Brussels, 08/04/2011 (Agence Europe) - To be a success, the fourth United Nations conference on the least developed countries (LDC-IV) to be held on Istanbul on 9-13 May, must provide tangible results, on the basis of clear indicators and the objective of reducing the number of LDCs by half by 2020, combined with efficient and transparent monitoring and follow-up mechanisms, says the European Parliament in its resolution adopted in Strasbourg on Thursday 7 April by 289 votes to 251, with 60 abstentions.
MEPs say that crucial issues affecting the 48 countries recognised by the UN as the “poorest and weakest segment” of the international community, such as policy coherence between trade and development, agriculture, fisheries, investment and climate change, must be properly addressed and important topics, such as governance and the fight against corruption, in particular the concept of the “governance contract” (incorporating in particular a social threshold) between partner and donor countries, and human capacity-building, put on the agenda.
There are 48 countries currently classified as LDCs: 33 in Africa, 14 in Asia and one in Latin America, with 16 of these countries landlocked and 12 small islands. 75% of the 800 million habitants of the LDCs live on less than US$2 per day. Since the category “LDC” was established by the UN in 1971, the number of LDCs has risen from 25 to 48, and only Botswana in 1994, Cape Verde in 2007 and the Maldives in January 2011 have graduated from LDC status. The EP believes that LDC-IV should focus on policy coherence for development as an important factor for policy shift. It calls, therefore, for policy-making in all areas - such as trade, fisheries, the environment, agriculture, climate change, energy, investment and finance - to support the development needs of LDCs in order to fight poverty and guarantee decent incomes and livelihoods.
MEPs consider that the adoption by the new US of its Conflict Minerals Law is a huge step forward in combating the illegal mining of and trading in minerals in Africa, which fuels civil war and conflicts, and they argue that the UN should put forward a similar proposal to ensure the traceability of imported minerals on the world market.
The EP says that the main objective of EU aid for SMEs must be the creation of wealth and the development of a market economy, fundamental conditions for the eradication of poverty. It also calls for priority to be given to economic growth. It calls on the EU immediately to fulfil its commitments on market access and debt alleviation. The resolution repeats the importance of achieving the objective of between 0.15% and 0.20% of GDP to be allocated to official development aid (ODA) for small businesses, mobilising primarily domestic resources, complemented by innovative financing mechanisms. It urges the EU and member states to give consideration at the LDC-IV to putting in place a tax on financial transactions. The European Commission should increase its aid for trade to help the poorest countries to cope with the competition that results from market liberalisation.
The EP notes, too, that peace and security are essential to the effectiveness of development policies. It urges the EU to have a better coordinated approach in order to address and prevent the root causes of conflicts in LDCs, and support efforts to acquire the capacities to build peaceful and democratic states. (A.N./transl.rt)