Doc. 9876

10 July 2003

Achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs)

Motion for a resolution

presented by Mr Jonas and others

1. The Parliamentary Assembly is of the conviction that mankind has never before had so many technical and financial resources at its disposal to eliminate hunger and poverty.

2.       The Assembly considers the Millennium Statement of the United Nations and the Monterrey Consensus on the future of the development financing of March 2002 as milestones on the way to constituting a new and global partnership between the North and the South and views them as a international mandate for common action.

3.       Furthermore, the Assembly is confident that the Monterrey Consensus will prove an important milestone on the way to reaching internationally established development goals.

The developing countries for their part recognise their own responsibility as regards progress toward good governance and a resolute fight against corruption.

Consultations have shown that development policies aiming to fight poverty are a vital component for an effective security policy.

Member states of the European Union have committed themselves to raising the portion of their gross national product going to development co-operation from the present 0.33 to 0.39 per cent by 2006, while member states whose contributions are below the EU average will strive to reach the 0.33 per cent level by 2006.

In addition to a significant increase in aid volumes, there is also a need for greater efficiency in development co-operation and for greater private capital inflow to support development financing.

The Assembly, in view of the above, asks the Council of Europe and its member states:

i. on the basis of the Monterey declaration, to make the fight against poverty the common over-arching goal in international co-operation ;

ii. to establish as their common objective the United Nations goal of halving, by 2015, the number of people subsisting on an income of less than one dollar a day;

iii. in so doing, to be inspired by a United Nations report identifying the following eight vital objectives:

- the eradication of extreme hunger and poverty;

- primary education for all ;

- the promotion of gender equality and the empowerment of women;

- reducing child mortality;

- improve maternal medical care;

- fight against HIV/AIDS, malaria and other illnesses;

- environmental sustainability;

- establishing a structure of a worldwide development partnership.

The Assembly recommends that the Committee of Ministers:

      i. promote public consciousness and support for the implementation of the Millennium Development Goals and the political development objectives contained therein;

      ii. strengthen the political and civil society dialogue in order to implement these goals and to reinforce the co-operation between governments and civil society within the European context;

      iii. at international level within the UN system, work in favour of a coherent, coordinated and harmonised implementation of the Millennium Development Goals.

Signed ¹:

Jonas, Germany, SOC

Bindig, Germany, SOC

Brunhart, Liechtenstein, EPP/CD

Elo, Finland, SOC

Frankenhauser, Germany, EPP/CD

Frey, Switzerland, LDR

Grissemann, Austria, NR

Kirilov, Bulgaria, SOC

Leibrecht, Germany, LDR

Mikkelsen, Denmark, SOC

Riester, Germany, SOC

Tritz, Germany, SOC

Wegener, Germany, SOC

Wodarg, Germany, SOC

¹        SOC: Socialist Group

      EPP/CD: Group of the European People’s Party

      EDG: European Democratic Group

      LDR : Liberal, Democratic and Reformers’ Group

      UEL: Group of the Unified European Left

      NR: not registered in a group