GAERC Conclusions on UN Summit

Conclusions on UN Summit

The Council adopted the following conclusions:

"The Council discussed preparations for the United Nations Summit to be held from 14 to 16 September 2005. The Council welcomed the Commission Communication - "The 2005 UN Summit: Addressing the global challenges and making a success of a reformed UN" - as an important contribution in shaping the European Union's aspirations for the Summit. The Council recalled the European Union's recent decision on increasing aid volumes and effectiveness, enhancing policy coherence for development, and focusing on Africa, and welcomed the commitments made at the G8 meeting in Gleneagles.

Recalling the conclusions agreed by the European Council in June and its own decisions of 24 May, the General Affairs and External Relations Council agreed that the European Union should continue to attach the highest priority to ensuring a balanced and ambitious Summit outcome, resulting in substantive actions to support the full implementation of the Millennium Declaration and related commitments, as well as in a stronger and more effective UN that can better meet today's interconnected challenges to international development, peace and security, and human rights. The Council supports the efforts of the UN General Assembly President in drafting a declaration, based on the concepts and proposals contained in the Secretary-General's March Report "In larger freedom".

In particular, the Council emphasises the importance of:

- more and better aid, including debt relief and innovative sources of funding for development, to meet the ODA objectives and the Millennium Development Goals and other existing commitments from major international conferences and recalls the EU's recent commitments to increase levels of ODA;

- good governance, the social dimension of globalisation, and the special needs of Africa;

- international trade as an engine for development, the call for rapid completion of the Doha Development Round, and the call for market access for LDCs;

- its conclusions of 24 May, which inter alia highlight the importance of an intensified multisectoral response to HIV/AIDS as laid down in the European Programme for Action to confront HIV/AIDS. The EU further recognises that the MDGs cannot be attained without progress in achieving the Cairo goal of universal sexual and reproductive health and rights;

- the need to make progress on environmental sustainability issues such as climate change and biodiversity, and a more coherent institutional framework of international environmental governance built on existing institutions including through launching a process leading to the creation of United Nations Environment Organisation;

- the creation of the Peacebuilding Commission;

- strong language on terrorism (leading to a definition of terrorism and conclusion of the Comprehensive Convention), disarmament, non-proliferation, and strengthening the rule of law;

- the responsibility to protect;

- strengthening the UN's human rights machinery including the establishment of a Human Rights Council in order to truly elevate the Commission on Human Rights and reinforcing the role and resources of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights;

- strengthening gender equality in all UN activities;

- strengthening the new UN capacity building for rapid action in the face of humanitarian disasters;

- modernising and reforming the UN administrative system, including the Secretary General's longer term vision for grouping the various agencies, funds and programmes into more tightly managed entities in the field of development, humanitarian assistance and environment, and further improving UN system coherence at country level.

The Council recognises the need to reform the main UN bodies, among them the General Assembly, ECOSOC and the Security Council.

The Council welcomed the work of the Latvian President and Irish Foreign Minister as two of the UN Secretary General's Special Envoys for preparation of the Summit and agreed that the Presidency should conduct intensive consultations in New York and capitals ahead of the Summit and carry out further outreach in third country capitals as necessary. The Council agreed that Presidency should prepare a written statement, drawing on the June 2005 European Council Conclusions, the Commission Communication, and EU statements and position papers, for circulation at the Summit."

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• European Parliament wants a strong UN (29/9/2005)
• EU Commissioner Ferrero-Waldner's notes on UN Summit press conference  (12/9/2005)
• EU Commission President Barroso to attend UN World Summit 2005 (9/9/2005)
• EU Presidency Statement - Draft outcome document of High-level Plenary Meeting of General Assembly (28/7/2005)
• Internet chat with Louis Michel: EU at UN Summit on MDGs, September 12, 2005 (26/7/2005)
• EU Presidency Statement - September UN Summit (21/6/2005)
• Commission Adopts Strategy for Successful 2005 UN Summit (15/6/2005)
• Speech by Commissioner Ferrero-Waldner - The UN at the Crossroads (3/6/2005)