A/HRC/17/34 that provide economic security to individuals most likely to be affected by crises. States should also make human rights impact assessments and risk analyses prior to initiating climate change mitigation or adaptation projects in order to avoid adverse effects on the enjoyment of human rights. J. Enhancing international assistance and cooperation 94. To ensure an equitable and sustainable recovery from successive crises, States should redouble their efforts to meet long-standing human rights commitments to provide international assistance and cooperation.52 Acknowledging that many developing countries have a limited financial and institutional ability to respond to the impact of the crises and cannot afford increased public deficits, developed States should not use the crises to justify cuts in development assistance. Increased international aid could help reduce fiscal pressure for many low-income countries. States should therefore take concrete steps to reach the target of 0.7 per cent of GNP in ODA. To ensure that ODA is effective, it should be given under conditions that respect national ownership and be predictable, transparent and harmonized with national priorities. 95. States should look for innovative means of generating financial resources to assist developing countries in taking a human rights response to crises. In this context, States should seriously consider introducing a financial transaction tax. Such a tax would appropriately represent the financial sector’s contribution to recovering the costs of the global economic and financial crises and provide a new and necessary resource to be allocated to poverty alleviation and development initiatives, including the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals.53 96. The Independent Expert urges G20 countries to give serious thought to the proposal by France to introduce a financial transaction tax, and welcomes the recent decision to commission an inquiry into the feasibility of implementing such a tax. A global consensus on a financial transaction tax would represent an historic decision to prioritize the most disadvantaged and marginalized and be a valuable means of assisting developing countries to meet obligations to ensure the full realization of all economic, social and cultural rights. 97. Consensus and collective action are also essential to address the deficits in the global financial and economic architecture. Given that domestic economies are intertwined with the global economic system, in order for poverty to be reduced, national efforts must be supported by an enabling international environment. In this regard, an open, non-discriminatory, equitable and transparent multilateral trading system is essential. The Independent Expert calls on States to honour their commitments to working expeditiously towards a balanced and ambitious, comprehensive and development-oriented outcome of the Doha Development Agenda.54 It is vitally important that States agree on measures to address the financial and economic causes of food insecurity. The Expert urges the G20 to take immediate action to improve the regulation, functioning and transparency of financial commodity markets in order to address excessive commodity price volatility. 52 53 54 International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, art. 2(1); Charter of the United Nations, Art. 1(3). Institute of Development Studies, “Is a financial transaction tax a good idea? A review of the evidence”, issue 14.2, IDS In Focus Policy Briefing, October 2010. General Assembly resolution 65/1, para. 78. 21