105. Welcomes the fact that the Council establishes and regularly updates lists of focus countries in respect of which additional concerted efforts are made with a view to implementation of the European Union Guidelines on children and armed conflicts, on the death penalty (so-called 'countries on the cusp') and on human rights defenders; notes that a similar practice is also envisaged under the Implementation Strategy of the new European Union Guidelines on the promotion and protection of the rights of the child; encourages the Cou ...[+++]ncil and the Commission to extend this good practice, which allows the European Union inter alia to react in a more effective manner through demarches, statements and other forms of action, to the European Union Guidelines on torture; encourages the Council and the Commission to involve United Nations Special Mechanisms and to take into account recommendations and urgency resolutions of the European Parliament when identifying focus countries;

105. Welcomes the fact that the Council establishes and regularly updates lists of focus countries in respect of which additional concerted efforts are made with a view to implementation of the European Union Guidelines on children and armed conflicts, on the death penalty (so-called 'countries on the cusp') and on human rights defenders; notes that a similar practice is also envisaged under the Implementation Strategy of the new European Union Guidelines on the promotion and protection of the rights of the child; encourages the Com ...[+++]mission and the Council to extend this good practice, which allows the European Union inter alia to react in a more effective manner through demarches, statements and other forms of action, to the European Union Guidelines on torture; encourages the Council and the Commission to involve United Nations Special Mechanisms and to take into account recommendations and urgency resolutions of the European Parliament when identifying focus countries;

9. Welcomes the Commission's initiative to launch a Good Humanitarian Partnership, enhancing global humanitarian reform by bringing together donors, implementing partners and beneficiaries in a joint platform and the adoption by the EU in 2005 of operational guidelines on the promotion of respect for IHL; wishes to see the EU play a leading role in monitoring the defence, promotion, dissemination and enforcement of respect for IHL, including by non-State actors, in order to preserve the humanitarian space; wishes to see all the Member States which have not yet done so subscribe without reservation to the above-mentioned Principles ...[+++] and Good Practice of Humanitarian Donorship (GHD); stresses the need for these principles to be translated into practice and for their observance to be assessed on a regular (biennial) basis by the EU institutions and Parliament's standing rapporteur on humanitarian aid;

9. Welcomes the Commission's initiative to launch a Good Humanitarian Partnership, enhancing global humanitarian reform by bringing together donors, implementing partners and beneficiaries in a joint platform and the adoption by the EU in 2005 of operational guidelines on the promotion of respect for International Humanitarian Law (IHL); wishes to see the EU play a leading role in monitoring the defence, promotion, dissemination and enforcement of respect for IHL, including by non-State actors, in order to preserve the humanitarian space; wishes to see all the Member States which have not yet done so subscribe without reservation to the principles ...[+++] and good practice for humanitarian donorship (GHD) endorsed in Stockholm on 17 June 2003; stresses the need for these principles to be translated into practice and for their observance to be assessed on a regular (biennial) basis by the EU institutions and the European Parliament’s standing rapporteur on humanitarian aid;

These Guidelines advocate the promotion of synergies and the strengthening of inter-institutional cooperation.

In 2005, the EU adopted Guidelines on promoting compliance with international humanitarian law. The EU is committed to operationalising these Guidelines in its external relations