Brussels, 07/07/2014 (Agence Europe) - Preparing the coordinated position of the European Union on the global programme for development post-2015 will be a major priority of Italy during its six months at the helm of the Council of the EU. Time is of the essence, as the negotiation process will be launched at the 69th General Assembly of the United Nations, to be held in September of this year, and which will adopt the new framework to take over from the Millennium Development Goals (MDG).
In order to pull this off, the Presidency will be working closely with the member states of the EU, the European Commission, the European External Action Service (EEAS) and the partner countries to consolidate the global agreement on a single, integrated, overarching and universally applicable framework, combining a single raft of objectives to eradicate poverty and secure sustainable development.
Food security. Given the critical nature of agriculture and sustainable development in fighting to eradicate poverty, the Italian Presidency intends to raise awareness on the challenge of food security and give the European Commission's work in this field greater visibility, to make food security a priority in putting together the post-2015 programme.
It will also seek to create positive synergies with the universal exhibition, EXPO Milan 2015, with the central theme of “Feeding the Planet, Energy for Life”, and with the Second International Conference on Nutrition to be held in Rome in November of this year, at the headquarters of the United Nations' Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO). The Presidency will take steps to reinforce cooperation with the FAO, the WFP (World Food Programme) and IFAD (International Fund for Agricultural Development), which have a very important role to play.
Migration and development. The Presidency will also continue the discussions on mainstreaming migration into development policies and interventions, as well as on the means of creating an enabling environment to maximise the positive impacts of migration and mobility on development. It will also seek to improve best practice, such as the efficient use of the funds sent by migrant workers to their countries of origin, South-South cooperation and the involvement of diasporas in EU member states in co-development projects.
Private sector and development. The Presidency will also continue the discussions on reinforcing the role of the private sector in fighting poverty, on the basis of the communication presented on 13 May by the Commission, which was discussed for the first time by the Council of the EU on 23 June (see EUROPE 11106). (AN)