COUNCIL OF EUROPE
COMMITTEE OF MINISTERS
________
ESTABLISHING A EUROPEAN CENTRE FOR GLOBAL
INTERDEPENDENCE AND SOLIDARITY
(adopted by the Committee of Ministers on 16 November 1989
at its 85th Session)
The Representatives on the Committee of Ministers of Cyprus, France, Italy, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, San Marino and Spain,
Having regard to the European Public Campaign on North-South Interdependence and Solidarity, organised in 1988 by the Council of Europe in co-operation with the European Community, which served in particular to raise public awareness of global interdependence and the ensuing need for solidarity, to prepare the public and politicians for acceptance of new policies regarding North-South relations and to promote North-South communication and contacts in a spirit of respect for human rights and in conformity with the aims and principles enshrined in the Statute of the Council of Europe;
Having noted the Madrid Appeal, adopted by the European Conference of Parliamentarians and Non-Governmental Organisations held in June 1988 to wind up the Campaign, which yielded proposals for following up the Campaign;
Having regard, in particular, to the proposal from the Government of Portugal to establish a European Centre for Global Interdependence and Solidarity, and having noted that the proposal could be realised by means of a partial agreement of interested member States;
Having regard to Recommendation 1095, adopted by the Parliamentary Assembly on 31 January 1989, inviting inter alia the Committee of Ministers to support the proposal made by the Government of Portugal to set up a European Centre for Global Interdependence and Solidarity;
Considering that efforts towards the attainment of the objectives of the Campaign require medium- and long-term action in member States, building on the experience gained and structures set up during the Campaign;
Underlining the urgent need for new efforts that meet the requirements of an interdependent world through strategies of co-operative action in a spirit of solidarity;
Welcoming the special attention and support expressed by various member governments for the establishment of a centre to ensure continuation of the co-operation process which emerged during the Campaign between parliamentarians, governments, non-governmental organisations as well as local and regional authorities;
Having regard to the decision taken by the Committee of Ministers at the 430th meeting
of the Ministers' Deputies (7 November 1989), on the establishment of a European Centre
for Global Interdependence and Solidarity on the basis of a partial agreement, thereby
enabling the member States which wish to do so to pursue these objectives within the
Council of Europe,
Resolve as follows:
1. A European Centre for Global Interdependence and Solidarity is hereby created, to be managed autonomously as an establishment set up by the Council of Europe and subject to the provisions contained in the Statute appended to this resolution;
2. Financial resources made available for the Centre's programme shall be managed under a special account of the Council of Europe within the meaning of Article 4.2 of the Financial Regulations of the Council of Europe and shall benefit as such from the privileges and immunities of the Council of Europe;
3. Members of the staff of the Centre, with the exception of locally recruited technical staff on secondment from the Portuguese civil service, shall be part of the staff of the Council of Europe;
4. The Centre shall be set up as a pilot project for an initial period of three years, at the end of which the Committee of Ministers shall be presented with a report on its achievements and its specific contribution. On the basis of this report, the Committee of Ministers shall review the mandate of the Centre and decide on its future.
Appendix to Resolution (89) 14
STATUTE OF THE EUROPEAN CENTRE FOR GLOBAL
INTERDEPENDENCE AND SOLIDARITY
Article 1 - Aims and functions
1.1. The aims of the European Centre for Global Interdependence and Solidarity
("the Centre") are to provide a framework for European co-operation for the
purpose of increasing public awareness of global interdependence issues and to promote
policies of solidarity in conformity with the aims and principles of the Council of
Europe.
1.2. The Centre will thus serve to:
a. help in maintaining and enhancing the process of communication and co-operation
between parliamentarians, governments,
non-governmental organisations ("NGOs") and local and regional authorities
("quadrilogue") which emerged during the North-South Campaign;
b. provide a framework, a sounding board and a launching platform for, and give a
European dimension to, initiatives by
member governments and other actors in the area of multilateral co-operation for
sustainable development;
c. improve education and information on the fundamental issues of global
interdependence and solidarity, and promote
liaison between the competent government departments and services of the member countries
as regards their public
awareness work on interdependence, both directly and in their support of NGOs;
d. strengthen co-operation and contacts between NGOs from the North and the South, active in promoting a better understanding of interdependence and in pursuing solidarity in their various dimensions and issue areas;
e. create an interface between Europe and the South to generate new ideas and proposals
for constructive relations and to
act as a think-tank on interdependence problems;
f. develop working relations with the United Nations system, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development and other international organisations active in relation to global interdependence;
g. generally act as a focal point for the follow-up to be given to the North-South
Campaign whilst helping to avoid
duplication of efforts among and within its member countries, in particular by improving
information exchange on national
and international initiatives related to interdependence.
Article 2 - Location of the Centre
The aims and functions listed under Article 1 will be pursued by a Centre whose
premises are located in Lisbon by courtesy of the Government of Portugal.
Article 3 - Membership of the Centre
3.1. Member States of the Council of Europe whose representatives have adopted the present resolution are the founding members of the Centre.
3.2. Any other member State of the Council of Europe and any other Contracting Party to the European Cultural Convention may join the Centre at any time by notification addressed to the Secretary General of the Council of Europe.
3.3. Other States may be invited to accede to the Centre by a decision of the Committee of Ministers taken by the majority provided for in Article 20.d of the Statute of the Council of Europe and by the unanimous vote of the representatives of the member States of the Centre entitled to sit on the Committee after consulting the other members of the Centre.
3.4. The European Community is invited to join the Centre.
Article 4 - Organs of the Centre
The organs of the Centre are:
a. the European Consultative Committee on Global Interdependence and Solidarity;
b. the Executive Council and the Bureau;
c. the Meeting of Representatives of Members of the Centre.
Article 5 - European Consultative Committee on Global Interdependence and Solidarity ("Consultative Committee")
5.1. Any member State of the Council of Europe, any other Contracting Party to the European Cultural Convention and any State having acceded to the Centre pursuant to Article 3.3 shall be invited to designate for a period of two years a national delegation, preferably quadripartite, to the Consultative Committee whose four members should be designated and mandated respectively by the government, parliamentarians, local and regional authorities and non-governmental organisations active in the field of global interdependence and solidarity.
5.2. The Consultative Committee shall further be composed of up to thirty members chosen in accordance with decisions of the Secretary General with a view to reflecting the broad range of actors who have carried the North-South Campaign and share an interest in its follow-up process.
5.3. The general task of the Consultative Committee is to continue and expand the process of communication and co-operation between governments, parliamentarians, NGOs and local and regional authorities on the issues of global interdependence and solidarity, initiated by the North-South Campaign, and its specific role shall be to pass, by a majority vote of its members, recommendations concerning programmes and priorities of the Centre.
5.4. The Consultative Committee shall meet once a year.
Article 6 - Executive Council
6.1. The members of the Executive Council shall be:
a. eight representatives of governments of members of the Partial Agreement setting up
the Centre as designated by the
Meeting of Representatives of Members of the Centre for a period of three years;
b. eight members designated by the European Consultative Committee on Global
Interdependence and Solidarity for a period of three years, four of whom shall be drawn
from international NGOs active in the field of global interdependence, associations
of local and regional authorities, social partners, youth organisations and women's
organisations, and four from representatives of national quadrilogue committees created in
member States of the Centre for follow-up to the North-South Campaign at national level;
c. three members designated by the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe;
d. the Secretary General of the Council of Europe or his/her representative;
e. one member designated by the Standing Conference of Local and Regional Authorities of Europe (CLRAE);
f. a representative of the Commission of the European Communities and two members designated by the European Parliament in case the European Community joins the Centre;
g. three persons from the South invited by the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe.
6.2. The Executive Council shall, within the limits of financial resources made
available for that purpose, decide on the programme of activities of the Centre on the
basis of proposals made by the Centre's staff and taking into account
decisions and recommendations adopted by the European Consultative Committee on Global
Interdependence and
Solidarity.
6.3. The programme and budget of the Centre shall be adopted by a two-thirds majority
of the votes cast and a majority of the
members of the Executive Council, including the favourable vote of at least six
governmental representatives.
6.4. The Executive Council shall meet twice a year, one of its annual meetings being
held in conjunction with the
meeting of the European Consultative Committee on Global Interdependence and Solidarity.
Article 7 - The Bureau
7.1. The Executive Council shall elect every year from among its members a Bureau
composed of a chairperson, two
vice-chairpersons and four members, whilst ensuring that two of them are governmental
representatives and that parliamentarians, NGOs, local and regional authorities and the
South are each represented on the Bureau as well as the
European Commission in case the European Community joins the Centre.
7.2. The Bureau shall monitor the preparation and execution of programmes and prepare
the meetings of the Executive Council, with the assistance of the Centre's staff.
Article 8 - Meeting of Representatives of Members of the Centre
8.1. Representatives of the members of the Centre shall meet once a year in Strasbourg for the purpose of establishing the ceiling of financial resources available for the Centre's regular programmes, as well as to determine the contributions to the operational expenditure of the Centre, on the basis of indications from the Executive Council regarding the programmes and envisaged activities.
8.2. During these meetings, the representatives may also pledge contributions for specific additional programmes to be carried out by the Centre.
8.3. The representatives shall examine and agree on proposed contributions and grants
from other donors to support the Centre and its activities.
Article 9 - Staff of the Centre
9.1. The staff of the Centre shall be headed by an Executive Director. The number of staff shall be determined by the Executive
Council in the light of the tasks and the agreed programmes of the Centre, and subject to approval by the Meeting of Representatives of Members of the Centre.
9.2. The Centre and its staff shall in particular:
a. prepare programmes for the implementation of the aims and functions listed under Article 1;
b. serve as a liaison centre and clearing-house for information on activities concerning global interdependence;
c. constitute basic documentation on interdependence issues, in contact with
universities and appropriate research centres
in Portugal and elsewhere;
d. maintain working relations with the United Nations system, the Organisation for
Economic Co-operation and Development
and other international organisations as may be relevant to the programmes of the Centre;
e. provide meeting facilities for the organs of the Centre and for activities in
pursuance of its aims.
Article 10 - Financial arrangements
10.1. Expenditure relating to the implementation of programmes and common secretariat expenditure shall be covered by the regular budget of the Partial Agreement establishing the Centre, within the limits agreed by the Meeting of Representatives of Members of the Centre and governed by the Financial Regulations of the Council of Europe.
10.2. Expenditure relating to additional programmes as well as consultants and temporary staff recruited on the basis of specific needs arising from such programmes shall be covered by special voluntary contributions made available by Members of the Centre, the European Community and/or other donors to fund these additional programmes.
10.3. The travel and subsistence expenses of persons attending meetings of the Executive Council shall be paid by the member State or the organisation concerned, unless otherwise decided by the Executive Council on the basis of special purpose allocations specified in the operational budget of the Centre.
10.4. The travel and subsistence expenses of persons attending meetings of the European Consultative Committee on Global Interdependence and Solidarity shall be paid by the government or the organisation concerned.
10.5. The travel and subsistence expenses of persons attending the Meeting of Representatives of Members of the Centre shall be paid by their respective governments or institutions.
10.6. Additional expenditure arising from the organisation of meetings elsewhere than at the seat of the Council of Europe or the premises of the Centre shall be borne by the host country.