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Raad van de Europese Unie
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|COUNCIL OF | |EN |
|THE EUROPEAN UNION | | |
|Lima, 17 May 2008 |
|9537/08 (Presse 129) |
|PRESS RELEASE |
|Subject: CARIFORUM-EU TROIKA SUMMIT Lima, Peru, 17 May 2008 - Joint|
|Communiqué - |
|CARIFORUM-EU TROIKA SUMMIT |
|Lima, Peru, 17 May 2008 |
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|Joint Communiqué |
The Heads of State and Government of the Caribbean Forum (CARIFORUM) and
the European Union (EU) represented by the Troika, held their Third Meeting
in Lima, Peru on 17 May 2008, on the occasion of the V Summit of Heads of
State and Government of the European Union and Latin America and the
Caribbean. They discussed, inter alia, issues relating to CARIFORUM-EU
relations, regional integration and intra-CARIFORUM cooperation,
implementation of the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) between the
CARIFORUM States, the European Community and its Member States, energy
costs and food prices, economic vulnerabilities, sound management of
natural resources including adaptation measures and development co-
operation.
The CARIFORUM and EU Heads of State and Government exchanged views on
progress in regional integration. The EU welcomed also the new impetus
given to the CARICOM integration process, through, inter alia, the
decisions taken at the 19th Inter-Sessional meeting of the Conference of
Heads of Government of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), which was held in
Nassau, The Bahamas on 7 - 8 March 2008, which seek to extend the benefits
accruing to the region's people from the integration movement, including
the operationalization of the CARICOM Development Fund.
The Heads of State and Government welcomed the successful conclusion of the
Economic Partnership Agreement negotiations in December 2007 and confirmed
their commitment to co-operate towards the successful implementation of the
Agreement.
The Heads of State and Government agreed that the focus of co-operation
under the 10th EDF Caribbean Regional Indicative Programme (CRIP) of E165M
should be support for the EPA implementation, regional integration and
intra-CARIFORUM cooperation. In that regard, they issued a Joint Statement
highlighting the principal elements of EU-CARIFORUM Partnership.
The EU leaders expressed solidarity with the efforts of CARIFORUM to
address the challenges that the rising cost of food and energy pose to the
livelihood of citizens of the region. The EU and CARIFORUM leaders agreed
on the urgent need to enhance CARIFORUM's capacity and to develop policies
for managing key threats to food security including the strengthening of
domestic food supply networks, marketing systems and enterprises. Both
sides agreed to engage in renewed dialogue on these issues and explore
avenues for enhanced collaboration within the framework of new and existing
mechanisms for cooperation, including the appointment of a Joint Task
Force. The Task Force would address immediate, medium and long term issues
of climate change, energy and food security and agricultural productivity
and diversification, with a view to ameliorate the problems in CARIFORUM
states and to contribute to their sustainable development.
The CARIFORUM Heads of State and Government welcomed the EU's reaffirmed
commitment to work together with the Caribbean States to tackle the
specific challenges they face and they welcomed the finalisation of the
programming exercise for the 10th EDF under which some E737M of
programmable funds have been made available for national programmes, aimed
at reducing poverty, supporting regional integration and cooperation and
addressing the specific vulnerabilities of the countries.
The Heads of State and Government recalled the high degree of vulnerability
of the wider Caribbean Basin to natural disasters, the increased occurrence
and severity of these phenomena as well as the fact that the Caribbean has
been internationally regarded as being among those suffering most from the
impact of climate change. In this context, CARIFORUM Heads of State and
Government welcomed the various activities launched recently under the 9th
EDF in the area of natural and man-made disasters, including a contribution
to the Caribbean Catastrophe Risk Insurance Facility (CCRIF), support to
the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Response Agency (CDERA) and the creation
of a E 22m standby facility on disaster preparedness and rehabilitation.
The Parties welcomed the discussions on the new ACP/EU Natural Disaster
Facility under the 10th EDF and agreed on the need to ensure its prompt
implementation, building on the experience gained under the 9th EDF.
The Heads of State and Government welcomed the recent EU Global Climate
Change Alliance (GCCA) with developing countries, which is designed to help
Least Developed Countries (LDCs) and Small Island Developing States (SIDS)
in particular to increase their capacity to adapt to climate change and
pursue sustainable development strategies. In this respect, they noted that
the GCCA will provide a platform for dialogue and exchange as well as
practical cooperation in support of the international negotiations on an
ambitious post-2012 climate change agreement and of effective measures at
national and regional level. They adopted a CARIFORUM-EU Declaration on
the Global Climate Change Alliance and underlined its significance for the
Caribbean region.
The Heads of State and Government commended the progress made by the
Haitian authorities towards democracy and stabilisation of the macro-
economic framework. They welcomed Haiti's deeper involvement in the
regional integration movement including through its ratification of the
Revised Treaty of Chaguaramas as well as its accession to the Rio Group. In
addition, Heads of State and Government renewed the call for the continued
support of the international community to Haiti.
The Heads of State and Government acknowledged that common regional
institutions are a prerequisite for the continued deepening of regional
cooperation as well as increasing cohesion, cooperation and understanding
in the Region. CARIFORUM Heads of State and Government welcomed EU support
to regional institutions including the recently established Caribbean
Regional Information and Translation Institute (CRITI) in the Republic of
Suriname.
The Heads of State and Government underlined the benefit of a continuous
and constructive dialogue between the two regions and agreed to hold their
next meeting on the occasion of the VI Summit of Heads of State and
Government of the European Union and Latin America and the Caribbean in
Spain in 2010.
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ANNEX 1
JOINT STATEMENT ON CARIFORUM-EU PARTNERSHIP
POLICY FRAMEWORK
The Heads of State and Government of the Caribbean Forum (CARIFORUM) and
the European Union (EU) represented by the Troika met in Lima, Peru on 17
May 2008 for discussions on regional cooperation in the Caribbean and more
particularly the programming of the 10th EDF Caribbean Regional Programme.
The Heads of State and Government discussed the regional integration and
cooperation processes in the Caribbean region and acknowledged the
substantial achievements to date as well as future steps. Their
discussions covered the different levels of regional integration and
cooperation in the Caribbean, particularly amongst the OECS, CARICOM and
CARIFORUM countries, Haiti - Dominican Republic and ACP/DOM/OCT
cooperation. They also discussed broader cooperation in the Caribbean and
Latin American context.
The discussions took place against the background of Caribbean and European
policy documents including the Revised Treaty of Chaguaramas, the OECS
Treaty of Basseterre, the European Consensus, the EU-Caribbean Strategy and
the Economic Partnership Agreement between the CARIFORUM States, the
European Community and its Member States (EPA) and its Joint Declaration
on Development Cooperation.
The Heads of State and Government agreed on the importance of establishing
mechanisms for a structured and comprehensive political dialogue in order
to further strengthen their relationship.
They also took stock of the future prospects for regional integration and
cooperation in CARIFORUM as well as the probable impact of the Economic
Partnership Agreement on these processes and the related commitments in
terms of trade and development cooperation.
CARIFORUM VULNERABILITIES AND CHALLENGES
The Heads of State and Government considered the current situation in the
Caribbean, its special characteristics, economic challenges and
vulnerabilities including those related to rising costs of food and energy,
environment, climate change and natural disasters and crime and security
issues.
They considered the region's essential need for human resource
development, to counter the effects of migration, to meet the growing
demands of economic diversification and to build capacity both in the
private and public sectors. The Parties recognised the importance of
interconnection and the related issues of air and maritime transport
infrastructure for the sustainable economic development of the region.
EU-CARIFORUM DEVELOPMENT FINANCE COOPERATION
The Heads of State and Government analysed the situation in the region,
and took note of the allocation of the E 165 million for the 10th EDF
Caribbean Regional Programme for the period 2008-2013. The Parties also
agreed to work together towards attracting additional resources to the
Region from EU Member States under their respective national cooperation
programmes and Aid for Trade (AfT) funding and from other development
partners, including those active in the Caribbean. The Parties
acknowledged that aid coordination in line with the Paris Declaration on
Aid Effectiveness and regional ownership is crucial to the successful
management of the funds that accrue to the region and agreed that the
Caribbean region will take the initiative to effect such coordination and
that the EC will support these efforts.
Recognising that efficient use of funds also entails timely mobilization,
the Heads of State and Government agreed to work together to achieve
optimal disbursement rates, through the adoption of innovative and flexible
implementation mechanisms. They also agreed to consider the best ways of
establishing the regional development fund referred to in the EPA Joint
Declaration on Development Cooperation, by the nearest possible date, as an
effective channel for aid disbursement.
INFRASTRUCTURE AND PRIVATE SECTOR DEVELOPMENT
Recognising the importance of infrastructure and particularly
interconnection infrastructure to regional integration and the economic
development of the region the Parties agreed to work together towards
establishing an infrastructure fund in which the EC will participate and
will also explore the possible involvement of the European Investment Bank,
EU Member States, other development partners and international financial
institutions.
The Parties also recognised the critical importance of the private sector
contributions and private sector development for achieving the development
objectives of the region.
10TH EDF CARIBBEAN REGIONAL INDICATIVE PROGRAMME
The Parties agreed, in principle, that the 10th EDF Caribbean Regional
Programme would be programmed along the following lines.
Focal Area: Regional Economic Integration/Cooperation and EPA priority
areas including Capacity Building (approximately 85-90% of E165 million)
CARICOM Integration
2. Supporting the process of CARICOM integration including the
establishment of a Single Market Economy (CSME), an area of
free circulation of goods, services, people and capital;
OECS Economic Union
4. Supporting and deepening of OECS integration and support for
OECS integration into the CSME
Strengthening Intra-CARIFORUM Regional Co-operation
6. Focusing on Dominican Republic/Haiti Bi-lateral Cooperation
7. Supporting closer cooperation between CARICOM and the
Dominican Republic
Investing in Human Capital
Preparing the people and institutions of CARIFORUM to respond to the
challenges posed by global trade and economic realities including the
CARIFORUM-EU EPA, in partnership with Caribbean centres of
excellence, such as regional universities.
EPA implementation
Supporting priority EPA implementation and accompanying measures at
the OECS, CARICOM and CARIFORUM levels.
Integration and cooperation in the wider Caribbean
Supporting CARIFORUM/DOM/OCT integration and cooperation;
Supporting CARIFORUM-cooperation with Latin American Caribbean
countries and sub-regional institutions or integration processes.
Non-Focal Area: Addressing vulnerabilities and social issues (approximately
10 -15% of E165 million).
Crime and Security Cooperation;
Supporting regional security cooperation structures building on the
CARICOM Action Plan and foster all-CARIFORUM cooperation in the fight
against illicit drugs and related crimes;
Civil Society participation
2. Promoting stakeholder ownership and participation in the
development, integration and cooperation processes in the
region.
Institutional support / programme implementation
CONCLUSION
The Heads of State and Government instructed the European Commission and
CARIFORUM Secretariat to finalise the 10th EDF Caribbean Regional
Indicative Programme for urgent commencement of implementation.
ANNEX 2
CARIFORUM -EU DECLARATION
ON CLIMATE CHANGE AND ENERGY
BACKGROUND
The Heads of State and Government of the Caribbean Forum (CARIFORUM) and
the European Union (EU), represented by the Troika, exchanged views on
climate change, energy and food security at their meeting in Lima, Peru on
17 May 2008.
They noted that the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change
(UNFCCC) and the Kyoto Protocol, measures for adaptation to climate change
provided for under the Nairobi Work Programme, the Barbados Programme of
Action for the Sustainable Development of Small Islands Developing States
(BPoA), the Mauritius Strategy as well as the outcomes of other relevant
United Nations conferences and summits, represent the main framework for
addressing global warming, climate change and sea level rise, which impact
on the sustainable development of Small Island and Low-lying Coastal
Developing States (SIDS). They further noted that the Global Climate Change
Alliance (GCCA) is designed to complement these key instruments, to which
all CARIFORUM and EU states are Party.
The Heads of State and Government recalled that the GCCA is a mechanism for
improving political dialogue and promoting the exchange of experiences
between the European Union and developing countries most vulnerable to
climate change on the integration of climate change issues into development
policies and strategies. The results of the GCCA dialogue will feed into
the discussions for an appropriate post 2012 multilateral framework
agreement on climate change under the (UNFCCC).
The Heads affirmed the intent of the GCCA to ensure that poor developing
countries increase their capacities to adapt to the negative effects of
climate change in their pursuit of sustainable development, including the
provision of concrete support for adaptation and mitigation measures in
particular, as an integral element of poverty reduction strategies.
The Heads of State and Government affirmed the outcome of the United
Nations Climate Change Conference held in Bali in December 2007 as a major
step in the global fight against climate change and noted that the
international community now has the major task of formulating an effective,
comprehensive and global agreement on a future framework for a post 2012
climate change agreement before the end of 2009. They welcomed in
particular, the Bali Action Plan and the decision to finalize the
operational details of the Adaptation Fund without delay, in light of the
role that the Adaptation Fund will play in financing concrete adaptation
projects in developing countries.
Considering that unprecedented finance and investments will have to be
mobilised to meet the current and future challenges of both mitigation and
adaptation and the needs of developing countries in this respect, they
agreed to seek to mobilize all possible resources to further the
implementation of the Barbados Plan of Action, the Mauritius Strategy for
Implementation and the Caribbean Regional Strategy on Climate Change and
other relevant programmes in the Caribbean region .
The Heads of State and Government, emphasised that emission reductions will
have to be far more ambitious than in the framework of the Kyoto Protocol
in order to limit global warming to 2° C. They also highlighted the global
nature of the problem and hence the importance of agreeing on deeper
absolute emission reduction commitments by developed countries and of
facilitating further fair and effective, nationally appropriate mitigation
actions by all major emitters of greenhouse gases.
Recalling the provision of Article 32 of the Cotonou Agreement regarding
ACP-EU cooperation on environmental protection and the sustainable
utilization of natural resources and the Joint ACP-EU Declaration on
Climate Change and Development adopted in Port Moresby in June 2006, the
Heads of State and Government underscored that climate change should, given
its critical importance, be mainstreamed in development cooperation and
support programmes and projects, within the context of the ACP-EU
Partnership.
CARIBBEAN POLICY
The Heads of State and Government acknowledged that climate change is an
important developmental issue for Caribbean States that needs to be
addressed within the broader perspective of poverty reduction, energy, food
security and sustainable development.
They also commended the commitment of Caribbean states to the wider 2002
Latin American and Caribbean regional initiative for Sustainable
Development which emphasised that timely action be taken to reduce the
impact of climate change through the implementation of effective mitigation
and adaptation measures.
The Heads of State and Government also commended the various initiatives
taken by the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Response Agency (CDERA) to
address the challenges of climate change and link disaster preparedness
activities with adaptation needs, including the development of a
Comprehensive Disaster Management Strategy.
They further acknowledged the significant achievements of the Caribbean
Community Climate Change Centre (CCCCC) in building regional capacity to
cope with the challenges to regional sustainable development.
EU POLICY
Heads of State and Government welcomed the EU's recent climate change and
energy related policy initiatives, highlighting the need for absolute
emission reduction commitments and reflecting that developed countries
should continue to take the lead by committing to collectively reducing
their emissions of greenhouse gases in the order of 30% by 2020 compared to
1990 with a view to collectively reducing their emissions by 60 to 80% by
2050 compared to 1990;
They took note the EU's commitment to a reduction of 30% of greenhouse gas
emissions by 2020 compared to 1990 as its contribution to a global and
comprehensive agreement for the period beyond 2012, provided that other
developed countries commit themselves to comparable emission reductions and
economically more advanced developing countries adequately contribute
according to their responsibilities and respective capabilities;
Heads of State and Government also took note of the EU's decision, until a
global and comprehensive post-2012 agreement is concluded, to make a firm
independent commitment to achieve at least a 20% reduction of greenhouse
gas emissions by 2020 compared to 1990;
They also commended the adoption of a comprehensive EU energy Action Plan
for the period 2007-2009 setting highly ambitious quantified targets on
energy efficiency, and all forms renewable energies.
JOINT CARIFORUM-EU ACTION
The Heads of State and Government of CARIFORUM and the EU affirmed the need
to take urgent action to address the issues of climate change, energy and
food security.
Both sides also agreed to work together to mobilise political support for
stronger action on climate change and to examine how the international
framework could facilitate such action. This action should be guided by a
shared vision for long term cooperative efforts and should include
perspectives on low-carbon development, climate-safe paths and reduced
climate vulnerabilities.
The Heads of State and Government therefore affirmed their commitment to
work together to:
enhance cooperation in international negotiations and strengthen efforts by
all Parties to address climate change, energy and food security including
through regular consultations, joint initiatives and leadership in their
respective regions;
cooperate towards the successful conclusion of a post-2012 agreement under
the UNFCCC and its Kyoto Protocol and in the implementation of their
respective commitments (still to be negotiated).
The Heads of State and Government of CARIFORUM welcomed the European
Union's intention to assist and support the Caribbean region in its
adaptation and mitigation efforts, through the Global Climate Change
Alliance, and other appropriate instruments. They also urged that priority
attention be given to implementation of energy and food security programmes
through instruments such as "Intra ACP" cooperation under the 10th European
Development Fund.
Recalling those commitments, CARIFORUM and the EU jointly identified, inter
alia, the following immediate priorities for action:
Support for the implementation of the Caribbean Regional Climate Change
Strategy
Development of a comprehensive inventory and valuation of existing critical
facilities to assess the vulnerability of key infrastructure and economic
sectors to climate change, particularly in the agriculture, biodiversity,
forestry, fisheries, tourism, health and water resources management
sectors;
Improved management of the region's natural resources, by way of the
creation of an enabling environment for the sustainable development of
agricultural productivity and the promotion of agricultural
diversification.
The Heads of State and Government of CARIFORUM and the EU have therefore
agreed to appoint a joint CARIFORUM-EU technical group at the regional
level to ensure appropriate follow-up action to this Declaration. The
technical group will translate the above immediate priorities for joint
action into meaningful concrete activities that will be part of the GCCA
support framework, to be included in the EU/LDC and SIDS GCCA Joint
Declaration on Climate Change, for consideration by the Parties'
Development/Finance Ministers at their meeting in Poznan in December 2008
during UNFCCC Conference of Parties -14.
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Adopted at the first special meeting of the Forum of Ministers of
the Environment of Latin America and the Caribbean, held in
Johannesburg, South Africa, in August 2002
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