Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2007-09-05-Speech-3-219"
| Predicate | Value (sorted: default) |
|---|---|
| rdf:type | |
| dcterms:Date | |
| dcterms:Is Part Of | |
| dcterms:Language | |
| lpv:document identification number |
"en.20070905.22.3-219"2
|
| lpv:hasSubsequent | |
| lpv:speaker | |
| lpv:translated text |
"Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, the European Community has attached great importance to the role of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification in alleviating poverty ever since it was signed in 1994. The Convention was developed as a principle tool to help achieve the objective of sustainable use of soil, in order to combat hunger and poverty.
The Commission still considers this Convention to be a key part of the fight against poverty and desertification; the Convention is still a unique forum, with the necessary competence and experience to learn lessons and design new approaches to tackling soil deterioration, and has achieved a great deal but, as we are all aware, there is still much to be done.
The current work of the Convention is focused on key issues in the implementation of actions, such as integration and coherence, within strategic frameworks for cooperation. The countries affected, as well as the donor countries, need to ensure that the development of the Convention is closely linked to other key development initiatives and, in particular, they need to ensure that the country concerned owns the process and runs it itself.
With regard to the European Union objectives for the conference to be held in Madrid, firstly, the Commission is particularly pleased that four members of the European Parliament are part of the Community delegation to the conference. The Convention is entering its second decade and needs to adapt itself in order to respond to new challenges and take advantage of new opportunities. This means reviewing measures that are taken through the Convention, in order to maximise the effectiveness and efficiency of our work in combating soil degradation and poverty.
With this in mind, the main EU objective for the Madrid conference is the adoption of the ten-year strategic plan to improve the application of the Convention, which was drawn up by a working group in accordance with the conclusions of the last conference of the parties, which was held in 2005. This plan, which is strongly supported by the European Union, represents the parties’ joint, renewed vision of the strategic direction to take over the next ten years. If, as we hope, this joint vision is adopted, we will need to create an effective framework for applying it in order to maximise the effectiveness of the work of the Secretariat of the Convention and its other institutions.
Finally, this package of reforms will be accompanied by a realistic budget that is acceptable to all parties, establishing provision for expenditure that is in line with the planned activities, fulfilling very strict standards of transparency and clarity. In July, as the President-in-Office of the Council said, the conclusions of the General Affairs and External Relations Council adopted the overall approach that I have been talking about."@en1
|
Named graphs describing this resource:
The resource appears as object in 2 triples