11.12.2012   

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

CE 380/140

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having regard to the Treaty on European Union (TEU), in particular Article 34 thereof,

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having regard to the proposal for a recommendation to the Council, by Alexander Graf Lambsdorff on behalf of the ALDE Group, on the European Union’s priorities for the 66th Session of the United Nations General Assembly (B7-0072/2011),

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having regard to its recommendation of 25 March 2010 to the Council on the 65th Session of the United Nations General Assembly (1),

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having regard to the EU’s priorities for the 65th United Nations General Assembly adopted by the Council on 25 May 2010 (2),

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having regard to the 65th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), in particular that body’s resolutions on ‘International cooperation on humanitarian assistance in the field of natural disasters, from relief to development’ (3), ‘Situation of human rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran’ (4), ‘Situation of human rights in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea’ (5), ‘Promotion of a democratic and equitable international order’ (6), ‘Promotion of peace as a vital requirement for the full enjoyment of all human rights by all’ (7), ‘Enhancement of international cooperation in the field of human rights’ (8), ‘Operational activities for development of the United Nations system’ (9), ‘Role of the United Nations in promoting development in the context of globalisation and interdependence’ (10), ‘Towards a New International Economic Order’ (11), ‘Cooperation between the United Nations, national parliaments and the Inter-Parliamentary Union’ (12), ‘The United Nations in global governance’ (13), ‘Towards a nuclear-weapon-free world: accelerating the implementation of nuclear disarmament commitments’ (14), ‘Review of the United Nations peacebuilding architecture’ (15), and ‘Keeping the promise: united to achieve the Millennium Development Goals’ (16),

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having regard to the draft resolution of 14 September 2010 (17) and the resolution of 3 May 2011 (18) of the UNGA on the participation of the European Union in the work of the United Nations,

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having regard to the 2010 Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), and to the reviews of the MDGs, the Peacebuilding Commission (PBC) and the Human Rights Council (HRC),

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having regard to the report submitted by the co-facilitators on the review of the Peacebuilding Commission entitled ‘Review of the United Nations peacebuilding architecture’ (19),

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having regard to the new UN Gender Entity (UN Entity for Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment - UN Women),

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having regard to the resolution of the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) on ‘Promoting human rights and fundamental freedoms through a better understanding of traditional values of humankind’ adopted on 24 March 2011 and to the EU’s negative standpoint on that resolution,

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having regard to the preliminary list of items to be included in the provisional agenda of the 66th regular session of the UNGA (20),

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having regard to its resolution of 10 March 2011 on the priorities of the 16th Session of the UNHRC and the 2011 review (21),

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having regard to its resolution of 15 December 2010 on the future of the EU-Africa strategic partnership following the 3rd EU-Africa Summit (22),

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having regard to its resolution of 25 November 2010 on the climate change conference in Cancun (COP16) (23),

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having regard to its resolution of 25 November 2010 on the 10th anniversary of UN Security Council Resolution 1325 (2000) on Women, Peace and Security (24),

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having regard to its resolution of 23 November 2010 on civilian-military cooperation and the development of civilian-military capabilities (25),

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having regard to its resolution of 9 June 2005 on the reform of the United Nations (26),

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having regard to Rules 121(3) and 97 of its Rules of Procedure,

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having regard to the report of the Committee on Foreign Affairs and the opinion of the Committee on Development (A7-0189/2011),

A.

whereas a major transformation of the international order is taking place, challenging the European Union to engage more actively with current and emerging world powers and with other bilateral and multilateral partners in order to promote effective solutions to problems which affect both EU citizens and the world at large,

B.

whereas the EU should play a proactive part in building a United Nations that can effectively contribute to global solutions, peace and security, democracy and a rule-of-law-based international order; whereas, in accordance with Article 21 of the TEU, the EU is formally committed to effective multilateralism with a strong UN at its core, which is essential in order to address global challenges, such as climate change and environmental degradation, the universality and indivisibility of human rights, poverty reduction and development for all, the consequences of demographic change and migration and international organised crime,

C.

whereas the EU is facing many challenges in a rapidly changing world which require a concerted international response; whereas, in this endeavour, the EU can draw on effective multilateralism, universal values of human rights, on an open world economy based on internationally-agreed transparent and equitable rules and on its unique range of instruments,

D.

whereas new permanent structures were created by the Lisbon Treaty for the EU’s external representation and, as a result, the new EU representatives are required to take over functions previously carried out by the rotating Presidency of the EU,

E.

whereas Article 34 TEU obliges the EU Member States to coordinate their action in international organisations and at international conferences, and, further, obliges those Member States which are also members of the UN Security Council (UNSC) to ‘concert and keep the other Member States and the High Representative fully informed’ and ‘to defend the positions and the interests of the Union’; whereas the Member States that currently belong to the UNSC (France, the United Kingdom, Portugal and Germany) failed to act in concert and come up with a common position vis-à-vis military intervention in Libya, in particular in the context of the vote on UNSC Resolution 1973,

F.

whereas Article 47 TEU confers legal personality on the Union, implying rights and responsibilities under international law; whereas the EU shares the purposes and respects the principles of the United Nations Charter; whereas the Lisbon Treaty as a whole enables the Union to take on an international role commensurate with its prominent economic status and its ambitions and to fulfil the role of global player, as outlined in the 2003 European Security Strategy, competent to share responsibility for global security and to take the lead in defining common multilaterally-agreed responses to common challenges in a more unified way; whereas the Union must identify its strategic interests and objectives clearly if it is to act effectively,

G.

whereas global partnerships are instrumental in achieving jointly identified global goals; whereas the EU is the world's largest provider of development aid and a major partner of the UN in its efforts across all three pillars of its work, including in crisis and post-crisis situations, and the Member States' contribution amounts to 38 % of the UN's regular budget; whereas a solid and stable EU-UN partnership is fundamental to the work of the United Nations and key to the EU's role as a global actor,

H.

whereas the establishment of the European External Action Service (EEAS) should significantly contribute to the further implementation of UNSC Resolutions 1325 and 1820 and subsequent resolutions, through both its internal structure and its external actions and policies,

I.

whereas following the recommendation by the UNHRC, on 1 March 2011 the UNGA voted in favour of suspending Libya’s membership of the UNHRC,

J.

whereas more determined efforts to combat terrorism in the world have increased the need to address security whilst fully respecting human rights and fundamental freedoms,

(a)

to advance effective multilateralism as the overriding strategic concern of the Union and to strengthen the coherence and visibility of the EU as a global actor at the UN, inter alia by better coordinating internal EU consultations on UN issues and by promoting greater outreach on a wide range of issues; to authorise the Vice-President/High Representative (VP/HR) to draft guidelines for regular consultations between the ambassadors of the Member States and the EU ambassadors, especially between those working at a multilateral level in places like Geneva and New York, so that the EU can successfully pursue its UN agenda and meet the expectations of UN members regarding its ability to act; to foster greater cohesion both within the UN system and between the positions of EU Member States and candidate and potential candidate countries, so as to maximise the potential offered by the Lisbon Treaty to strengthen the EU's impact through the coordinated and strategic use of its various and distinct (EU and Member States) entry points; to enhance its ability to negotiate with other regional groups in a timely manner; to provide the EU representatives with a proper mandate to negotiate effectively on behalf of the Member States,

(b)

to make full use of the provisions contained in UNGA resolution A/RES/65/276 on the EU's participation in the work of the United Nations, which makes the necessary arrangements for the EU to participate effectively in the work of the UNGA; to reconfirm its commitment that the UN is at the centre of the EU's foreign policy and to reiterate the view that its effective participation in the work of the UN is not only an EU strategic priority, but also consistent with achieving the UN's goals and, as such, in the interests of all UN members; to improve EU Member State coordination in the UNSC and to encourage Member States which are also members of the UNSC, and in accordance with Article 34 (2) TEU, to invite the VP/HR to represent the EU in the UNSC whenever a common position has been defined,

(c)

to seek better prioritisation and transmission channels between Brussels and the EU Delegation in New York, including more enhanced cooperation with the Political and Security Committee and a clearer and more structured system for the provision of support by EU institutions in Brussels,

(d)

to engage with the EU's strategic partners within the UN system; further, to give the strategic partnerships a multilateral dimension by including global issues on the agendas for the EU's bilateral and multilateral summits,

(e)

to enhance global governance and to seek sustainable solutions to the issue of the relationship between the G-formations and the UN system, on which basis thematic debates and the economic dimension could usefully be covered by those groups, provided that the UN retains its central role and remains the legitimate body for global governance; at the same time, to consider the G8 and G20 as important forums for the definition of global responses to which the EU must actively contribute through coordinated positions; to support the UNGA President's initiative to organise General Assembly debates with the G20 Presidency before and after G20 summits,

(f)

to contribute to the operationalisation of the new single composite gender architecture replacing the four existing UN gender entities within the framework of the ongoing system-wide coherence (SWC) process; to fully support and advocate an adequate budget for UN Women so that this body can fulfil its role of promoting gender equality and to protect and empower women, including in conflict and post-crisis situations, working in close coordination with other parts of the UN system, and to maintain close contacts with this organisation; to apply gender mainstreaming in all the crisis preparedness actions of the Instrument for Stability (IfS),

(g)

to contribute to improving the efficiency and transparency of the UN and enhancing the management of the UN’s financial resources,

(h)

to use the first ever negotiation text on the reform of the UNSC as an opportunity to focus in a comprehensive manner on points of convergence and to achieve tangible progress regarding the clarification of the UNSC’s competences in relation to other UN bodies, the addition of members so as to improve the UNSC’s representativeness and legitimacy, and the review of the UNSC’s working methods; to emphasise the need for a comprehensive reform of the UNSC in order to strengthen its legitimacy, regional representation and effectiveness; to promote a reform process that can be irreversibly launched by EU Member States if, in keeping with the aims of the Lisbon Treaty as regards enhancing EU foreign policy and the role of the EU in global peace, security and regulation, they demand a permanent seat for the EU in an enlarged and reformed UNSC; to urgently take the initiative to bring Member States to develop a common position with that purpose; until such a common position is adopted, to agree to the introduction, without delay, of a rotation system in the UNSC, so as to secure a permanent seat for the EU in the UNSC,

(i)

to strengthen the role of the International Criminal Court (ICC) and the international criminal justice system, to promote accountability, to put an end to impunity and to further promote the important work of the ICC as the only permanent and independent judicial institution with jurisdiction over the most serious crimes which are matters of international concern, covering genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes; to encourage a strong and close relationship between the ICC and the UN in line with Article 2 of the Rome Statute, and to encourage the ratification of the Rome Statute by all UN member states,

(j)

to strengthen the crisis-prevention structures and their effectiveness within the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) with a view to transforming this organisation into a global leader in crisis prevention and recovery; to strengthen the EU’s conflict-prevention structures and to improve cooperation in this area with the UN, the OSCE, the African Union (AU) and other international and regional organisations as well as with civil society, economic actors, private businesses, individuals and expert organisations,

(k)

to work towards achieving consensus on and developing a more operational approach to the doctrine of the Responsibility to Protect (RtoP); whilst stressing its importance in preventing and bringing about peaceful mediation of conflicts, to encourage the implementation of RtoP, inter alia by further refining mechanisms for applying it and by strengthening the role of regional organisations such as the AU and the Arab League, by strengthening early-warning mechanisms within the UN and by better defining the roles of relevant UN bodies; to take note of UNSC Resolution 1970(2011) of 26 February 2011, in which for the very first time all the permanent UNSC members agreed to call on the ICC to open an investigation of an incumbent government on the basis of alleged crimes against humanity and in keeping with the RtoP doctrine in reference to an ongoing crisis; to take note also of UNSC Resolution 1973(2011) of 17 March 2011, which stressed the determination of the international community to ensure the protection of civilians and civilian-populated areas, as the first practical example of the implementation of the RtoP doctrine under a clear UN mandate and in reference to an ongoing crisis,

(l)

to acknowledge the work done by the the UN's mediation bodies, such as the Mediation Support Unit (MSU) of the Department of Political Affairs (DPA), and to advocate an increase in their staffing levels; to support the EU's partnership with the MSU and to ensure that the EEAS plays a vital role in this regard,

(m)

to promote security and stabilisation in crisis areas through conflict prevention, mediation, dialogue, local capacity building and post-conflict recovery, reconstruction and peacebuilding strategies, which promote sustainable solutions through a smooth transition from short- and medium-term efforts to longer-term development strategies; to ensure that peacebuilding and development policies are both planned and implemented within the framework of a comprehensive single UN strategy, which takes account of peacebuilding needs and the future transition to a longer-term-strategy early on in both the planning and implementing stages and on which the EU bases its own measures; given that the stabilisation of a conflict-torn country requires more complex action and an integrated approach, and not merely troops, to orchestrate the necessary capacities by means of such a strategy, in order to adequately address the root causes of conflict, given that half the countries in which peacekeeping operations are deployed lapse back into conflict within 10 years of the departure of the peacekeeping forces,

(n)

to insist on the need to draw lessons from the recent developments in Japan and to bring forward proposals; to raise safety standards in existing nuclear plants, particularly in seismic areas; to call for improved cooperation in the event of similar man-made or natural disasters in order to minimise the consequences of releases of radioactivity for human beings and the environment,

(o)

to develop a clearly defined strategic vision of the EU’s crisis prevention and management instruments and to explore the scope for practical project management through the newly established EEAS, acknowledging the importance that crisis prevention and crisis management have in the context of the EU's external action,

(p)

to focus on ensuring national ownership of peacebuilding strategies, from initial design to implementation on the ground, drawing on best practices and success stories; to advance a cross-cutting development agenda on the basis of which state-building is supported by well-articulated peacebuilding and development efforts with strong economic aspects at their core,

(q)

to place more emphasis on the task of consolidating peace in post-conflict situations by providing strategic advice as well as harnessing expertise and financing from around the world to aid recovery projects; to mobilise resources and new funding sources and to finance early recovery with a view to post-conflict reconstruction,

(r)

to help increase the deployment of female civilian experts and support national action plans in the spirit of UNSC Resolution 1325 and the action plan of the UN Secretary-General on ensuring women's participation in peacebuilding,

(s)

to consider it an EU strategic priority to strengthen international crisis-management partnerships and to enhance dialogue with other major crisis-management actors, such as the UN, NATO and the AU, and third countries, such as the USA, Turkey, Norway and Canada; to synchronise actions on the ground, share information and pool resources in the fields of peacekeeping and peacebuilding, including cooperation on crisis management and, in particular, maritime security, and the fight against terrorism under international law; to improve coordination, in this regard, with the International Financial Institutions (IFIs) and bilateral donors,

(t)

while recalling that the UNSC has primary responsibility for maintaining international peace and security, to stress the need for close cooperation between the EU and the UN in the area of civilian and military crisis management, and in particular in humanitarian relief operations; to step up efforts to ensure that EU Member States make adequate contributions to UN missions and that they contribute in a coordinated fashion; to further explore ways in which the EU as a whole can better contribute to UN-led efforts, such as by launching EU rapid response bridging or over-the-horizon operations or providing an EU component of a larger UN mission,

(u)

to create a broader strategic framework for the crisis-management partnership between the EU and regional and sub-regional organisations, such as the AU, the Arab League or the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), and the UN and to strengthen, in particular, a triangular relationship between the AU Peace and Security Council, the UNSC and the EU Political and Security Committee, in order to help ensure coherence and mutual reinforcement of efforts in support of the AU; to enhance the predictability, sustainability and flexibility of the financing of UN-mandated peace operations undertaken by the AU; to seek solutions that make for closer EU-AU cooperation in their particular operational areas, thereby improving early-warning and conflict-prevention capacities and making for exchanges of best practices and expertise in the area of crisis management,

(v)

to contribute to the consolidation of progress made in implementing an African Peace and Security Architecture in order to address peace and security challenges on the African continent; to stress the importance of providing predictable and sustainable funding for African peace-support operations, the need to build local resilience capacities, and the determination to protect civilians in armed conflicts,

(w)

given the regional dimension of conflicts on the African continent, to pursue efforts to strengthen relations with sub-regional organisations including ECOWAS, the Southern African Development Community (SADEC) and the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), and to involve them and the region's countries in crisis management,

(x)

to help with the task of enabling the UN peacebuilding architecture to live up to the expectations which accompanied its establishment, by taking forward the recommendations of the PBC review process, also with the aim of further improving the PBC's effectiveness; to support the emergence of a sound overall peacebuilding architecture on the basis of a partnership between developing and developed countries, whilst paying particular attention to improving delivery on the ground, enhancing relations with the IFIs – in order to create jobs and address economic issues - and fostering a more organic relationship between peacekeeping and peacebuilding; to promote a more structured relationship between the PBC, the EEAS’s Managing Directorate for Global and Multilateral Issues, and particularly its Directorate on Conflict Prevention and Security Policy, and the UNGA, the UNSC and the Economic and Social Council with a view to generating greater synergy between peacekeeping and peacebuilding and development actions on the ground; to seek ways of strengthening the PBC's advisory role vis-à-vis the UNSC, to which it is accountable, of enhancing the PBC's cooperation with the Peacebuilding Support Office (PBSO) and of strengthening links with regional organisations and IFIs; further, to improve the existing partnership between the PBC and the EU Peace-building Partnership through a bottom-up approach to conflict resolution that takes the activities of non-state actors in peace-building into account,

(y)

to pursue efforts to unlock the PBC's potential through a strengthened link with the field, so as to maximise the value of the distinctive entry points of the PBC and UN teams on the ground who could benefit from its strategic guidance and political clout, particularly when it comes to institution-building,

(z)

as a consequence of the nuclear disaster in Japan, to thoroughly reform the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) by bringing to an end its dual function of both monitoring and promoting nuclear energy use and to limit the IAEA's responsibilities to overseeing the nuclear energy industry and verifying compliance with the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT); additionally, to work towards ensuring that from now on safety standards are set and monitored by the World Health Organisation (WHO), in which connection Member States will be legally required to comply with those standards and the WHO will be provided with the necessary staffing to carry out the additional tasks,

(aa)

to promote the implementation of the recommendations of the 2010 NPT review, in particular to seek a safer world for all and to achieve, as a long-term objective, peace and security in a world without nuclear weapons, to further enhance transparency so as to increase mutual confidence, to achieve faster genuine progress towards nuclear disarmament, to take effective nuclear-disarmament measures which are consistent with the fundamental principles of transparency, verification and irreversibility, to encourage nuclear-weapons states to report regularly on the implementation of their commitments, and to review implementation,

(ab)

to further develop cooperation channels and mechanisms with the EU's external partners, especially the US, in the field of combating terrorism, particularly with a view to implementing the UN global counter-terrorism strategy, by participating in the G8 Roma/Lyons Group and the Counter-Terrorism Action Group, by strengthening the relevant global agreements and by stepping up efforts to conclude a comprehensive convention on international terrorism; to engage with these partners more effectively and in a more structured way, on both a strategic and a practical level; to show leadership and set an example by consolidating respect for fundamental rights and the rule of law as the core of the EU's approach to countering terrorism,

(ac)

to insist on the need to harmonise the efforts of various UN bodies in order to better promote the efficiency and effectiveness of action on development and social issues around the world; to live up to the pledges made at the MDG summit as regards gathering together the resources needed to meet the targets by 2015, in particular by meeting the EU’s commitments on official development aid; to strongly advocate an increase in the level of financial investment in order to meet the MDG targets and to rapidly scale up and replicate proven innovative programmes and policies aimed at overall development and economic and social transformation,

(ad)

to concentrate efforts to achieve the MDGs in particular on the regions and countries lagging furthest behind, especially countries in Sub-Saharan Africa and the Least Developed Countries (LDCs), and on fragile or conflict-torn countries,

(ae)

to ensure the efficacy of monitoring and audit mechanisms connected with the implementation of the UNLDC Programme of Action,

(af)

to ensure that long-term and sustainable development remains a comprehensive and coherent objective in the LDCs’ and their partners’ action plans,

(ag)

to ensure that middle-income countries with high levels of inequality continue to receive support and funding to reduce poverty and improve social cohesion, as most poor people live in middle-income countries,

(ah)

to support the reduction of gender inequalities and women’s empowerment in development, as women are disproportionately highly represented among the poor,

(ai)

to examine how the aid effectiveness agenda can be transformed into a development effectiveness agenda, devising in this context concrete strategies concerning fragile states and post-conflict environments,

(aj)

to achieve all the objectives of the Accra Agenda, on the basis of the effective involvement of parliaments, civil society organisations and local authorities,

(ak)

to ensure that social, political, economic and environmental challenges are addressed coherently,

(al)

to support the 1986 UN Declaration on the Right to Development, which stipulates that ‘States have the duty to cooperate with each other in ensuring development and eliminating obstacles to development … realize their rights and fulfil their duties in such a manner as to promote a new international economic order based on sovereign equality, interdependence, mutual interest’,

(am)

to keep RTD high on the agenda, given that this year we celebrate the 25th anniversary of the adoption of the UN Declaration on the Right to Development,

(an)

to recommend consolidation of the findings of the High-Level Task Force, in order to ensure the effective implementation of RTD,

(ao)

to take appropriate measures to make RTD an integral part of development policy, the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) and the work of UN human rights treaty bodies and mechanisms,

(ap)

to establish an international humanitarian aid agenda to address the full range of humanitarian challenges, the increase in humanitarian needs and the complexity of humanitarian situations,

(aq)

to strengthen worldwide humanitarian funding and improve the functioning and effectiveness of the humanitarian aid system,

(ar)

to take joint international initiatives to strengthen the interaction between humanitarian aid and development and the linking of relief, rehabilitation and development,

(as)

to ensure that the EEAS is well staffed and well resourced and integrated and coordinated with other international bodies, regional organisations and their work in promoting human rights; to ensure that recommendations and resolutions adopted, and priorities expressed, within the UN system and other international institutions are taken into consideration when developing EU policies and instruments, especially in the field of human rights,

(at)

to continue to actively participate in the review of the UNHRC in New York and its follow-up and to strengthen compliance with its mandate; to address the UNHRC's ability to tackle urgent situations involving serious human rights violations, as in the recent cases of Libya and the Ivory Coast, and to improve its capacity to enforce existing international norms and standards; to commend the UNGA's decision of 1 March 2011 to suspend Libya's membership of the UNHRC; to continue determined efforts and to use Special Procedures in order to transform the UNHRC into an early-warning and preventive mechanism, rather than a purely reactive body, able to prioritise and address the root causes of human rights violations with the aim of preventing fresh or further escalation of such violations, including through its support for capacity-building for national human rights institutions,

(au)

to seek ways of improving the UNHRC's election procedures in order to address the issue of the quality of UNHRC membership; to consider the establishment of clear criteria for membership of the UNHRC in order to prevent countries where human rights violations are frequent and widespread from becoming members of the UNHRC; to maintain, in the context of the review, the independence of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) and to oppose any attempts to change the status of the OHCHR which could impact negatively on its funding and, consequently, on its independence,

(av)

to develop a viable working relationship between the UNHRC and the Third Committee, and between the UNHRC and the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (UNHCHR), and to address the growing signs of divisions between Member States concerning their votes in the UNHRC,

(aw)

to reach agreement on a common position ahead of the Durban Review Conference (‘Durban 3’), scheduled for September 2011, in order to demonstrate Member States’ willingness and capacity to ‘speak with one voice’ in global forums, to assert the EU’s influence within the UN framework, and to re-affirm its commitment to combating racism, xenophobia and bigotry in a balanced and non-discriminatory way,

(ax)

to continue its endeavours in the UNGA Third Committee on a large number of resolutions, in particular on the call for a moratorium on the use of the death penalty, which has received support from more countries, on the rights of the child, on national and linguistic minorities, on freedom of expression and free media, on religious intolerance, on abolishing torture and on the country-specific resolutions on Burma/Myanmar, North Korea and Iran; to support all efforts to eradicate torture; to particularly encourage the adoption of the Optional Protocol to the UN Convention on Torture,

(ay)

to continue international efforts aimed at ensuring that all human rights are considered universal, indivisible, interdependent and interrelated; in this context, to make efforts to block the use of the undefined concept of ‘traditional values of humankind’, which is of such a nature as to undermine the norms laid down under international human rights law and could lead to unacceptable attempts to justify human rights violations on the grounds that they are the result of traditional values, norms or practices,

(az)

to support the financing, through specific budgetary commitments, and the capacity, accountability and effectiveness of UN Women, so that it can coordinate relevant activities more effectively; to incorporate a gender perspective into all UN policies and create institutional coherence/synergy; to concentrate efforts, also by contributing to improved strategic planning, on the implementation of UNSC Resolution 1325, especially as regards women's presence in peace talks, thereby enabling them to become mediators, improving their skills, and empowering them as decision-makers, and, in general, linking women and development,

(ba)

to define a strategy vis-à-vis countries which refuse to cooperate fully with the UN mechanisms and allow access by UN independent experts and Special Rapporteurs, with a view to persuading such countries to grant them full access to their territory and refrain from hampering their work; to work towards maintaining the independence of Special Procedures,

(bb)

to give the highest political and diplomatic priority and accordingly grant the fullest support, through the various bilateral and multilateral forums in which the EU is an active partner, to all initiatives aimed at:

(bc)

to exercise leadership in the area of global climate governance and international cooperation on climate change; to focus on strong political engagement with third countries and to further develop a dialogue with other key actors, such as the United States, Russia, the emerging powers (China, Brazil, India) and developing countries, given that climate change has become a key element of international relations and a major threat to the achievement of the MDGs; to contribute to an institutional architecture that is inclusive, transparent, equitable and provides for balanced representation of both developed and developing countries on relevant governing bodies; to lay down solid foundations for the next meeting negotiations, which will take place in late 2011 in South Africa (COP17), building on the good progress made at COP16 in Cancun and keeping in mind the lessons learned from the unsatisfactory outcome of COP15 in Copenhagen,

(bd)

to cooperate more strategically and to be more responsive to the needs of third countries while further developing the EEAS’s capacities to build up a climate diplomacy policy; to support the active participation of the Commission in the ongoing debate on Protection Gaps and Responses launched by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in the framework of the 2010 High Commissioner's Dialogue on Protection Challenges which aims to improve the existing international protection framework for forcibly displaced and stateless people; to participate actively in the debate on the term ‘climate refugee’ - intended to describe people who are forced to flee their homes and seek refuge abroad as a consequence of climate change - including a possible legal definition of this term, which is not yet recognised in international law or in any legally binding international agreement,

(be)

to foster a debate on the topic of the role of parliaments and regional assemblies in the UN system, which is expected to feature on the agenda of the 66th UNGA session, and on the topic of establishing a United Nations Parliamentary Assembly (UNPA); further, to promote interaction on global issues between governments and parliaments,

(bf)

to advocate the establishment of a UNPA within the UN system in order to increase the democratic nature, the democratic accountability and the transparency of global governance and to allow for greater public participation in the activities of the UN, acknowledging that a UNPA would be complementary to existing bodies, including the Inter-Parliamentary Union;