Eurostep Weekly
Regular News Update from Eurostep, N° 529
17 November 2008
EU's one billion euro aid package for developing world farmers delayed
The Commission's proposal to finance a one billion euro aid package from unused Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) funds has been delayed by objections from the Member States. Many EU countries are reluctant to approve the aid package, which would help developing world farmers address the recent soaring food prices, due to budgetary pressures arising from the global financial crisis. Member States and the Parliament are currently looking for other sources of financing within the EU budget to help African farmers, but have said that the overall amount could be less than the proposed billion euro.
This delay was strongly criticised by Development Commissioner Louis Michel. "Blocking on pretexts is unacceptable, we need this billion, it is urgent," he said "All international organisations ... and the people who need this billion to save their 2009 and 2010 harvest are waiting for this tiny gesture," Michel said.
European NGO network Solidar released a statement urging all Member States "to resist the temptation to water down their Overseas Development Assistance (ODA) commitments" and "to support binding timetables in order to ensure the predictability of aid and fulfil the promises we have made."
Angela Corbalan of Oxfam International commented: "Ahead of the Doha Financing for Development Conference in December, all eyes will be on European leaders to see if they can live up to the EU's reputation as the global leader on development. The one billion ‘food facility' is a necessary first step. For millions of the world's poorest citizens, the credibility of Sarkozy's leadership of Europe will literally be a matter of life and death."
Sources:
Council conclusions on the role of local authorities in developing world
At its meeting on 10 November, the EU's General Affairs Council adopted a number of conclusions concerning the role of local authorities as actors for development. The Council recognised the importance of the contribution of local authorities to "democratic local governance, which is conducive to poverty reduction, to inclusive and equitable local development and to the provision of the basic services needed by the population, particularly by the poorest section of the population."
The Council welcomed the Commission Communication entitled "Local Authorities: Actors for Development" and noted that it "appreciates the increasing role [that local authorities] play in developing local democracy, combating poverty and achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs)." It further praised the organisation of the European Development Days (EDD) in Strasbourg from 15 to 17 November, which are devoted this year to local governance.
The Council also welcomed "the participatory process, which brought together various platforms of local authorities, NGOs, Member States, the Commission and the Committee of the Regions and culminated in the drawing up of a draft European Charter on cooperation in support of local governance. This document identifies the main principles of action, in line with the Paris Declaration on Aid Effectiveness and the Accra Agenda for Action, in order to improve the effectiveness of cooperation practices between European actors."
Source:
G20 leaders meet for global financial summit
On Saturday 15 November, 20 world leaders gathered in Washington for a global summit to review their progress towards solving the financial crisis. Leaders largely steered clear of specifics, and no clear pledges were made for co-ordinated tax or interest rate cuts. They agreed to address the details of an overhaul of the global financial architecture, including the International Monetary Fund (IMF), at the next summit in spring 2009.
The G20 is made up of the world's 19 largest economies, plus the EU represented as a bloc. In addition to the G8 countries it includes Argentina, Australia, Brazil, China, India, Indonesia, Mexico, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, South Korea and Turkey. President Lula Da Silva said of the meeting: "We are talking about the G20 because the G8 doesn't have any more reason to exist, in other words, the emerging economies have to be taken into consideration in today's globalized world. The existing multilateral organizations and the international rules in place were rejected by history. Both the IMF and the World Bank should open themselves to bigger participation of developing economies."
But civil society groups and non-member countries of the G20 have complained at the exclusion of the world's poorer countries, whom it is argued will ultimately be worst affected by the crisis. The African Union (AU) said that Africa must be consulted over any reform of the world's financial system. "There is one problem for us, and that is that people tend to take decisions for us, without listening to us, and then impose them on us," said Jean Ping, chairman of the AU commission. "Africa demands to be heard," he said.
Father Miguel d'Escoto Brockmann, President of the UN General Assembly, argued that any discussions on the current financial crisis should "be inclusive, not exclusive".
"The place to discuss is neither the G8, nor the G20, nor the G25 or the G63. It is the G192, which is the General Assembly of the United Nations," he added.
Sources:
Euromed Civil Forum reaffirms commitment to Mediterranean Partnership
Meeting in Marseille, France on 31 October - 2 November 2008, the Euromed Civil Forum, composed of 250 representatives of civil society organisations from the North and South Mediterranean, strongly reasserted its commitment to the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership proclaimed in Barcelona in 1995.
The impasse over the advancement of the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership created by a disagreement over the presence of the Arab League in the negotiations has been resolved by a bargain whereby Israel consented to the League's participation in exchange for being given a deputy secretary general position within the body's administration.
The final declaration adopted at the Civil Forum meeting focused on improvements in civil and social rights, calling on all countries of the partnership to recognise and strengthen human rights, particularly in their treatment of refugees and migrants.
The declaration urges that the preservation of environmental and natural resources in the Mediterranean be considered by states "as the highest priority", and greater investment in measures to tackle climate change.
It also highlights the continued barrier to progress in the region caused by the conflict over Palestine. The declaration states: "As they have continuously underlined in previous civil fora, men and women participating in Marseille's Civil Forum consider that this region of the world will not enjoy stability and democracy if there is no peace. This implies that each State be recognised within its borders...The colonization and occupation of Palestine and Sheba farms, the annexation of East Jerusalem and the Golan, the blockade imposed on Gaza and, more generally, the fate of the Palestinian People, represent a denial of rights. We call on International Community and particularly on the European Union to implement immediately UN resolutions."
Sources:
Euromed Policy Conference: Women's Economic Rights in the Southern Mediterranean
On 17-18 November, government representatives in charge of the advancement of women, civil society groups and policy experts from the Mediterranean Partner Countries meet in Brussels for a policy conference on the theme of "Women's Economic Rights: Making a Difference in the Mediterranean". This will be the final conference of the EU-funded programme on The Role of Women in Economic Life. It will address the causes of and solutions for low female economic activity rates in the Southern Mediterranean, with reference to the latest research studies.
The conference will be attended by External Relations and European Neighbourhood Policy Commissioner, Benita Ferrero-Waldner, along with around 150 other participants including policy experts, women's rights advocates, academics, representatives of several regional and international organisations and the media.
At the conference, a new study will be launched, commissioned by the Euromed programme, on the legislation affecting women's economic participation. The study is entitled "Women's Economic Rights in the South Mediterranean Region: A Comparative Analysis of Law, Regulations, and Practice" and is authored by Camilia Fawzi El-Solh and Nadia Hijab. It demonstrates that the "the root cause of discrimination against women's economic rights will not be found in labour laws, which are for the most part gender neutral, but more in personal status codes and in religious beliefs reinforced by custom and tradition that establish men as the legal head of the household (as has been and is still the case in many other parts of the world)".
Source:
|
