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The Canadian Parliamentary Delegation of the Canadian Branch that attended the Meeting of the Cooperation and Development Committee of the Assemblée parlementaire de la Francophonie (APF), held in Delémont, Jura, Switzerland, from April 1 to 5, 2012, has the honour of presenting its report. The delegation consisted of Mr. Robert Aubin, MP and rapporteur to the Committee, accompanied by Mr. François Michaud, the Branch’s executive secretary. The following branches were represented: Belgium/French Community//Wallonia-Brussels, Benin, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Cambodia, Canada, Chad, France, Hungary, Jura, Quebec, Senegal, Switzerland and Togo. Opening ceremony The Speaker of the Parliament of Jura, Ms. Corinne Juillerat; the minister for the economy, cooperation and municipalities of the Government of Jura, Mr. Michel Probst; and the head of the Government of Jura cooperation service, Mr. Stéphane Berdat, welcomed delegates and gave a presentation on the Republic and Canton of Jura. Committee business The agenda and the record of decisions from the July 2011 meeting in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo, were adopted unanimously. A word from the Committee Chair On behalf of the Committee Chair, Mr. Joseph Ndong, MNA (Senegal), the former chair of the Committee, Mr. Mahama Sawadogo, MNA (Burkina Faso), welcomed all the new members of the Committee, including Mr. Aubin, and informed the Committee about the work done since the July 2011 meeting in Kinshasa. Presentations The Committee welcomed Mr. Hervé Cronel, special adviser for economics and sustainable development to the office of the Secretary General of the Organisation internationale de la Francophonie (OIF), who discussed the following issues: poverty reduction and the Millennium Development Goals; sustainable development leading up to Rio+20; international trade negotiations through the World Trade Organization; the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative; and corporate social responsibility. The Committee also heard from Mr. Tchassona Traoré, a notary from Togo and member of the International Union of Notaries’ titling committee, which works on securing land title in Africa, who proposed the creation of a simpler and more secure land title system. Presentation and review of draft reports Economic governance The rapporteur, Mr. André Burri, MP (Jura), presented a report on economic governance, transparency and the role of corporations in society, accompanied by a draft resolution. The draft resolution will be on the agenda again at the Committee’s next meeting. Follow-up on the Ouagadougou Summit: The Francophonie’s contribution to adopting national sustainable development strategies and developing national policies on ecosystem and natural resource management The rapporteur, Mr. Robert Aubin, MP (Canada), briefed the Committee on the background to this recurring theme. The report gives an overview of the OIF’s programming and its main agency in this area, Institut de l’énergie et de l’environnement de la Francophonie (IEPF). The report analyzes issues such as biodiversity; ways to enhance the synergy between parliamentarians, governments and non-governmental organizations to maximize the Francophonie’s contributions to sustainable development; the political visibility of the IEPF’s actions; and National Sustainable Development Strategies. The report concludes that a portrait of the current situation based on specific data and concrete indicators is needed more than ever. A number of comments followed the presentation. Follow-up on international trade negotiations through the World Trade Organization Co-rapporteurs Mr. Germain Chevarie, MNA (Quebec) and Committee Vice-Chair, and Mr. Mahama Sawadogo, MNA (Burkina Faso), presented the report, which first describes recent developments in the Doha Round of trade negotiations and its prospects. The report then details the Committee’s recent activities related to the negotiations. A discussion followed. Land regulations from a food sovereignty perspective Mr. Patrick Dupriez, MP (Belgium/French Community/Wallonia-Brussels), presented the report, which integrates the issue of land titling into a broader approach to the problem of peasant-farmers’ access to land. Mr. Dupriez believes this access is essential to the world’s food security. A discussion followed. Millennium Development Goals Ms. Mila-Bellé Telou, MNA (Togo), presented a report on the issue, emphasizing poverty reduction considerations. A discussion followed. Other business It was agreed that Messrs. Robert Aubin (Canada), Germain Chevarie (Quebec), Patrick Dupriez (Belgium/French Community/Wallonia-Brussels) and Mahama Sawadogo (Burkina Faso) will present a draft APF Advice on the theme of the next Summit of Heads of State and Government of the Francophonie: “The Francophonie, environmental and economic issues, and global governance.” This document will be debated at the next Committee meeting in Brussels. For more information about this meeting, please visit: http://apf-francophonie.org/spip.php?article441 (in French only). By participating in this Committee meeting, the Canadian Branch achieved its objectives of meeting its international obligations, presenting a sound report that promotes information exchange, maintaining international connections and defending its interests.
Respectfully submitted,
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