4 The EU contribution to achieving the
UN Millennium Development Goals
| (a)
(26496)
8137/05
COM(05) 134
+ ADD 1
(b)
(26497)
8138/05
COM(05) 132
+ ADDs 1-2
(c)
(26498)
8139/05
COM(05) 133
+ ADDs 1-2
|
Commission Communication: "Policy Coherence for Development:
Accelerating progress towards attaining the Millennium Development Goals"
Commission Communication: "Speeding up progress towards the Millennium Development Goals: the European Union's contribution"
Commission Communication: "Accelerating Progress towards attaining the Millennium Development Goals — Financing for Development and Aid Effectiveness"
|
| Legal base | — |
| Documents originated | 12 April 2005
|
| Deposited in Parliament | 17 May 2005
|
| Department | International Development
|
| Basis of consideration | Minister's letter of 8th June 2005
|
| Previous Committee Report | HC 34-i (2005-06) para 4 (4 July 2005)
|
| Discussed in Council | 23-24 May GAERC; 7 June ECOFIN; 16-17 June
European Council
|
| Committee's assessment | Politically important
|
| Committee's decision | For debate in European Standing Committee B (decision reported on 4 July)
|
Background
4.1 On 8 September 2000, 191 heads of state and government, meeting
at the United Nations General Assembly, adopted the United Nations
Millennium Declaration and agreed to eight UN Millennium Development
Goals (MDGs) to be achieved by 2015 — the eradication of
extreme poverty and hunger; universal primary education; promotion
of gender equality and female empowerment; reduction of child
mortality; improvement of maternal health; combating HIV/Aids,
malaria and other diseases; environmental sustainability; and
a global partnership for development — each with associated
targets and benchmarks to measure progress. On 14-16 September
2005, a High-Level Millennium Review was held during the General
Assembly, to enable heads of state and government to review progress
and agree steps to accelerate it.
4.2 The three Communications
- provide an overview of the
EU's contribution to achieving the MDGs and identify the measures
that need to be taken by the EU to reach these goals, particularly
in Africa (document (b));
- provide an overview of the state of implementation
of the eight "Barcelona Commitments" which the EU made
at the Monterrey Conference on Financing for Development in March
2002; assess which of these commitments need to be reviewed; and
present proposals for new commitments on financing and aid effectiveness
(document (c)); and
- review eleven priority non-aid policies where
the EU can assist developing countries to attain the MDGs: trade,
environment, security, agriculture, fisheries, social dimension
of globalisation, employment and decent work, migration, research
and innovation, information society, transport and energy (document
(a)).
Together, they form the Commission's April 2005 "Millennium
Development Goals" package, which formed part of the preparation
for the UN High-Level Meeting on Financing for Development (held
on 27-28 June, to review progress since the Monterrey Conference
and prepare the meeting on Financing for Development to be held
at the Millennium Review Summit itself) and the G8 Summit in Gleneagles
(6-8 July).
4.3 On 4 July we recommended that they should be
debated in European Standing Committee B, after the UN Millennium
Review Summit (MRS) and ahead of the 21-22 November "development"
GAERC. The Secretary of State for International Development (Mr
Hilary Benn) has now written about the outcome of the Summit in
preparation for the debate, which has been scheduled for 3 November.
The Secretary of State's letter
4.4 The Secretary of State says:
"Despite the lengthy and difficult negotiations,
the final outcome document provides a good basis to increase international
efforts to help developing countries meet the MDGs. It recognised
that sustainable development is an important element of the overarching
framework of UN activity, and renewed commitment to the global
partnership established at the 2000 Millennium Summit and reaffirmed
at the 2002 Monterrey and Johannesburg Summits. The MRS also underlined
the particular challenges facing Africa, the need for urgent action
to address them and the importance of ambitious national development
strategies.
"The outcome document consolidated all the
major development achievements of 2005. It noted the recent commitments
to increase and improve development assistance, as well as the
value of developing innovative sources of finance such as the
International Finance Facility. It reflected key G8 commitments
for example on HIV/AIDS (including a commitment to work towards
universal access to treatment by 2010), and endorsed the G8 approach
on climate change, including on stabilising greenhouse gas concentrations.
Over 190 counties, not just the G8 countries, now support the
main Gleneagles outcomes.
"But the MRS went much further than this.
UK objectives to secure agreement on reform of the UN development
and humanitarian system, management reform, Responsibility to
Protect, the Peacebuilding Commission and the Human Rights Council
were broadly met.
"The conclusions on security, humanitarian
reform and human rights are a definite step forward. We now have
an agreement to establish a Peacebuilding Commission by the end
of this year. It will address some of the critical weaknesses
in the international response to conflict. We welcome the proposed
shape, mandate and composition of the Commission (including membership
for permanent members of the Security Council) as reflected in
the outcome document.
"On human rights, an agreement to create
a Human Rights Council (to promote universal protection of all
human rights and fundamental freedoms), and the strengthening
of the Office of the High Commissioner on Human Rights (including
doubling its budget over five years) are good first steps in building
a better international human rights system.
"On terrorism and security, there is a universal
condemnation of terrorism in all its forms. Endorsement of the
Responsibility to Protect, consistent with the Prime Minister's
1999 Chicago speech, is possibly the most important innovation
of the Summit. For the first time the international community
has agreed that it should intervene, including militarily, in
nation states that are unwilling or unable to protect their populations
from genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity.
"We also secured commitments to reform the
UN itself, to strengthen the Secretary General's management powers
and to set in train a process to improve the mandates and oversight
of the different branches of the Secretariat. The outcome document
also asks the Secretary General to address longer-term reform
of the UN development architecture. On humanitarian reform, we
have consensus that the Central Emergency Revolving Fund needs
to be strengthened so that the international system has improved
stand-by capacities and can provide more timely and predictable
funding. Six countries including the UK have already agreed to
contribute to the new fund.
"But all these decisions have to be implemented.
We will be working closely with all partners concerned to ensure
that we deliver on our commitments. We are particularly keen
to finalise details of the Peacebuilding Commission and Human
Rights Council as soon as possible".
Conclusion
4.5 We fully agree with what the Secretary of
State has to say about implementation being the key.
4.6 We are making this supplementary Report so
that the Secretary of State's helpful letter is available for
the debate on 3 November in European Standing Committee B which
we have already recommended.
|
