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EU Presidency Statement - Major UN conferences and summits

Mr. President,

I have the honour to speak on behalf of the European Union. The acceding countries Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia, and the countries associated with the EU - Bulgaria, Romania, and Turkey - as well as the EFTA countries of Iceland and Norway have aligned themselves with this statement.

The European Union thanks the Secretariat for the papers and the lists of relevant background documents and conferences provided to the working group, as well as for the explanations provided by Mr. Khan. These useful documents allow us to begin our collective consideration of the different subjects of the agenda adopted on February 7th. We will continue to study them during the days ahead, but we would already like to make the following remarks:

• The principal goal of the years ahead will be the effective implementation of the targets and commitments made at the major UN Conferences and Summits of the last ten years including the Millennium Declaration that constitutes for the European Union the overarching policy framework also for the economic and social work of the UN. This is why we welcome the proposal of the G77 to begin our work with the theme of implementation. The United Nations must play a central role: to maintain the political momentum established through the major conferences; and to ensure a more integrated and coordinated implementation of their targets and commitments.
  
  
• At this stage we would like to focus on a series of important principles which should guide the process of implementation. We will return to them in more detail in the week ahead, but for example we might consider the following ideas:

1) In the first instance the primary responsibility for implementation remains that of member states, be they developing or developed countries. Each must put in place the policies and commitments to which we have signed up. With respect to development, which forms an important part of our activity, we must continue to work according to the principles of national ownership and international partnership.

2) The UN system, including the BWIs and other institutional actors - in the spirit established at the Monterrey Conference on Financing for Development - should support the efforts of member states. They should work in a coordinated way, with the same goals and targets established in the major Conferences.

3) The implementation of the outcomes of the Conferences and Summits will not be complete without the contribution of civil society and the private sector. They have an important role to play and should therefore be involved as far as possible.

4) Progress on implementation of all the commitments should of course be monitored. This applies to all member states and should be conducted in an integrated manner.

5) The Millennium Development Goals as well as the outcomes of the major Conferences can play an important role in mobilising support for implementing and monitoring our shared commitments

• This brings me to the second point on our agenda, which concerns the follow up. We should make full use of the existing structures - the General Assembly, ECOSOC and the subsidiary bodies - which should better enable, support and follow up the effective implementation of the outcomes of the Conferences.
  
  
• On this basis, the Secretariat's first non-paper provides a useful starting point which we will consider in more detail in the coming days. In our view, Part II of the paper gives a useful description of the respective role of each of these bodies, and of the way in which we might use cross-cutting themes to organise their work. For example, the subsidiary bodies, such as the Functional Commissions, should be primarily responsible for the individual follow up of Conferences - thus respecting their thematic unity and the balance of their outcomes. The more global bodies, such as the GA and ECOSOC, would be more effective if they could follow the same issues in a more integrated way, each according to their respective mandate.
  
  
• As set out in resolution 57/270, the identification, at intergovernmental level, of cross -cutting themes appears essential for an effective follow-up to conferences at the global level. We might consider and discuss in this group the suggestions from the Secretariat. We share the principle that these themes should reflect in a balanced way the principal outcomes of the Conferences. Equally, we should reflect on the way in which they should be taken into account at ECOSOC and in the GA, according to the specific mandates of each body.
  
  
• We would like to add a few words at this early stage on agenda items 3 and 4 - which we will return to in more detail later on. On item 3 - the organisation of the work of the GA and Second and Third Committees - we will look seriously at any proposals to reinject political energy and focus into this essential part of the intergovernmental process. This process should be relevant to ensuring effective implementation of the Conference outcomes.
  
  
• The Fourth item relates to the review of the implementation. We note that the major summits and conferences of the last decade have given us an ambitious and time- bound agenda for poverty eradication and sustainable development. The process of defining goals and commitments through summits at the global level has come to a natural watershed. Our objective should be to make the follow up and implementation process, through existing structures, more politically relevant and attractive for high level participation.
  
  
• With respect to the review process we note with interest the idea of a periodic high level meeting to measure progress against the implementation of the conference outcomes. We consider this an interesting idea on which we should reflect further.

I thank you, Sir.

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