A.

whereas the concept of free and independent media is a principal component of the fundamental right to freedom of expression, as laid down in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and subsequently endorsed both by the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union and the Cotonou Partnership Agreement,

B.

whereas there is overall recognition in global fora, such as the International Federation of Journalists, the World Association of Newspapers, the Committee to Protect Journalists, Reporters Without Borders and Freedom House, that freedom and independence in the media are crucial to the proper functioning of a democracy in which basic freedoms are respected and a society in which the rights of the individual are given their true value,

C.

whereas recent developments have shown that there has been an overall regression in terms of freedom of expression in the media, as borne out by reports by independent bodies, in both developed and developing countries,

D.

whereas authoritarian regimes are not only limiting freedom of the media in order to stifle opposition, thereby hampering the proper functioning of democracy, but also jeopardising electoral processes and the normal operation of society by taking measures which curtail the right of the opposition or of minorities to promote their message in a free and transparent manner,

E.

whereas there is also widespread recurrence of activities by criminal elements in society, including in more prosperous areas of the world, who stifle any investigative journalism, going so far as to murder individuals working in the media who attempt to expose their activities,

F.

whereas independent bodies have identified a worsening of the situation as regards the freedom and independence of the media in both EU and ACP countries,

G.

whereas certain EU countries’ overall rankings in the area of media freedom and independence have fallen, in some cases considerably,

H.

whereas there are certain ACP countries where media freedom and independence are severely curtailed or even non-existent; whereas certain ACP countries such as Haiti, Guyana and Papua New Guinea have been praised for the progress achieved in improving freedom of the media,

I.

whereas journalists have a responsibility, which is proportional to their influence, not to incite hatred, in particular racial hatred,

J.

whereas the development of new internet and mobile telephony-related technology is providing people with ever greater opportunities to express themselves,

1.

Deplores the worsening of the situation as regards the freedom and independence of the media in the world, with authoritarian regimes stifling opposition by committing serious breaches of human rights against journalists, media employees and users of the internet, going as far as murder or illegal imprisonment, thereby violating Articles 19 and 20 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights;

2.

Denounces the negative consequences stemming from concentrated ownership of media in big business, particularly in terms of reduction of pluralism, conditioning of freedom to inform and be informed, constraints imposed on journalists activity and the emergence of new forms, explicit and implicit, of censorship;

3.

Calls on governments that have imprisoned journalists carrying out their legitimate functions, to release them immediately;

4.

Calls on the European Commission, the ACP Group and the EU Member States strongly to condemn all forms of violation of freedom of speech and press freedom in their member and partnership countries;

5.

Condemns the frequently unpunished acts of criminal elements, often working in organised crime syndicates or under orders from the political authorities, who harass, injure or sometimes murder journalists for conducting investigations into their activities;

6.

Considers it unacceptable that journalists must curtail, adjust or cease their activities, or are forced to lead lives of confinement, for having addressed religious issues;

7.

Considers it unacceptable that religious figures should pronounce sentences on journalists, thereby curtailing their activities, restricting their freedom of expression and putting their lives in danger;

8.

Regrets the absence of any effective instrument for enforcing respect for fundamental rights in the application of international trade and cooperation agreements;

9.

Emphasises that freedom and independence of the media are essential elements for the proper functioning of a democratic society, ranging from the holding of free and fair elections to pluralistic freedom of expression for all;

10.

Recognises that members of the media have a moral and legal responsibility to give the public quality information and should be serving the public good; considers, nevertheless, that governments, companies and criminal entities should not attempt to censor the media;

11.

Acknowledges that new forms of internet-based media must be protected as part of the free and independent media, in addition to the traditional media of radio, television and the printed press;

12.

Calls for a more explicit reference to freedom and independence of the media in international agreements to ensure that proper conditionality applies when such freedom is curtailed;

13.

Expresses concern at the fall in rankings for freedom of the press in certain ACP countries, but praises Papua New Guinea, Guyana, Ghana, Tanzania, Djibouti and Lesotho for setting a good example of what can be achieved in ACP countries in spite of difficult conditions; states that ten of the ACP countries are among the first 50 positions in the 2009 rankings, but that one EU Member State is outside the top 50;

14.

Expresses concern over restrictions in media freedom in countries applying for accession to both the EU and the Cotonou Agreement, and calls for accession to be conditional on respect for human rights and, explicitly, respect for freedom of expression in the press and other media;

15.

Regrets that the media are too often overly answerable to economic or political interests or to the State, which limits pluralism of opinion;

16.

Calls for the promotion of ethical codes and statutes that protect the editorial independence of journalists, promote professional standards and oblige them to exercise their independence responsibly within the limits of Article 20 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and within journalists’ representative organisations;

17.

Calls for the establishment of a separate budget line within the European Commission’s development aid budget, with the aim of increasing capacity building and training of journalists, in particular in ACP countries;

18.

Praises the European Commission for its initiatives in the area of freedom and independence of the media, and calls on it to promote further the freedom of journalistic expression through its programmes, such as the Lorenzo Natali Prize and the European Instrument for Democracy and Human Rights;

19.

Instructs its Co-Presidents to look into ways of giving its backing to action in support of freedom of the press in ACP and EU countries through an annual prize awarded by the ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly (JPA), and to report thereon at the next session of the JPA;

20.

Praises the work of professional organisations such as the IFJ, EFJ, FAJ, IPI and WAN, NGOs such as RWB, Freedom House, the Committee to Protect Journalists and UNESCO’s International Programme for the Development of Communication, in promoting awareness of infringements of media freedom worldwide, and calls for their work to be supported and disseminated as widely as possible;

21.

Welcomes the initiative of the EU and the AU to support the Pan-African Media Network and Portal;

22.

Undertakes to continue to monitor the freedom and independence of the media in ACP and EU states, as well as in its institutional relations at regional and international level;

23.

Instructs its Co-Presidents to forward this resolution to the ACP and EU institutions.

A.

whereas it is essential to accelerate research, development and transfer of low-carbon technologies (LCTs) in ACP and EU countries in order to halt global warming (after initially limiting it to no more than 1,5 °C above pre-industrial levels) create low-carbon economies based inter alia on the production of clean energy and enable everyone to adapt to the adverse impact of climate change and to effectively combat climate change, the loss of biodiversity and the widespread pollution worldwide,

B.

whereas the principle of ‘common but differentiated responsibility’ for global warming should be taken into consideration in the field of LCTs transfer to ACP countries,

C.

whereas technology transfer must serve to complement and enhance all efforts, including mitigation, capacity building and adaptation, that are being pursued at global level in the fight against climate change,

D.

whereas ACP countries are among those that have contributed the least to, but are at the greatest risk from, the adverse effects of climate change; whereas the limiting of energy consumption in the industrialised and emerging countries, combined with the rapid development and transfer of LCTs to ACP states, would help avert the consequences of global warming for these countries,

E.

whereas most technology cooperation is still taking place primarily at national rather than international level and only 2 % of joint patents are shared between companies and institutions from developed and developing countries,

F.

whereas developed countries pledged in Copenhagen in December 2009 to provide ‘scaled-up, new and additional, predictable and adequate funding’ for an initial amount of USD 30 billion over the period 2010-2012 and USD 100 billion by 2020 (7) to support action on mitigation, adaptation, technology development and transfer and capacity building; whereas the EU has committed to deliver EUR 7,2 billion out of the USD 30 billion for 2010-2012,

G.

whereas biomass is the main renewable energy source in least developed countries, but its extensive and unregulated use is not sustainable and it has a wide range of negative effects on the environment and human health,

H.

whereas, at the same time, only a small fraction of Africa’s vast sustainable renewable energy potential is exploited (8),

I.

whereas most of the pesticides sold by companies from the richest countries to ACP countries, and the intensive and non-regulated use thereof, have numerous adverse effects on the environment and human health; whereas chemicals technology exchange should make it possible for agricultural producers in ACP countries to purchase low-cost products that are as environment-friendly as possible,

J.

whereas the massive exporting of waste of all kinds from the developed and richest countries to ACP countries poses a serious threat to the ecological balance of ACP countries, which, moreover, do not have appropriate, efficient technology to deal with the reprocessing, reconditioning and recycling of such waste, ranging from harmless to highly toxic materials,

K.

whereas extending decentralised renewable energies in ACP countries could reduce poverty by increasing access to energy supply, thus presenting better opportunities for rural development and forest conservation and lead to direct benefits for human health and employment opportunities; whereas currently only 0,2 % of EU Official Development Assistance (ODA) targets investments in decentralised renewable energy supply,

L.

whereas all policy, institutional, financial, commercial, as well as information and human-capacity related obstacles to the transfer of LCTs to ACP countries should be eliminated,

M.

whereas technology and innovation deficits in ACP countries are often addressed as symptoms of market failures instead of indicators for the need to improve international cooperation in technology development,

N.

whereas the important role of information and communication technologies in the process of technological diffusion should also be recognised,

1.

Underlines that the scaling-up of research and innovation in ACP and EU countries and the diffusion, and transfer of pertinent technologies and know-how to ACP countries are key elements of any effective international response to the global challenge of climate change;

2.

Regrets that, despite the fact that development and transfer of technology for mitigation and adaptation to climate change was one of the building blocks of the Bali Action Plan and a key point in the UN climate change negotiations in Copenhagen 2009, COP 15 failed to come up with a mechanism for green technologies development, transfer and cooperation;

3.

Considers that a successful international agreement on climate protection needs to include robust institutional rules and regulations for technology development and non-prohibitive transfer in order to facilitate public and private investments in this field; to this end, calls on COP 16 to already take specific decisions on technical capacity building and technology development and transfer, building on the provisions in this area from the UNFCCC process;

4.

Points out that the Technology Mechanism, proposed at COP 15 in Copenhagen, should be further developed in any future international framework for climate protection; calls also on the negotiators to ensure that adequate funding within the Copenhagen Green Climate Fund is earmarked specifically for technology development and transfer to secure the effective implementation of the Technology Mechanism;

5.

Notes that, for the success of the development and transfer of technology, as well as capacity-building projects in ACP countries, research and development national needs, experiences, barriers and endogenous opportunities should firstly be identified; stresses that the approaches undertaken should be customised to specific country conditions and should increase country ownership of those activities;

6.

Points to the need to consider the special conditions of the fragile economy of the Least Developed Countries and highly indebted middle-income countries, and the vulnerability, remoteness and little opportunity to create economies of scale of the Small Island Developing ACP States;

7.

Calls on developed countries to support the development and further strengthening of institutional, scientific, technological and human capacity and know-how in ACP countries, following the example of the ACP Science and Technology Programme, to enable them to absorb, adopt and develop appropriate LCTs;

8.

Notes that capacity support remains fragmented and is dependent on national characteristics such as labour intensity and decentralisation of services; stresses that capacity building for technology development and transfer in ACP countries must be considered a priority goal, rather than a measure to advance near-term project outcomes; emphasises that it is a long-term process, which requires a systematic approach, taking cognisance of country- and sector-specific circumstances and linking together institutional, organisational and human capacity developments; also underlines that capacity building should foster the demand for the development and/or transfer of technology among ACP countries;

9.

Points to the need for the provision of training programmes to enhance endogenous capacity on project development, management, operation and maintenance of technologies; notes, however, that there is an urgent need to tackle the reasons that lead to an outflow of trained staff in some ACP countries, namely, low salaries and poor working conditions;

10.

Considers that a clear and far more ambitious approach towards the development of LCTs should be adopted to facilitate and speed up their diffusion and the ending of fossil energy dependence; notes the need to strengthen the capacities of existing national and regional public institutions in assisting this approach;

11.

Calls on developed countries to actively support research and development in ACP countries, in order to allow public and private actors from developing countries to participate as owners in the growing global market for low-carbon technology; encourages the setting up of national institutions working on innovative systems that could lead to the endogenous development of technologies; points out that initiatives should link technical and social areas, ensuring that projects are locally owned and meeting local needs; underlines that issues relating to property rights should also be considered;

12.

Emphasises the need to capitalise on the innovative potential of EU businesses and EU public services in renewable energies and technologies, including energy efficiency technologies and advanced ICT, to promote through trade agreements a gradual shift towards a low-carbon economy worldwide, thus ensuring new opportunities to sell EU products and know-how in this area to developing countries, or to transfer this know-how to them where applicable;

13.

Considers diversification of energy sources, supply routes and infrastructure, and the interconnection of networks for oil, gas, and smart grid as key to the long-term security and sustainability of energy supplies to both the EU and ACP countries; recalls that these policy trends are also instrumental in fostering new energy technology developments and job creation in the EU and ACP countries;

14.

Reaffirms the importance of increasing joint EU-ACP research and capital injections in building and modernisation of energy infrastructure in both the EU and ACP countries, notably through public-private partnerships and joint ventures, or public-public partnerships where applicable, thus encouraging mutually beneficial trade in energy or technology transfer, and promoting energy-mix diversification in ACP countries;

15.

Calls on the ACP countries to tailor and implement national climate change innovation strategies according to their own needs and policies, also taking into account their positive spill-over effects on health, education and employment;

16.

Calls on the EU to support the innovative solutions and projects already in progress in ACP countries;

17.

Calls on the EU and its Member States to bring pressure to bear and impose binding legislation on European companies present in ACP countries so as to ensure that they set an example as regards sustainable development, low CO2 emissions, respect for the environment and the avoidance of soil and water pollution; considers that this may also consist in a form of technology and expertise exchange by example;

18.

Calls on the ACP countries to impose sanctions on EU companies present on their territory which do not act in accordance with the aforementioned principles, and which are thus not involved in such exchanges by example;

19.

Underlines the importance of mutually beneficial cooperation between developed countries’ companies, public sector bodies, research institutions and their counterparts in ACP states, and encourages the creation of technological partnerships between them; calls for improved knowledge on already existing cooperation arrangements in the area of technology transfer, as well as for the setting up of a register for such actions and a global database on licensing data and best practices;

20.

Calls for the enhancement of partnerships with intergovernmental and international institutions; stresses that cooperation at a lower local level, including non-governmental and community-based organisations, should also be promoted;

21.

Emphasises the need for the establishment of a Climate Technology Centre and a network to boost international cooperation on key technologies and provide technical assistance, training and joint capacity building; underlines that the new global architectures for climate change technology transfer should be less burdensome and bureaucratic;

22.

Notes the importance of South-South cooperation, which could lead to technological self-reliance and thus avoid possible conflict stemming from IPRs; encourages the ACP countries to set up regional R&D cooperation platforms/networks of existing domestic research institutions for climate change technology development, to permit the sharing of resources and costs for R&D;

23.

Urges EU and ACP governments to develop further and increase funding for climate change research in their universities and research institutions and improve linkages between them in order to find joint solutions for common problems (e.g. by developing water-saving and water-reuse technologies);

24.

Calls for the promotion of public-private partnerships in the area of technological research, development and deployment as well for the creation of joint ventures between EU and ACP companies; calls also on the EU and its Member States to provide financial and technical support for investments in ACP countries in technology development and transfer, thus offering incentives for business cooperation;

25.

Calls for thorough involvement of local NGOs in technology diffusion and capacity-building processes; emphasises the importance of NGOs’ knowledge of local environments for the successful implantation of new technologies;

26.

Points out that ACP countries comprise a great number of isolated communities and islands and calls, therefore, for the promotion of locally produced energy to become a priority;

27.

Points out that particular attention should be paid to the development and transfer of energy-related and environmentally sound technologies; considers that ODA should focus more on developing energy efficiency technologies and decentralised renewable energies in ACP countries, and that this would reduce poverty and increase employment opportunities; recalls that nuclear energy is not a solution to secure low-carbon development; stresses that technologies should also prove to be efficient and economically viable and that their adoption should require a holistic approach with various dimensions of sustainability, including health, environmental, technological, economic, socio-cultural and institutional aspects;

28.

Emphasises that EPAs must impact positively on promoting technological diffusion and enhancing innovation capacity in ACP regions, as set out in the draft text on enhanced action on technology development and transfer;

29.

Emphasises that ACP countries should draw greater benefits from the potential of the Clean Development Mechanism, which is to be reshaped in the post-Copenhagen scenario;

30.

Underlines the need to focus specifically on the technology potential to address mitigation and adaptation to climate change in ACP countries;

31.

Stresses the need to ensure that development and transfer of technology, as well as capacity-building project activities, are routinely tracked, monitored and evaluated; calls for the preparation of periodic reports on status, opportunities and any need for further improvements, in order to frame recommendations on the basis of evaluation findings; underlines the importance of sharing lessons learned;

32.

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

A.

whereas the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) (11) estimates that the number of undernourished people in the world decreased globally to 925 million people in 2010, compared to one billion in 2009,

B.

whereas the impact of the various crises (energy, food, financial and economic) on the ACP countries is providing an additional challenge to the fight against poverty and could jeopardise the achievement of the MDGs,

C.

whereas incentives are needed to ensure that investors step up their involvement in projects which have a positive local impact in economic, social and environmental terms,

D.

whereas measures to support tax reforms should be introduced in the context of the Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs) to offset customs revenue losses caused by the elimination of customs duties as part of the liberalisation of trade,

E.

whereas, in the course of the last years, extreme poverty has fallen marginally and, due to population growth, there has been an actual increase of 27 million people living in extreme poverty in Sub-Saharan Africa (12),

F.

whereas too many children, especially the poorest and the most marginalised, are still denied the right to education (over 100 million were out of school in 2008, 52 % of them girls) and the children currently out of school, particularly in Africa, have never had any contact with formal education (13), and whereas 80 % of the world’s disabled people live in developing countries and more than 98 % of disabled children in these countries do not attend full-time education,

G.

whereas unequal opportunities based on gender, ethnicity, income, language or disabilities represent major obstacles to universal education, and without recording information on the inclusion of these groups it is difficult to measure progress made; and whereas the target of eliminating gender disparities has been missed,

H.

whereas the eradication of poverty also calls for democratic participation and must involve a change in economic structures in order to guarantee equal opportunities and access to resources and public services for all women,

I.

whereas, although major progress has been made towards achieving some of the MDGs, the three health MDGs – and in particular maternal mortality – are the most off-track,

J.

whereas the global under-five mortality rate has been reduced from 90 deaths per 1 000 live births in 1990 to 65 in 2008, due to improved routine immunisation coverage and the provision of a second opportunity for immunisation, but the rate of decline in under-five mortality is still insufficient to reach the MDG goal by 2015, particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa (14), and under-five mortality rates among children with disabilities is 80 % even in countries where under-five mortality has declined below 20 % (15),

K.

whereas globally underweight prevalence in children under 5 years old declined from 31 % to 26 % between 1990 and 2008, and whereas most countries making insufficient or no progress towards MDG 1 are in Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia (16),

L.

whereas the goal of improving maternal health is still failing to be achieved, with a global maternal mortality ratio (MMR) reduction of 1 % per year, in comparison with the annual 5,5 % needed for the MMR to achieve the MDG reduction of maternal mortality by 2015 (17); whereas a large number of women suffer from injury, infection or disease, or acquire a disability as a result of complications arising from pregnancy or childbirth,

M.

whereas most of the people affected by HIV live in Sub-Saharan Africa, and most of them are females, and whereas half of the HIV-positive pregnant women in the world are now being protected against the risk of mother-to-child transmission of HIV by antiretroviral (ARV) regimes,

N.

whereas the education sector, through teaching programmes throughout a person’s schooling, is a crucial avenue for prevention of HIV, malaria, tuberculosis and Neglected Tropical Diseases, and for reducing associated stigma,

O.

whereas it is estimated by the UN that over 10 million teachers need to be recruited worldwide to reach the internationally agreed target of achieving universal primary education by 2015 (18),

P.

whereas malaria is still a significant threat to nearly half of the world’s population and 90 % of all malaria deaths occur in Sub-Saharan Africa, mostly among children under five, and whereas malaria can also have other dangerous health implications such as anaemia, low birth weight, premature birth, infant mortality and maternal deaths, and whereas insecticide-treated nets (ITNs) have been shown to reduce child deaths by about 20 per cent (19),

Q.

whereas tuberculosis prevalence, i.e. the number of cases per 100 000, has also fallen globally, and the targets of halving the prevalence and death rates by 2015 are unlikely to be met,

R.

whereas there are more than 650 million people with disabilities at global level, 80 % of them living in developing countries, mostly unemployed and below the poverty line,

S.

whereas the ACP states are still facing many environmental challenges connected pollution, climate change and deforestation, which can influence the provision of local agricultural products negatively,

T.

whereas the world is on-track in delivering drinking water from improved sources and an additional 207 million Africans are now using safe sources of drinking water, but the improved drinking water coverage in Sub-Saharan Africa is still lower than in other regions and progress in sanitation coverage has been minimal in some countries, as about 95 % of the poorest people in those countries practice open defecation, (20)

U.

whereas Sub-Saharan Africa still has the highest prevalence of slums, even though, globally, the population in slums has fallen,

V.

whereas, globally, 215 million children are obliged to work, and 115 million are victims of what the ILO defines as the worst forms of work (21),

W.

whereas, according to UNICEF, the term ‘child labour’ means any form of work carried out by children under the age of 18 that is hazardous or interferes with children’s education or is harmful to children’s health or their physical, mental, spiritual, moral or social development,

X.

whereas even though there has been further progress in achieving the eighth MDG, the global partnership for development has suffered significant setbacks, which will hinder the successful realisation of the MDGs,

Y.

whereas the MDGs will not be met without an accompanying sense of accountability, good governance, democracy, security, development, human rights and gender equality,

Z.

whereas, if the 0,7 % ODA target were met by all donors by 2015, it would raise over USD 300 billion per annum for development,

AA.

whereas a lack of peace and security, democracy and political stability often prevents poor countries from meeting their full development potential,

AB.

whereas land ownership creates incentives for individuals, families and communities to take control of their own development an ensure food security at a local level,

1.

Recalls that the international commitments made regarding the MDGs require the industrialised countries to contribute 0,7 % of their GDP in Official Development Assistance (ODA) by 2015; recalls that the EU is currently some EUR 20 billion short of its MDG spending commitments;

2.

Welcomes the outcomes of the UN Summit in New York as a clear sign that all countries remain committed to the goals to be achieved by 2015, even in the current difficult international environment;

3.

Recalls that much progress has been made in the achievement of the MDGs; calls therefore, on the one hand, for positive results to be published regularly and, on the other, for the EU and ACP countries to issue multiannual timetables in order to meet the MDG targets within the next five years;

4.

Calls on the international donors to provide significant results-oriented, additional, transparent and measurable funding to help poor countries combat poverty, achieve the MDGs and fight the effects of climate change and the economic crisis;

5.

Calls on ACP countries to adequately increase and mobilise their domestic resources in order to better achieve the MDGs;

6.

Stresses the need to introduce alternative and innovative sources of financing for development in order to be able to fulfil MDG commitments;

7.

Calls on the EU and ACP countries to advise the UN to establish an intergovernmental committee on international tax matters;

8.

Calls on the G20 to crack down on tax havens, while distinguishing cooperating low fiscal jurisdictions, and tax evasion and to promote greater transparency and country-by-country reporting systems in order to enable developing countries to keep their own resources for their development;

9.

Calls on all international donors to continue to improve donor coordination and division of labour and to untie all their aid, in consultation with partner countries;

10.

Urges the EU and ACP countries to establish effective strategies for debt relief in ACP countries, particularly in support of the education and health MDGs, noting that the foreign debts of Third World countries and their mechanisms, e.g. debt service, represent a huge permanent constraint on the development of those countries;

11.

Stresses that, in order to achieve the MDGs, public services must be safeguarded and strengthened, as an indispensable element for resolving problems, relating in particular to health and poverty;

12.

Calls on all EU Member States to take action to make remittances cheaper;

13.

Points out that, although aid can act as a leverage for developing countries, it is not enough to guarantee sustainable and lasting development; calls, therefore, for the effective formation of partnerships between the public and private sectors, for greater ownership by developing countries of their MDG projects, and for governments to establish conditions that allow the private sector to innovate, invest and create jobs;

14.

Reiterates the important role of trade as an engine of growth and development and its contribution to the attainment of the Millennium Development Goals; emphasises the need to resist protectionist tendencies;

15.

Calls on the EU to take concrete action against poverty by ensuring policy coherence between its trade, development cooperation, common agricultural and common fisheries policies, in order to avoid direct or indirect negative impacts on the ACP countries’ sustainable economic development;

16.

Believes that Local Economic Development (LED) strategies have a potential to transform developing countries’ national and intra-regional sustainable development in order to build domestic and regional markets by taking into account the real needs of populations;

17.

Calls for the EU and ACP countries to ensure decisive progress on the most lagging MDG targets, inter alia MDGs 3, 4, 5, 6 and 8;

18.

Recalls that good tax governance and anti-corruption measures will help to create an investment-friendly environment;

19.

Welcomes the European Commission’s EUR 1 billion MDG commitment, as expressed by the European Commission President at the UN High-Level Meeting on MDGs in New York, to reward countries which are performing well and support those which are most off-track;

20.

Urges ACP countries to take concrete steps to achieve improvements in maternal health; calls on developing countries, therefore, to spend at least 15 % of their national budgets on health care, enhancing their health care systems and speeding up the training of mid-wives and nurses for field-work;

21.

Calls on the EU and the ACP countries to identify effective social protection strategies, giving priority to the pooling of risks and prepayment schemes, in order to avoid the patient having to pay primary health care providers directly, as this often deters poorer people from making use of their services;

22.

Welcomes the Global Strategy for Women’s and Children’s Health, with pledges of more than USD 40 billion over the next five years, launched at the UN High-Level meeting on the MDGs;

23.

Calls on the EU and ACP countries to promote free and inclusive access to health, and to establish, improve and strengthen good-quality health care, including antenatal care, assistance by skilled health workers at birth and access to emergency obstetric care;

24.

Calls for a holistic health-in-all approach, covering access to medicine, medical services and clean water, sanitation and nutrition; underlines that such a complex approach could have a greater and stimulating impact on progressing on health-related MDGs;

25.

Stresses that health worker training systems are insufficient in Africa, where two-thirds of countries have only one medical training school and some have none; urges the ACP countries, therefore, to include in their strategies specific programmes devoted to providing training courses for health workers so as to make it possible to employ qualified personnel in hospitals and health-care structures;

26.

Expresses its concern at the fact that the recruitment of qualified health personnel by industrialised countries constitutes one of the factors aggravating the fragile health systems of developing countries;

27.

Calls for a stronger focus on the growing number of non-communicable diseases, neglected tropical diseases and those arising out of violence, trauma and accidents, by strengthening health systems in the ACP countries;

28.

Calls on the EU and ACP countries to maintain efforts to eliminate the mother-to-child transmission of HIV; reiterates that this can be better achieved when antenatal care and community-based child and maternal health care are provided;

29.

Calls on the EU to improve poor people’s access to affordable medicines by showing flexibility in applying the agreement on TRIPS (trade-related aspects of intellectual property rights) in its trading relationships with developing countries;

30.

Urges governments and donor countries, in order to better achieve the health MDGs, to strengthen health care systems, and especially health system building blocks, including service delivery, medical products, vaccines and technologies, health personnel, health financing, health information systems, and leadership and governance and to ensure the accessibility of these systems to people with disabilities;

31.

Calls on the EU and ACP countries to invest in child-sensitive social protection, which covers social and health insurance schemes;

32.

Stresses that the first objective of the MDGs enshrines the right to enjoy adequate living standards, recognising the need to afford special protection to people with disabilities;

33.

Stresses the need to develop and implement appropriate national policies for child survival, including prevention measures, vaccinations and medical treatment, and improved nutrition, drinking water and sanitation; calls, therefore, on the promotion of integrated campaigns which would include, for instance, the distribution of bed nets and vaccination campaigns (especially against measles), in order to reduce child mortality;

34.

Calls on the EU and ACP countries to foster education policies and to focus not only on enrolment figures but also on the quality of education and the completion rate, by limiting school drop-out rates, especially among girls, improving the reception capacity of school buildings and stepping up teacher training, while striving to provide inclusive education for children with disabilities, only 10 % of whom currently have access to school in low-income countries;

35.

Stresses the central role that education should play in national policies of the ACP countries by combining effective policies and sustained national investments in education; insists, in this respect, on taking a holistic approach to education, which should be seen as a complex system including various participants, structures and relationships and focusing on:

36.

Welcomes the UN’s commitment to human rights and social protection in its Outcome Document;

37.

Underlines that the EU and ACP member states should strengthen their commitments to advancing gender equality, the fight against gender-based violence and women’s empowerment as key priorities for reaching all MDGs;

38.

Recalls that the mutual responsibility of developed and developing countries to meet the MDGs by 2015 is dependent on the strengthening of the frameworks for accountability, governance and transparency;

39.

Underlines the need to pursue MDGs through a holistic approach since all MDGs are interconnected and mutually reinforcing;

40.

Insists that respect for and the promotion and protection of human rights is an integral part of effective work towards achieving the MDGs;

41.

Calls for the implementation of ‘development pacts’ at local level, that involve public commitments by local authorities to deliver on development objectives defined by local communities and ensure that the local authorities are held accountable on how funds are spent;

42.

Stresses that an educated and skilled workforce is crucial for boosting economic development, competitiveness and growth;

43.

Calls on the EU and ACP countries to set up legal and tax training programmes for tax authority staff; stresses that a special effort is needed in respect of countries which are not yet in receipt of long-term aid in taxation matters;

44.

Stresses that the struggle for the elimination of child exploitation and child labour must be a priority for the EU and the ACP countries; calls on the EU and ACP countries, therefore, to focus their efforts on eliminating child labour;

45.

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, as well as easier access to EPA support measures; calls on the European Commission, in this context, to ensure that its proposal to allocate reserves of EUR 1 billion from the EDF funding mainly benefits the most off-track countries in the framework of the 2010 mid-term review of ACP programmes; calls on the EU to mainstream disability in all international cooperation work, in accordance with its obligation under Article 32 of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities;

46.

Calls on the EU and ACP countries to put in place fair, equitable and regulated trade policies; underlines in this context the importance of the human rights dimension in all trade agreements;

47.

Calls on the EU and ACP countries to increase investment in farming and food security with a special focus on supply side, to levels that guarantee freedom from hunger for all, looking particularly at urgent hunger needs, improved infrastructure in rural regions, small-scale farming and social protection programmes, with a view to ensuring long-term food security;

48.

Expresses its deep concern about the current farmland acquisition (particularly in Africa) by government-backed foreign investors, which, if not handled properly, threatens to undermine local food security and have serious and far-reaching consequences in developing countries; urges the ACP, the UN and the EU to seriously address the adverse impacts of farmland acquisition;

49.

Calls on the EU and ACP countries to ensure that the CAP reforms, the conclusion of the EPAs and the mid-term review of the European Development Fund are conducted in a coherent and coordinated manner;

50.

Calls on the EU and ACP countries to promote land ownership as a tool for reducing poverty and guaranteeing food security, by strengthening property rights and facilitating access to credit for farmers, small businesses and local communities; stresses the importance of new investments in enhancing the capacities of small farmers, introducing more efficient water management technologies and restoring soil nutrients;

51.

Calls on the EU and the ACP countries to recognise the right to food;

52.

Calls on the EU and the ACP countries to promote local production and local consumption;

53.

Calls on the EU and ACP countries to increase opportunities for the self-employed and small businesses and, in this context, to promote and facilitate access to micro-loans;

54.

Points out that industrial development has tremendous transformative potential for national economies and is likely to offer wider scope for long-term productivity growth than agriculture exports and the extraction of natural resources, which expose economies to shocks; calls on ACP countries, therefore, to address this issue by designing and implementing industrialisation-related policies with a special focus on manufacturing specialisation and trade-capacity building;

55.

Urges governments and donor countries, in order to improve trade performance of ACP countries, to increase investment and improve support to supply capacity building, quality, competitiveness and conformity with importer-mandated product standards of ACP enterprises; considers that this should involve strengthening productivity, technology extension services, training, export consortia building and cluster development;

56.

Reiterates the importance of the principles of aid effectiveness, set out in the Paris Declaration and the Accra Agenda for Action;

57.

Calls on the ACP parliaments to take stock of progress in the parliamentary dimension of international cooperation and to assess parliamentary involvement in support of the Millennium Development Goal; encourages all parliaments, when examining draft budgets and bills, to assess their impact on the fulfilment of the MDGs;

58.

Calls on the international community to promote and support democracy, peace, the rule of law and a corruption-free administration in developing countries;

59.

Calls on the EU and ACP countries to address underlying basic causes of inequity by addressing discrimination, social norms and practices, empowering communities with knowledge and capacity development, strengthening systems of accountability, and supporting civil society organisations;

60.

Calls on the EU and ACP countries to pay particular attention to minority rights, and to respect human rights and promote non-discrimination;

61.

Calls on the EU Member States to follow up on the twelve-point action plan that was issued by the European Commission in April 2010 (22) and calls on the European Commission to provide, on a yearly basis, a report on EU progress in achieving the MDGs by 2015;

62.

Welcomes the commitment by the UN to organise a special event in 2013 to follow up on efforts made towards achieving the MDGs;

63.

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 in 1996 the FAO defined food security as ‘access for all people at all times to sufficient, safe and nutritious food for a healthy, active life’,

B.

having regard to the European Commission’s Green Paper entitled ‘EU development policy in support of inclusive growth and sustainable development: Increasing the impact of EU development policy’ (COM(2010)629, which was issued on 10 November 2010 and whose objectives include ‘how to achieve durable results in the area of agriculture and food security’,

C.

whereas agriculture is the main source of livelihood for 80-90 % of the population in many developing countries; whereas increasing their incomes will reinvigorate rural economies, create more jobs for poor people and increase demand for domestically produced goods and services,

D.

whereas the number of undernourished people in the world remains over one billion in 2010, despite current global efforts to reduce hunger,

E.

whereas in 2008 soaring food prices, the oil price peak and the financial crisis, combined with climate change, had a devastating impact on ACP countries’ economies, rooted in a systemic crisis,

F.

whereas speculation in food and land acquisitions for export-oriented agribusiness can contribute to shortages and, hence, price increases, and deprives millions of people of adequate access to food,

G.

whereas, despite the proven importance of agriculture to ACP countries, the EU-ACP development cooperation programmes have not given enough priority to the agriculture sector,

H.

whereas unsustainable farming practices, including uncontrolled deforestation or over-reliance on pesticides, directly contribute to the scarcity of good quality arable land for healthy food production,

I.

whereas the ACP countries are dependent on exports of commodities, which account for over 50 % of their foreign currency revenue, while some SIDS (Small Island Developing States) depend on imports for nearly 80 % of their basic food requirements as they cannot aspire to any reasonable degree of food self-sufficiency,

J.

whereas export subsidies for agricultural products can lead to dumping on the markets of the developing countries, with serious consequences for small local producers,

K.

whereas the impact of climate change, the degradation of plant cover and the increased frequency of natural disasters are likely to increase food insecurity significantly over the coming years, and will have a dramatic impact on the livelihoods of those in the agricultural sector,

L.

whereas many African countries lease farmland to foreign investors, which, if not handled properly, threatens to undermine local food security and lead to serious and far-reaching consequences,

M.

whereas the consequences of climate change and deforestation affecting farming, mainly the reduction of crop yields because of repeated water shortages, droughts, or, in contrast, floods and landslides, have serious adverse effects on agricultural activities in the EU and ACP countries,

N.

whereas the growth of agricultural production, mainly in the sector of family farming can reduce food insecurity and contribute to lowering food prices and increasing producers’ incomes,

O.

whereas drinking water is an important factor to food security and ACP countries have difficult access to it,

P.

whereas wild animals, in the form of bush meat, provide much of the protein in the diets of many of the world’s poorest people in an unsustainable manner, resulting in wild areas which appear structurally intact, but are potentially incapable of sustaining their biodiversity, and are therefore only a short-term solution, creating further threats to the food chain,

Q.

whereas 70 % of the 1,3 billion people living in extreme poverty are women and, throughout the world, women are denied the necessary opportunities to improve their economic and social conditions, such as property or inheritance rights, or access to education or jobs,

R.

whereas the slowdown in foreign direct investment flows to the developing world as a result of the global recession directly hampers access to loans and credit guarantees, including micro-credit, while adding to the existing obstacles to the acquisition and use of arable land, which is essential to the development of local agriculture and to ensureing food security in the long term,

S.

whereas, according to FAO estimates, 7 million agricultural workers have died of HIV/AIDS since 1985, and the pandemic is set to claim 16 million more victims over the next two decades in the 25 worst affected African countries; whereas HIV/AIDS and other pandemics mainly affect the productive labour force,

T.

whereas political unrest and lack of peace and security jeopardise many countries’ capacity to provide food, and also adversely impact on people’s livelihoods over the longer term,

U.

whereas increased access to modern information technologies enhances farmers’ capacities and ensures that they are better informed on agricultural practices, prices and access to factors of production,

1.

Stresses the essential nature of the right to food, which should be considered an inalienable and universal right; stresses the right of each country or region to establish a type of agriculture that meets the food needs of its population; reaffirms that access to sufficient and wholesome food is a basic human right and must be guaranteed through common action by governments, international bodies and civil society organisations; stresses that the withholding or denial of that right must be considered a violation of a universal human right;

2.

Reminds the EU and the ACP countries that they have undertaken to halve the proportion of the population who suffer from hunger by 2015; calls on the EU and the ACP countries to take appropriate measures within the MDG framework in order to honour that commitment;

3.

Calls on the EU to give priority, in close consultation with the ACP countries and in the framework of the WTO, to the issue of the impact on ACP countries of Europe’s subsidising of its agricultural exports; stresses the need for a successful pro-development outcome of the Doha Round; stresses also that the developed world should reinforce its commitment to reforming its farm subsidies through a world trade deal; recalls, in this connection, that any agreement should take into account the climatic regions and in consequence the distinct forms of agricultural production; stresses that the results of the Doha Round should provide the developing countries with an incentive to invest in their agriculture and food production;

4.

Calls on the ACP countries to grant family farming a significant share of the sector’s investments with a view to achieving food security;

5.

Considers it essential to give fresh impetus to the ACP-EU partnership by negotiating fair and balanced partnership agreements which are geared towards development;

6.

Takes the view that, in order to guarantee food security and sustainability, and help fight poverty, all economic and social rights, including the right to food, should be taken into account in international trade rules and agreements;

7.

Regrets that, in 2008, five years after the Maputo Declaration that set an overall objective of devoting 10 % of the AU member states’ national budgets to agriculture, 50 % of African countries had spent less than 5 % of their national budgets on agriculture;

8.

Stresses that the discussions on the implementation of the 10th EDF should take greater account of the needs of populations in terms of agricultural production aimed at ensuring their food security, as well as on the improvement and diversification of agricultural production and the creation of more added value, in order to help ACP countries emerge from the model of export monocultures;

9.

Calls for the implementation of the 10th EDF to include a specific food security development programme for each of the ACP countries, and for that programme to include clear and ambitious targets, as well as concrete measures to be applied within precise time limits, in consultation with farmers’ organisations and civil society;

10.

Calls on the EU and ACP countries to factor into their development policy the short-term needs and constraints to which men and women living in rural areas are subject, in order to guarantee, in particular, the success of food-security related programmes;

11.

Emphasises that food security should be integrated into developing countries’ policies in order to improve food availability, food access and food consumption by establishing food strategies aimed at alleviating poverty;

12.

Urges the international community to assist the World Food Programme (WFP) in facing up to new challenges in the fight against hunger due to soaring food and oil prices, weather shocks and declining global food stocks;

13.

Asks the Commission, EU Member States and ACP countries to cooperate closely together in order to take concrete action to tackle financial speculation in grain and food;

14.

Calls for recognition of the importance of research, agricultural extension services and farmer linkages in pursuing food security objectives;

15.

Points out that it is necessary to introduce better agriculture production methods, including low-cost technologies, provide research in agriculture, and strengthen the productivity-efficiency ratio in ACP countries in order to enhance the sustainability and mitigate the negative effects of food insecurity;

16.

Urges ACP and EU countries to closely monitor large-scale land acquisitions that could lead to the ‘pricing out’ of local farmers and their ability to produce local crops to feed themselves and the local populations;

17.

Stresses the paramount importance of EU-ACP cooperation towards improving famers’ knowledge and skills of farmers; calls, therefore, for training programmes to be provided with the aim of increasing their capacities in sustainable farming methods;

18.

Stresses the importance of guaranteeing quality seed for all producers;

19.

Calls on the ACP countries to show initiative through ambitious agricultural policy programmes, such as Mali’s rice initiative;

20.

Calls on the ACP countries to prioritise the agriculture sector in their development plans and Regional and Country Strategy Papers, in particular through expanded public investment in rural infrastructure,

21.

Considers that policy coherence for development, particularly between policies on trade, development, agriculture and fisheries, should be a guiding principle of EU development cooperation to make greater use of Article 12 of the Cotonou Agreement;

22.

Emphasises the need for the EU and the ACP countries to design an adequate and flexible mechanism adaptable to particular emergency situations arising from disasters in the agricultural sector;

23.

Welcomes the assistance of the Food Facility established by the EU with a budget of EUR 1 billion to provide from 2009 to 2011 rapid support to over 50 priority countries worldwide facing soaring food prices, with the aim of increasing the local food production capacity and supply, thus empowering local farming communities;

24.

Calls on ACP governments to ensure that women in rural areas are accorded full and equal rights to land and other resources, including through the right to inheritance, and that administrative reforms and other necessary measures are undertaken to give women the same access as men to credit, capital, labour rights, legal identification documents, appropriate technologies and access to markets and information;

25.

Notes that the European Union as a whole, including its Member States, remains the leading development aid donor, accounting for 56 % of the worldwide total, worth EUR 49 billion in 2009, which is confirmed by the EU governments’ collective pledges of reaching 0,56 % and 0,70 % of Gross National Income for Official Development Assistance by 2010 and 2015 respectively;

26.

Calls on the EU Member States and the European Commission to fulfil their commitments, in particular for the least developed ACP states and the net-food-importing ACP states, so as to enable them to mitigate the adverse effects they are experiencing following the significant rises in food prices, which are increasingly exacerbating their balance of payments problems;

27.

Considers that the external debt of poor countries hinders their development possibilities and reduces their resilience and capacity to fight efficiently against poverty and hunger; calls, therefore, on the European Commission and the EU Member States to continue negotiations towards achieving the cancellation of the debt for the Highly Indebted Countries, which as yet remains unresolved;

28.

Welcomes the European Commission’s EUR 1 bn MDG commitment, as announced by the Commission’s President at the United Nations High-Level Meeting on MDGs in New York, in order to reward countries which are performing well and support those most off-track, and, while addressing the specificities and needs of LDCs, Small Island Developing States (SIDS) and net food-importing ACP States, to set up objective and transparent eligibility criteria and ensure that access to these resources are demand-driven; calls on the European Commission also to consider using part of the EUR 1 bn MDG commitment to leverage additional resources by private entities that will match the grant to implementing projects that will increase food production for local and regional markets and also in the development and use of biotechnology to attain these objectives;

29.

Considers that the commercial impact of next-generation agrofuels also needs to be more closely analysed; calls, therefore, on the European Commission to adopt and implement transparent sustainability criteria as a matter of urgency and to look at the possible detrimental effects of subsidies for agrofuel crops;

30.

Supports the establishment, within ACP-EU regional cooperation, of an appropriate climate-change mitigation and adaptation mechanism for family farming;

31.

Encourages better coordination, particularly at national level but also within the international development community, of the efforts made in the context of agricultural programmes and the overlap of programmes devised in ACP countries, which are a burden on human and financial resources;

32.

Stresses the need for financial accountability, at national and international level, of all agricultural programmes stemming from European aid, in order to ensure sound management of the funds allocated;

33.

Urges ACP governments to develop more sustainable management of environmental assets such as bush meat, and calls for further research into sustainable protein production in ACP countries, as a means of reducing the dependency on rapidly dwindling sources of wild animal protein;

34.

Calls on the EU and ACP countries to place strong emphasis during ongoing and future climate-change negotiations on the need to increase the availability of agricultural inputs such as fertilisers, seeds and other tools, in order to help farmers stimulate production while promoting sustainable management of water resources, and to pay special attention to providing the necessary support for climate-friendly agricultural practices;

35.

Instructs its Co-Presidents to forward this resolution to the ACP-EU Council of Ministers, the President of the European Commission, the European Parliament, the national parliaments of ACP and EU member states, the Vice-President of the European Commission/High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, the Chairperson of the African Union Commission, the Pan-African Parliament and the UN Secretary-General.

A.

having regard to the size of the Sahel-Saharan region and the austere nature of its environment,

B.

whereas its relief is characterised by mountains and caves overhanging vast stretches of dunes, sand and wadis,

C.

whereas Mali, Algeria, Mauritania, Niger, Libya and Chad are the main countries bordering the Sahel-Saharan strip,

D.

whereas, given the vastness of this sparsely populated 4 million square km territory and the length of its ill-defined borders, there is a need for effective coordination of information and action and sophisticated means of detection, protection and prevention,

E.

whereas all international, regional and national stakeholders should be mobilised in order to step up the fight against terrorism and strengthen security in the region, including through structured dialogue,

F.

whereas the Sahel arc is a pivotal area between Sub-Saharan Africa and Europe and whereas the situation in the Sahel-Saharan strip is therefore a key security issue for both Africa and Europe,

G.

whereas the transformation of the Sahel-Saharan strip into an area lending itself to illegal and dangerous activities and forms of trafficking is a threat to worldwide security,

H.

having regard to the underdevelopment of arid regions and its impact on young people, who are left without an occupation,

I.

whereas, in their recruitment efforts, the terrorists exploit the development deficit, insecure conditions, social deprivation and the poor employment prospects of many young people in the region with no prospects, by offering them illegal but substantial earnings,

J.

having regard to the harmful impact of terrorism and organised crime on states in the region and their respective local populations,

K.

having regard to the serious repercussions of insecurity on the region’s economy, in particular the mining and tourism sectors, on its development and on job creation,

L.

whereas the region has developed into a transit and transaction area for drug traffickers, arms dealers and smugglers of illegal migrants into Europe,

M.

having regard to the upsurge in insecurity in this region, caused by the Maghreb branch of al-Qaeda (AQMI), with its abductions and taking of hostages, who are now being used as bargaining chips,

N.

having regard to the violation of the airspace of a number of neighbouring countries by traders in illicit products, including cocaine,

O.

having regard to the huge resources and possibilities which the terrorists and drug traffickers have vis-à-vis the countries under threat,

P.

whereas a number of countries have expressed their willingness to provide states bordering the Sahara with assistance in dealing with this situation,

Q.

whereas insecurity is making the implementation of development projects and the work of humanitarian NGOs difficult,

R.

having regard to the traditions of tolerance, solidarity and respect for the human person adhered to by Islam as practised in the region,

S.

having regard to the barbarity of the execution of innocent citizens,

T.

whereas kidnappings for ransom are more often connected to organised crime than to ideological or religious struggles,

U.

whereas the military option can only be effective if it is backed up by a policy of sustainable development in the Sahel-Saharan region,

V.

whereas the aforementioned international instruments form a basis for enhanced global cooperation which is also reflected in developments regarding the European Union’s relations with third countries,

W.

whereas the International Centre for Terrorism Studies has documented the dramatic rise in terrorist attacks in North and West Africa, which have increased by over 500 % since 11 September 2001 (32), killing over 1 500 people and wounding 6 000;

X.

whereas the region has been experiencing an alarming strengthening of linkages between drug traffickers in Latin America and in states in West/Central Africa, and whereas the latter now forms a key transit route for drug shipments to Europe, which accounts for more than 25 % of the global consumption of cocaine; stressing that these trends require greater engagement by the European Union,

Y.

whereas in the Sahel there are increasing links between well-resourced and highly organised Latin American drug cartels and terrorist organisations, which seek the involvement of the local population,

Z.

whereas the 2003 European Security Strategy stated that terrorism ‘poses a growing strategic threat to the whole of Europe’ and whereas the Sahel-Saharan region is one of the EU’s priorities in the fight against terrorism,

AA.

whereas it is essential to cut off the sources of funding for illicit trafficking and kidnappings and, to this end, to take every possible measure to avoid money laundering,

1.

Honours the memory of the victims of terrorism; firmly condemns terrorism in all its forms and all its manifestations, and calls for the unconditional release of all hostages;

2.

Deeply deplores the deteriorating Sahel-Saharan security situation, which has cost many lives and threatens to undermine progress made in the last few years in countering terrorism in the region;

3.

Calls on the United Nations to quickly develop a more coordinated response on the Sahel, as advocated in the UN Security Council Presidential Statement of 10 July 2009 (S/PRST/2009/20) with regard to combating cross-border criminal activities and terrorist threats, particularly in the Sahel-Saharan strip, including the implementation of the Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy in the region;

4.

Stresses the importance of providing assistance, support and psychological aftercare to the victims of terrorism and their families;

5.

Supports the strengthening of international cooperation on counter-terrorism, welcomes coordination by some countries, encourages all countries in the region to continue pooling their efforts to effectively combat terrorism and organised crime, and hopes that exchanges of information will not be hampered by regional rivalries;

6.

Calls on the United Nations Secretary-General, the President of the EU Council and the Chairperson of the AU Commission to facilitate a summit meeting of the Heads of State of Algeria, Mali, Niger, Mauritania, Libya and Chad with a view to establishing a common strategy to combat the AQMI and ensuring joint control over the Sahel-Saharan strip as a whole;

7.

Calls on the states of the Sahel-Saharan region to pool their communication and intelligence resources in order to be informed in real time of the position of Salafist groups;

8.

Calls on the international community to support the countries of the Sahel-Saharan region by means of effective air and land surveillance capabilities and, to this end, to provide them with the necessary military equipment and technical support to combat such terrorists;

9.

Urges the states of the Sahel-Saharan region to take all the necessary measures to identify those working in collusion with the AQMI and have them arrested;

10.

Stresses the need for the international community and in particular for the European Union as well as the ACP members, especially the members of the Community of Sahel-Saharan States (CEN-SAD), to adopt an efficient approach to combating violence in the Sahel-Saharan region;

11.

Urges the Heads of State concerned to set up a permanent forum for consultations on peace and security in the region and to make it a pole of stability and development; further recommends that the links between security and development be clearly identified in order to maximise the effectiveness of the programmes undertaken;

12.

Calls on the authorities in the neighbouring countries to conduct awareness-raising campaigns among the local populations in order to involve them in the management of the problem;

13.

Calls on the EU and its Member States to mobilise all available resources to promote security and development in the Sahel-Saharan region in cooperation with the countries of the region, the United Nations and other international partners;

14.

Supports the initiatives of ECOWAS and its international partners to prevent and combat drugs and human trafficking, as well as organised crime in the region, by developing a regional action plan, notably through the establishment of the office of Special Adviser on drugs, human trafficking and crime to the President of the ECOWAS Commission;

15.

Stresses that effective measures should be taken to cut off sources of funding for terrorists and their accomplices, and calls for the states of the region to take the measures advocated by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), namely reform of criminal justice systems, anti-corruption laws, improved monitoring of the trade in light weapons and the freezing of suspects’ bank accounts;

16.

Welcomes the international pressure on states providing material and financial support to terrorist groups and commits itself to use political pressure in order to tackle the exponential growth in the financing of certain terrorist groups;

17.

Strongly condemns the companies and organisations which, though technically not breaking the law, are widely known to provide support for terrorist organisations;

18.

Encourages support for the African Centre for the Study and Research on Terrorism (ACSRT), mandated to facilitate the implementation of African Union (AU) counter-terrorism initiatives, in its efforts to develop a confidential database that will include names of suspected terrorists and trends in terrorist activity;

19.

Welcomes the fact that the use of funds from the EU’s ‘instrument for stability’ has been extended to the Sahel-Saharan region;

20.

Supports capacity building through a multilateral framework such as the United Nations;

21.

Calls for all the measures taken to combat terrorism to comply with international human rights conventions and protocols;

22.

Insists on the need to reconcile the fight against terrorist groups and the development of the region;

23.

Calls on the European Union, in the context of the Regional Indicative Programmes (RIP) and National Indicative Programmes (NIP), to step up its action in support of the region’s populations by helping to provide them with improved access to water and to public education and health services, as well as better infrastructure to open up business and trade activities in the region;

24.

Points out that the activities of non-governmental organisations contribute substantially to development, democracy and human rights and that it could be useful to consult them in order to obtain valuable information concerning the situation in the field; points out that repressive counter-terrorism measures should not be allowed to form an obstacle to such organisations’ efforts in the areas of development, democracy and human rights;

25.

Points out that the Sahel is one of the regions most affected by climate change and loss of biodiversity, which have a profound impact on agriculture, farmers and local people’s lives, and that this will increase poverty and inequalities;

26.

Urges the European Commission to support measures to reverse the gradual desertification of this region, including by using research and local knowledge in this field;

27.

Instructs its Co-Presidents to forward this resolution to the ACP-EU Council of Ministers, the President of the EU Council, the Vice-President of the European Commission/High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy (VP/HR), the United Nations Secretary-General and the governments of the countries of the Sahel-Saharan region.

1.

Deplores the violent clashes which broke out in some parts of the country as the announcement of the provisional results was awaited, and which led to several deaths;

2.

Regrets that the hampering of the proper operation of the Independent Electoral Commission of Côte d’Ivoire prevented it from declaring the provisional results of the second round of the presidential election within the time limits laid down in the electoral code;

3.

Urges all the parties concerned to show maximum restraint following the announcement of the final results by the Constitutional Council of Côte d’Ivoire and to use the appropriate legal channels for any complaints;

4.

Reminds the Constitutional Council that all decisions should be taken on an objective basis, with a high sense of duty and responsibility towards the people of Côte d’Ivoire;

5.

Condemns the Constitutional Council’s decision to invalidate the provisional results published by the Independent Electoral Commission of Côte d’Ivoire, without first following the procedure laid down by the electoral code;

6.

Refuses to recognise the results announced by the Constitutional Council, considering them to be contrary to the will expressed by the Ivorian people through the ballot box.