EU-Canada Joint Statement on cooperation in UN Fora

As a global forum for the discussion and the advancement of world peace and prosperity, the United Nations offers the European Union and Canada a venue to cooperate together on the following four important initiatives:

THE INTERNATIONAL CRIMINAL COURT

The European Union and Canada will work together to promote the rapid and widespread ratification of or accession to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, and to cooperate for the effective implementation of the Statute. In light of the bloodshed and horror of the wars of the last century, which have profoundly affected both Canada and the members of the European Union, the creation of the Court will continue to be a priority in our foreign relations.

The EU and Canada share the conviction that the creation of the International Criminal Court will be a development of historic importance. The Court will be a crucial instrument in international efforts to end impunity for the most serious international crimes and, as such, will strengthen the rule of law and contribute to peace and security. We reaffirm the duty and responsibility of all members of the international community to end impunity for these crimes and to cooperate in efforts to do so.

The EU and Canada believe that cooperation with the Court by all countries, both parties and non-parties, will be a key element in its success. The legal principles contained in the Rome Statute, and in particular the comprehensive protections for the rights of the accused, the safeguards against frivolous prosecutions and the rigorous complementarity regime, ensure that the Court will pose no threat to the sovereignty of States or the rights of individuals who may appear before it. In support of their continued cooperation, the EU and Canada experts will explore concrete efforts that can be made to encourage ratification and implementation, such as joint workshops and seminars in various countries and regions of the world, and that they will cooperate to support the early effective establishment of the Court.

UNITED NATIONS GENERAL ASSEMBLY SPECIAL SESSION ON CHILDREN

The EU and Canada agree to work together to ensure the outcome of the September 2001 United Nations General Assembly Special Session on Children manifests their common approach and leads to concrete and meaningful commitments to children. Both sides underscore the importance of the rights-based approach and are committed to an outcome rooted in the Convention on the Rights of the Child ensuring that the rights of every girl and boy are respected.

The EU and Canada remain firm in their conviction that children have the right to participate in discussions and decisions about their lives and welcome the meaningful participation of young people in the preparatory process of the Special Session and in the Session itself. Both sides have expressed their desire for an outcome, which addresses, in particular, children in need of special protection.

The EU and Canada both stress, inter alia, the importance of implementing international standards for the protection of children, in particular those set out in the Convention on the Rights of the Child and the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court. Furthermore, the international community deemed war-affected children and sexually exploited children as groups in need of special protection, as demonstrated by the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the Involvement of Children in Armed Conflict and the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the Sale of Children, Child Prostitution, and Child Pornography.

The EU and Canada stress the importance of the forthcoming UNGASS on HIV/AIDS considering the great number of children suffering, directly or indirectly, from the pandemic. We also welcome the decision of the United Nations General Assembly to convene an international conference on the illicit trade in small arms and light weapons in all its aspects 9-20 July 2001 and emphasize the importance of addressing the impact of small arms on children in situations of armed conflict within this conference.

UNITED NATIONS CONFERENCE ON THE ILLICIT TRADE IN SMALL ARMS AND LIGHT WEAPONS IN ALL ITS ASPECTS

The EU and Canada reaffirm their commitment to contribute to the success of the July 2001 United Nations Conference on Small Arms and Light Weapons, which should result in a politically-binding document setting out a comprehensive approach to tackling the problem. In preparation for this Conference, the EU and Canada co-sponsored a workshop on the Destruction of Small Arms in the context of Peace Support Operations in Ottawa, 15-16 May 2001. It was inter alia agreed to make an inventory of national capacities for the destruction of small arms and light weapons in peace Support Operations, with a view to exploring the possibility of establishing ad hoc units to be put at the disposal of such operations. The full recommendations are contained in an Annex to this Joint Statement.

The EU and Canada will continue to work together at the UN and through other multilateral initiatives, in particular the South Africa-led Kimberley Process, to break the link between the illicit trade in rough diamonds and armed conflict. While diamonds from conflict areas constitute only a relatively small percentage of the overall diamond trade, the EU and Canada recognize the devastating implications of this problem for peace and human security in such countries as Angola, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Sierra Leone. This problem also poses a threat to the legitimate diamond industry, which makes a key contribution to numerous economies worldwide. The EU and Canada welcome the sustained efforts of the UN Security Council, the G-8 and the Kimberley Process, as well as the diamond industry including the World Diamond Council, to develop effective solutions. The EU and Canada also encourage broad support for fulfillment of the mandate set out by UN General Assembly resolution 55/56, adopted in December 2000, which calls for the development of proposals for an international system of certification for rough diamonds. The EU and Canada undertake to work together in support of this objective, and look forward to the constructive report by the Kimberley Process to the 56th session of the UN General Assembly on progress achieved.

UNITED NATIONS GENERAL ASSEMBLY SPECIAL SESSION ON HIV/AIDS

The EU and Canada recognize the urgency of confronting HIV/AIDS in all aspects and are strongly committed to a successful outcome of the UN Special Session on HIV/AIDS. We will continue to work together to achieve tangible results with clear targets set out in the final declaration. In particular we strive for a strong global commitment to enhance coordination and intensification of national, regional and international efforts to combat HIV/AIDS in a comprehensive manner. While focusing our efforts on HIV prevention, care and treatment for those infected by HIV/AIDS will be integral to our approach. Respect for the human rights of those confronted with the disease is vital Women should be enabled to exercise control over matters related to their sexuality. We will promote openness and fight discrimination, which implies explicitly recognizing those groups that are most vulnerable to HIV/AIDS, including men who have sex with men, sex workers and their clients, and intravenous drug users. The EU and Canada strongly support the establishment of a Global health Fund as called for by the UN Secretary General Kofi Annan. We believe that a Global Health Fund should tackle not only HIV/AIDS but also malaria and tuberculosis. We will remain actively engaged on creating the right conditions and structure for such a Fund. Several EU Member States and Canada have reiterated their willingness to contribute to such a fund.


ANNEX:

Recommendations of the EU-Canada Workshop on Small Arms and Light Weapons Destruction in the Context of Peace Support Operations, Ottawa, 16 May 2001:

The recently concluded EU-Canada Workshop on Small Arms and Light Weapons Destruction in the Context of Peace Support Operations made the following recommendations to the EU-Canada Summit.

that the United Nations through its negotiated peace agreements and mandates should promote early collection and destruction of small arms and light weapons as part of all its peace support operations, in particular through the disarmament, demobilization and reintegration process;

that Canada and the Member States of the European Union should make an inventory of their national capacities to contribute to destruction of small arms and light weapons in peace support operations;

that Canada and the Member States of the European Union should consider the possibility of establishing ad hoc units including on a bilateral or a multilateral basis available on short notice and with the required operational and technical skills and equipment, to be put at the disposal of a peace support operation that has a weapons destruction mandate;

that, in addition to commencing weapons and ammunition destruction, the deployed elements should initiate training of other mission or locally employed personnel to take over the task and possibly the equipment as soon as possible;

that the above mentioned initiatives would be a valuable contribution to the follow-up to the United Nations Conference on the Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons in All Its Aspects, planned for New York, 9-20 July 2001;

that following from the Report of the United Nations Secretary-General on Methods of Destruction, the United Nations fully develop a reference manual for planners and managers with respect to destruction of small arms and light weapons.

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