§ Mr. JenkinsTo ask the Secretary of State for International Development if she will make a statement on the outcome of the European Union Development Council Meeting on 28 November. [22069]
§ Clare ShortMinisters held further discussions on the future of EC trade and development relations with the African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) States. The Council agreed one Resolution, on the use of micro-finance programmes as a development tool. The Council also adopted a set of procedural Conclusions, on the Information Society and Development, which set out further work the Commission proposes to do in the area to ensure that within developing countries the benefits from new technologies are shared by all. The Council also discussed and agreed in principle to the extension of the current Food Aid Convention for one year, until 30 June 1999, in order that a new revised Convention can be drawn up. There were exchanges of views on two subjects; the first on the follow-up to the Gender Resolution of 1995, the second covered follow-up to the Conclusions on Linking Relief, Rehabilitation and Development.
394WEight items were raised under any other business. As they were AOB points, there were no formal conclusions. However, there was a useful discussion on the 1996 DAC Report on EC development assistance. The humanitarian situation in the Great Lakes Region in Africa and the coming Friends of Congo meeting were also discussed.