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A.

whereas natural changes in the global climate have happened throughout history, but the rapidity and volume of both the global warming and the loss of biodiversity observed are such that their causal link to human activity can no longer be doubted,

B.

whereas climate change constitutes a serious threat to poverty reduction, human rights, peace and security, the availability of water, energy and food resources and the achievement of the MDGs in many developing countries,

C.

whereas the last century has witnessed an average increase in global surface temperature of 0.74 °C and the IPCC predicts that this will continue rising to between 1.1 °C and 6.4 °C, depending on the scenario,

D.

whereas the human, social, financial and economic consequences of these changes will be felt in the achievement of the MDGs and in many sectors, including agricultural and livestock productivity, marine activities, tourist flows, physical infrastructure and health services; whereas they are likely to result in desertification and threaten the existence of many indigenous peoples, islands and forests that constitute tangible and intangible global heritage,

E.

whereas ACP countries have least contributed to climate change but are facing its most severe consequences; whereas climate change has the potential to reduce or even annihilate global development trends by destroying productive potential across the developing world,

F.

whereas the fragile public finances, high levels of public debt and heavy reliance on monocultures for export which characterise ACP countries render them vulnerable to exogenous shocks; whereas these countries’ heavy reliance on primary sector production as a main source of national income leaves them most at risk from climatic changes,

G.

whereas at the household level climate change will decrease individual financial, social and physical security, increasing poverty and vulnerability, especially among the most vulnerable groups; whereas, on a macro-economic level, climate change is likely to increase the need for public spending, while at the same time reducing the sources of government revenue,

H.

whereas climate change can lead to increased scarcity of resources, such as habitable land, drinking water and arable land, triggering new conflicts, insecurity and migration flows, problems likely to further increase global instability,

I.

whereas agricultural production, employing 70 % of the population in the Least Developed Countries, is already threatened by rising temperatures and changing levels of precipitation which contribute to decreased and unpredictable yields; whereas, in addition, unsustainable farming practices further degrade lands in a potentially permanent manner,

J.

whereas nearly all of the estimated one billion undernourished people in the world live in rural areas and are dependent on the availability of arable land and agricultural yields for their livelihoods, and hence for their survival,

K.

whereas marine activities are undergoing changes owing to sea level rises and increases in ocean acidity which damage biodiversity, thus jeopardising the income of local fishermen, the revenue from coastal tourist industries and the scope of coastal countries’ commercial portfolios; whereas industrial-scale tourism, when it is environmentally unsustainable, must be rethought,

L.

whereas the impact of climate change on agriculture and marine activities poses a serious threat to food security,

M.

whereas acute hazards believed to be linked to climate change are often unpredictable and devastating and they can wipe out primary sector production, physical infrastructure and tourist industries and cause widespread loss of life,

N.

whereas Small Island Developing States are often hardest hit by acute hazards and also suffer the further geographical disadvantage of being low-lying, therefore in danger of gradual encroachment by the sea and ultimately of their complete submergence as sea levels rise,

O.

whereas unstable climatic conditions will mean certain regions are designated as ‘high risk’ areas, thereby reducing their attractiveness for foreign direct investment,

P.

whereas economic actors who vigorously pursue their own interests to the detriment of the global climate, local environments, habitats and social welfare are rarely held accountable for the damage they cause,

Q.

whereas in a globalised world with global profits, corporate responsibility must also become global, as must the obligation to compensate for damages and losses,

1.

Regrets the failure of the United Nations Conference on Climate Change held in Copenhagen from 7 to 18 December 2009, which, by not leading to a comprehensive legally binding international agreement, has demonstrated that while there is near unanimity on the types of challenges, there is much less agreement on the ways to meet them; takes note that the EU, during the negotiations in Copenhagen, did not withdraw its goals, and therefore calls on the EU to fully assume its responsibility, as a significant actor, in the ongoing efforts to reach a binding agreement during the conference to be held in Cancún from 29 November to 10 December 2010;

2.

Recognises that substantial global efforts urgently need to be made, particularly in the most industrialised and developed countries, to limit global warming by implementing coordinated, convergent, ambitious and proactive mitigation and adaptation policies;

3.

Notes that among the impacts of climate change on developing countries will be reductions in their productive potential, decreased exports and government revenues, rendering their economies more fragile; insists that support measures be implemented in favour of locally existing sustainable and productive agricultural practices, in order to enhance food security and avoid unnecessary erosion and depletion of soils;

4.

Calls on the EU and ACP countries to invest in alternative clean energy sources and in technologies to improve energy efficiency in order to take full advantage of the beneficial effects their use may have on the employment market, energy security and biodiversity and consequently on food security; underlines in particular the need for widespread use of renewable energies, especially solar energy, and more water-efficient farming methods; also urges the Commission to support innovative solutions such as green belts around cities to meet the basic food requirements of urban populations in developing countries;

5.

Calls on the EU and ACP countries to implement a vast joint public research programme with large-scale funding from the EU, involving innovative firms and specialist research centres, to develop powerful new technologies to exploit renewable energy sources, making the patents and processes available at no cost to entrepreneurs and state-owned companies in the EU and ACP countries;

6.

Calls on the EU, as part of its development cooperation, and on the ACP countries to develop Technology Partnerships in order to facilitate the use of clean technologies in the ACP countries and to support, potentially through the establishment of an ACP-EU energy initiative, research and development of similar technologies in the ACP countries themselves; in a broader context, underlines the necessity to clarify and enhance property rights in ACP countries, in order to create additional development potential based on property and its use for production and as collateral;

7.

Underlines the need for private economic actors from EU countries to behave in socially responsible ways whilst present in ACP countries, particularly concerning respect for the employment and remuneration rights of populations and the natural resources, environment, habitats, natural landscapes, fauna and flora of the countries in which they operate and on which local populations depend; emphasises in particular the need to improve the social responsibility of companies as regards the exploitation of natural resources;

8.

Demands that funds for climate-related activities constitute money in addition to donors’ long-standing commitments on levels of official development assistance (ODA) and that clear records of funds allocated under these two separate channels be kept;

9.

Welcomes the initiative by the Bolivian President Evo Morales Ayma of organising a World People’s Conference on Climate Change and the Rights of Mother Earth in Cochabamba (Bolivia) from 19 to 21 April 2010 as part of the international effort on the road from Copenhagen to Cancún;

10.

Recalls that the international commitments made regarding the MDGs will be achievable only if the industrialised countries keep their commitment to contribute 0.7 % of their GDP in ODAs;

11.

Calls on the EU and its Member States to adequately help the small island ACP States to address the problems caused by climate change in their agriculture and marine/fisheries sectors, including food security, by promoting the development of green economies through the transfer of technology and the provision of additional resources to finance their adaptation and mitigation strategies;

12.

States that in the long run, the sums required for combating the impact of climate change in developing countries cannot be mobilised by states drawing on public funds alone, but the private sector must also contribute; welcomes therefore the initiatives of EU Member States on the establishment of voluntary levies on air and sea transport emissions and calls for a consequent taxation on international freight transport to be applied according to the proportional pollution volume and intensity of each mode of transport;

13.

Calls for the implementation of a ‘responsible-entity-pays’ principle as a logical extension of the ‘polluter-pays’ principle;

14.

Demands that the EU and those of its Member States holding individual seats at the G20 engage in negotiations with G20 and OECD partners and, more generally, within the global financial institutions designed to obtain an agreement on the need for a global levy, the product of which will be used for financing global public goods, including combating the worst effects of climate change;

15.

Notes with concern that, apart from South Africa, no ACP state or group of states is present at the G20 table; states that a new model for sustainable global governance cannot be developed without greater participation from the poorest countries in Africa, the Caribbean and the Pacific;

16.

Calls on the ACP and EU countries to implement international best practices when developing domestic legislation aimed at sustainable development, reducing carbon emissions, fostering cleaner energy technologies and promoting the use of renewable energy;

17.

Instructs its Co-Presidents to forward this resolution to the ACP-EU Council of Ministers, the European Parliament, the European Commission, the EU Council Presidency and the African Union.

A.

whereas the current crisis is of an exceptional nature and is a conjunction of social, environmental, energy, economic, financial and food crises; whereas the development model has to be adjusted in order to ensure it is effective and transparent,

B.

whereas the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) estimates that the number of people in the world suffering from hunger has reached one billion and the total has increased by 100 million due to the global crisis; whereas the number of people living in poverty could rise by 90 million by December 2010,

C.

whereas most ACP countries are dependent on exports of commodities and natural resources, and the crisis has led to a drop in export earnings for many developing countries, a drop in the transfer of funds to these countries, and a drop in foreign direct investment,

D.

whereas developing countries also face a reduction in remittances from migrant workers to their countries of origin and a decrease in official development assistance (ODA), estimated by the United Nations at USD 20 million per annum short of the promise of the G8 meeting in Gleneagles in 2005 on aid to Africa,

E.

whereas the impact of the various crises on the ACP countries will jeopardise the achievement of the MDGs,

F.

whereas HIV/AIDS is not only a health issue as the disease’s spread has created a pandemic with social, economic and demographic consequences in all countries,

G.

whereas the economic and financial crisis is likely to increase the lost of skilled labour from ACP countries, exacerbating the long-term effects of the crisis,

H.

whereas the ACP countries are not to blame for the financial and economic crisis but are amongst those being hit hardest by its effects, which is also true as regards climate change; whereas the financial and economic crisis was caused, inter alia, by the deregulation of financial and economic markets,

I.

whereas employment conditions are worsening following the crisis: unemployment has risen by up to 59 million worldwide and over 200 million workers are exposed to extreme poverty following the financial and economic crisis, both in ACP and EU countries,

J.

whereas the vulnerable groups in society, first and foremost young people, will have to bear the brunt of the medium- and long-term effects of the crisis; whereas the already excessive proportion of unemployment accounted for by young people will continue to rise,

K.

whereas the effects of the global economic crisis on the ‘middle-income’ developing countries and on their social development programmes should not be overlooked,

1.

Recalls that the EU is required to play a decisive role in mitigating the effects of the crisis on ACP countries, given its position as the main trading partner of the ACP States, the main provider of private investment, and the world’s largest donor of ODA;

2.

Urges donor countries to use this unprecedented crisis as a catalyst to further explore existing possibilities in terms of additional and innovative sources of financing for development, such as an international financial transaction tax, and to identify new ones to allow developing countries to diversify their sources of revenue and implement effective, concrete and operational spending programmes;

3.

Fears that the crisis will hamper the achievement of the MDGs and the financial crisis will become a development crisis, and calls therefore for respect for and delivery of commitments made by EU Member States to increase ODA to 0.56 % of GNI by 2010 and to 0.7 % by 2015; calls on Member States to honour these commitments by enshrining them in binding national legislation; calls for coordinated action and reinforcement of the development programmes in order to safeguard existing ODA allocations for the health, education and social protection sectors;

4.

Calls on the EU and ACP countries to put European funding to the most effective use with a view to attaining the MDGs through more careful selection of focal sectors in the Country Strategy Papers and National Indicative Programmes;

5.

Reiterates the importance of the principles of aid effectiveness set out in the Paris Declaration and the Accra Agenda for Action, and the principles of donor coordination set out in the EU Code of Conduct on Division of Labour in Development Policy (8); calls on the ACP-EU Council of Ministers meeting in June 2010 to renew its commitment in that respect;

6.

Calls on EU and ACP governments to fight jointly to eradicate tax evasion, illicit capital flows and money laundering; stresses the need to support capacity-building in ACP States, including national tax systems and the judiciary, in order to better redistribute wealth;

7.

Supports the implementation of international practices in tax matters, particularly the observance of the principles of transparency and exchange of information between the ACP States that have committed to them;

8.

Insists on the need to reduce the cost of remittance transactions, especially at a time when migrants suffer severely from the crisis and cannot transfer as much to their country of origin;

9.

Points out that regional cooperation has a key role to play in surmounting the effects of the crisis;

10.

Emphasises the role of social protection systems in mitigating poverty and calls for the creation and development of social protection mechanisms;

11.

Calls, in the short term, on recipient governments and donors to focus on safety nets to prevent people from falling into poverty; supports the establishment of a Global Poverty Alert System, an international rapid response fund that would provide a safety net for the world’s most vulnerable people;

12.

Welcomes the Vulnerability FLEX mechanism from the European Commission, which aims to provide support in order to safeguard social spending; calls on the Commission and the ACP governments to take the opportunity of the mid-term review of Country and Regional Strategy Papers to examine the possibilities of reinforcing social sectors and to increase the resources for the second ‘tranche’ of the V-FLEX with a view to fully financing the residual funding gap of the eligible ACP States in 2010;

13.

Urges governments and donors to prioritise support for basic social needs and enhance support to vulnerable children and women hit hard by the crisis, at-risk young people, low-wage, low-skilled and migrant workers, rural workers and disabled people;

14.

Recalls that efforts should be made to reduce infant and maternal mortality in Sub-Saharan Africa where these MDGs might not be attained; recalls that education and health should be at the core of development policies and insists that the current situation should not justify any reduction in national spending and international aid to these sectors;

15.

Believes that health programmes, including sexual and reproductive health, promotion of gender equality, empowerment of women, and child rights should be prominent in ACP-EU development policy, in particular in areas where gender-based violence is pervasive and women and children are put at risk of contracting HIV/AIDS or denied access to information, prevention and/or treatment;

16.

Calls on ACP and EU governments to take measures aimed specifically at integrating young people and women into society and increasing their full participation in the economy;

17.

Emphasises that job creation should be facilitated through improving tertiary education, including vocational training, and lifelong learning; calls for an increase in equal access to and opportunities for skills development, quality training and education; calls for improvements to be made as regards access to credit (including micro-finance) to encourage job creation and help set up micro-enterprises to revitalise local economies;

18.

Stresses the need to protect workers’ rights and calls for more measures to be taken to fight child labour and youth unemployment; calls on stakeholders to develop crisis response strategies at national and sectoral levels through social dialogue;

19.

Underlines that decent work has to be at the heart of job creation to overcome the issue of the ‘working poor’; therefore stresses that a regional growth strategy focusing on employment and decent-work-related issues should be incorporated into the mid-term review of the ACP Country Strategy Papers;

20.

Calls on donor countries to support the ACP countries in diversifying their economies so that they become less dependent on a single product; recalls the need to invest in infrastructure and regional connection projects and insists that a partnership of equals should guide trade policies, with a view to placing economies on a stable footing at regional and local level;

21.

Points to the need to assess investment in developing countries in terms of its sustainability and to maintain healthy environmental and living conditions on a lasting basis;

22.

Reaffirms that brain drain is an alarming reality that threatens the development path and prospects of Least Developed Countries by negatively affecting basic sectors of health and sanitation, education, and the building of the public sector; therefore encourages circular migration;

23.

Reiterates that the recent food crisis has proved that agriculture has been neglected for too long and that malnutrition urgently needs to be tackled by long-term measures; urges the countries, donors and international institutions concerned to encourage investment in food security and agriculture, especially small-scale agriculture; takes the view that the European Commission should take the opportunity provided by the mid-term review of the Country Strategy Papers under the Financing Instrument for Development Cooperation and the European Development Fund to discuss with the recipient countries the need to move agriculture and fisheries higher up in the agenda;

24.

Stresses that subsidised EU food exports should be channelled towards regions where there are acute food shortages;

25.

Welcomes foreign investment in agriculture when it supports development and helps build local capacity for transforming raw materials (especially agricultural products) into processed products; is nevertheless worried by the current trend whereby some countries rent land in developing countries in order to import production from those countries; insists that such contracts should be transparent and that part of the produce should stay in the producing countries; expresses its concerns regarding food speculation;

26.

Calls for technical, financial, and human capacity to be boosted with a view to promoting small farmers, local markets, and modern cultivation techniques in ACP countries so as to make them less vulnerable to the effects of volatile world markets;

27.

Calls on the EU and ACP countries to treat development of the agricultural sector, fisheries and food security as a priority and to make them a focal sector when drawing up Country Strategy Papers and National Indicative Programmes; stresses that food production and distribution should be addressed in order to prevent hunger in ACP countries; also suggests that urban agriculture be developed;

28.

Calls on the EU to engage with regional fisheries management organisations in order to achieve sustainable fisheries and to develop ACP countries’ in-house capacity to process their fish;

29.

Recalls that USD 100 billion per annum is needed by 2020 to help developing countries cope with climate change; calls on ACP countries to establish their own priorities to fight climate change through the establishment of national adaptation programmes; insists that the funds should not come from already planned development assistance budgets: they should instead be new and additional funds;

30.

Emphasises that mitigating climate change is a huge challenge for developing countries but that it should also become an opportunity, with the financial and technical support of donors, to promote green technologies to develop the countries (green development) through technological transfers (solar power, etc.), and to create green jobs;

31.

Regrets the lack of a legally binding agreement at the Copenhagen Summit; therefore calls for a joint ACP-EU strategy towards a real commitment in the framework of the next COP 16 to be held in Mexico;

32.

Points to the importance of promoting a world alliance to combat climate change, which should seek to provide greater support to the poorer developing countries more exposed to climate change, in particular Least Developed Countries and Small Island Developing States;

33.

Instructs its Co-Presidents to forward this resolution to the ACP-EU Council of Ministers, the European Parliament, the European Commission, the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, the African Union, and the Pan-African Parliament.

A.

whereas an earthquake measuring 7.3 on the Richter scale struck Haiti on 12 January 2010, causing catastrophic damage to Port-au-Prince, Jacmel and other settlements in the region, and was followed by numerous powerful aftershocks that continued to affect the country,

B.

whereas it is estimated that there are more than 200 000 dead, 250 000 people wounded and more than 3 million people directly affected; whereas the United Nations Stabilisation Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH) has paid a heavy toll and is mourning 146 deaths and 70 people reported as missing among its civilian and military staff,

C.

whereas the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) has reported that in the country as a whole up to one million people are in need of shelter, particularly on the eve of the rainy season, and there are up to 500 000 internally displaced people,

D.

whereas even before the earthquake of 12 January 2010, the country had been devastated by hurricanes and tropical storms in 2008, which caused damage estimated at 15 % of GDP,

E.

whereas some 1.8 million people were ‘food insecure’ prior to the earthquake, in a country where close to 60 % of the population live in rural areas and 70 % (12 million people) live on less than USD 2 a day,

F.

whereas this extreme poverty has exacerbated the destructive effects of the earthquake and plunged the country into one of the most severe humanitarian crises it has ever experienced,

G.

whereas the Commission has agreed to provide EUR 137 million for short-term needs and at least EUR 200 million for the medium and longer term, with Member States providing an additional EUR 92 million; whereas the Inter-American Development Bank estimates that it will take EUR 10.5 billion to reconstruct Haiti, at a rate of EUR 2 billion a year; noting the decision by the Union of South American Nations to create an aid fund for Haiti of EUR 217 million,

H.

whereas Haiti is crippled by foreign debt, estimated at approximately USD 1 billion, which was an obstacle to its development even before the earthquake and may hinder the country’s recovery effort,

I.

noting the decision by the G7 ministers to cancel Haiti’s debt, but also the fact that Haiti’s debt to the G7 countries accounted for only USD 214 million out of a total of USD 890 million,

J.

whereas, beyond the immediate relief operation, medium- and long-term recovery efforts to rebuild people’s livelihoods, destroyed infrastructure, state institutions and economic activities require a long-term international commitment,

1.

Expresses its sincere condolences to, and sympathy and solidarity with, the people of Haiti and of the other nations affected, and the staff of international organisations, including the UN and the European Commission, for the massive loss of life and the devastation caused by the exceptionally strong earthquake; pays tribute to the exemplary courage and solidarity shown by the people of Haiti who, in the immediate aftermath of the disaster and before it hit the media, and in utter destitution themselves, saved thousands of lives and gave succour to thousands of injured people and orphans;

2.

Welcomes efforts by the Haitian authorities and civil society, as well as by the UN, NGOs and other bilateral donors, to bring aid to the people of Haiti and pays tribute to the work of relief organisations and individuals from across the European Union and the ACP countries and throughout the world;

3.

Welcomes wholeheartedly the solidarity shown by the United Nations member states and international partners gathered at the International Donors’ Conference ‘Towards a New Future for Haiti’ in New York on 31 March 2010, which resulted in pledges totalling up to USD 9.9 billion over the next three years and beyond, and urges the international community to fulfil the historic pledges made;

4.

Supports the fact that the international donors aligned their contributions on the Action Plan for National Recovery and Development of Haiti, presented by René Préval, President of Haiti, as a clear sign that the Haitian authorities will take the lead in long-term reconstruction efforts;

5.

Emphasises that it is crucial for the UN, acting under the aegis of the Government of Haiti, to be and remain in charge of coordinating all civilian and military operations, with regard to restoring security and to humanitarian aid, and also to reconstruction and development;

6.

Calls on the UN to review MINUSTAH’s mandate in conjunction with the Haitian authorities in order to respond to the country’s post-disaster needs, with a particular focus on security issues;

7.

Calls for a comprehensive assessment to identify the population’s short- and long-term needs and establish the involvement of the international community in the reconstruction process, covering the three phases of emergency aid, rehabilitation and reconstruction;

8.

Expresses grave concern about the welfare of the most vulnerable, particularly women, children and the elderly; calls on the Commission and the UN to pay special attention to and support women’s participation in reconstruction efforts by actively involving them in the rehabilitation, reconstruction and evaluation phases of all relief and rebuilding programmes;

9.

Stresses that unaccompanied children and children separated from their families should be provided with services aimed at reuniting them with their parents or customary care-givers as quickly as possible; calls on the EU and the international community urgently to assess the need for a coordinated plan to deal with the thousands of children left orphaned by the earthquake; highlights the grave risk of illegal adoption and child trafficking;

10.

Urges the EU to support a temporary moratorium on new adoptions of children from Haiti for up to two years after tracing efforts have begun; calls for EU efforts to provide children with their basic needs, bring temporary schools into operation and provide counselling to children as a matter of urgency;

11.

Strongly urges the European Commission and the international community to monitor the health situation of the Haitian population, especially women and children;

12.

Calls on the international community to cancel outright the Republic of Haiti’s external debt and congratulates all those who have taken or announced measures to that end; stresses that any emergency earthquake assistance must be provided in the form of grants, not debt-incurring loans;

13.

Supports efforts by the EU and other donors to boost food production locally, rehabilitating damaged infrastructures and making the necessary material (seed, fertiliser and tools) available to agriculture smallholders – particularly for the spring planting season starting in March, which accounts for 60 % of national food production; calls on the EU and other international donors wherever possible to purchase locally produced food for the relief effort, thereby making an important contribution to helping the rural economy and protecting local producers;

14.

Emphasises the need to focus on long-term investment in the construction of earthquake-resistant buildings that meet appropriate technical standards and in basic infrastructure, such as water supply, roads, electricity and the transfer of technology, which was non-existent or largely inadequate prior to the earthquake, thus greatly exacerbating the potential impact of natural disasters;

15.

Calls for the creation of a fund administered by the United Nations to finance public awareness-raising and training measures, prevention and early warning systems, the construction of adequate protective structures and the stockpiling of emergency medical and sanitary equipment;

16.

Calls on the international community to ensure that the people of Haiti and their government, under the democratic control of its parliament, are the main actors in the reconstruction process, to allow them to take ownership of their collective future; asks the European Commission and the EU Member States to put the EU’s know-how at their disposal and thus strengthen the national and local, regional and sub-regional capacity;

17.

Urges the international community to ensure that the issue of alleviating poverty in Haiti is kept high on the agenda, even when media attention has moved away, in order to help Haiti to emerge from this disaster as a fully functioning democracy with an economy that can provide for its people in a sustainable way;

18.

Urges the EU to work with the Haitian authorities to establish a disaster prevention and mitigation mechanism and capacity management for the long term, emphasising that reconstruction efforts must be based on national priorities, while respecting aid-effectiveness principles and supporting Haiti’s institutions in order to enable them to govern effectively; supports President Préval’s proposal to create a permanent structure within the UN that is capable of managing, from day one, crises caused by natural disasters;

19.

Considers it vital to undertake massive reafforestation in Haiti, given that the present situation makes the country extremely vulnerable to all kinds of natural disasters, and to find economic and sustainable alternatives to deforestation for cooking food;

20.

Calls on the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and the Commissioner for International Cooperation, Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Response to play a leading role in coordinating the EU’s crisis response, in cooperation with the United Nations, using the responsibilities created under the Lisbon Treaty to coordinate the EU’s response to future crises more effectively while building on what has already been achieved;

21.

Strongly encourages the creation, at international level, of operational civil protection mechanisms that can be used in situations comparable to that of Haiti, on the basis of regional pre-positioning or depending on the frequency or predictability of disasters;

22.

Calls on the European Commission to put forward proposals as soon as possible for establishing an EU Civil Protection Force based on the EU Civil Protection Mechanism and enabling the EU to bring together the resources necessary for providing initial emergency humanitarian aid within 24 hours of a disaster;

23.

Calls on the European Union, in view of the importance of regional integration and cooperation in the Caribbean region, to release special funds for the French outermost regions of the Caribbean (Guadeloupe, Martinique, Guiana) so that they can continue and intensify their aid to the people of Haiti;

24.

Appeals urgently to the re-constituted Government of Haiti to do its utmost to establish and deepen democracy in Haiti;

25.

Welcomes the African Union’s positive response to the proposal of President Abdoulaye Wade of Senegal, supported by a resolution of the Senegalese Parliament, on the right to return of Haitians, and urges the international community to take this proposal forward by adopting a United Nations resolution;

26.

Instructs its Co-Presidents to forward this resolution to the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, the President of the European Commission, the President and Government of Haiti, the ACP Council, the Caricom Member States, the Commission of the African Union, the UN Under Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief, the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund and the governments of the Member States of the European Union.

A.

whereas the CPA ended the terrible and devastating civil war that cost Sudan over two million deaths and nearly four million refugees and displaced persons,

B.

aware of the fact that this civil war as well as the increase in the violence can be ascribed to:

C.

whereas, moreover, the CPA had fixed an interim period of six years (2005-2011), setting out the objectives to be achieved under the heading of ‘peace dividends’ and certain key dates, such as the national elections originally scheduled for 2009 and the referendum on the self-determination of the people of Southern Sudan scheduled for January 2011,

D.

whereas the forthcoming national elections are the first elections to be held after the conclusions of the CPA and are crucial for the peace process, before moving to the referendum on self-determination of Southern Sudan and the referendum of Abyei,

E.

whereas solutions are needed on citizenship, the remaining parts of north-south border demarcation, demilitarisation of the border areas, and sharing of resources, including oil, ahead of the South’s self-determination referendum,

F.

whereas the dispute on the census has been bypassed by the agreement between the two parties which allocates an extra 40 seats in the national Assembly for the SPLM/A,

G.

whereas the accuracy of the final data of the May 2008 housing and population census is disputed by the SPLM; whereas in the south 108 % of the estimated eligible number of voters were registered,

H.

whereas recent progress of the negotiations between the National Congress Party (NCP) and the SPLM on the Southern Sudan referendum law, the Abyei area referendum and the popular consultations in South Khordofan and Blue Nile regions are positive steps,

I.

whereas UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon made clear that the United Nations would work to support the parties in their efforts to make unity attractive and the exercise by the people of Southern Sudan of their right to self-determination in a referendum,

J.

whereas the UN Peacekeeping mission (UNMIS) was created in 2005 with the main aim of supporting the implementation of the CPA and deployed over 9 000 military personnel and has over 3 000 local civilian and international personnel; whereas UNMIS has focused on monitoring the CPA to the detriment of its civil protection mandate,

K.

whereas at its meeting of January 2010, the African Union Ministerial Committee on Post-Conflict Reconstruction and Development in the Sudan stressed the need for the Sudanese parties to spare no efforts to overcome the challenges facing the implementation of the CPA, including the successful conduct of the elections and the democratic transformation of the country, border demarcation, resolution of the issue of Abyei on the basis of the decision of the Permanent Court of Arbitration, and addressing the issue of insecurity in Southern Sudan,

L.

whereas a surge in tribal fighting has killed thousands of people since the beginning of 2009 in Southern Sudan, most victims being women and children, in remote rural areas; whereas since the beginning of 2010 hundreds of people have died as a result of violence in the State of Warrap,

M.

whereas Southern Sudan is one of the least developed regions in the world; whereas the UN Population Fund puts literacy in Southern Sudan at 24 %; whereas 90 % of women cannot read or write,

N.

whereas, according to the World Food Programme, violence forced 350 000 people to flee their homes in 2009, leaving them dependent on food aid; whereas last year’s poor seasonal rains also destroyed the harvest; whereas a total of 4.3 million people need food aid, up from around one million last year,

O.

whereas, according to the WHO, Southern Sudan is dramatically short of physicians, with 0.22 doctors for every 1 000 people and the government says just 25 % of the population have access to health services; whereas Southern Sudan has the highest world record of maternal mortality and one in each seven children dies before the age of five; whereas according to the South Sudan AIDS Commission, HIV awareness is below 10 %; whereas the government of Southern Sudan is going ahead with a health system reconstruction plan,

P.

whereas the donor community has not fulfilled its 2005 commitments made in Oslo (Norway), with only a small fraction of the USD 4.8 billion assistance pledged having actually reached Southern Sudan,

Q.

whereas, following the signature of the CPA, the European Commission resumed cooperation with Sudan and has committed over EUR 500 million, principally in the areas of post-conflict recovery, rehabilitation and development activities; whereas because Sudan has decided not to ratify the first revision of the Cotonou Agreement, it is now no longer eligible to receive European Development Fund aid, and whereas the European Commission is working on a solution to this,

1.

Solemnly reaffirms its full endorsement of the CPA and urgently requests all parties concerned to implement it effectively and in its entirety in order to promote a comprehensive peace in Sudan; calls for closer cooperation between the Sudanese Government and the Government of Southern Sudan (GoSS), with a view to removing any obstacles to the success of the CPA agenda;

2.

Calls also on the AU, the EU and the international community to rapidly agree on action and measures to support the Sudanese parties in the implementation of the CPA and promote democratic governance throughout Sudan;

3.

Acknowledges the role played so far by the two partners signatory to the CPA (the NCP and the SPLM) and the Sudanese people for honouring their peace agreement; and calls them to summon their ultimate political goodwill in order to overcome the impasses and to complete the implementation of the CPA to the letter;

4.

Calls on the NCP and the SPLM to implement key democratic reforms needed to ensure that national elections and the southern referendum are credible, free and fair;

5.

Insists that all fundamental freedoms granted in the Interim Constitution are implemented in practice and calls on the competent authorities, notably the Electoral Commission, to overcome remaining technical problems in the run-up to the elections;

6.

Supports the people of Sudan, whose active participation in the process of voter registration shows a significant interest, in taking part in the upcoming elections;

7.

Welcomes the fact that with closed party lists for women (25 %) Sudan will have one of the highest percentages of parliamentary representation by women in the region, but would also like to see women proposed by the parties outside the women’s lists;

8.

Calls on both parties, the African Union and the international community to consider future political, economic and security relations between the north and the south in the event that secession is approved in the referendum, including transition mechanisms for secession; considers that a post-referendum transition period is needed so that pre-referendum agreements establishing the terms of a peaceful secession can be properly implemented and managed;

9.

Calls on both parties to the CPA to create a peaceful and stable environment for conducting a transparent and credible referendum as provided for in the CPA;

10.

Calls on all parties to stop violence; calls on the GoSS to facilitate inter-tribal dialogue and to establish institutional mechanisms for achieving and sustaining tribal reconciliation;

11.

Calls on the GoSS to put more effort into security at the local level, paying attention to the ethnic composition of units, and to prioritise police reform, building on existing strategy documents and the 2009 Police Act; stresses the importance of security sector reform;

12.

Urges the United Nations Security Council:

13.

Calls on UNMIS to undertake a more proactive civilian protection role and to become an active partner in local conflict prevention, in cooperation with tribal authorities;

14.

Considers that the north-south issue cannot be viewed in isolation and that reconciliation is a key element in any lasting peace in southern Sudan; therefore calls on all parties to respect the basic human rights of the population, make protection of civilians a priority area, put an end to impunity and bring criminal suspects to justice in order to build trust;

15.

Calls on the EU, and on other donors, in particular those that made commitments at the 2005 Oslo Donors’ Conference, to recognise the significant humanitarian and development needs in Southern Sudan and to ensure that allocated funds reflect those needs and are released; further calls on them to support the government to articulate a strategic vision for the roles of the existing funding mechanisms and to find creative ways to support indigenous organisations, recognising that a strong civil society is critical to Southern Sudan’s stability;

16.

Instructs its Co-Presidents to forward this resolution to the ACP-EU Council, the European Commission, the African Union, the United Nations and the national, regional and continental parliaments of the ACP Group.

A.

In December 2009 the EU came to an agreement within the WTO with the US and Latin American producers to put an end to the long-running dispute on bananas.

B.

The deal will mean significant tariff cuts (35 % between 2010 and 2017 at the earliest) for non-ACP imports and, as a result, it will harm the competitiveness of ACP and EU producers.

C.

Moreover, the EU is currently holding bilateral talks with certain Latin American countries, with a view to signing free-trade agreements, which may lead to significant further tariff reductions and considerably reduce any supposed benefits to ACP banana producers derived from EPAs.

D.

Bananas are the world’s fourth biggest agricultural export. The EU market accounts for over a third of all imports.

E.

Multinationals operating in Latin America control over 80 % of the global market.

F.

In 2008, 72 % of the bananas sold in Europe were already from Latin America, whereas bananas from ACP countries and the EU only represented 17 % and 10.5 % respectively. Virtually all ACP banana exports go to the EU, while Latin American countries also export to North and South America and Russia.

G.

Banana production has a major impact on local communities, not only in economic terms, but also as regards the environment, migration, gender and labour standards.

H.

In some Latin American countries banana production by multinationals has been linked to a high level of human rights violations.

I.

The agreement will enter into force if and when the European Parliament gives its consent and the Council authorises its conclusion.

J.

The effects of the agreement, which is an attempt to match sustainable development objectives with WTO obligations, are already starting to be felt.

K.

ACP producers will be hit hard as they lose a significant part of their tariff protection. Some ACP countries, which depend heavily on banana exports, may see their export industries disappear altogether with dire social and economic consequences.

L.

Without proper accompanying measures, European banana producing regions, some of which are among the poorest in the EU and already face high unemployment, will also pay a hefty socioeconomic price.

M.

The multinationals will benefit enormously at the expense of EU/ACP small-scale farming communities.

N.

ACP and European banana producing regions will need more financial support to maintain this key economic activity in order to compete with bananas from regions with very low levels of salaries, social conditions and environmental rules.

O.

The move towards ever-cheaper bananas is likely to lead to a race to the bottom in terms of labour standards, including child labour, environmental protection, corruption and tax evasion in the banana sector.

P.

The European Commission has put together a support package for ACP producers (banana accompanying measures), worth EUR 190 million over four years, with an extra EUR 10 million depending on certain conditions. This support does not take into account further tariff cuts resulting from bilateral trade agreements with Latin American countries.

Q.

The new concessions made to Colombia and Peru and already requested by Central American countries go much further than those included in the recent agreement and may destabilise other countries in the region, as well as the economies of other banana producers in ACP countries and in the EU.

R.

No additional support is foreseen for EU producers, particularly from the outermost regions.

1.

The Commission conducts an economic, social and environmental impact assessment of the EU-Latin America bananas agreement for ACP and EU banana producers, as provided for in Declaration XXIII of the Cotonou Agreement;

2.

The Commission fairly considers increasing the financial package to help ACP and European producers adjust to the new regime and speeds up disbursement of these funds;

3.

The Commission considers specific additional financial and technical assistance to ACP countries to address social and environmental effects, supply-side constraints and promoting diversification beyond 2013;

4.

The EU brings forward measures to help heavily banana-dependent states to diversify their economies, including more aid-for-trade, fulfilling EC and Member States’ aid-for-trade pledges of EUR 1 billion each (with 50 % available for ACP countries);

5.

The Commission provides support to offset losses incurred by EU producers, gradually puts in place measures to encourage sustainable banana production in the EU and ensures the effective application of the banana safeguard clause in bilateral and multilateral trade agreements;

6.

Any new tariff cuts under bilateral trade agreements with Latin American nations over and above the WTO agreement possibly give rise to adequate compensatory measures;

7.

The Commission provides ACP and EU producers with genuine legal certainty on the future of the banana trade regime and that the EP and ACP national parliaments continue to monitor this issue closely;

8.

EU and ACP authorities step up their efforts to ensure that all banana producing nations effectively apply all aspects of the ILO’s decent labour agenda;

9.

The Commission raises awareness on ethical trading to discourage European retailers from importing bananas from producers with inadequate policies on tax evasion, corruption, labour standards and human rights violations;

10.

The European Parliament seriously considers the impact of the issues raised in this declaration before giving its consent to the bananas agreement.

—

Focal Area: Regional Economic Integration/Cooperation and EPA capacity building (allocation 85-90 % or EUR 143 million)

—

The major intervention areas envisaged are based on the various existing Cariforum integration and cooperation processes: the OECS economic union; the CSME; enlargement of regional markets; EPA implementation (for which the allocation is EUR 72.6 million) and human resource development within the regional institutions.

—

Non-Focal Area: Vulnerabilities and Social Issues (allocation 10-15 % or EUR 22 million)

—

The non focal area aims to pay particular attention to crime and security, the empowering of non-state actors and capacity development.

—

Independent expert panel: it is vital that civil society, academics and the private sector are fully involved in the RIP/RSP mid term review process.

—

The JPA therefore supports the creation of an independent expert panel with a mandate to identify the bottlenecks to accelerating growth and enhancing livelihoods in the region. Following identification of the necessary financial and human resource inputs, the panel could make financial and institutional recommendations as to how best to stimulate growth and enhance livelihoods.

—

Regional Economic Integration/Cooperation: In parallel to the capacity building and institutional initiatives supported under the focal area, the JPA believes that some of the EUR 143 million should be allocated to projects within the areas of education, job creation, energy and air and maritime transport.

—

There is a real potential to foster regional integration and drive development through such targeted and concrete spending.

—

Economic development: The RSP/RIP identifies many impediments to economic development: just two of which are the high EU SPS compliance standards and the limited options for economic diversification.

—

The JPA highlights the need for a fair proportion of the ACP EUR 30 million SPS compliance funding to be allocated to the Cariforum. In particular, this funding should focus on the fisheries sector as well as the infant industries such as aquaculture, agro-processing and services (e.g. health spas and ecotourism).

—

Research and innovation can drive economic diversification and, in particular, SMEs and the agro enterprise sector could benefit from a stronger focus on research and innovation.

—

EPA implementation: In addition to the RSP/RIP allocation, many of the country specific NIPs are oriented towards EPA related activities such as competitiveness, public administration reforms and infrastructure. EUR 454 million from the national programme resources (75 % of the EUR 600 million available) is allocated to trade-related assistance.

—

The EPA requires major organisation and structural changes. The challenges e.g. reinforcing the legal service are considerable and the region should be adequately supported in meeting those challenges.

—

The JPA highlights the importance of the EC and the EU Member States fulfilling their AfT pledge of EUR 1 billion each (with 50 % available for ACP countries) by 2010. As mentioned earlier, SPS compliance remains a priority.

—

The mid term review of the RSP/RIP (and, similarly, the CSPs/NIPs) should be a genuine opportunity to revise funding if EU Member States do not fulfil their AfT promise.

—

Food security: The response to the global food crisis was slow in the region. This delay underlines the need for a regional consensus on how best to boost agricultural production. While certain countries already prioritise food security in their development planning, a Comprehensive Regional Development Strategy could more effectively ensure adequate agricultural production. In order to guarantee food security in the medium to long term, the region must secure development aid to stimulate the agricultural sector.

—

The JPA recognises that the EC has committed EUR 1 billion over 3 years for the 23 countries worst hit by the food crisis and welcomes the fact that EUR 15.8 million was spent in Haiti in 2009.

—

Human resources and brain drain: The region struggles to develop a broad range of home grown expertise and this deficit impedes human development, welfare, economic diversification and growth.

—

The region is additionally badly affected by a heavy brain drain. (12) Free movement of labour and the pooling of human resources within the region alleviate the problem to a certain extent and the JPA therefore welcomes the allocation of almost EUR 10 million to human resource development and capacity building at the regional level.

—

To tackle the root of the problem however, the region must be able to offer incentives to emigrants to return home and share their acquired skills to the benefit of the region.

—

A serious political dialogue should be encouraged and, in particular, an analysis of Guyana and other countries’ efforts to reverse migration during the 1990s may be instructive. To this end, the EC should earmark funding to increase regional cooperation on migration issues and to build capacity to reduce brain drain.

—

Climate change: Climate change disproportionately impacts small island states like those in the Caribbean.

—

Although the RSP/RIP does not make provisions to address climate change, in 2009 the European Commission allocated EUR 71 million to tackle climate change related migration and EUR 97 million for adaptation. The Commission further plans to dedicate EUR 3 million to Cuba and EUR 8 million through the GCCA to support the CCCCC in the implementation of the regional strategy.

—

It would be helpful for the JPA to have further information - in terms of both funding for and coordination with - EU and regional initiatives and programmes such as the GCCA, the EU Strategy for Disaster Risk Reduction in developing countries, the DCI Thematic Programme for the ‘Environment and Sustainable Management of Natural Resources’, the Caribbean Community Regional Programme Framework for 2005-2015 (of CDEMA), the Comprehensive Disaster Management Framework and Strategy (also of CDEMA) and the CCCCC.

—

Gender: Gender issues should be higher on the political agenda especially in light of the recent financial crisis which has made the availability of ‘Decent Work’ more difficult for women.

—

Donor coordination: Coherence of donor strategies and modes of implementation is undoubtedly a priority both to reduce burdens on national governments and regional institutions but also to increase effectiveness of international assistance. However, according to reports from various donors, diplomats and academics, the principles of the Paris and Accra Declarations on Aid Effectiveness are far from being adequately implemented.

—

As a key donor, the EU should not only make further efforts to streamline its own donor requirements but also it should work with other donors to increase coordination and minimise wastage. The JPA supports the joint execution of regional projects (e.g. CARTAC, PANCAP, CRNM and many OECS projects) and welcomes the EC’s lead role in the donor coordination for PANCAP. The JPA encourages the EC to provide financial support to CDEMA which involves many donors involved in disaster management but which - according to the RSP/RIP - does not currently have the capacity to coordinate donors effectively.

—

Aid implementation: The JPA supports the establishment of a regional development fund - within the Caricom Development Fund - to manage EDF and other funding.

—

The JPA looks forward to receiving further information on the results of the Cariforum secretariat study as well as on the discussions between the European Commission, regional authorities and the EIB on the possibility of establishing a Caribbean Infrastructure Fund based on the African model.

—

Audit: In addition to the parliamentary oversight of the RIP/RSP, the JPA recommends that an independent audit should be carried out. Its objectives should be firstly to assess whether the Cariforum’s share of the 10th EDF has been effectively spent. Secondly the audit should report on whether the benefits of the 10th EDF were felt equally across the region or whether they were concentrated in particular geographic or sectoral pockets.

AfT

Aid for Trade

CARICOM

Caribbean Community

CARIFTA

Caribbean Free Trade Association

CARIFORUM

Caribbean Forum of ACP States

CARTAC

Caribbean Regional Technical Assistance Centre

CCCCC

Caribbean Community Climate Change Centre

CDEMA

Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency

CRNM

Caribbean Regional Negotiating Machinery

CSME

CARICOM Single Market and Economy

CSP

Country Strategy Paper

DCI

Financing Instrument for Development Cooperation

EDF

European Development Fund

EIB

European Investment Bank

EPA

Economic Partnership Agreement

GCCA

Global Climate Change Alliance

JPA

Joint Parliamentary Assembly

NIP

National Indicative Programme

OECD

Organisation of Economic Cooperation and Development

OECS

Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States

PANCAP

Pan-Caribbean Partnership against HIV/AIDS

RPTF

Regional Preparatory Task Force

SME

Small and Medium Sized Enterprise

SPS

Sanitary and Phyto-Sanitary

—

Focal sector 1 - Regional Economic Integration (allocation 80 % or EUR 92.8 million) - will provide broad-based support to deepen SADC economic integration and trade liberalisation and to address supply side constraints in the areas of regional infrastructure and food security.

—

Focal sector 2 - Regional Political Cooperation (allocation 15 % or EUR 17.4 million) - will support capacity-building in the context of regional governance and the implementation of some aspects of the Joint Africa-EU Strategy in conflict prevention and in the area of Peace and Security.

—

The two non-focal sectors - Technical cooperation facility and support to non-state actors in the implementation of activities in the RSP - will receive 5 % of the resources, or EUR 5.8 million.

1.

RSP/RIP areas of support well reflect the developments in the SADC region concerning economic regional integration and political cooperation. The measures foreseen will also facilitate the implementation of the future full SADC-EU EPA. Countries in the region belonging to another EPA configuration should nevertheless be assured that they will equally benefit from the RSP.

2.

Better and more direct links between the RSP measures and poverty reduction must be established. HIV/AIDS, water security, and human resource development, particularly education - which are some of the root causes for poverty in the SADC countries - should not only be tackled at national level, but at regional level as well. To this end, these issues need to be better addressed in the SADC RSP/RIP.

3.

The overall funding for the programme should be increased to be able to secure sufficient funding for the measures in the areas detailed above.

4.

The SADC countries’ national parliaments, the SADC Parliamentary Forum and the ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly should be better involved in programming, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of the SADC Regional Strategy Paper.

—

Concentration Sector 1 – Economic and commercial integration and accompaniment of the EPA (EUR 97 million, i.e. 65 %) – should enable the efforts of the regional organisations to be supported in terms of establishing a common market, interconnecting road, telecommunications and electricity networks etc., and developing a regional agricultural and food security policy.

—

Concentration Sector 2 – Management of renewable natural resources (EUR 30 million, i.e. 20 %) – should help to improve good governance of the forestry sector and protected areas with fisheries potential.

—

Concentration Sector 3 – Political integration (EUR 15 million, i.e. 10 %) – is intended to help reinforce the region’s capacity in terms of conflict prevention, management and resolution, inter alia by reinforcing civil society.

—

Extra-concentration areas – Institutional support and technical cooperation facility (EUR 8 million, i.e. 5 %) – inter alia for strengthening coordination between CEMAC and CEEAC.

—

Setting up dialogues or processes between governments;

—

Pooling national services (such as customs, health, education and sport) at regional level;

—

Lowering market barriers.

—

Regional integration and trade: EUR 9 million

—

Human resources development: EUR 8 million

—

Fisheries: EUR 5 million

—

Non-focal (existing projects/technical assistance): EUR 7 million

—

Focal Sector 1 (Regional economic integration): EUR 45 million

—

Focal Sector 2 (Sustainable Management of Natural Resources and the Environment): EUR 40 million

—

Non-Focal (non-state actors, technical cooperation etc): EUR 10 million

—

Economic Integration and Trade (the EPA and other regional trade agreements)

—

Support for the private sector (private sector mechanisms, key sectors such as tourism and fisheries, promoting entrepreneurship)

—

Mechanisms for economic growth (fair trading, competition, consumer protection, customs and international standards)

—

Human Resources (integrated education programmes and access to technical and vocational training).

—

Climate Change and disaster risk reduction

—

Sustainable management of marine resources (including fisheries)

—

Sustainable management of land resources

—

Ecosystems and biodiversity

—

Waste and pollution

—

Environmental monitoring and information management

1.

The fact that the Pacific EPA has so far only been signed by Papua New Guinea and Fiji calls into question the focus in the RIP Focal Area 1 on EPA implementation, since many of the States in the region are not yet concerned. There needs to be a clear analysis of the impact of this delay in terms of how resources under Focal Area 1 are spent.

2.

While there are positive measures in the RIP to promote education and training in the region, one of the major concerns is the migration of skilled labour to the USA, Australia and New Zealand. Although their remittances are important, most of these professionals are trained at high cost to local economies. There needs to be a greater focus in the RIP Focal Area 1 not only on providing these skills but on establishing measures to ensure that the Pacific ACP States benefit themselves from having their own skilled workforce. The same argument applies to Pacific Island sportsmen and women who are recruited by clubs in Australia and New Zealand and are then given nationality of those countries in order for them to play for the national side, which has a negative impact on Pacific national sides such as Fiji, Samoa and Tonga in the field of rugby.

3.

The JPA welcomes the detailed focus on developing the fisheries sector but calls for more emphasis to be placed on the issue of illegal fishing which has hugely damaging effects on fish stocks and the livelihood of local fishermen. Illegal fishing is carried out by vessels from countries outside the region that show scant regard or respect for international regulations governing exclusive zones or stocks. Aquaculture should be promoted in local communities of the Pacific to ensure food security and exports of fisheries products.

4.

The JPA is concerned at the lack of parliamentary consultation in the preparations of the RSP/RIP, and hopes to encourage this process through its enhanced role of scrutiny over CSPs and RSPs. Not only is there a need for greater consultation of national ACP parliaments in the creation and implementation of the RIP, but also for capacity-building of parliamentarians and their staff in this area.

5.

While welcoming the non-focal emphasis on non-state actors the JPA is concerned over which recipients will benefit from funding and hopes that proper care will be taken to verify the credentials and reputation of those concerned. It also calls for NGOs to be more involved in the consultation procedure for the RSP/RIP.

6.

The emphasis on climate change and its impact on small island states is welcomed, as is the funding to assist in protection against this growing problem. It is important, though, for funding not to be diverted to support the growing lobby which pins overall responsibility for climate change on industrialised nations and their activities. There is a marked difference between combating climate change and using the phenomenon for political ends.

7.

Transport infrastructure needs to be a top priority in any regional development activities for the Pacific region, since the distances between member states and domestically as well as poor infrastructure hamper any progress towards regional trade or the development of tourism and other sectors which would enhance growth of benefit to the local population.