ST GEORGE’S, Grenada, April 17, 2009 – The G-20's response to the world food and financial crisis, and efforts to make ACP-EU economic partnership agreements flexible enough to meet development needs, took centre stage at the 17th session of the ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly (JPA) in Prague (Czech Republic) from April 4-9. Social Development Minister Glynis Roberts, who represented Grenada at the Prague Session, also chaired one of three meetings held during the Assembly. Mrs Roberts led discussions on crisis management where participants visited various flood-affected areas in Prague in an effort to better understand their mitigation methods. In August 2002 the Czech Republic was hit by devastating floods, in what was the biggest natural disaster in modern Czech history. In some areas the floods - which affected over one third of the country - were the worst in 500 years. The Assembly also discussed sustainable energy and ecological damage. The European Union’s Commissioner for Development and Humanitarian Aid, Louis Michel, who is also a member of parliament in Belgium, spoke during the debate session of the need for ACP states to be reminded of the mid-term review of the Cotonu Agreement which will be launched on May 9 and should be concluded by 2010. The JPA also adopted resolutions on climate change, and reconciling democracy and diversity. Twice a year the EU-ACP JPA brings together 78 parliamentarians from the African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) states and 27 member states of the European Parliament. Development aid from the $1.1 trillion G-20 recovery plan agreed in London on April 2 needs to be new, fast, and additional to existing pledges, says a resolution adopted by the EU-ACP Joint Parliamentary Assembly on April 9. To ensure that the deal delivers for developing countries, the resolution also calls for reforms to put an end to tax evasion, commodity price speculation, farm export subsidies and food shortages. Development policy must be redesigned to cope with climate change consequences such as massive migration to escape rising sea levels, water supply problems, insect-borne disease and damage to agriculture and tourism, according to the resolution. The report advocates low-carbon technology transfer, international trade taxes, national emission taxes and a "Global Financing Mechanism" to support climate change measures. Delegates also adopted that to drive development through trade, EU-ACP economic partnership agreements (EPAs) must be made more flexible, supported with more aid, subjected to parliamentary scrutiny and prevented from damaging efforts to step up intra-ACP regional trade and alleviate poverty. At the closing ceremony, Glenys Kinnock was voted an Honorary President of the ACP-EU JPA, in recognition of the distinguished services she had rendered the Assembly over fifteen years, of which eight as Co-President. Mrs Kinnock will not be standing for re-election to the European Parliament. The next ACP-EU JPA takes place in Luanda (Angola) from November 28 to December 3, 2009.