MEPs and African, Caribbean and Pacific MPs agreed on post-Cotonou, the rise of populism, the fight against terrorism and climate change.
During the 36th session of the Joint Parliamentary Assembly (JPA), which took place from 3 to 5 December in Cotonou (Benin), Members of the European Parliament and their counterparts from 78 African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) countries debated and adopted several resolutions.
Parliamentarians debated the concrete involvement of the international community in the fight against terrorism in the Sahel, and the political situation in Cameroon. Resolutions on the fight against cybercrime and drug trafficking, the development of small and medium enterprises in ACP countries and wildlife trafficking were adopted, as well as urgent resolutions on the impact of climate change and the rise of populism.
On post-Cotonou, the co-presidents of the Assembly, Michèle Rivasi for the European Parliament and Joseph Owona KONO for the ACP, recalled, in a joint declaration that “both negotiating parties echo their desire to maintain this deep and unique partnership. The post-2020 Partnership must be one of equal partners and better serve the needs of its citizens in ACP countries and the EU.”
The resolutions and urgent resolutions adopted include:
The resolution on the rise of populism was adopted by near-unanimity. It highlights the need to combat the underlying causes of populist movements such as corruption, poverty and the lack of a fair division of the benefits of globalisation between countries and at the heart of societies.
The resolution on combating the destabilizing effects of wildlife trafficking in ACP countries and promoting the implementation of the external dimension of the EU Action Plan against wildlife trafficking was also adopted.
The Women’s Forum focussed on early marriage and how to guarantee the rights of young girls by swiftly implementing existing legislation. Attended by around 350 young people who put forward concrete proposals, the Youth Conference focussed on employment opportunities.
The ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly (JPA) brings together 78 MEPs and 78 African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) countries that signed the Cotonou Agreement, the basis of ACP-EU cooperation and development work.
The 37th session of the ACP-EU JPA will be held from 18 to 20 March 2019 in Siania (Romania).
