EU Council Conclusions - UN World Summit

Council conclusions on UN World Summit, 2687th EXTERNAL RELATIONS Council meeting, Brussels

The Council adopted the following conclusions:

"The Council welcomes the agreement reached at the UN World Summit on a balanced and extensive package of UN reforms. The EU played a critical and constructive role in securing this outcome.

The Council reaffirms that the EU is committed to playing an active role in ensuring that the reforms agreed at the Summit are fully and urgently implemented. The Council will also continue to work towards achieving important reforms in the UN system on issues not covered at the Summit. The EU's priorities in this regard are outlined in the attached Annex "UN World Summit follow-up: EU Priorities".

If fully implemented, the reforms will result in a stronger and more effective UN, better able to meet today's challenges in areas of development, peace and security, and human rights. Full implementation of these reforms represents a vital part of the EU's goal of the development of an international order based on effective multilateralism and the rule of law.

Work is already underway in New York and in relevant EU working groups on implementation. This will guide the EU's input into the detailed follow-up action, which will be led from New York.

The Council pays tribute to the outstanding efforts of the Secretary-General Kofi Annan and former General Assembly President Ping in successfully managing a difficult and complex negotiating process. The Council also thanks Foreign Minister Ahern and President Vike-Freiberga for their work towards the Summit as envoys of the Secretary-General.

The Council commits the EU's full support to Secretary General Annan and General Assembly President Eliasson in this crucial implementation phase. The EU will engage actively in outreach activities to secure implementation of the reforms agreed at the Summit, including on the Peacebuilding Commission, Human Rights Council and management reform.

Annex: UN World Summit follow-up: EU Priorities Paper

World leaders agreed at the UN World Summit in September an extensive and balanced package of reforms for the UN. The EU will play an important role in achieving full and early implementation of the reforms agreed, and will continue to work towards achieving important reforms in the UN system on issues not covered at the Summit. The European Union is deeply committed to the United Nations, to upholding and developing international law, and to effective multilateralism as a central element of its external action.

The EU welcomes endorsement at the Summit of the need to reform the main UN bodies, among them the General Assembly, ECOSOC and the Security Council, with a view to enhancing the representativeness, transparency and efficiency of the system.

The EU's priorities in this regard are:

Peacebuilding Commission (PBC). The EU welcomes the agreement at the Summit to establish the PBC before 31 December 2005. All UN Member States should remain fully committed to agreeing outstanding issues if we are to meet the General Assembly President's timeframe. The EU will continue to play a leading role, building on its existing position, in support of General Assembly President Eliasson's aim to conclude negotiations on the PBC by early November. The Summit outcome provides a substantial basis on which to resolve the outstanding issues, as identified by the co-Chairs. The EU underlines the importance of focusing forthcoming negotiations on how the PBC will work in practice, and is prepared to support the proposal for joint establishment of the PBC by the General Assembly and the Security Council.

Human Rights, including the Human Rights Council (HRC). The EU continues to support strengthening the overall UN human rights machinery, and particularly welcomes the decision taken by the World Summit to double the regular budget resources of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights over the next five years.

The EU strongly welcomes the commitment to establish the HRC at the Summit, but is disappointed that the Summit text did not contain the necessary provisions for the immediate establishment of the new body. Agreeing important modalities, including mandate, functions, size, composition, membership, working methods and procedures, will be a challenge. The EU strongly supports the General Assembly President's decision to hold an open and inclusive negotiating process for agreeing these modalities and his aim to set the overall framework by the end of this year.

The HRC should be a standing body, meeting regularly throughout the year, able to address effectively urgent and serious human rights situations and issues as and when they arise, including through recommendations both to concerned countries (including for technical assistance) and to other UN bodies. It must retain the system of Special Procedures and build on positive NGO-CHR engagement. It should also contribute to the mainstreaming of human rights in the UN system. It should preferably be of comparable size or smaller than the CHR and its members should be committed to upholding the highest standards of the promotion and protection of human rights. Election methods should ensure as high a quality of membership as possible. The EU is flexible however on how this be achieved.

The EU welcomes that the commitments to gender equality and the promotion and protection of the full enjoyment of all human rights and fundamental freedoms for all and their essential role for the advancement of development, peace and security were reaffirmed at the Summit.

Management Reform. The EU urges UN Secretariat to push forward urgently with important on-going reforms in such areas as ethics, accountability and oversight. The EU also urges the Secretary General to present early proposals for the review of UN mandates and for further reforms on financial and human resource management and strengthening of oversight, as mandated in the Summit outcome document.

The EU strongly welcomes the endorsement of the Responsibility to Protect populations from genocide, war crimes, ethnic cleansing and crimes against humanity. For the first time, UN member states have affirmed their responsibility to protect their own populations, and the international community has acknowledged that it should act collectively, through the UN Security Council, if states fail to protect their populations from these violations. The Responsibility to Protect will be an important tool of the international community for addressing the worst atrocities.

Development. The EU strongly welcomes the Summit's endorsement of the EU's commitments on development assistance, the need to accelerate progress towards the MDGs, progress on aid effectiveness and on debt relief, and to address the special needs of Africa. The EU also welcomes the unanimous acknowledgement of the MDGs as the international framework for development, together with the Monterrey Consensus and Johannesburg Plan of Implementation. The EU remains dedicated to these commitments, as well as to those on policy coherence for development. EU member states are committed to support developing countries in adopting by the end of 2006, and in implementing comprehensive national strategies to achieve the internationally agreed development goals and objectives, including the MDGs.

The EU welcomes the Summit's recognition of the importance of identifying and developing innovative financing mechanisms, such as the International Finance Facility (IFF) and the intention of some countries to implement the IFF. The EU welcomes the Summit's resolve to operationalise the World Solidarity Fund. The EU also welcomes the recent launch of the pilot IFF for Immunisation and the intention of some countries to implement a contribution on airline tickets to finance health projects, directly or through the IFF.

The EU reiterates the important challenge of achieving sustainable development, including through protection of the world's natural resource base for development. The EU believes that urgent action is needed to follow up on the Johannesburg Plan of Implementation and remains committed to pursue sustainable development as part of the EU's internal and external policies. The EU emphasises the need for urgent action to address climate change and the importance of meeting all the commitments and obligations we have undertaken in the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and other relevant international agreements, including the Kyoto Protocol. The EU calls for the widest possible cooperation and participation in a future global climate change agreement and in this respect stresses the importance of the UN Climate Change Conference in Montreal.

The EU attaches high priority to the exploration of a more coherent institutional framework for environmental activities in the UN system, including a more integrated structure building on existing institutions, as agreed in the Summit outcome. The EU Presidency will coordinate further reflection on this subject. The EU supports the establishment of a process to carry out this work in the UN ensuring an in-depth exploration co-ordinated by the General Assembly President in the context of the broader framework of sustainable development and current efforts to strengthen the UN. The EU supports transforming the UN Environment Programme into a UN specialised agency or UNEO, based in Nairobi with a strengthened mandate and stable, adequate and predictable financing.

The EU welcomes the Summit's recognition of health issues such as HIV/AIDS, Malaria and Tuberculosis as severe risks to achieving the MDGs, and the endorsement at the Summit of the goal of universal access to treatment for HIV by 2010. The EU strongly endorses the need for a balanced, integrated approach, and welcomes the emphasis on prevention and care in the outcome document. In addition, the EU looks forward to the speedy implementation of the commitment to achieve universal access to reproductive health by 2015, as set out at the International Conference on Population and Development, integrating this goal in strategies to attain the internationally agreed development goals, including those contained in the Millennium Declaration.

The EU welcomes the Summit's conclusion on the recognition of the important role of trade in achieving the MDGs, and the commitment to work expeditiously towards implementing the development dimension of the Doha Development Agenda. The EU underlines the importance of ensuring the integration of developing countries into the world trading system, of implementation of the Brussels Programme of Action for Least Developed Countries, in particular duty-free and quota-free market access, and ensuring sustainable development. The EU looks forward to the WTO Ministerial in Hong Kong in December to take this forward.

Terrorism. The EU reiterates its commitment to working towards agreement on a Comprehensive Convention on terrorism during UNGA60, with the aim of concluding those negotiations before the end of this year. The discussions are being taken forward by the Sixth Committee of the General Assembly. The EU agrees that UN counter terrorism strategy should be developed, based on the Secretary General's strategy, and looks forward to his proposals to strengthen the capacity of the UN to assist States in combating terrorism.

The EU commends the various initiatives to promote dialogue, tolerance and understanding among different cultures, civilisations and religions.

The EU is disappointed that agreement was not reached on Non-Proliferation and Disarmament issues at the Summit, and remains committed to exploring ways to achieve progress and revitalise the global disarmament and non-proliferation machinery. We believe that the international community must take responsibility and address the serious threat posed to peace and security by the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and their means of delivery. We recognise that this outcome requires due reflection from us all. The EU worked tirelessly on the basis of a Common Position, at both the NPT Review Conference and the Summit, to make progress on these and related issues, including disarmament and peaceful uses.

Nevertheless, the Council welcomes the emphasis given in the Outcome Document to the negative effects posed by armed conflicts, its support of the implementation of the 2001 UN Programme of Action to Prevent, Combat and Eradicate the Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons in All its Aspects and the fact that it urges States Parties to implement the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention and Amended Protocol II to the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons. The EU considers that SALW efforts at the UN, notably those on SALW transfers, have to be intensified in order to alleviate the serious impact of SALW proliferation on development and human rights.

The EU welcomes the Summit's reaffirmation of pacific settlements of disputes and stresses the importance of implementing commitments with regard to the use of the ICJ, the prevention of armed conflict, and the strengthening of the Secretary-General's capacity in the area of good offices and mediation.

The EU welcomes the mandate given to the Secretary-General to address longer-term reform of the UN development architecture. Stronger UN system-wide coherence in policy, operational activities, humanitarian assistance and environmental activities, will result in more effective uses of the wealth of expertise, experience and resources within the UN system. The EU also supports the clear commitment made to improving the timeliness and predictability of humanitarian funding, in part by strengthening of the Central Emergency Revolving Fund.

The EU actively supports further efforts for reform of ECOSOC, given its role as the principle UN body for coordination, policy dialogue and formulation of recommendations on economic, social, environmental and humanitarian issues, including implementation of the internationally agreed developmental goals, including the MDGs. The EU is looking forward to working together with all partners to make ECOSOC more effective.

The EU encourages the Secretary-General to report to UNGA as soon as possible on the process for establishment of the Rule of Law Assistance Unit, so that this can be established not later than the first half of 2006.

As endorsed by the Summit, the EU supports a stronger relationship between the UN and regional and subregional organisations, pursuant to Chapter VIII of the UN Charter. It is ready, for its part, to expand consultation and cooperation with the UN, through a possible formalised agreement.

The EU reiterates its firm commitment to the International Criminal Court as laid down in Council Common Position of 16 June 2003 on the International Criminal Court. The EU strongly welcomes the essential role of the International Criminal Court for the purpose of preventing and curbing the commission of the serious crimes falling within its jurisdiction. The EU reaffirms its commitment to supporting the effective functioning of the International Criminal Court and to advancing universal support for it by promoting the widest possible participation in the Rome Statute."

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• EU Council Conclusions on the Implementation of the Outcome of the UN World Summit (10/4/2006)
• EU Presidency Statement - Implementation of Decisions from 2005 World Summit (16/12/2005)
• EU Presidency Statement - Follow-up to World Summit Outcome on Development  (13/12/2005)
• EU Presidency Statement - Least Developed Countries (10/11/2005)
• EU External Relations Council Conclusions (7/11/2005)
• EU Presidency Statement - 2005 UN World Summit  (4/10/2005)
• EU Presidency Statement - UN 2005 World Summit  (14/9/2005)
• UN World Summit 2005: Commission President Barroso challenges others to match EU's commitments on Development goals  (12/9/2005)
• Support to peacebuilding: examples of EU action (12/9/2005)