With less than 7 years to go to achieve the United Nations’ 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the European Parliament is recommending that the EU redouble its efforts to implement and achieve the 17 SDGs, thereby turning the tide in a multi-crisis global context.
In the own-initiative resolution adopted on Thursday 15 June by 322 votes to 68 with 43 abstentions, MEPs endorsed the report by Udo Bullmann (S&D, German) and Pétros Kókkalis (The Left, Greek) (see EUROPE 13186/26).
This resolution underlines 2023 as being a pivotal year for development and prosperity, with the High Level Political Forum (HLPF) on the SDGs (10–19 July) and the World Summit taking place in September.
At the HLPF, the EU and nine Member States will present their own voluntary review of their collective performance (see EUROPE 13189/11).
In addition to simple reports, the European Parliament is calling for the EU to adopt a single, comprehensive implementation strategy, with clear goals and timetables for each one of them.
They want the EU to be the driving force behind the September summit, which will take stock of the UN’s Agenda 2030 with a view to its full implementation at all levels.
MEPs are of the opinion that the success of the European Green Deal and the promise of a just green transition are “inextricably linked to the achievement of the SDGs”. They note that, according to the 2019 IPBES assessment, negative trends in biodiversity and ecosystems will undermine progress towards achieving 80% of the poverty, hunger, health, water, urban, climate, ocean and land-related SDGs.
In view of the funding shortfall, MEPs are urging the EU and Member States to honour their commitment to devote 0.7% of their GNI to official development assistance. They are also calling for the EU’s investments in the Global Gateway strategy to have a greater focus on development.
See the resolution: https://aeur.eu/f/7ie (Original version in French by Aminata Niang)