The EU and its Member States have a moral obligation to do much more to support vulnerable populations in developing countries who are subject to climate change, said MEPs on the European Parliament’s Development Committee on Thursday 25 February.
The report by Mónica Silvana González (S&D, Spain), which they adopted (15 votes in favour, 9 against and 1 abstention), calls on the EU and its Member States to radically step up their actions, and on the European Commission to develop a strategy for a substantially strengthened EU contribution to limit the impacts of climate change on these vulnerable populations.
MEPs believe that the new Neighbourhood, Development and International Cooperation Instrument (NDICI) should ensure dedicated resources for this cause and that the EU’s rapid response tools should be used to prevent and manage climate-related crises.
“We need to address climate change as a cause that directly threatens human rights, including the rights to life, food, water and health. It can undermine countries’ development prospects, acting as a risk multiplier of drought, famine and forced displacement”, according to Ms González.
The report also proposes to increase people’s resilience by reducing both general vulnerabilities (caused by poverty, inequality, lack of social protection) and those specific to climate change (loss of housing and livelihoods, disproportionate burden on women).
It calls for the promotion of sustainable and resilient agriculture, the provision of funds, technical assistance to developing countries to mitigate, manage and adapt to climate change, and the strengthening of climate finance, giving priority to grants.
MEPs also call for international cooperation to manage climate-induced migration, including by recognising it as a legal basis for granting asylum.
The draft resolution will be put to a vote at the April plenary session. (Original version in French by Aminata Niang)