Summary of the resolutions adopted by the General Assembly of EU humanitarian aid and development NGOs
 

AUTOR : NGO Liaison Committee

                                                        12 April 1997
 
 

Against the tightening of the embargo against Cuba The General Assembly of European NGOs opposes the inhuman embargo imposed on Cuba by the United
States and denounces the tightening of this embargo through the application of the Helms-Burton law and the unacceptable pressure which the US administration is
exerting on the European Union. It invites the members of the EU, the European Commission and the European Parliament to react and to develop completely
independent political, economic and trading relations with Cuba, and to support the action of the NGOs. 2.

On the cessatian of all economic relations between the EU and Burma The GA calls on the Council of Ministers and the Governments of the EU Member States: - to
promote the immediate initiation of dialogue between the SLORC (the State Law and Order Restoration Council), the NLD (the democratic opposition), and the
leaders of the ethnic groups in order to end internal conflicts and lead to a new constitution and democratic government, and notably the immediate release by the
SLORC of all political prisoners and prisoners of conscience, and the full respect of human rights; - to act on the European Parliament Resolution calling for the
implementation of economic sanctions against the SLORC by ending all links between the European Union and Burma. 3. Against racism, xenophobia and
anti-semitism The GA urges that the fight against racial discrimination be enshrined in the new "Treaty of Union" (IGC).

It calls on the national and local governments of Europe:

a) to offer systematically in schools teacher training curricula which specifically study the values of tolerance, dialogue, knowledge of and respect for other people's
cultures;

b) to include in their legislation a crime of "racism", punishable by severe penalties, in order to help discourage racist behaviour towards minorities;

c) to ensure that immigrants who have residence permits have parity of rights and duties with European citizens.

Agrarian reform in Brazil The GA calls upon the European Commission: - in negotiating agreements with the Brazilian Government, to stress the need for the effective
implementation of Agrarian Reform, in agreement with representatives of the Landless Peasants' Movement (MST) and the other social groups struggling for
Agrarian Reform and the implementation of the 1988 Constitution and the 1993 Law on Land Reform; - to adopt a serious stance on the scandalous buying up of
huge tracts of land in Brazil by European firms which are speculating on the land - to the detriment of the 12 million landless peasant farmers - and which are
connected with the exploitation of the natural ressources of Amazonia; - to pay particular attention to all development projects linked to the Agrarian Reform
("acampamentos", assentamentos", SCA (Co-operative Agrarian Reform System), etc.) which may be submitted to the European Commission for cofinancing - to
demand the following when negotiating agreements with the Brazilian Government: * respect for the Status of Indians as provided in the 1988 Brazilian Constitution
and in Decree 22/91 on demarcations * full participation of Brazilian indigenous organisations in any process to review their status.

East Timor The GA requests the European Commission: a. to support the effective participation of the Timorese in the negotiating process, in particular in the person
of their leader, Mr Xanan Gusmao, who must be released in order to take part in this process; b. to demand that the Government of Indonesia should establish a
permanent United Nations presence in East Timor, in order to ensure the safety of the Timorese and to make preparations for the holding of a referendum on the
political status of the territory. It calls upon the Member States of the EU to stop arms sales to Indonesia in the present circumstances.

The European NGOs: solidarity and political dialogue in full autonomy and independence Against the background of the current North-South inequality, the NGOs'
top priority is the interest of the peoples in the South, leading them to support NGOs in the South, including ensuring the freedom of association. NGOs are not
driven by commercial interests, nor are they instruments for European foreign policy. This is why the GA appeals to the Governments of the Member States and to
the European Commission to fully recognise NGOs' specific nature and mission, their task and role in political dialogue, and their independence and autonomy,
without contradiction or limitation arising from the use of European public funds.

Charter of basic priciples of development and himanitarian aid NGOs in the European Union The GA calls on the European Commission, the other European
institutions and official donors to encourage all officials who come into contact with NGOs to make an effort to improve their understanding of NGOs, the values
behind their work, their approach to development co-operation and their structure. The GA endorses the Charter of EU development and humanitarian aid NGOs,
which emphasises the role of NGOs in the achievement of social justice, equity and universal respect for human rights (text available from the secretariat of the NGO
Liaison Committee).

Future relations between the EU and the ACP countries The GA welcomes the European Commission's initiative of opening a debate on the future of EU-ACP
relations by publishing its Green Paper. However, it is concerned by the Green Paper's failure to integrate and take as its basis the policy commitments referred to
below.

The GA calls on the Commission and the governments of the Member States of the EU:

in the coming discussions and negotiations, to adopt as a central objective the implementation of the international agreements made at Rio, Vienna, Cairo,
Copenhagen, Beijing and Rome and the EU's existing development policy commitments, *to give particular priority to the implementation of the EU's policy on
gender and development, and support to: -the basic social services identified in the 20:20 compact;

     income-generating activities for the poor in rural areas and the urban informal sector;
     strengthening social and civil organisations. Poverty and gender impact assessments should be integrated into all EU development programmes and trade
     policies.

The GA seeks the achievement of policy coherence within the different components of development cooperation (social investment, aid for trade, structural
adjustment, government and legal reform, conflict prevention and management, food security and humanitarian aid) and the taking of concrete steps to bring policies
on trade, agriculture, fisheries, and the CFSP into coherence with the objectives of development cooperation; in particular, to review and phase out subsidies on
agricultural exports to the South which lead to destructive dumping practices, as is presently the case with beef in South Africa and Namibia. The negotiations with
the ACP Group should be approached in the Lome spirit of partnership.

On the creation of a European association statute The GA is dismayed by the considerable delay in the adoption by the relevant Community institutions of a statute
for European associations. It requests the European Commission, together with the European Parliament, the Council and the Economic and Social Committee, to fill
the present gap in the law as regards the existence of associations with a European brief by accelerating the procedure for the adoption of a statute for European
non-profit-making associations which accommodates the needs and requirements of NGDOS.

On the respect of human rights in Colombia The GA urges the European Parliament and the governments of the EU Member States: - to reiterate to the Colombian
government their concern about the deterioration in the human rights situation and the escalation of the internal armed conflict; - to intervene with the Colombian
government to urge it: .to support the mission of the United Nations High Commission on Human Rights in Colombia, particularly given that its mandate ends in a
little aver one year. Its representatives need to be able to act on a basis of complete independence: freedom to interview the victims, freedom of movement, freedom
of investigation, publication of all reports and the opportunity for all victims to appeal direct to the High Commissioner. It will also be necessary to obtain its full
collaboration, in addition to the collaboration of the "Fiscalia general de la Nacion" and of the control bodies of the "Procuraduria" and the "Defensoria del Pueblo".

The armed forces and the national police will likewise need to pledge themselves to this path of conciliation; .to take urgent measures to combat the activities of the
legal and illegal paramilitary groups, by repealing Decree 356 of 1994 which legalised the 'CONVIVIR' security co-operatives, and by ordering an enquiry into the
violations carried out and the prosecution of those responsible for these paramilitary groups; .to withdraw from the draft reform of the Constitution the above points
which are detrimental to the rule of law; in general terms, to honour its international commitments in the field of human rights. The GA calls upon the European
Commission: - to employ all the means at its disposal in support of the mission of the office of the United Nations High Commission on Human Rights in Colombia
and the actions of the Colombian NGOs in their work on victim support and citizenship education; - to make its co-operation with Colombia conditional on
adherence to the international conventions on human rights.

Proposal for renewing cooperation in Albania The GA seeks a redefinition of Albania's position with regard to the EU cooperation instruments with the Eastern
countries; taking account in particular of the fact that the Phare programme was defined for countries with more effective economic and social structures, Albania,
however, should be considered as a developing country which needs more flexible instruments which are accessible to the different sectors of society and also
priority budget lines for European NGDOs. It calls upon all the national governments to abide by international conventions regarding the rights of people fleeing
Albania to seek asylum. For more information:

The text of the resolutions is available from, NGO Liaison Committee, 10 square Ambiorix, 1000 Brussels. Tel 32 2 743 8787, fax 32 2 732 1934, e-mail:
sbiesemans@clong.be.

FONTE : http://europa.eu.int/en/agenda/igc-home/instdoc/ngo/devngo.htm