Source: EURLEX
Language: en
Format: md

12.9.4009 EN

Official Journ al of the E uropean Un ion C 221/31

**RESOLUTION** ( [1] )

**on the social and environmental consequences of climate change in the ACP countries**

_The ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly,_

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meeting in Prague (Czech Republic) from 6 to 9 April 2009,

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

—
having regard to the ACP-EU Partnership Agreement signed in Cotonou on 23 June 2000 and revised in
Luxembourg on 25 June 2005 (hereinafter: ‘the Cotonou Agreement’), and in particular Article 32 thereof,

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

—
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 Com­
mission on European Union Development Policy: ‘The European Consensus’, and in particular Articles 12,
22, 38, 75, 76, 101 and 105 thereof ( [2] ),

—
having regard to Agenda 21, the Rio Declaration on Environment and Development, and the Statement
of Principles for the Sustainable Management of Forests, adopted by more than 178 governments at the
United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) held in Rio de Janeiro (Brazil)
from 3 to 14 June 1992, whose principles were strongly reaffirmed at the World Summit on Sustainable
Development (WSSD) held in Johannesburg (South Africa) from 26 August to 4 September 2002,

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having regard to the United Nations (UN) Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and its
Kyoto Protocol,

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having regard to the UN Convention to Combat Desertification, which was adopted in Paris on 17 June
1994 and entered into force on 26 December 1996,

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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,

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

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having regard to the ‘Hyogo Framework for Action 2005-2015: Building the Resilience of Nations and
Communities to Disasters’ adopted by the World Conference on Disaster Reduction held in January 2005
in Kobo, Hyogo (Japan),

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having regard to the Declaration on Integrating Climate Change Adaptation into Development
Co-operation, adopted by the Development and Environment Ministers of the OECD member countries
on 4 April 2006,

—
having regard to the G8 Summit Declaration of 7 June 2007, issued in Heiligendamm, on ‘Climate Change,
Energy Efficiency and Energy Security – Challenge and Opportunity for World Economic Growth’,

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having regard to the Africa-EU Partnership on Climate Change as part of the First Action Plan (20082010) for the implementation of the Joint EU-Africa Strategy,

( [1] ) Adopted by the ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly on 9 April in Prague (Czech Republic)

( [2] [) OJ C 46, 24.2.2006, p. 1.](http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=OJ:C:2006:046:0001:0001:EN:PDF)

C 221/32 EN

Official Journ al of the E uropean Un ion 14.9.2009

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having regard to the Bali Roadmap, adopted at the UN Climate Change Conference on the island of Bali
(Indonesia) in December 2007,

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having regard to the 14th Conference of Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change
(UNFCCC) and the Fourth Conference of Parties serving as a meeting of the parties to the Kyoto Protocol,
from 1 to 12 December 2008 in Poznan (Poland),

—
having regard to the Communication from the Commission to the Council and the European Parliament
on climate change in the context of development cooperation ( [1] ), of 11 March 2003,

—
having regard to the Council Conclusions and the 2004-2008 Action Plan on climate change in the con­
text of development, of 24 November 2004,

—
having regard to the Communication from the Commission to the Council, the European Parliament and
the European Economic and Social Committee on policy coherence for development – Accelerating
progress towards attaining the Millennium Development Goals ( [2] ), of 12 April 2005,

—
having regard to the Communication from the Commission to the Council, the European Parliament, the
European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions on Limiting global climate
change to 2 degrees Celsius – The way ahead for 2020 and beyond ( [3] ), of 10 January 2007,

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

—
having regard to the Communication from the Commission to the Council and the European Parliament
on building a global climate change alliance (GCCA) between the European Union and poor developing
countries most vulnerable to climate change ( [4] ),

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having regard to the Resolution of the European Parliament on building a Global Climate Change Alli­
ance between the European Union and poor developing countries most vulnerable to climate change ( [5] )

of 21 October 2008,

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having regard to the Paper from the High Representative and the European Commission to the European
Council entitled ‘Climate Change and International Security’ of 14 March 2008 ( [6] ),

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having regard to the Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the
European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions on ‘Addressing the chal­
lenges of deforestation and forest degradation to tackle climate change and biodiversity loss’ ( [7] ), of

16 October 2008,

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having regard to the Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the
European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions entitled ‘Towards a com­
prehensive climate change agreement in Copenhagen’ ( [8] ), of 21 January 2009,

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having regard to the CARIFORUM-EU Declaration on Climate Change and Energy, of 17 May 2008,

—
having regard to the Declaration by the Pacific Islands Forum States and the European Union on Climate
Change, of 7 November 2008,

( [1] ) COM(2003) 85.

( [2] ) COM(2005) 134 final.

( [3] ) COM(2007) 2 final.

( [4] ) COM(2007) 540.

( [5] ) P6_TA(2008)0491.

( [6] ) S113/08.

( [7] ) COM(2008) 645 final.

( [8] ) COM(2009) 39 final.

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Official Journ al of the E uropean Un ion C 221/33

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having regard to the Africa-EU Declaration on Climate Change, of 1 December 2008,

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having regard to the 2006 report by Nicholas Stern entitled ‘The Economics of Climate Change. The Stern
Review’,

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having regard to the OECD report of 2007 entitled ‘Stocktaking of Progress on Integrating Adaptation to
Climate Change into Development Co-operation Activities’,

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

—
having regard to the Human Development Report 2007/2008 entitled ‘Fighting climate change: Human
solidarity in a divided world’ launched by the United Nations Development Program,

—
having regard to the report of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund entitled ‘Global Moni­
toring Report 2008: MDGs and the Environment -Agenda for Inclusive and Sustainable Development’,

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having regard to the OECD Environmental Outlook to 2030, of March 2008,

—
having regard to its resolution on climate change and small island developing states in the context of the
ACP-EU cooperation framework, adopted on 1 April 1999 in Strasbourg,

—
having regard to its resolution on natural disasters in ACP States: EU funding for preparedness (EDF funds)
and relief (ECHO funds), adopted on 22 November 2007 in Kigali (Rwanda),

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having regard to the report of the Committee on Social Affairs and the Environment
(ACP-EU/100.383/09/fin.),

A. whereas developing countries have contributed least to climate change but are facing its most severe social
and environmental consequences, due to their social, economic and geographical vulnerability, their heavy
dependence on the primary sector, including agriculture, fisheries and other natural resources, and their
limited infrastructure for dealing with climate change impacts,

B. whereas accelerated sea level rise will cause flooding, coastal erosion, salt water intrusion into inland fresh­
water resources and even submersion of some low-lying Pacific and Caribbean islands; whereas the num­
ber of people at risk from coastal flooding in Africa alone could increase from 1 million in 1990 to over
70 million in 2080,

C. whereas temperature rise and rainfall variability will lead to severe droughts and sharply reduce water
availability in the ACP countries; whereas 75 to 250 million people in Africa will be exposed to greater
water shortage and insecurity by a rise of just 1 °C, 350 to 600 million by a 2 °C rise and up to 1,8 billion
if temperatures rise by 3 °C,

D. whereas rising sea temperatures will lead to the proliferation of extreme climatic phenomena such as tropi­
cal storms and cyclones, which will drastically affect low-lying coastal areas, river basins containing mega­
cities and other large population centres, economically vital infrastructure such as ports, offshore facilities,
coastal urban areas and tourism infrastructure,

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Official Journ al of the E uropean Un ion 14.9.2009

E. whereas climate change will further increase desertification and soil degradation, compromising agricul­
tural production and food security even more, and exacerbating hunger and malnutrition in the ACP
regions,

F. whereas rising sea levels and temperature will heavily impact on coastal and marine ecosystems, reducing
the catch in the Pacific and Caribbean islands and along the African coast, and negatively affecting local
food supplies,

G. whereas climate change will further accelerate decline in biodiversity, pose a serious threat of extinction
to many plant and animal species, and damage beyond repair some ecosystems that are particularly sen­
sitive to climate disruption, such as coral reefs, mangroves and rainforests; whereas biodiversity conse­
quences in the ACP countries will have crucial effects on the food chain and on the livelihoods of people
who depend directly on goods and services deriving from those ecosystems,

H. whereas climate change, coupled with existing weak public health systems and limited access to public
healthcare, as well as poor water management and purification, will lead to an increased incidence of
vector- and water-borne diseases such as malaria, dengue and cholera, increased heat stress and preva­
lence of respiratory illnesses,

I. whereas environmental consequences of climate change will trigger large-scale migration flows both inter­
nally and across borders (the IPCC estimates 150 million migrants by 2050); whereas most ACP environ­
mental migrants will move and settle within their home countries or neighbouring countries thus leading
to escalating humanitarian crises, rapid urbanisation and associated slum growth, and stalled develop­
ment within the ACP countries; whereas that urban growth will have as its corollary the abandoning of
rural areas and increased soil degradation,

J. whereas, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the European Centre for Disease Pre­
vention and Control, climate change will lead to increased levels of insect-borne disease, including malaria,
chikungunya and Lyme disease, requiring adaptation measures,

K. whereas many of the effects of climate change on health as reported, for instance, by the WHO, may be
kept at bay by preparing and strengthening health systems by appropriate preventive measures, with par­
ticular attention being paid to the spread of tropical diseases, and by public information campaigns
addressing especially vulnerable groups such as pregnant women, newborn babies, children and elderly
people,

L. whereas climate change undermines national, regional and global security, leading to conflicts over access­
ing, controlling and using scarce natural resources, or tensions due to displaced populations,

M. whereas climate change is placing 40 % of international poverty reduction investment at risk (World Bank
estimates), thus posing a serious threat to poverty reduction, economic and social development and the
achievement of the MDGs in many ACP countries,

N. whereas, to avoid the worst irreversible effects of climate change, global temperature rise has to be limited
to below 2 °C and global greenhouse gas (GHG) concentrations in the atmosphere have to be stabilised
below 450 ppm; whereas, indisputably, the biggest CO 2 emitters – the industrialised countries and emerg­
ing economies – should bear the primary responsibility for slashing their emissions,

O. whereas mitigation measures have to be combined with adaptation measures in the ACP countries to man­
age the significant impacts of climate change; whereas industrialised countries have a historical respon­
sibility for climate change and are morally obliged to assist ACP countries in their efforts to adapt to its
consequences in accordance with the ‘polluter pays’ principle,

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Official Journ al of the E uropean Un ion C 221/35

P. whereas there is currently a huge gap as regards the financing of adaptation in developing countries;
whereas, while estimated annual adaptation costs range from USD 10 billion to over USD 80 billion per
annum, the resources currently provided by industrial countries through multilateral funding mechanisms
equal USD 150-300 million a year,

Q. whereas early action on climate change adaptation and Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) represents a clearly
cost-effective solution; whereas estimates predict that one dollar spent on DRR has the potential to save
up to seven dollars in disaster response, thereby also providing a strong argument for frontloading aid
spending,

R. whereas the procedures for application and distribution of resources under different climate change financ­
ing mechanisms, such as the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM), are rather complicated and lack
involvement by recipient countries,

S. whereas CDM has so far been poorly suited to meeting the needs of the poorest countries for investments
in clean technology, with Africa hosting only 2 % of all CDM projects; whereas often the sustainability
and additionality criteria of the CDM projects are not maintained,

T. whereas any delay in taking firm decisions on the mechanisms and financing necessary to reduce the
causes and consequences of climate change will result in much higher costs,

**General**

1. Calls on the Commission and donor countries to reshape and redesign development cooperation to make
it climate change resilient and follow low carbon pathways;

2. Calls on the Commission to simplify its existing structures for dealing with climate change and develop­
ment issues;

3. Calls on the Commission and the EU Member States to build better links between the MDGs and climate
change by incorporating impacts of, and adaptation to, climate change into projects and programmes
aimed at achieving the MDGs, and into all broader strategies for poverty reduction and development
policies;

4. Welcomes the fact that some progress in placing adaptation on an equal footing with mitigation has been
achieved during the negotiations on the future post-Kyoto framework; stresses, however, that a firmer link
between adaptation and mitigation negotiations needs to be established, so that key decisions on these
issues are not made in isolation from each other;

5. Calls on the international community and the private sector, in the interests of facilitating the ACP coun­
tries’ transition to a reduced carbon economy, to provide the necessary investments for research, devel­
opment and rapid and comprehensive transfer of technologies for mitigation (e.g. low carbon energy
technologies, technologies for carbon capture and storage) and adaptation in the ACP countries; also calls
on the international community to remove trade barriers to climate change adaptation technology and to
free up intellectual property rights (e.g. compulsory licensing);

6. Calls on the Commission and EU Member States to support UNESCO activities that contribute to the
implementation of the Barbados Programme of Action for the Sustainable Development of Small Island
Developing States and the subsequent Mauritius Strategy;

C 221/36 EN

**Mitigation**

Official Journ al of the E uropean Un ion 14.9.2009

7. Underlines that a global consensus on an ambitious and binding mitigation goal, based on the principle
of shared but differentiated responsibility established in the UNFCCC, must be reached during the UN Cli­
mate Change Conference in Copenhagen in December 2009, and therefore calls on all industrialized coun­
tries and rapidly developing countries to agree to a binding GHG target; suggests that in order to stimulate
the participation of emerging economies in the new agreement a more flexible and differentiated approach
for these countries should be established (e.g. targets only for specific sectors), taking into account each
country’s adaptation and mitigation capacity and the industrialised countries’ historical responsibility for
global warming;

8. Notes that the procedures for application and distribution of resources under the CDM need to be reviewed
and simplified to make the CDM more easily accessible to ACP countries and to result in a more balanced
distribution of CDM projects, with an increase in the number of projects particularly in sub-Saharan
Africa; stresses that a system should be set in place to ensure that CDM projects comply with the addi­
tionality principle and lead to sustainable development of the ACP countries; calls on donor countries to
help build the necessary capacity in the ACP countries to enhance their participation in the CDM; and calls
on the donor countries not to focus exclusively on CDM as the ultimate policy tool, but also to develop
new mechanisms for mitigation in the ACP countries;

9. Calls on the governments of the industrialised countries and emerging economies to set clear and con­
sistent long-term policy frameworks to encourage eco-innovation and investment (e.g. renewable energy,
fuel efficient and hybrid vehicles, new fuels); underlines that the private sector also has a central role in
driving eco-innovation; believes also that, in the medium to longer term, ways to change the overall con­
sumption patterns in the developed countries have to be put in place to reduce emissions;

10. Stresses that the Commission and donor countries’ governments should strengthen partnership with the
ACP governments to develop ambitious policy initiatives and plans to curb deforestation and reduce for­
est degradation, and to provide technologies and substantial resources for sustainable forest management
in the ACP countries;

**Adaptation**

11. Calls on the ACP governments to incorporate adaptation goals and measures directly into their national development
plans, poverty reduction strategies and sectoral policies and strategies, as well as in all stages and levels of their decisionmaking processes;

12. Underlines that contributions for adaptation should become a legally binding commitment, reflected both
in the international agreement to be adopted in Copenhagen in December 2009, and in domestic legis­
lation within the EU-27;

13. Calls on industrialized countries to increase significantly their financial support for adaptation in ACP
countries and to explore innovative financing mechanisms intended for this purpose such as, _inter alia_,
international taxes on trade, national emission taxes, levies on air travel tickets and auctioning of assigned
amount units; calls on the Commission to increase substantially the budget for the GCCA, to give signifi­
cantly more consideration to climate change in the forthcoming EDF budget and to implement urgently
the idea of a Global Climate Change Financing Mechanism, an innovative financing instrument to front­
load support for climate related investments for the poorest and most vulnerable countries;

14. Emphasises that adaptation finance has to be additional to already-existing Official Development Assis­
tance and aid commitments;

15. Calls on the international financial institutions to expand their adaptation policies, programmes and
financing instruments;

14.9.2009 EN Official Journ al of the E uropean Un ion C 221/37

16. Urges the private sector to step up its commitments to fill the climate change financial gap; encourages
the Commission and the EU and ACP governments to invest in developing public-private partnerships to
attract additional funding from the private sector for financing adaptation projects, especially in the least
developed countries;

17. Believes that there is a need for better donor coordination, much more intensive North-South dialogue
and enhanced cooperation between donor and developing countries on climate change policies, mecha­
nisms and financing for adaptation, in accordance with the Paris Principles and the Accra Agenda for
Action 2008;

18. Underlines the need to further foster regional collaboration, the exchange of good practices and the cre­
ation of discussion forums between ACP countries facing similar climate change problems;

19. Encourages the governments of the ACP countries to be more inclusive of civil society and local commu­
nities in the drawing-up and implementation of climate change adaptation strategies, owing not least to
their solid practical experience and their direct proximity to the people and places most exposed to the
harmful effects of climate disruption;

20. Calls on donor countries and international organisations to invest in strengthening the infrastructure for
climate monitoring and climate-related data management and the adaptive capacity of institutions, local
communities and individuals in the ACP countries;

21. Encourages R&D institutions in EU Member States to promote and facilitate exchange of best practices
and information, share expertise and knowledge, and forge networks and partnerships with similar insti­
tutions in the ACP countries in sectors where climate change is a major issue (e.g. agriculture, water
resource management);

22. Calls on development partners to support ACP governments and civil organisations in elaborating public
education and information campaigns on climate change impacts;

23. Welcomes the Commission’s intention to propose an EU Strategy for DRR; calls on the Commission and
the EU Member States to increase investment in DRR as a means to facilitate climate change adaptation
and to include long-term funding for DRR as part of development aid; considers that private sector devel­
opment of climate-related insurance markets in the ACP countries should be promoted to enhance resil­
ience to climate shocks;

24. Calls on the Commission and EU governments to provide more resources for strengthening the capacity
of health systems in the ACP countries, in order to help them cope with the adverse effects of climate
change on health;

25. Considers that adequate planning and management of environmental migration will be critical for human
security; to this end calls on the international community to identify and address the legal shortfalls that
exist in respect of the protection of environmental refugees; suggests that asylum regulations or agree­
ments on a regional or international level be considered in view of the extremely vulnerable situation of
the island states that risk becoming submerged; points out also that instruments to protect the identity,
culture and traditions of environmental refugees should be developed and put in place;

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