kfajdsl/voxpopuli huggingface dataset:
of course it is very much in the interest of our democracies that peace stability and security should reign in iraq.
the water supply sewerage systems power systems are all broken in spite of enormous international spending.
we know that is has a number of european fighters and recruiters and the danger they will present too when they return to our societies should not be underestimated.
for the entire situation in iraq we need a political situation and the sovereignty of iraq should be respected.
we should also work together with turkey through which it is believed many people enter syria and iraq and of course for a more sustainable solution in the middle east there must be talks which also include the islamic republic of iran and saudi arabia as they are using various proxies to defend or promote their respective dangerous interests in.
now the illegitimate claims of the caliphate by the islamic state mass executions and the imposition of sharia law are against universal human rights and they must end now.
the post iraq war instability and damage and broader problems of a social economic and political nature led into a very explosive scenario we are looking at now.
but we must also be realistic about the islamic state not give it more weight than is proportionate.
the call for independence of the kurdish region is understandable but also potentially invites a more explosive situation that will benefit no one at this point.
we need cooperation between eu member states and a clear strategy for safety and other appropriate measures and to prevent these misguided ideologies inviting people to participate in the violent jihad.
actually it is the christians who do not resort to violence;
the question is how was it possible that some groups of terrorists were able to take control of large parts of such a country within a few weeks?
in that effort i will limit myself to three points within this discussion the role of the kurds the role of iran and the role of saudi arabia and the gulf states though i do endorse the rest of the resolution which i think has a lot to commend it and i commend the the spirit of cross party working across this house in its production.
i think that is the right form of words.
this process will need to be supported by outside by ourselves.
they are actors within the conflagration under way and must be part of its solution as well as part of its current problems.
but in our role as a european union as well as remembering how we got to where we are and there should be no corner where we do not shine that light and no person we do not hold responsible for their actions we have surely to try to attempt to plot a way out of the nightmare.
i think that is as realistic as it is pragmatic.
i remember myself marching through the streets of glasgow protesting not in my name in advance of the illegal invasion of iraq by the coalition of the willing.
any constitutional changes must and i quote respect and uphold an inclusive process in respect of the rights of the non kurdish minorities living in the province'.
i am afraid dear colleague that the world is not black and white and that there is no one size fits all for europe which should act as a global player as a strong global player in my opinion to meet the various challenges whether they are violations of human rights or whether they are other crises that we see in the middle east particularly now and i do think that the eu should show more of a leadership position through diplomatic efforts through working with partners like turkey to curb the
spread of violent extremism or the recruitment in our own societies of people who go through turkey into countries like iraq and syria.
so there are many steps we can take before military intervention is needed but we all know sadly that the world sometimes requires not only soft power but also hard power.
but i agree that frankly the intervention in iraq which was well meaning which was meant to be humanitarian but which was also in search of weapons of mass destruction has resulted i am afraid a decade later in chaos and much unnecessary carnage.
for years the international community has even half heartedly put pressure on the shi'ite dominated government to be more inclusive but to no avail.
there is however a sliver of hope that has been mentioned before with the announcement yesterday that a sunni has been appointed speaker of the iraqi parliament.
this will probably do little to those sunni fighters who have proclaimed an islamic state within the state.
we are now witnessing an attempt at re drawing the map of the middle east that could have a multitude of consequences. all will eventually spill into europe.
madam president i just wish to urge great caution. i know the first instinct of this place is to interfere to try to do things and often for the good i understand that but for many decades the situation in the middle east has been made worse and worse by western interference and involvement.
he has blood on his hands and he is one of the main reasons for the situation we find ourselves in now.
please learn from this;
learn that we cannot cure all the world's ills.
but please in the interests of peace do not always seek to interfere;
already across this chamber we've heard ideas in this place.
however mr eck was also correct in saying we cannot shirk our responsibilities. we cannot pretend that things are not as they are.
mr president thank you very much to everybody took part in this debate and particular thanks to you commissioner vella because it is very clear that you have listened to what the report is saying and what we are suggesting and i am very heartened to hear a number of initiatives that you outlined in the response that you gave including of course regular reporting to this place on the progress vis vis the two thousand
again i welcome very much your commitment to the side events and the participation at the un high level event in new york because this of course is the opportunity for this place to take forward our ideas and to showcase to the world how we can work collectively.
it is only through this dialogue through this process of conversation that we will get to a stage where industry and businesses and citizens and ngos and all of us can work together for that sustainable future.
because i meant what i said at the start this isn't something that is owned by the left or the right one political group it is owned by all of us and it is all of our responsibility to deliver it.
a number of issues did come up in the debate regarding how we go forward.
it is the case that current production methods in meat consumption for example are driving us towards an unsustainable future but that doesn't mean we can't collectively find the solutions.
and thirty agenda and the reference indicator framework which we very much look forward to in terms of seeing how that will be implemented.
there are ideas that will be shared in the multi stakeholder framework.
this is an issue of international solidarity.
for example global economic growth is far from being robust.
twenty six the former are finding it difficult to support their aging population;
i know it wasn't an easy task but you managed to come up with a very good and well balanced report and congratulations once again for that.
many countries are also being impacted by great natural disasters and with climate change weather events will continue to worsen for decades to come.
but to do this leadership in all countries and at all levels of society is badly needed.
and this is why we need to make sure that the sustainable development goals are implemented and are not merely words on paper. this is why today and every single day until the goals are achieved we must take concrete steps to make the world more sustainable.
the latter are finding it difficult to create enough opportunities for their young.
as we have heard today today's challenges call for both policies and approaches because we have a number of challenges.
fast technological progress and globalisation are creating opportunities for some but they are causing immense challenges for others. we have societies that are aging rapidly and others with as much as sixty six of the population under the age of.
it will not be an easy task.
governments parliaments businesses civil society organisations the media and citizens need to be all engaged to find efficient sustainable solutions locally nationally and also globally.
many meps spoke about implementation and accountability and as i mentioned in my introductory speech we will be monitoring consistently to ensure the successful implementation of the sdgs.
the reporting will be based on a reference indicator framework.
the commission is committed to ensure an agenda of results and i have had the opportunity to remind the environment ministers that we will not be judged only on what we announce but on what we do.
it is really a great support to better integrate our policies and to develop synergies to achieve the sdgs. it is clearly a call for an ambitious response to the two thousand and thirty agenda and i can assure everyone that sustainable development is and will remain at the heart of eu policy
work is already being done by the commission as well on other fronts.
but let's be very clear sdgs are not exclusively and only about the environment and development and in this context i particularly welcome the proposal in the seb dance report for a cross committee working group on sustainable development goals to ensure a horizontal working within parliament as well.
with regards to reporting i would like to mention here the environmental implementation review and as outlined in the report the eir has already served as a useful tool in highlighting implementation gaps in the member states and the commission has already started to take action based on these.
last but not least we are committed to taking the implementation of the two thousand and thirty agenda forward.
but we need to make certain that all of the other ministers of all the other sectors are on board with us as well.
making. but we have to be operational sustainable development is complex and interlinked and so must go beyond simple declarations.
the indicators were arrived at after extensive consultation with a number of stakeholders and we will start as of this year and the report will be published in november this year.
the commission will provide regular reporting of the implementation progress.
and then we need to be pushing to make sure the eu does deliver on the two thousand and thirty agenda a little bit in the same way as we do on the climate change targets.
you said that you would come back and report to us on a regular basis but we need to know what you are measuring are you establishing base lines on statistics and will you give us regular updates on how that is progressing?
i think we need to do more though to have more influence in new york and the first thing is we need to do a lot more to coordinate our positions.
and finally we need accountability.
we have the effort sharing and we monitor that and the commission publishes data and we push that forward.
the european parliament's report on sustainability goals adopted in may two thousand and sixteen shows broad convergence with council views on how to advance this ambitious agenda through effective implementation and we are looking forward to cooperating with you on this topic to ensure that together we reach our goals by.
the eu must now also demonstrate strong leadership in the implementation of the agenda both at home at the eu member state level and in the context of the high level political forum on sustainable development.
eradicating poverty in all its forms and dimensions is an indispensable requirement for sustainable development which must be achieved in all its dimensions in a balanced and integrated manner.
it is our new ambitious collective european development policy and it addresses in an integrated manner the main focus points of the two thousand and thirty agenda people planet prosperity peace and partnership.
like the european parliament the council continues to stress the need for the commission to demonstrate that it takes the implementation of the two thousand and thirty agenda seriously.
this strategy should be based on a clear vision of how all relevant eu policies will contribute to the realisation of the two thousand and thirty agenda. there is an urgent need to identify gaps in all relevant policy areas within the eu to assess what more needs to be done by two thousand and thirty in terms of eu policy legislation and governance structure for horizontal coherence and means of implementation.
the new consensus also reaffirms our commitment to a rules based global order with multilateralism and the united nations at its core.
given the strong link with climate action through the new consensus we are also giving a timely political signal to reaffirm our strong commitment to implement the paris agreement. the eu member states consider the high level forum as the main forum for sustainable development issues within the un framework and are committed to progress towards implementation of the sustainable development goals.
at the same time it integrates the economic social and environmental dimensions of sustainable development and underlines the links between development and other policies including peace and security humanitarian aid migration the environment and climate change.
after the four eu pioneers including my own country estonia which were among the first twenty two countries to present voluntary national reviews last year this year ten out of forty four reports will be presented by eu member states.
on seven june the council represented by the maltese presidency along with the european parliament and the commission co signed a new european consensus on development which sets out our shared vision and framework for action for development cooperation.
we call on the commission to elaborate an implementation strategy outlining timelines objectives and concrete measures to reflect the two thousand and thirty agenda in all the relevant eu internal and external policies taking into account the global impact of the eu's domestic actions.
this year's theme at the forum is at the heart of our new consensus eradicating poverty and promoting prosperity in a changing world.
the council conclusions adopted in june ahead of the fifth session of the forum this month stress our full commitment to the two thousand and thirty agenda and the importance that the eu and its member states attach to driving forward its implementation.
this will be our main deliverable when we attended the high level political forum in new york in a few days.
there can be no doubt about our commitment to achieving the seventeen sustainable development goals by two thousand and thirty ensuring that no one is left behind and seeking to reach the furthest behind first. no doubt we must promote social inclusion with special attention to those who are disadvantaged vulnerable and marginalised.
it implies leadership from the commission and other eu institutions but also the full engagement of member states and all levels of government at national regional and local level and of civil society. i therefore welcome the opportunity here today to react to the european parliament's own initiative report in response to the commission communication
secondly further developing our longer term vision and the focus of sectoral policies after.
the evidence is clear that moving from our linear to a more circular economic model significantly improves resource efficiency and therefore cost efficiency and creates more jobs.
it is crucial to ensure the full coherence between the different policies and ensure that the eu's priorities as highlighted by president juncker integrate our international commitments.
from the perspective of my own portfolio i am pleased to see in the report several strong references to how the environment and natural resources underpin the achievement of the broader sustainability agenda.
the commission will therefore launch a multi stakeholder platform chaired by the first vice president frans timmermans with a role in the follow up and exchange of best practices on sdg implementation across sectors.
a periodic report is expected to be published in november this year. initiatives supported by the commission for the next month include a non toxic environment strategy an ambitious plastics strategy and a comprehensive review of water legislation.
we need to have a good dialog with the european parliament the council and the member states in the second stream process as well.
as requested by this house the commission will from this year provide regular reporting of the eu's progress on the implementation of the two thousand and thirty agenda based on a reference indicator framework.
firstly to mainstream the sustainable development goals in the european policy framework and commission priorities sustainable development becoming a guiding principle for all our policies.
the commissioner is also expected to highlight the new european consensus on development as a landmark document for the eu having been agreed by the commission member states and the european parliament and applying to both the eu and its member states in their national capacity.
particularly in the context of the ten priorities of this commission and also outlines what further steps are envisaged.
this was made clear at the un ocean conference in new york last month and will frame the agenda for the eu our ocean conference in october in malta.
i will ensure that the current seventh environmental action plan evaluation will look at its consistency with our priorities and sustainable development goals commitments to pave the way for the period post. two thousand and twenty the commission's communication of november highlights key eu policies for each of the seventeen sdgs
i particularly welcome the reference in the report to the commission's joint communication on the future of our oceans and could not agree more with the statement that urgent action is needed in the eu and globally.
so this report is very welcome and we appreciate the high level of interest that it has raised as a signal of parliament's own commitment to engage in implementation and the review of progress.
the commissioner will make a statement on behalf of the eu and its member states in the general debate of the ministerial meeting of the high level political forum on seventeen july. he will also host a separate side event at the high level political forum to introduce the new consensus to our international partners.
we are currently reflecting on how to best organise this. the successful implementation of the sdgs requires consistent monitoring.
stakeholders have been consulted on the choice of these indicators.
next steps for a sustainable european future' presented in november last year.
the input of the platform will be very important for developing our vision for the future of sdg implementation through the second work stream.
the report recognises that economic growth will only be possible by respecting planetary boundaries to ensure a life of dignity for all.
we are using our better regulation tools for this purpose.
it is the principal un body to review progress identify challenges and make recommendations to help ensure we achieve the sdgs.
i also noted the report considers that significant acceleration of green investment innovation and growth in the eu is needed including use of new financing tools and different approaches to current investment policy.
i also welcome the references to the seventh environment action programme whose objectives map well on to the sustainable development goals indeed.
and may i please also pay particular tribute to emily stewart in my office whose work on this has been exemplary and without whom i would not be able to be standing here and present this report to this house? i'm also extremely grateful to the committees that put their input into this report namely the development committee the agriculture
imagine if you will a world where no child is born into hunger where no child is born into poverty where access to health care and clean water some of the things you might take for granted are available to everyone where well paid jobs decent jobs don't come at the expense of the environment and where we all act together as stewards not owners of this planet and that we can forward it to the next generation.
hello it is your future we're discussing today and the decisions that we take in this place and across all of the eu's institutions will have ramifications.
we didn't get everything through that we wanted to in this report and i'm sure we will hear from others about some of the compromises that don't go far enough and that is a fair criticism.
we have to be honest with ourselves not just about the scale of our ambition but the scale of the task at hand.
i ask each and every group in this house to have somebody on their bureau responsible for delivering this because the world needs leadership.
mr commissioner when you go to the un in new york we want you to take the views of this house forward because it is time for the eu to step up and show that leadership.
but we must use this infrastructure to have a proper discussion; a proper discussion across all layers of government and hold the commission to account on its promises but also have the commission report to us.
when we conduct our trade when we develop shared energy networks when we draw up financing rules when we draw up strategies for transportation when we evaluate education when we drive forward change at a local city regional national and european level we must always ask ourselves are we doing enough and is what we are doing delivering the un's sustainable development goals?
it is great news that vice president timmermans will chair the multi stakeholder forum but it is essential that the commission use this forum properly to learn from other actors to share best practice and to report back to this parliament.
we know how our actions today will affect the world around us tomorrow. there is a school group up there!
and unless we practise that in this parliament it will be difficult to act as the exemplar for others.
this doesn't just have to be a pipe dream and it certainly doesn't have to be the preserve of one group in this house.
i would like to draw your attention to some specific points. first of all i argue specifically for due consideration of the social aspects of the sdgs and specific action for vulnerable groups. there are several deficiencies also within the eu in access to water sanitation along with other natural resources and basic services such as air water affordable and sustainable energy health and nutrition which particularly hit vulnerable groups.
last but not least there is a pressing need for systemic screening of eu policies and public funding to be in line with the sdgs when we spend the eu's public money.
mr president culture is an important driver for behavioural change through the creation of new lifestyles and sustainable development paradigms.
this approach must be community based or locally rooted and it implies finding a local understanding of sustainable development.
but it could also be global and virtual.
proper recognition must be given to the mediating and facilitating role of culture which helps us find a balance between the competing needs of the economic social and environmental goals of sustainability.
culture is therefore a driver for sustainable growth and innovation urban regeneration and rural and regional sustainable development as well as for social cohesion and individual and collective well being.
this money is not being used effectively if it remains in brussels' coffers.
it is only a small percentage of the money taken from taxpayers' pockets and then spent on exactly what the commission wants with an added threat to publicise that this or that has been given to us by the eu or face a fine.
regional funding is not a gift from brussels but meagre remuneration from the billions the uk pays in.
it will be revealing to see whether the commissioner listened to those concerns.