night patrols
and radio communication, the organisation of village defence committees to alert peacekeepers, aerial
cover, the inclusion of a rapid reaction force ready to respond to disturbances, use of satellites to
monitor and intercept, and the inclusion of stability police as a way to support missions and provide
exit strategies for PKOs;

13. Stresses that, in conflict regions, humanitarian actors must also be protected by peacekeeping forces in

order to secure their activities locally;

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14. Highlights that participatory approaches to points of control, involving local state representatives and
civil society, will help to identify vulnerability factors in order to develop appropriate responses, and
points to the importance of better coordination between economic, political, civilian and military
forces;

15. Calls on the EU Member States and the international community to promote the implementation of UN
Security Council Resolutions 1325/2000 and 1820/2008 on women and children in armed conflicts
and to develop national action plans and strategy papers;

16. Underlines the important role that a female presence can play in peacekeeping missions in defusing
violence towards women in conflict and post-conflict zones and the fact that female peacekeepers have
often been found to serve as role models to local women and inspire them to participate in post-
conflict reconstruction, in particular democracy building and economic development;

17. Calls for account to be taken, as is proper, of UN Security Council Resolution 1325/2000 on the parti-

cipation of women in conflict prevention, management and settlement mechanisms;

18. Strongly condemns cases of peacekeepers abusing their power and becoming involved in sexual exploi-
tation of civilians on the ground or in corruption practices and underlines the fact that the reaction by
national contributors in this case is very important; insists that such criminal offences be rigorously
prosecuted by the authorities in the perpetrators' home country or by the International Criminal Court;
rejects the granting of immunity, in any form, for UN staff or UN-mandated soldiers in connection with
such criminal offences;

19. Recommends that each peacekeeping mission be supported by units specifically tasked with monitoring,
investigating and publicly reporting on violations of international humanitarian law and human rights
law and by an independent investigation unit to examine cases of alleged sexual abuse by peacekeepers
and that an adequate system of assistance for victims of such abuse, and for children born as a result,
be set up;

20. Urges the creation of a follow-up mechanism, or ‘watchdog’, with a remit to ensure that investigations
into complaints are transparent and effective so that complaints are dealt with fairly at the national
level;

21. Stresses the need for contact points to be involved in international UN and NGO initiatives in order to

prevent and respond to sexual exploitation and abuse;

22. Recommends that contact points guarantee communities the possibility of reporting their complaints
by setting up a joint complaints registration mechanism; states that the mechanism should be accessible
to all agencies and contact points so that communities realise where they should make their complaints;

Implications for mandates, rules of engagement and training

23. Affirms the importance of improving pre-mission training as well as in-service training (especially in
international humanitarian law, human rights law,
implementation of points of contact mandates,
including prevention of and response to sexual violence) for multinational troop deployments, both at
national and multinational level, and criticises the fact that for military personnel of UN-led missions it
is considered a national responsibility only;

24. Calls, in line with the Joint Parliamentary Assembly's guidelines on children and armed conflict, for

provision to be made for specific training with regard to the protection of children;

25. Calls for the issuing of a ‘Soldier's card’ — such as that used by EUFOR in DR Congo — which would
contain guidelines for peacekeepers on how to behave with civilians; calls for a similar card specific to
children;

26. Recognises the effort made by the UN DPKO to offer some pre-deployment training to senior staff and
troop contributors, focusing especially on rules of engagement, but regrets that states are not required
to participate;

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27. Recommends that the UN member states set up a joint training academy for peace missions in which,
at least for command personnel, standard multinational basic training is provided on humanitarian
tasks and technical assistance tasks for looking after and protecting the civilian population;

28. Recommends

that UN regional

should work towards more
standardised training modules and increase bilateral and multilateral training exercises, with, in particu-
lar, awareness-raising measures to be included on human rights compliance in line with the principle
that all persons are equal and should be held in the same regard, irrespective of age, gender, race or
ethnicity, religion or belief;

and sub-regional organisations

29. Welcomes the effort of the EU to harmonise better its approaches to the protection of civilians amongst
Member States in particular through the provision of joint training activities and underlines the fact that
the notion of protection of civilians and protection of children should become part and parcel of such
training by professional global civil society initiatives;

30. Requests that the prevention of sexual exploitation and abuse should become a standard issue to be
addressed in the training of contributing countries' personnel and that appropriate funding and
compensation mechanisms for victims of peacekeeping personnel abuses should be approved alongside
the operations themselves;

31. Urges that an important part of the training modules provided for peacekeeping personnel, whether UN
or regional, should include issues of abusive behaviour, as too often information on how to report
abuse, and what will happen to the perpetrator, is unclear to UN mission personnel;

32. Urges that each ESDP mission include a specialised child protection adviser;

33. Welcomes the fact that nowadays the UN DPKO deploys assessment teams to identify gaps in training

and offers to certify that countries that have trained their forces meet UN standards;

34. Points out that the EU is also undertaking similar developments with the Headline Goal and the Civilian
Headline Goal, but underlines the fact that it is still behind in a systematic approach as training ulti-
mately falls under the domain of state responsibility;

35. Reminds EU Member States of their responsibility, under international law, of ensuring the appropriate
training of all civilian and military personnel, in line with international humanitarian standards, and of
making sure that appropriate guidelines are developed and reviewed so as to guarantee respect for local
populations, cultures and genders; points to the importance of taking account of human rights and
gender equality;

36. Calls for the training provided by European military personnel for African military personnel under the
‘Euro Recamp’ programme to include, systematically, training in respect for human rights and protection
of civilians and for a sufficient budget to be provided in order to do so;

37. Highlights the importance of giving due consideration to the value of lessons learned and best practices,
in particular the fact that lessons learned in operations with a clear protection mandate — such as
ARTEMIS and EUFOR in DRC — offer material to enhance the EU's training; commends particularly
the emphasis in supplying clear information to the public and to promote positive perceptions of the
operation, which is facilitated by the fact that most EU troops could communicate in a language under-
stood by the population;

Improving communication

38. Reaffirms the essential role that the ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly can play in raising awareness
and prompting debate on how to put the protection agenda at the centre both of the EU ESDP opera-
tion mandates and those of other regional organisations' peacekeeping missions;

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39. Highlights the importance that lessons learned do not remain restricted to a ‘leading nation’ and
underlines the fact that it is fundamental to develop a European doctrine for intervention in humani-
tarian situations, particularly drawing on the experiences of those EU Member States that are most
forward-looking in this regard, in order to enhance the appropriateness of rules of engagement;

40. Underlines the need to formalise a communication system between NGOs and UN and regional organi-

sations, especially covering dangerous areas under peacekeeping protection;

41. Recalls the requirement that States uphold and respect the human rights and humanitarian principles of
humanity, neutrality, impartiality and independence and ensure that humanitarian actors have safe and
unhindered access to populations in need, in conformity with the relevant provisions of international
law and national laws;

42. Urges that in the field, PKOs should systematically engage with the humanitarian community on the
interpretation of their mandate for the protection of civilians and that the political as well as military
leadership of the operation should carry out similar communication initiatives with local political and
administrative authorities;

43. Stresses the need to create a contact team inside each peacekeeping structure to follow communication
aspects and to inform the local population, including the bordering populace, about the real mandate
of the mission, as a main contribution to upholding the neutrality of peace support operations; states
that the team's chief task would be to set up, with input from local communities, a complaints registra-
tion mechanism;

44. Points out that communication with the local population is essential and that an attitude which
encourages clear information and ensures access to both genders should be adopted; states that this
must be extended to other third-party forces and humanitarian, human rights and development organi-
sations on the ground;

45. Underlines the fact that it is important for effective and continued assessment of the determinants of
civilian (in)security to be carried out and that the resulting analysis be used as the basis for determining
protection strategies aiming to prevent the resurgence of violent conflicts;

46. Calls on the EU, in consultation with other relevant actors such as the Office for the Coordination of
Humanitarian Affairs, to carry out a further specific study on the inclusion of protection strategies in
the EU's developing military approach to crisis management and to include reflections on the experi-
ence gained at EU level in the protection of civilians, and especially children, and considers that it
should form the basis for the adoption of a broader ‘EU protection doctrine’ that would include
elements of and guidance on legal, civilian, humanitarian and military protection;

47. Stresses the importance of establishing lead agencies that can provide clear strategic direction, identify

key gaps and clarify roles and responsibilities for responding to conflict;

48. Instructs its Co-Presidents to forward this resolution to the ACP-EU Council of Ministers,

the
AU Commission, the Pan-African Parliament and national and regional parliaments, the European
Commission, the UN and regional organisations, the EU Council Presidency and the AU.

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RESOLUTION (1)

on aid effectiveness and defining official development assistance

The ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly,

— meeting in Port Moresby (Papua New Guinea) from 25 to 28 November 2008,

— having regard to Article 17(1) of its Rules of Procedure,

— having regard to the objectives of the ACP-EU Partnership Agreement signed in Cotonou on 23 June

2000,

— having regard to the UN Millennium Declaration of 8 September 2000, which sets out the Millennium
Development Goals (MDGs) as objectives established jointly by the international community for the
elimination of poverty, and to the UN Millennium Development Goals Report 2007,

— having regard to the joint statement by the Council and the representatives of the governments of the
Member States meeting within the Council, the European Parliament and the European Commission on
European Union Development Policy: ‘The European Consensus’ (the European Consensus for Develop-
ment) signed on 20 December 2005,

— having regard to the Paris Declaration on Aid Effectiveness of 2 March 2005,

— having regard to the Monterrey Consensus adopted at the UN International Conference on Financing

for Development of 21 and 22 March 2002,

— having regard to the Communication from the Commission of 28 February 2007 entitled ‘EU Code of

Conduct on Division of Labour in Development Policy’ (COM(2007)0072),

— having regard to the Communication from the Commission of 9 April 2008 entitled ‘The EU — a
global partner for development. Speeding up progress towards the Millennium Development Goals’
(COM(2008)0177),

— having regard to the main findings and recommendations of the OECD Development Assistance

Committee (DAC) in the 2007 Peer Review of the European Community,

— having regard to the conclusions of the GAERC (May 2008) and of the Council (June 2008),

— having regard to the outcome of the Third High-Level Forum on Aid Effectiveness, held in Accra from

2 to 4 September 2008,

— having regard to the Accra Declaration adopted by the ACP Heads of State and Government on

3 October 2008,

— having regard to the report of

its Committee on Economic Development, Finance and Trade

(ACP-EU/100.300/08/fin.),

A. whereas the aid effectiveness agenda should deliver concrete advances in the eradication of poverty and
inequality and help partner countries to attain the MDGs and meet internationally agreed human rights
standards,

B. whereas the major limitation of the Paris Declaration definition of ownership is the lack of explicit
recognition of the importance of democratic ownership, especially the role of civil society organisations
and local authorities, and of a clear commitment regarding the role of parliaments,

C. whereas the EU has made important commitments on gender equality which must be followed through;
whereas, however, the gender dimension is still being taken into account to only a limited extent in the
debate on aid effectiveness,

(1) Adopted by the ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly on 28 November 2008 in Port Moresby (Papua New Guinea).

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D. whereas scaling up aid volumes and improving aid effectiveness are equally important, and whereas
progress is needed on both quantitative and qualitative aspects of aid to achieve the MDGs, with par-
ticular reference to the health and gender-related MDGs, which are hardly showing any progress at all
and are key to fulfilling these commitments,

E. whereas recent OECD figures show that overall EU aid decreased significantly in 2007, and whereas aid
figures are often inflated by including debt relief and funds that do not reach the populations of partner
countries,

F. whereas donor and partner countries must adhere to the highest standards of openness and transpar-
ency, especially donors as regards their budget estimates of aid flows, which otherwise cannot be
reflected in the annual budget estimates of the partner countries, thereby severely reducing parliaments'
ability to scrutinise government development policies and the partner countries' capacity to make
long-term investments,

G. whereas tied aid seriously undermines aid transparency and raises the cost of goods and services by up

to 30 %, according to World Bank estimates,

H. whereas donors remain reluctant to use country systems, and progress has been extremely slow in this
respect; whereas this is a key component of ownership, and whereas alignment and is essential for
strengthening capacity building and developing local markets,

I. whereas the international aid system is becoming more complex, with the creation of vertical structures
and the arrival of new public and private actors who often work outside existing codes and coordina-
tion mechanisms,

J. whereas budget support can contribute to ownership,

to building institutional capacity and to
improving accountability and scrutiny by domestic stakeholders; whereas, however, its success is deter-
mined by governments' capacity to plan, execute and account for their public spending,

K. whereas partner countries often face hundreds of results-based and policy conditionalities, which may
in some cases be contradictory and set by a variety of donors and which can place an unmanageable
burden on partner countries, thereby diminishing country ownership and governments' accountability
to their citizens and parliaments,

L. whereas technical assistance may amount to as much as 50 % of aid, but much of it continues to be

tied, overpriced and ineffective in building local capacity and ownership,

M. whereas a steadily rising proportion of the most vulnerable sections of society will become still more

vulnerable,

N. whereas the economic and environmental vulnerability of small island developing states (SIDSs) and
land-locked ACP states to multiple crises can lead to serious adverse social and environmental conse-
quences and poor economic resilience, and can adversely affect those states' capacity to pursue sustain-
able development goals and successfully undertake much-needed economic reform,

O. whereas the international community has rightly made great efforts to cooperate with the poorest coun-
tries; whereas this has not been accompanied by similar efforts for middle-income countries (MICs), in
particular the net food and fuel-importing SIDSs, and whereas such countries risk falling back into low-
income country status unless adequate and timely measures are taken to help them to address their
needs,

1. Welcomes the advances made as regards political commitments in the Accra Agenda for Action (AAA)
and stresses the need for ambitious implementation of that agenda, moving from concepts and political
pledges to tangible and measurable achievements as regards implementation of the Paris Declaration
principles; expects the EU to engage more proactively and to play a leadership role in improving aid
effectiveness worldwide;

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2. Calls on the EU and ACP countries to actively promote the common values and priorities defined in the
revised Cotonou Partnership Agreement, such as poverty reduction, gender equality, sustainable
economic, social and environmental development, regional integration, promotion of peace, security
and a democracy respectful of human rights, within the Aid Effectiveness Agenda;

3.

Stresses that democracy provides the best foundation for sustainable development, peace and security;
calls, therefore, for EU-ACP cooperation to prioritise democracy promotion, allowing transparent, inclu-
sive and accountable decision-making as one important means of increasing aid effectiveness;

4. Urges the European Commission and Member States to use a broader definition of coherence than that
set out in the AAA, in order to ensure more development policy coherence in European policies such
as agriculture, fisheries, trade, energy, environment, climate change, security and migration, to assess the
impact of those policies on development and to ensure appropriate reform in order to prevent those
policies from creating non-tariff barriers and undermining the attainment of the MDGs and the objec-
tives of the EPAs;

5.

Stresses that, although the Paris Declaration is driving the debate on aid effectiveness, the Cotonou Part-
nership Agreement and the Paris Declaration can mutually reinforce each other, since the former is also
a model for effective development cooperation;

Ensure democratic ownership and accountability

6.

Stresses that the concept of ownership in the Paris Declaration should, in line with the Cotonou Partner-
ship Agreement, be broadened to include democratic ownership (including national parliaments, local
governments, civil societies, an independent judiciary and the media), so as to allow increased transpar-
ency and mutual accountability based on clear and monitorable indicators and to ensure that the objec-
tives of development aid are met;

7. Welcomes the recognition in the AAA of the significant role of parliaments and local governments in
the development process; calls on donors and partner governments to ensure that parliaments and local
government play a proper role in ensuring the effectiveness of aid by supporting ownership, providing
checks and balances through the scrutiny of budgets, policies and their outcomes, and involving citizens
in development decisions through the democratic process;

8. Also welcomes the recognition in the AAA of the significant role of civil society in the development
process; calls on donors and partner governments to provide for full and meaningful participation by
civil society in planning, implementing, monitoring and assessing budgets and programmes, and to
create the conditions it requires to play its proper role;

9. Calls on donors and partner countries to take into account the disproportionate impact that poverty
has on women and to ensure that gender equality, women's empowerment and women's rights are fully
incorporated into national development processes; regrets that the AAA does not identify mechanisms
for implementing gender equality and women's empowerment and does not include progress indicators
therefor;

10. Regrets that the AAA fails to translate the Paris Declaration commitment to involving parliaments, civil
society organisations and local authorities into practical measures; expects the EU to respect partner
countries' leadership and help strengthen their capacity to exercise it, and urges the EU and partner
countries to develop practical action plans to ensure democratic ownership and to agree upon progress
indicators;

Scale up for more effective aid

11. Welcomes the Council conclusions reaffirming the commitment to achieving its collective official devel-
opment assistance (ODA) target of 0.56 % in 2010 and 0.7 % in 2015; calls for new commitments to
ambitious multiannual timetables, in order to be able to measure the gradual rise in aid budgets;

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12. Urges the European Commission and Member States to ensure that there is no broadening of ODA defi-
nitions to include non-aid items such as military spending; calls on the European Commission and
Member States to separate spending on debt relief from other ODA reporting, and to not to include
money spent in Europe on students and refugees in calculations of total development aid expenditure;

13. Insists that donors allocate aid in a transparent, accountable manner and that predictability in flows,
programming and disbursement be dramatically increased, notably by drawing up reliable multi-annual
timetables and ensuring in-year predictability; welcomes the AAA rolling programming initiative, which
ensures medium-term predictability;

Sustained economic growth for sustainable development

14. Stresses that one indicator of aid effectiveness is the extent to which it contributes to creating a strong

economy that protects the environment and in which nobody is deprived of basic social services;

15. Calls for development cooperation better to address barriers to economic growth, such as a lack of
foreign direct investment, capital flight and high administrative hurdles for small and medium-sized
businesses;

16. Calls in this context for development policies promoting the transfer of know-how, competition and
sound macroeconomic policies, as well as minimising red tape for businesses, respecting or introducing
property rights and combating corruption;

17. Stresses that fair trade can be one of the most effective means of driving sustainable economic develop-
ment, underpinned by adequate accompanying measures to address adjustment-related costs and
finance social-safety-net and empowerment programmes, but that it needs to be complemented by
redistributive and social policies to ensure that the benefits are equitably shared;

18. Regrets that little progress is being made as regards the use of country systems (only a small percentage
of ODA goes through country budget systems, whereas donors had promised 50 % by 2010) and that
even in countries with properly functioning country systems, donors are not willing to use those
systems; urges donor countries to speed up alignment of their aid to country systems to the maximum
possible extent, to strengthen government systems and to increase the amount of aid used for general
and sectoral budget support in cases where good economic and political governance exists, ensuring
full budget transparency and accountability; stresses that budget support should under no circumstances
be provided where there is widespread corruption;

19. Welcomes the fact that the AAA refers to a number of development actors other than bilateral donors;
stresses that one of the big challenges in the run-up to 2011 will be to extend the Paris Declaration
principles to cover vertical funds and the new donors, so as to ensure genuine coordination amongst
donors and alignment with the partner countries;

20. Calls on partner governments to base budget support on a sound national poverty reduction plan that
strengthens domestic accountability, financial management and monitoring through systematic and
local governments and non-state actors,
committed strategic engagement with national parliaments,
something which is extremely limited at present;

21. Welcomes the European Commission's intention to ensure a more predictable form of budget support
in the longer term by using MDG contracts for well-performing countries, but stresses that this requires
a strong commitment to achieving the MDGs on the part of partner countries and that continuous
monitoring with a strong focus on results is needed;

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22. Welcomes the fact that the AAA mentions that the OECD-DAC donors will extend coverage of the
2001 DAC Recommendation on Untying Aid to non-LDC heavily indebted poor countries (HIPCs);
urges the European Commission and Member States to make a real commitment to untying all aid to
ACP countries by 2010, including technical assistance, which must reflect national priorities and specifi-
cities, public procurement, food aid and food aid transport and storage;

23. Calls on the European Commission to apply gender mainstreaming in the budgetary process by linking
disbursement of variable tranches to improvements in gender-disaggregated indicators; calls on partner
countries to incorporate a gender perspective at all levels of the budgetary process and to stimulate a
wider dialogue with women's organisations;

24. Calls on the European Commission and Member States to go beyond the AAA and drastically reduce
the number of conditionalities and phase out economic policy conditionality, and instead to use
mutually agreed contracts reflecting a common understanding on key priorities that link disbursements
to performance and policy outcomes, focusing in particular on the MDGs, and to set up a real timetable
for this process; calls on the EU and its Member States to use their influence to convince the World
Bank and the International Monetary Fund to move towards the same transition, especially at a time
when most ACP states risk being adversely affected by the multiple crises impacting on the world
economy;

Division of labour and donor coordination

25. Calls on the European Commission and Member States to significantly step up their efforts to increase
donor coordination and improve the division of labour by aligning multilateral and bilateral aid with
national processes, democratic ownership, accountability, harmonisation, joint analysis, programming
and delivery, and to drastically reduce the number of Program Implementation Units; notes the
AAA initiative to start dialogue on international division of labour across countries by June 2009;

26. Hopes that the 2008 donor atlas will help to inform and influence more ambitious donor coordination,
and in particular to resolve the ‘darling’ and ‘orphan’ countries problem and the neglect shown for
crucial sectors such as health, energy, education, social cohesion, gender equality and agriculture;
welcomes the fact that the AAA also states that donors will work to address the issue of countries that
receive insufficient aid and ensure that new arrangements on the division of labour will not result in
individual developing countries receiving less aid;

27. Calls for capacity-building in all ministries in order to endure greater effectiveness in health, education
and gender equality through budget support spending, as country ownership is too often limited to the
Ministry of Finance;

28. Recognises the need for more sustained aid to fragile states and lower-income post-conflict countries;
welcomes the fact that the AAA urges donors and partner countries to adapt the Paris Declaration to
the OECD-DAC Principles for Good International Engagement in Fragile States and Conflict Situations,
but underlines the need to build a strong civil society in both fragile and vulnerable states;

29. Considers, however, that greater and better-targeted efforts need to be made to increase support to
middle-income ACP states, and calls for the early adoption and implementation of an agreement on
systematic and predictable provision of aid that will effectively address the specific needs of those states,
in order to enable them to continue along their sustainable development path;

30. Welcomes the fact that the donor community has committed itself to stepping up efforts to cooperate
with the poorest countries and that Africa's share of programmable aid is rising as a result of the
commitment to double ODA to Africa by 2010, especially now, with the rise in fuel and food prices
and the effects of global climate changes, which could negate all the efforts already made;

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31. Commends the work carried out by the Commonwealth Secretariat and the Islands and Small States
Institute of the University of Malta in developing vulnerability and resilience indices and expects the EU
to take a leading role in implementing the indices and designing a new framework for systematic assis-
tance to SIDSs and landlocked developing countries; proposes that small states in particular should plan
a vulnerability and resilience profile in conjunction with the preparation of the Medium-Term Develop-
ment Strategy;

32. Calls on the European Commission and Member States to make a strong common EU commitment at
the Doha Conference regarding both the quantity and quality of development aid, with the aim of
achieving the MDGs through a sustainable approach and clear roadmaps for meeting their ODA
commitments, both individually and collectively, notwithstanding the current financial crisis;

33. Instructs its Co-Presidents to forward this resolution to the ACP-EU Council of Ministers, the European
Commission, the Council Presidency, the African Union, the Pan-African Parliament, the national and
regional parliaments,
the ACP regional organisations and the OECD Development Assistance
Committee.

RESOLUTION (1)

on the social consequences of child labour and strategies to combat child labour

The ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly,

— meeting in Port Moresby (Papua New Guinea) from 25 to 28 November 2008,

— having regard to Article 17(1) of its Rules of Procedure,

— having regard to the United Nations (UN) Convention on the Rights of the Child which was adopted
on 20 November 1989 (2) and entered into force in 1990, and in particular Articles 28 and 32
thereof,

— having regard to the International Labour Organisation (ILO) Conventions 138 concerning the
minimum age for admission to employment (1973) (3) and 182 concerning the prohibition and
immediate action for the elimination of the worst forms of child labour (1999) (4),

— having regard to Articles 177-181 of the Treaty establishing the European Community,

— having regard to the ACP-EU Partnership Agreement signed in Cotonou on 23 June 2000 and revised
in Luxembourg on 25 June 2005 (hereinafter referred to as ‘the Cotonou Agreement’), and in particular
Articles 26 and 50 thereof,

— having regard to the joint statement of 20 December 2005 by the Council and the representatives of
the Governments of the Member States meeting within the Council, the European Parliament and the
‘The European Consensus’, and in particular
Commission on European Union Development Policy:
Articles 12, 97, 101 and 103 thereof (5),

— 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 elimi-
nation of poverty,

— having regard to the Framework for Action, Education for All: Meeting our Collective Commitments,

adopted by the World Education Forum in Dakar, Senegal, in 2000 (Dakar Summit) (6),

— having regard to the Brussels Declaration on Education for Sustainable Development in ACP States and

its Framework for Action adopted by the ACP Ministers of Education in 2006,

(1) Adopted by the ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly on 28 November 2008 in Port Moresby (Papua New Guinea).
(2) http://www.unhchr.ch/html/menu3/b/k2crc.htm
(3) http://www.ilocarib.org.tt/childlabour/c138.htm
(4) http://www.ilocarib.org.tt/childlabour/c182.htm
(5) OJ C 46, 24.2.2006, p. 1.
(6) http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0012/001211/121147e.pdf

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— having regard to the 2003 EU Declaration of Lucca (Italy),

— having regard to the ILO International Programme on the Elimination of Child Labour (IPEC),

— having regard to the Commission communication on ‘A Special Place for Children in EU External

Action’ (1),

— having regard to the Education for All Global Monitoring Report 2008 ‘Education for all by 2015:

Will we make it?’ (2),

— having regard to its resolution on children's rights and child soldiers in particular, adopted on

15 October 2003 (3),

— having regard to the European Parliament resolution on the exploitation of children in developing

countries, with a special focus on child labour (4),

— having regard to the European Parliament resolution on corporate social responsibility: implementing

the partnership for growth and jobs (5),

— having regard to the

report of

the Committee on Social Affairs

and the Environment

(ACP-EU/100.247/08/fin.),

A. whereas child labour has its roots in mass poverty and in the culture and traditions of many commu-

nities in developing countries,

B. whereas child labour depresses adult wages, and therefore contributes to the cycle of poverty by

forcing adults to compete against the cheap labour which children provide,

C. whereas child labour is characterised by hard work, often under severe conditions, for twelve to four-
teen hours a day, where what little is earned in ‘wages’ is often returned to the employer for room and
board, or as a fine for unachieved quotas,

D. whereas, according to the ILO, some 165 million children between the ages of 5 and 14 are involved
in child labour; whereas the worst forms of child labour and violation of children's rights, including
child slavery (domestic servants), the sale and trafficking of children, child prostitution, recruitment of
children in armed conflict and other forms of work, are harmful to the steady physical development
and mental health of children,

E.

F.

whereas special attention must be paid to, and urgent action taken against, the worst forms of child
labour,

whereas certain groups of children and adolescents, especially children belonging to ethnic or other
minorities, child migrants, displaced children or refugees, children affected by armed conflicts, child
soldiers, orphans and children without parental care, children affected by HIV/AIDS, and children with
disabilities, are particularly at risk; whereas girls face additional risks of exploitation and sexual abuse,

G. whereas child labour is one of the most striking indicators identifying vulnerable children and, as such,
pointing to shortcomings in several of the MDGs, such as poverty eradication, education for all, gender
equality, combating HIV/AIDS and creation of a global partnership for development,

H. whereas the commercial exploitation of children is a gross violation of their human dignity and is
against the principles of social justice; whereas, by ratifying the Convention on the Rights of the Child,
the states parties recognise the human rights of children,

I.

whereas the achievement of quality universal primary education for all children is a key to empowering
children to gain the critical skills and knowledge to help them escape from poverty, to influence the
development of their societies and to make free and informed choices in life, thus also contributing to
the social and economic development of their countries,

(1) COM(2008)55 final.
(2) http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0015/001547/154743e.pdf
(3) OJ C 26, 29.1.2004, p. 17.
(4) P6_TA (2005)0272.
(5) P6_TA(2007)0062.

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J.

whereas real access to quality education means having schools that are child-friendly, providing for the
needs of both genders equally, and that have healthy drinking water and sanitation facilities, as
low-standard education can alienate children from school and leave them vulnerable to exploitation,

K. whereas the effects of various forms of child labour include low enrolment in primary and secondary
schools (especially for girls), a high rate of school drop-outs, high illiteracy and high failure rates, the
retarded physical development of children, a high rate of teenage pregnancy, drug abuse among chil-
dren and a high unemployment rate among adults,

L.

whereas most countries have enacted laws and policies to protect the welfare and interests of children,

M. whereas governments, employers, workers and their organisations and society at large have a shared

responsibility to work for the progressive elimination of child labour,

N. whereas the practice of employing child labour often takes place outside lawfully established enterprises
governed by appropriate legislation and is prevalent in the informal and rural sectors, in the private
environment of the household and in family occupations which are not even considered as having the
social relevance to be identified as work, and in some cases in illegal activities,

O. whereas, in many instances, child exploitation in ACP countries takes place on behalf of European

firms, which are thus helping to worsen the problem of child labour in ACP countries,

P.

whereas economic exploitation of children affects between four and ten million children in Europe
(some of whom fall prey to the worst forms of exploitation, including prostitution of young girls), and
whereas it should be stressed that many of these children and young adults come from ACP countries
and, most of the time, are illegally present in European countries,

Q. whereas the contribution that child labour makes to family incomes in the poorest countries cannot be

ignored,

R. whereas there is no objection to employing older children part-time on the family farm or in the

family business, provided that their education, health and welfare are not impaired,

S.

T.

whereas it might not be easy in practice to draw a moral distinction between children who are being
commercially exploited and children whose labour
is being used to support subsistence-level
farmsteads,

whereas the scourge of diseases such as HIV/AIDS has contributed to the use of children in income-
generating activities,

U. whereas the elimination of child labour is complicated by cultural and gender inequalities,

V.

whereas improving access to affordable and repayable credit has the potential for alleviating child
labour and increasing school enrolment,

W. whereas the availability of alternative childcare options contributes to the reduction of child labour and

creates conditions for higher school attendance,

X. whereas efforts to bolster adult educational levels and wages help to curb the prevalence and intensity

of child labour and improve the likelihood of children staying in school,

Y.

whereas the urban-rural dichotomy impacts on child schooling and work decisions,

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Z. whereas every child has the right to registration at birth; whereas the lack of birth registration facilitates
the exploitation and abuse of children in the ‘hidden sectors’ of labour, such as domestic work and
agriculture,

AA. whereas companies that operate in breach of international instruments and international and domestic

legislation relating to child labour may have an unfair competitive advantage,

AB. whereas the agriculture sector in developing countries offers significant potential for the exploitation
of children, and according to a 2002 Human Rights Watch report some 70 %, or 170 million children,
are involved in this industry, where they are forced to work 12 hours a day, 365 days a year, are often
exposed to toxic pesticides and extreme temperatures of up to 100 °C, and must handle heavy loads
and industrial cutting tools,

AC. whereas pyrotechnics, rubbish recycling, rock splitting and mining are amongst the worst forms of

child labour, and whereas the most terrible form of exploitation is the use of child soldiers in warfare,

AD. whereas purchasers of goods from the developing world are in a key position to detect, and refuse to
purchase, goods which are made wholly or in part with child labour, and can thus bring direct and
effective economic pressure to bear,

AE. whereas the fundamental rights of children are at risk of being seriously undermined by exposing and

exploiting them in non-stop advertising in the media (e.g. radio, television and newspapers),

General

1. Welcomes the large number of ACP and EU countries that have ratified ILO Conventions 138 and 182
(see Annex 1); calls on states parties to ensure the implementation of the conventions and urges those
who have not yet done so to ratify these conventions as a matter of urgency;

2.

Recognises that children employed in the most dangerous industries must be given top priority;

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

Demands in the strongest possible terms that anyone against whom there is evidence of recruiting or
using child soldiers must be surrendered to the International Criminal Court for prosecution;

Stresses in the context of Convention 182 the need for urgent action for the elimination of the worst
forms of child labour, such as the employment of children in slave-like and bonded conditions and in
dangerous and hazardous work in the production and trafficking of drugs and the smuggling and traf-
ficking of small arms, the exploitation of very young children, and the commercial sexual exploitation
of children;

Calls on all EU signatories to ILO Convention 182 to publish yearly evidence of compliance with
Article 8, which calls for members to assist one another in giving effect to the provisions of the
Convention through enhanced international cooperation and/or assistance;

Calls on the EU Member States and ACP States to develop integrated strategies within the ACP-EU part-
nership, with a view to combating child labour on the basis of accurate assessment of the facts, guided
by the best interests of the child; in this respect stresses the need to fully engage civil society and trade
unions in policy formulation and implementation and monitoring of actions to combat child labour;

Stresses that combating child labour requires the right mix of policy choices and programmes, in par-
ticular in the areas of health, education, employment and social protection, to be geared to raising
awareness, social mobilisation advocacy, improving database resources and analysis, labour legislation
and enforcement, decent work, free compulsory quality education, vocational training and direct action
to remove, rehabilitate and reintegrate children;

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8.

9.

Calls on the international community, in particular the EU Member States and the European Commis-
sion, to include child labour concerns in each activity of their development cooperation programmes
and in the process of achieving the MDGs by 2015 by, inter alia, addressing the causes of inadequate
protection of children and violations of children's rights; stresses that such policies must also tackle the
issues of rehabilitation and social integration of children removed from child labour;

Recognises that child labour is to a great extent caused by poverty and that the long-term solution lies
in sustained economic growth and good governance leading to social progress, in particular poverty
alleviation and achievement of universal primary education;

10. Stresses the need to address the elimination of child labour in the fight against HIV/AIDS and in

conflict resolution strategies;

11. Stresses that children living without parental support, such as orphans, children living on the street,
internally displaced children, refugees, children affected by trafficking and sexual and economic exploi-
tation, need special care and that targeted measures should be taken to help such children and the insti-
tutions, facilities and services that support them;

12. Notes that, while many governments have adopted policies and taken action to eliminate child labour,
the failure to provide the families of the children affected with alternative means of supporting them-
selves will worsen conditions for families;

13. Emphasises that any policies to eliminate child labour should always be considered in the context of
decent work for all, in accordance with core international labour standards; believes that any targeted
campaign against child labour cannot succeed unless it is supported by wider reforms in trade practices
in both the EU and ACP States;

14. Calls on governments and civil society actors in EU and ACP countries to work together to establish
national Child Labour Task Forces that will, inter alia, provide and disseminate information on rights
and best practice and will work towards coordinating policies of local, national and international
government actors, NGOs and trade unions;

15. Calls on EU Member States and ACP States to incorporate child labour concerns into existing and

future development initiatives in the agricultural sector;

16. Urges governments of ACP countries to step up efforts to universalise official birth registration and
calls on the European Commission to promote and support such efforts, incorporating universal offi-
cial birth registration into development cooperation policy;

17. Urges the EU to adopt a directive introducing special treatment for illegal-status children who have

fallen prey to trafficking and exploitation on EU territory;

Education and elimination of child labour

18. Considers any child not in full-time education to be at risk of exploitation; believes that the definition
of ‘child’ in this context should be up to the age of compulsory full-time education in the country
concerned;

19. Stresses that, whilst work experience can play a part in a child's education, it should never be exploita-
tive and never interfere with the child's full-time education and should also always provide adequate
time for play and for experiencing childhood; states that this applies equally to paid employment and
work in the family, such as child care or work on a family farm; points out that, whereas the income
from a child's work can be a crucial part of the income of families on very low incomes, all due care
must be taken not to criticise parents when they are rightly protecting their child against labour
exploitation;

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20. Urges all EU and ACP States to ensure that measures taken to meet MDG 2 — universal primary
education — are sustainable and quality-oriented; to this end, calls on the EU to tie funding for educa-
tion to maintaining manageable class sizes and to providing satisfactory training for teachers; urges
both the EU and ACP to make funding available for materials and meals for students in an effort to
ensure that education does not become a cost that would lead to children being withdrawn from
school;

21. Calls on the European Commission to target funding for education, with urgent attention being paid to
those most at risk from exploitation, namely girls, children in areas affected by conflict, children from
marginalised or vulnerable groups in society and children in rural agricultural areas;

22. Calls on governments to improve the legal frameworks on child labour and incorporate child labour
concerns into education policies and plans, taking into consideration the urban-rural dichotomy;

23. Calls on the ACP States to increase expenditure for education, particularly with respect to universal

primary education and adult education;

24. Stresses the importance of enhancing the knowledge base and networks on child labour and education
through, for example, research and monitoring, data collection, and effective and appropriate analysis
of feedback from surveys and pilot projects, in order to improve understanding of core child labour
concerns and of regional and national characteristics with regard to children and education;

25. Encourages improved advocacy and dissemination of good practice, focused on real political and

economic changes and based on up-to-date knowledge of the child labour situation;

26. Calls on the governments and other lawfully established employers to put in place educational activities
targeted on working children and their families, with a view to mitigating the effects of the involve-
ment of the children concerned in labour activities;

27. Calls for bridging classes to be put in place for children coming late to education and for those

returning to education from labour, conflict or displacement;

28. Expresses concern at the discrepancies between international instruments, notably MDG 2 and ILO
Convention 138, with the latter setting 15 or, exceptionally, 14 as the minimum age for admission to
employment but calling only for universal education at primary level; considers that this leaves children
from the ages of 11 to 15 at increased risk of exploitation and calls for this discrepancy to be
addressed;

The responsibilities of the corporate sector in eliminating child labour

29. Welcomes the increasing trend for large companies to produce social codes of conduct and to volunta-
rily sign up to ethical trading initiatives; believes, however, that such voluntary codes are no replace-
ment for public authority supervision and transparent compliance with core labour standards;

30. Encourages the promotion of workplace codes of conduct, the enacting of legislation on minimum

wages and family economic security;

31. Calls on the European Commission to maintain and strengthen the responsibility that the corporate
sector has in eliminating child labour; calls on the European Commission to oblige the corporate
sector operating in the EU to document, report and take responsibility for labour practices at all levels
of the supply chain; therefore asks the Commission to set up a child labour hotline to enable informa-
tion to be submitted on child labour in the direct operations or supply chain of EU-based companies;
believes that this supply-chain compliance should be supported by regular and thorough inspections at
all levels and be subject to verification by independent audit; considers that, where a company is found
to have child labour in the supply chain, the European Commission should oblige it to put in place
and publish a time-bound programme of no more than three years for the immediate elimination of
child labour in this supply chain; takes the view that a programme of sanctions should be devised and
implemented if use of child labour continues;

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32. Urges the European Commission and ACP governments to ensure that it is the responsibility of any
company found to be using child labour to ensure that the children working for that company are
properly integrated into the education system;

33. Stresses that GSP and GSP+ status must be conditional on those ACP countries benefiting from the
GSP and GSP+ programmes not only ratifying, but also demonstrating compliance with the
ILO conventions on child labour and the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child; to this end, calls
on the European Commission to put in place a structure for regular and frequent monitoring and
reporting on compliance with the provisions of these conventions; states that appropriate action must
be taken where there is evidence of serious and systematic violation;

34. Believes that public procurement contracts should include clauses that oblige the companies in ques-
tion to demonstrate supply-chain compliance with international child labour standards, that such
contracts should not be awarded in the absence of such proof and that there must be an appropriate
opportunity (within the public arena) for NGOs and other parties to present evidence of the contrary;
strongly emphasises that such clauses should in no way be considered non-tariff trade barriers;

35. Calls on the EU Member States and the European Commission to tie support for companies through
trade missions, export subsidies, grants and loans to demonstrations of compliance with international
conventions on child labour;

36. Stresses that globalisation and liberalisation of world trade must be accompanied by the observance of

fundamental rights, including the prohibition of child labour;

37. Calls for the international community (which includes the World Trade Organisation) to pioneer a
‘child kite mark’, which would indicate clearly that a product was ‘grown/manufactured without child
labour’ and which could be used specifically vis-à-vis countries where child labour is known to be
prevalent;

38.

Instructs its Co-Presidents to forward this resolution to the ACP-EU Council of Ministers, the European
Commission, the African Union, the Caribbean Forum of African, Caribbean and Pacific States, the
Pacific Islands Forum, the EU Member States, the United Nations Children's Fund and the ILO.

RESOLUTION (1)

on the situation in Mauritania

The ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly,

— meeting in Port Moresby (Papua New Guinea) from 25 to 28 November 2008,

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

— having regard to the provisions of the Constitutive Act of the African Union (AU), the Lomé Declaration
of July 2000 and the Protocol relating to the Establishment of the Peace and Security Council (PSC) of
the African Union on unconstitutional changes of government,

— having regard to the decisions taken by the PSC at its 144th and 151st meetings,

— having regard to the United Nations Security Council statement of 20 August 2008,

— having regard to the statements and resolutions of the Economic Community of West African States
(ECOWAS), the European Union (EU) and the Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie (OIF),

— having regard to the consultations opened under Article 96 of the Cotonou Agreement,

(1) Adopted by the ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly on 28 November 2008 in Port Moresby (Papua New Guinea).

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— having regard to the communiqué at the consultative meeting on the situation in Mauritania attended
by the League of Arab States, the United Nations, the Organisation of the Islamic Conference (OIC), the
OIF, the EU and the AU on 21 November 2008 in Addis Ababa,

— having regard to the report of the ACP Committee of Ambassadors' fact-finding mission to the Islamic

Republic of Mauritania from 7 to 11 October 2008,

— having regard to the Mauritanian National Assembly resolution of 14 September 2008,

A. whereas on 6 August 2008 a military junta led by General Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz ousted the

President of the Islamic Republic of Mauritania, Sidi Mohamed Ould Cheikh Abdallahi,

B. whereas the economic and social situation in the country is catastrophic, and whereas the success of

democracy is best ensured by development,

C. whereas President Abdallahi was democratically elected in April 2007 at the end of a democratic transi-
tion process hailed as exemplary by the international community and validated by the European Union
election observation mission and the European Parliament delegation,

D. having regard to the EU's backing of the democratic transition and the EUR 156 million ‘support
programme’ for the period 2008 to 2013 under the 10th European Development Fund, complementing
the assistance already in place and the EUR 335 million granted in aid since 1985,

E. whereas Mauritania is a member of the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership, otherwise known as the
Barcelona Process, and took part in the Summit for the Mediterranean held in Paris on 13 July 2008,

F. whereas, although the change of government was effected without bloodshed, President Abdallahi and
several other political figures were arrested, and whereas President Abdallahi remains deprived of his
liberty,

G. whereas a ‘High State Council’ has been established by the junta, and whereas the chairman of that
council, General Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz, has been appointed head of state by means of a ‘constitu-
tional ordinance’,

H. whereas the ‘constitutional ordinance’ in which the junta defines its powers and which enables it to

govern by decree is without any legal basis,

I. whereas the ‘High State Council’ has appointed a prime minister,

J. whereas the difficulties Mauritania was experiencing at the time of the coup were political in nature and

could thus have been resolved by peaceful, political means and dialogue,

K. whereas, despite those difficulties, Mauritania had made remarkable progress with extremely sensitive
domestic policy issues such as the return of refugees, the eradication of slavery and media liberalisation,
and whereas this augured well for the eventual development of a firmly rooted democracy,

L. whereas an open debate between all political forces is required in order to establish the means of
restoring constitutional order and the mechanisms governing the balance between executive and legisla-
ture, with a view to securing, within the framework of the constitution, a proper balance between presi-
dent and parliament and the necessary political stability, without interference by the armed forces,

M. having regard to the various means of ending the crisis and restoring constitutional order put forward
by political forces and by ‘civil society’, in particular the proposal from the democratic opposition and
the ‘transition roadmap’ put forward by the National Assembly,

N. having regard to the security problems in the Sahelo-Saharan strip, which are giving lifeblood to
terrorism, cross-border crime and arms and drugs trafficking and are having a destabilising effect on the
countries of the subregion,

O. having regard to the role played by Mauritania in combating those scourges,

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P.

noting the condemnation of
in particular the
ACP Group, ECOWAS, the AU, the EU, the Arab League and the United Nations, and the decision by
the AU and the OIF to suspend Mauritania until such time as democracy has been restored,

the coup voiced by the international community,

Q. whereas on 22 September 2008 the African Union gave the junta an ultimatum to restore constitu-
tional order and unconditionally reinstate Sidi Mohamed Ould Cheikh Abdallahi by 6 October 2008,

R. whereas the military junta rejected that ultimatum, and whereas on Tuesday, 7 October 2008, the

AU Commission called on the AU member states not to recognise the putschists in Mauritania,

S.

having regard to the opening of
the consultation procedure between the European Union and
Mauritania, in accordance with Article 96 of the Cotonou Agreement, which provides for such consulta-
tions where ‘a Party considers that the other Party has failed to fulfil an obligation stemming from
respect for human rights, democratic principles and the rule of law’,

T. whereas the World Bank has suspended USD 175 million in aid to Mauritania; whereas that suspension
will affect some 17 national projects in Mauritania as well as the country's participation in World Bank
regional projects relating to, among other things, rural development, health, education and infrastruc-
ture (such as road building),

U. whereas the police have used violence to break up unauthorised demonstrations organised by a coali-

tion of political parties calling for the reinstatement of President Abdallahi,

1. Condemns the overthrow of the president and government by the armed forces in Mauritania, and
stresses that the democratically established institutions must be respected; regrets this setback, given the
notable advances made in the development of democracy and the rule of law over the past few years in
Mauritania;

2. Notes the transfer of deposed President Sidi Mohamed Ould Cheikh Abdallahi to his home village,
where he is being kept under house arrest, but continues to call for his immediate and unconditional
release;

3. Calls on the Mauritanian authorities to uphold human rights, including freedom of expression, associa-

tion and assembly;

4. Maintains that broad-based consultations are the only means of ending the crisis and enabling all demo-
cratic institutions to perform their proper function once again, including full exercise by the parliament
of all of its prerogatives;

5. Calls on the ruling military authorities to commit themselves forthwith to a timetable for a return to
constitutional order and the restoration of the democratic institutions, and to making the military ineli-
gible to stand in the elections;

6. Calls, accordingly, on all political players in Mauritania to establish an appropriate framework for such

consultations without delay;

7. Welcomes the commencement of consultations between the European Union and the ruling authorities
in Mauritania, and calls on the European Commission to give the JPA regular progress reports on the
consultations conducted under Article 96 and on the establishment of a timetable for the restoration of
constitutional order, but regrets that, to date, there has been no significant progress in this respect;

8. Welcomes the AU's announcement that it will submit ‘concrete proposals’ following the rejection of its

ultimatum by the Mauritanian ‘High State Council’;

9. Calls on the AU and the EU to look at all the targeted sanctions that might be taken against the military
putschists (travel ban, freezing of assets, etc.) should no commitment be made in the near future to a
relevant and credible plan for ending the crisis and restoring constitutional order, but not to take any
steps that might jeopardise the development of Mauritania and an improvement in the living conditions
of its people;

10. Insists that the people of Mauritania, who are already severely affected by the economic and food crises,
must not be made hostages of the current political crisis, and calls on the European Commission to
implement the support projects for civil society under the European Instrument for Democracy and
Human Rights;

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11. Urges the junta to consider the multiple benefits for the Mauritanian people of taking part in the poli-
tical process for peace, democracy, prosperity and human, social and cultural understanding outlined at
the Summit for the Mediterranean of 13 July 2008, which was attended by Sidi Mohamed Ould Cheikh
Abdallahi, President of the Islamic Republic of Mauritania;

12. Welcomes the sending of an ACP Committee of Ambassadors' delegation and notes the adoption of the

Mauritanian National Assembly resolution of 14 September 2008;

13. Decides to send an ACP-EU parliamentary delegation to Mauritania, to assist the Mauritanian Parliament
in rediscovering its unity and seeking a way out of the crisis that is honourable for all concerned;

14. Instructs it Co-Presidents to forward this resolution to the ACP-EU Council, the European Commission,
the Pan-African Parliament, the Commission of the African Union, the Arab Maghreb Union, the
United Nations Security Council and the National Assembly and other authorities of Mauritania.

RESOLUTION (1)

on the situation in Zimbabwe

The ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly,

— meeting in Port Moresby (Papua New Guinea) from 25 to 28 November 2008,

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

— having regard to the report of 29 March 2008 of the Pan-African Parliament Election Observer Mission

on the harmonised elections in the Republic of Zimbabwe,

— having regard to the preliminary statement of 29 June 2008 of the Pan-African Parliament Election

Observer Mission on the Zimbabwe presidential run-off and House of Assembly by-elections,

— having regard to the interim statement of 30 June 2008 of the Pan-African Parliament Election

Observer Mission to the presidential run-off and parliamentary by-elections in Zimbabwe,

— having regard to the preliminary statement of 29 June 2008 of the African Union (AU) Observer

Mission to Zimbabwe,

— having regard to the resolution on the establishment of a government of national unity in Zimbabwe

adopted at the African Union Summit of 1 July 2008 in Sharm el-Sheikh,

— having regard to the Principles and Guidelines Governing Democratic Elections adopted by the Southern
African Development Community (SADC) Parliamentary Forum in 2001 and the Principles and Guide-
lines Governing Democratic Elections adopted by the SADC Summit in Mauritius in August 2004,

— having regard to the agreement of 15 September 2008 between the Zimbabwe African National
Union-Patriotic Front (ZANU-PF) and the two Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) formations, on
resolving the challenges facing Zimbabwe,

— having regard to the SADC Treaty and the Protocols thereto, including the SADC Electoral Protocol,

— having regard to the Constitutive Act of the African Union, the African Charter on Human and Peoples'

Rights and the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD),

(1) Adopted by the ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly on 28 November 2008 in Port Moresby (Papua New Guinea).

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A. whereas the run-up to the presidential, parliamentary (lower house) and senatorial elections in March
2008, as well as the run-off elections in June, took place in an inadmissible context of violence and
violations of the rights of the opposition perpetrated by elements in the Zimbabwean army and militias
deployed by Mugabe's party, ZANU-PF,

B. whereas the arrest, during the run-off election campaign, of Tandai Biti, Secretary-General of the opposi-
tion party, the MDC, and the attempted murder of that party's leader, Morgan Tsvangirai, who was
standing against Robert Mugabe and was forced to take refuge in a European embassy and then leave
the country, obliged Mr Tsvangirai to withdraw from the presidential run-off,

C. whereas,

in spite of the pressure and intimidation of all kinds exerted on the population, Morgan
Tsvangirai gained a large majority in the first round of the presidential elections, and whereas the MDC
also won the parliamentary (lower house) elections and the elections for speaker of parliament,

D. whereas, on the basis of the official results of the run-off elections of 27 June 2008, the incumbent

president, Robert Mugabe, was re-elected, following the withdrawal of Morgan Tsvangirai,

E. whereas a large number of African observer missions (Economic Community of West African States,
Pan-African Parliament, African Union) stated that, as a result of the violence, the election results failed
to reflect the will of the people,

F. whereas the political agreement of 15 September 2008 on the principle of forming a government of
national unity with a view to ending the crisis is a step forward, achieved through the mediation of
President Thabo Mbeki,

G. having regard to the continuing deadlock in the negotiations between the two sides on a government of

national unity,

H. whereas the disastrous conduct of these elections has exacerbated the already catastrophic humanitarian
situation of Zimbabwe's population, forcing people to move away from their homes or leave the
country,

I. whereas the country is facing a cholera outbreak, with a virtually collapsed health system and a broken
water supply; whereas life expectancy has dropped from 60 years for both sexes to 37 years for men
and 34 for women in the past decade; and whereas 1.7 million people are now living with HIV in
Zimbabwe,

J. whereas the World Food Programme (WFP) fed 2 million Zimbabweans in October, but that figure is
expected to rise to 5.1 million by early 2009, meaning that half of the country's population will soon
be aid-reliant,

K. whereas, according to UNICEF, only an estimated 40 per cent of the country's teachers are attending

lessons, with only a third of pupils reporting for classes,

L.

1.

noting with concern the regrettable denial of entry to Zimbabwe to a delegation consisting of former
US President Jimmy Carter, former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan and human rights activist Graça
Machel,

Firmly condemns the campaigns of violence and intimidation conducted against the population with
the aim of influencing the voting in the 2008 elections, as well as the violations of the rights of the
opposition;

2. Declares that, in the light of such flagrant violations, the Zimbabwean elections held in June 2008

cannot be deemed to have been transparent, credible and fair;

3. Welcomes the African mediation efforts led by President Thabo Mbeki, and urgently calls for increased
engagement of African countries and regional institutions such as the SADC and the AU, as well as
eminent African personalities,
in negotiating, and subsequently monitoring, a solution to the
Zimbabwean situation;

4. Confirms that a government of national unity is a solution for ending the crisis for a transitional period
permitting reform of
in the
power-sharing deal of 15 September 2008, the parties agreed to work together for a sustainable and
lasting democratic and peaceful solution to Zimbabwe's current political, economic and social crisis;

the institutions and restoration of

law; stresses that,

the rule of

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5. Urges all parties to the agreement to live up to their commitments and to engage constructively and
fully in the implementation of the agreement and show greater restraint and moderation in the negotia-
tions; stresses that all parties are equal and should refrain from taking any unilateral action in connec-
tion with the formation of a new government;

6.

Strongly appeals to the international community to ensure the rapid provision of substantial humani-
tarian aid to the people of Zimbabwe;

7. Notes the devastating impact that the political crisis is having on the people of Zimbabwe; notes that
the EU has just released EUR 10 million in aid and calls on the Zimbabwean authorities to lift all
restrictions on humanitarian aid agencies and to ensure that humanitarian aid can be delivered in
accordance with the principles of humanity, neutrality, impartiality and independence;

8.

Expresses deep concern about the situation of Zimbabwean refugees in the region and deplores the acts
of violence against Zimbabwean refugees in surrounding countries; calls on the European Commission
to support the neighbouring countries with financial and material assistance programmes for the
refugees;

9.

Strongly appeals to all stakeholders and the international community to be prepared to ensure the rapid
provision of aid for the post-conflict reconstruction of Zimbabwe;

10. Deeply regrets that the Elders Humanitarian Delegation comprising former UN Secretary-General Kofi
Annan, former US President Jimmy Carter and advocate for women's and children's rights Graça Machel
was denied an entry visa by Mugabe's regime, since they wished to use their influence to increase the
immediate and longer-term flow of assistance to the country to stop the terrible suffering of the people
of Zimbabwe; strongly supports the Elders' continuing efforts to ease Zimbabwe's humanitarian crisis;

11. Calls on the future government of national unity to set up a neutral and independent peace and reconci-
liation commission with a view to promoting a national healing process that will review the crimes
against humanity, torture, rape and other crimes committed in internal conflicts;

12. Believes it essential that the newly-elected parliament receive funding and support in order to reinforce

its capacity;

13. Instructs its Co-Presidents to forward this resolution to the ACP-EU Council, the European Commission,
the Pan-African Parliament, the government and parliament of Zimbabwe, the African Union, the
SADC and the UN Secretary-General.

Port Moresby declaration

on the global food and financial crises

The ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly, meeting in Port Moresby (Papua New Guinea)
25 to 28 November 2008:

from

Food price crisis

1. Calls on the EU institutions to speedily adopt and implement the recently-agreed EUR 1 billion Food
Facility proposal without corresponding cuts in bilateral aid budgets, in order to respond to urgent
needs in developing countries with substantial additional aid;

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2. Calls on ACP and EU governments to respond to the urgent needs of the most vulnerable — particu-
larly women and children — by enhancing nutrition interventions and safety nets and expanding social
protection systems;

3.

Stresses that high demand and speculation pushed up food and fuel prices; notes that volatile food
prices particularly affect the most vulnerable groups, such as children, women, the urban poor, the rural
landless, pastoralists, small-scale farmers, and a multitude of people affected by or recovering from
shocks and conflict such as internally displaced persons and refugees; notes that although world food
prices have fallen recently, cereals, rice and oilseeds prices are forecast to be 10 % to 35 % higher over
the next ten years than in the past decade; notes that soaring fuel prices hit developing world farmers
particularly hard by forcing up fertiliser and transportation costs, especially in landlocked countries;

4. Recalls that Millennium Development Goal 1 aims to cut the proportion of people who suffer from
hunger by half but nearly a billion people go hungry every day, despite the fact that the world produces
enough food to feed its entire population;

5.

Stresses that developing countries, many of them net food importers, are the biggest victims of volatile
food prices and that there is a need to push food production back up the international agenda;

6. Calls on ACP and EU governments jointly to ensure that sufficient aid and public spending is channelled
towards achieving food security, as stated in the Maputo Declaration by AU Heads of State and Govern-
ment in June 2004;

7. Calls on ACP and EU governments to increase investment to achieve 2 % growth per year in agriculture,
rebuild staple food stocks — which are at all-time lows — and strengthen global monitoring and infor-
mation systems;

8. Calls on wealthy nations, including EU Member States, as well as and the incoming US Administration,
to reduce agricultural subsidies and eliminate agricultural export subsidies, as most rich countries
promised to do at the outset of the Doha Development Round, although since then globally there has
not been much progress;

9. Calls on ACP governments to involve farmers and pastoralists, many of whom are women, when

elaborating their agriculture and land-use policies;

10. Calls on ACP governments to empower smallholders farmers, especially women, by ensuring their

access to the land, credit and new technologies that will increase production;

11. Calls on the European Commission and the EU Member States to improve coherence between agri-

cultural, trade and development policies;

Financial crisis and global financial system

12. Calls on the international community to regulate the global financial system to guarantee transparency
and discourage unethical speculation and reform it to ensure developing nations have a greater say;

13. Calls on EU Member States to reduce the effects of the global economic slowdown on developing coun-
tries' growth, trade and foreign direct investment flows by helping to strengthen further their trading
capacity and, improve their infrastructure and facilitating remittances;

14. Calls further on EU Member States to honour their commitments as regards Official Development
Assistance — i.e. 0.56 % of Gross National Income by 2010 and 0.7 % by 2015 — and not to use the
financial crisis to justify aid cutbacks, especially when billions of euros have been mobilised in an extre-
mely short space of time in response to the global financial crisis while the international community
appears to have far greater difficulty providing fresh funds to fight hunger and poverty;

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15. Calls on EU and ACP states to take action to eradicate tax havens, tax evasion and illicit capital flight
from developing countries which cost these countries some EUR 800 billion a year, in other words
eight times what they receive in aid;

16. Calls on ACP and EU Heads of State to use the UN ‘Financing for Development’ summit in Doha from
29 November to 2 December 2008 to secure real progress on defining new approaches to financing
more equitable global development;

17. Calls on the G20 to respect the commitments made at its Washington Summit on 15 November 2008;

18. Calls on all stakeholders to work together to secure a successful, sustainable and timely conclusion to

the Doha Development Round.