Speech by Mr John CORRIE, ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly

Closing ceremony, Brussels, 20 May 2001

 

Mr Secretary General of the United Nations
Mr Secretary General of UNCTAD
Your Excellencies,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

It is for me a great honour and a great pleasure to represent Mrs. Nicole Fontaine, President of the European Parliament, at this closing ceremony of the Third United Nations Conference on the Least Developed Countries.

President Fontaine has asked me to express her deep regret at her inability to be present this evening, due to a prior engagement. The European Parliament is proud to have been so closely associated with this singularly significant Conference, which, we all hope, will mark a milestone in the development of the least developed countries.

At the outset I should like to thank most sincerely the Secretary General of the United Nations Organisation, Mr Kofi Annan, for the commitment that he has put into making this Conference such a success.

I must also express the gratitude of all participants to Mr Rubens Ricupero, Secretary General of UNCTAD, the co-begetter and co-organiser of this very special gathering.

As I have said, this Conference should represent a milestone in the progression of the 49 least developed countries out of poverty. However, this can only happen if the political will of all concerned, the industrialised countries, the other developing countries, and, most important, the LDCs themselves, is manifest. Many fine and noble sentiments have been expressed here over the past week. Promises have been made, and undertakings entered into. Targets have been set. That was the first stage in the process. Now the hard part must begin.

We have made a good start here in Brussels. I am particularly heartened by the statement by President Romano Prodi that the European Union would forego payments on all outstanding LDC obligations arising from special loans under the terms of the Lome Conventions. This initiative, coming as it does in the wake of the decision to grant duty free access to the European Community market for all products from LDCs except arms, clearly demonstrates the EU's determination to do something concrete to assist the poorest countries.

I was also heartened by the initiatives regarding HIV/AIDS. If positive measures to stem the AIDS pandemic comes out of the Conference, then this gathering will not have been in vain.

 

The OECD Agreement to untie an additional 2 billion US$ annually of bilateral aid to the 49 least developed countries is another important gesture that gives rise to optimism.

 

However these and similar actions, though admirable and useful, will not by themselves transform the economies and social conditions of the people of the poorest countries unless these, albeit valuable, gestures are accompanied by new attitudes and a new determination.

 

The first two UN LDC Conferences produced admirable final documents, programmes and wish-lists. The concrete results were, however, more than disappointing. It is up to all of us now to learn from our previous mistakes, and particularly from our mistakes of omission. We must all muster the political will to realise the aspirations outlined in the Programme of Action for the LDCs for the coming decade. We should not be too ambitious. We must keep our feet firmly on the ground. As has been emphasised by many speakers, it is better to set more modest goals that are achievable, rather than idealistic targets that cannot be attained.

 

As an official parallel event to the Conference, the High level Parlemantarians' Roundtable was attended by 71 parliamentarians, 47 of whom were from LDCs. It was jointly organised by the European Parliament, the Inter-parliamentary Union and UNCTAD.

 

It is characteristic of our age that the measures and instruments that are used in the fight against poverty and to improve the social welfare of our peoples, are increasingly supranational in nature. This, however, renders National Parliament's participatory mechanisms ineffective, since they are not designed to supervise international processes.

 

I am convinced that globalisation at the increased pace which is now emerging can only take place pace if it is prepared, accompanied, and monitored by the democratic participation of elected representatives. The approval of the men and women elected by our societies is, and remains, the best means of legitimising and guaranteeing supranational action.

 

A global parliamentary body is thus needed to be the worldwide guardian of democracy, national self-determination and human rights. Thus can situations like Seattle be avoided. Our Parliamentary forum on Monday, bringing together all the world's parliamentarians, was a first step in the right direction.

 

In conclusion, I should like to reiterate how pleased and how proud the European Parliament is to have hosted this remarkable Conference. However there must be no doubt that its success will be judged not so much by the statements made and targets set, but rather by the concrete action that results from commitments entered into here in Brussels in the course of the past week. I call on all the organisations, and on all the countries represented here, to take positive steps to convert the high aspirations emanating from this historic' gathering into concrete action. The well being, the future, of over 600 million people in the 49 poorest countries in the world depends on your political will and your determination to change things. Are you, are we, willing to meet this challenge?

 

I thank you.

ENDS