kfajdsl/voxpopuli huggingface dataset:
the aim of the european parliament should be to encourage a race to the top on sustainable development to take the best from this innovation across our union and to combine it into minimum standards for all guiding investment to ensure a just and rapid transition towards a sustainable economy and society. the sustainability transition is as its name suggests a dynamic environment.
as a former professor of green economics i am delighted to see that this agenda now has almost universal support not only in parliament but also from the commission who have made this a priority agenda as well as from world leaders especially president macron of france.
this is why our report takes a different stance from the somewhat static taxonomy proposed by the commission.
my report recommends extending the stranded assets concept to include fundamental ecological systems and services so if an investment in intensive agriculture causes soil loss or the death of pollinators it too should be considered a stranded asset.
this must mean an end to any investment that locks us into fossil fuel infrastructure and the inclusion of esg goals in the ecb's investment policy.
it is a basic experience of human civilization that at times without radical innovation there is no survival.
today is such a time.
we need social and political creativity and we must battle firmly against old thinking and old habits that tend to block the emergence of new perspectives.
this is why we pursue carbon divestment together with promoting green finance.
while we cherish molly's report and applaud the work of the commission we also cherish the fact that a green finance leadership programme is presently being set up in china led by academics from tsinghua university.
this is the kind of competition that we should all savour.
on this front europe has an obligation to the whole world and in particular to future generations.
mr president there can be no sustainable finance unless there is transparency of the supply chains of the companies and here one of the very interesting actions in the action plan on sustainable finance was to assess the need for due diligence reporting.
this report of molly scott cato shows that we are getting closer to a tipping point and the time has indeed come for a mandatory due diligence legislation at the european level.
that legislation would finally give all companies a level playing field. it would make sure that good companies are rewarded for their actions and that the unsustainable ones cannot just escape their responsibilities as they do now.
indeed sustainable finance and responsible business conduct are possible but if we want it we just need to make decisions that are ambitious enough and we have no time to waste.
we must build a financing system that works for people and planet and not just for the market players.
sustainability responsibility and ethics should be at the core of our finances as should all eu policies and actions in line with the sustainable development goals.
i therefore welcome the focus of this report on green finances and the call to encourage the financing of projects which contribute to the fight against climate change.
i also want to highlight the key role of collaborative economy actors such as cooperatives and social businesses which are particularly important for women.
these alternative economic models must be able to access finances in order to contribute fully to the economic development of our countries and our communities.
we should not simply talk about entrepreneurship but always about social enterprise if we want to build a fairer world.
i welcome the support that the report gives to the work on sustainable finance.
i also welcome the large consensus among political groups on the best way forward. this is encouraging in view of our future work and discussions on the legislative proposals on sustainable finance that the commission presented last week.
these proposals already address some of your concerns.
first we will start the process of designing an eu classification system for sustainable economic activities which can inform future eu standards and labels for green financial products such as green bonds or investment funds.
we are looking forward to the european parliament support on this important proposal.
second for those who manage investments on behalf of others we propose to clarify that their duty towards their clients includes the systemic incorporation of sustainability risks into their investment processes.
they will also have to disclose how they take this risk into account and what impact they expect these risks to have on returns.
in addition for investment products that actively pursue sustainable objectives the way these objectives are incorporated into investment decisions would also need to be disclosed.
third we propose to create a new category of benchmarks consisting of two specific types of benchmarks low carbon benchmarks and positive carbon impact benchmarks.
we also propose to establish minimum standards for the methodology of these benchmarks.
this will increase transparency towards investors on how these benchmarks select and weigh their underlying assets and measure their carbon footprint.
finally we propose that investment firms and insurance distributors consider the sustainability preferences of retail investors when giving investment advice.
in the coming weeks we will establish a technical expert group we're going to call it teg that will further work on developing an eu classification for sustainable activities or taxonomy standards for green bonds and sustainable matrix.
these are the first steps towards a more sustainable financial system.
there is still some work ahead to address other concerns stated in your own initiative report.
for instance the commission is evaluating the mandatory reporting requirements to make sure they provided the right information to market participants enabling them to assess companies' long term value creation and their sustainability risk management.
of course further clarification of the role of european supervisory authorities in this process is really important.
let me conclude by stressing again my appreciation of the work of the european parliament in this field.
all the members who were there including myself observed the process in nairobi kajiado and naivasha and reach conclusions which were fully in line with the mission's findings.
an election observation mission was also deployed.
now it is time for the government and the opposition to engage in a constructive dialogue in a spirit of reconciliation.
and to ensure their supporters remained calm.
we as the european parliament together with the european external action service should reflect on how to better face the new electoral challenges in this respect. in addition in mid two thousand and eighteen the democracy support and election coordination group will organise a high level election observation conference with the participation of representatives of eu national parliaments and international organisations where the case of kenya will also be further discussed and looked into.
political parties have an important responsibility in this process including by becoming more programme and more policy focused and overcoming their reliance on ethnic divisions.
as in the past in kenya the entire electoral process has been extremely difficult and created a lot of tension in the country.
this was a crucial moment in this difficult electoral process.
two thousand and two the presence of an election observation mission has always been seen as an important instrument to support kenya in navigating a potentially difficult election and consolidating the country's democratic path under its new constitution. so naturally for the two thousand and seventeen elections
finally the challenges and questions around the kenyan elections have triggered a reflection including consideration of the growing role of technology.
i would also like to point out that right after the elections when the opposition issued a press statement that the election it systems had been hacked and the election results fundamentally compromised it was the international observers and especially the eu election observation mission who unanimously called on political leaders to act responsibly to pursue any complaints through legal dispute mechanisms
i was in nairobi for the elections on eight august heading a seven member ep delegation which was integrated in the long term eu mission headed by our chief observer marietje schaake. it is important to stress that our eu election observation mission made a very balanced evaluation of the electoral results.
it is time for the kenyan politicians to bring the people together and work towards an inclusive and socially cohesive society for all kenyans.
secondly how do we move from this tick box approach towards democracy building and engaging civil society in kenya in a meaningful way?
ten years on we are really seeing a repeat of the same atrocious crimes documented in a chilling report by human rights watch.
we really have to ensure that recommendations made by electoral observation missions are fully implemented and are in sync with the project we are supporting there.
half a billion in the current financing period for projects under the africa trust fund.
the result is a country bitterly divided along political and ethnic lines at a time when the eu is looking at kenya to be the engine of growth for east africa and a partner in managing migration.
our priority should be to use this as leverage to support democracy and civil society in a meaningful way not as a tick box exercise.
we are one of the most generous providers of aid.
commissioner numerous priorities need to be addressed but i will highlight one in particular which other colleagues have already spoken about the horrifying and wide spread use of sexual violence against women and girls by police and security forces.
it is deeply disappointing that political leaders and security forces traded this for dispute and division intimidating citizens polling staff civil society and the judiciary ahead of the october rerun.
so my question to you commissioner is will we make accountability for sexual violence and inclusiveness of women a priority for our relations with kenya?
finally how will we ensure a proper long term follow up of vital recommendations on these and other issues where there is significant room for improvement as far as our eoms are concerned?
it is a testament to the courage and resilience of the kenyan people that their country has not descended into civil war frankly.
it was hoped that the historic ruling of the supreme court last september calling for fresh presidential elections would have made way for a new and fairer poll.
it is particularly worrying that the supreme court was unable to hear a case seeking postponement of polling the day before the fresh election was due to take place due to the lack of a quorum of judges.
madam president two thousand and seventeen was indeed a very difficult year for kenya.
as democrats in this house we all feel a profound sense of sadness when we observe elections that are flawed and reading the reports from amnesty international human rights watch and our own eu election observation mission this seems to have been the case for both elections in kenya last year.
however evidence shows that on the contrary independent institutions were attacked by political leaders the police again used disproportionate force and the independence of the judiciary and the electoral commission were still put into question.
was pressure applied on the judges not to turn up on the day?
kenya must now come together again to uphold the rule of law and fundamental freedoms that are indispensable to a flourishing democratic modern nation.
i have developed relationships with a wide range of stakeholders therefore and i want to reiterate my support to the kenyan people who were so keen to engage in democratic life.
we do not often see such enthusiasm in europe so the kenyans have much to teach our citizens about the importance of freedom and democracy.
it is important that all parties involved understand we must remain critical friends.
they owe it to the citizens and especially to those who contributed to the writing of the kenyan constitution adopted in two thousand and ten following earlier election violence.
i know that colleagues from different political groups share my concerns about kenya's future especially in light of reports about the use of excessive force by the police and the serious situation of human rights defenders on the ground including indigenous people such as the sengwer recently violently evicted from their forest homes with two reportedly shot this very morning by the kenyan authorities.
electoral voting changes the way that votes are counted and transmitted and fraud cannot be observed in the same way if votes are cast on paper or on a machine and counted by hand or number crunched on a computer.
in accordance with our socialist values my group and i support civil society organisations as an essential component of peaceful elections and i was pleased to be invited to a recent event facilitated by the quaker movement on preventing deadlocked and violent elections in kenya and elsewhere.
i visited the country three times in the twelve months from december two thousand and sixteen and also received members of kenyan civil society in my office.
however the continuing intransigence of political forces has dashed the hopes of many.
the shrinking space of civil society is extremely concerning in this regard and not only in kenya.
it is very important to ensure that women and young people are included in political processes at all levels in order to prevent conflict around elections and this can only be efficient if done through civil society organisations working at a grassroots level.
the european union must continue to support kenyan institutions in order to increase transparency and credibility and improve governance.
my group and i encourage all political forces in kenya to genuinely engage in constructive dialogue in order to find solutions to the deep crisis in which the country still finds itself.
the interference in democratic processes in the uk the usa and in kenya by big data companies such as cambridge analytica as reported by carole cadwalladr amounts to a hijacking of democracy and we must be alert to these dangers.
political forces in the country including the government must also respect the institutions especially the judiciary and the election observation mission report very clearly states that the judiciary institutions have shown their independence during these difficult times but have also come under increasing pressure from political forces.
as a frequent electoral observer i can also say that my experience has taught me that we should improve the way we observe elections in particular with regard to recent technological innovations made to processes worldwide.
when i visited kenya in my role as a european parliament election observer last august i was struck by the enthusiasm of the citizens who turned out in huge numbers waiting patiently in line in the cold and in the dark including many women with babies on their backs waiting for hours for the polling stations to open so that they could cast their votes.
as we know the presidential election was subsequently cancelled by the kenyan supreme court a brave and unparalleled decision which gave hope to many who believed the election process to be seriously flawed.
i stand by ms schaake's final report and conclusions and support its recommendations.
instead the eu assesses the extent to which elections meet kenya's own legal standards and commitments under human rights and international law.
i wish them strength going forward and for the eu to be their principled partner.
yet just because things could be worse it does not mean that they are good or good enough.
our final report which is available for everyone to read looks at the gap between law and practice and gives twenty nine recommendations.
integrity should be baked into the electoral system regardless of who is in charge and the independence of institutions such as the judiciary should clearly be respected by all.
these are just a few areas that i do not think we hear enough about while we hear lots about countering terrorism and trade and other such issues.
these statements have been revealing but i hope mudslinging will not distract from the substantial discussion on our recommendations on electoral reform and on the joint way forward for kenyans.
i believe the eu should be smarter and engage kenya on core topics that benefit all kenyans strengthening the rule of law and good governance supporting civil society and respect for human rights fighting corruption and overcoming ethnic tensions.
no the standoff has not resulted in as many casualties as in the past but every death and every death by a police bullet is one too many.
the elections laid bare existing tensions and created new ones that all kenyans suffer from.
i call on kenya's political leaders from both sides to show constructive leadership and rebuild trust.
i would like to thank the commissioner the external action service and colleagues for their words of support for the work of my team and the recommendations that we make.
some kenyans complained that the world only has attention for the country when tensions escalate into violence.
over the past days when people read the more critical remarks in our report they said but kenya is the most successful country in east africa'.
anyone who has followed the discussions on kenya knows that over the past week strong words have been used against me.
it is unacceptable to hold kenya or any country for that matter to a lower standard.
i have met many kenyans who are keen to enjoy the highest levels of democracy in their country.
i remain convinced that we should never hold kenya to a lower standard including on the respect for human rights.
kenya's positive role in regional dynamics is impossible to underestimate and relative prosperity democracy and stability are essential to the whole of east africa.
there is room to build on the progress already achieved and there is a duty to do so for the people of kenya.
all communities and ethnic groups should feel that they have a role in the country's present and future.
the chief observer marietje schaake and her team covered both the august general election and the unforeseen but historic decision by the kenyan supreme court to order a re run of the presidential election last october.
the electoral observation mission to kenya last year has reported substantial progress compared to previous elections and yet the two thousand and seventeen electoral process was still marked by some irregularities political polarisation and acts of violence.
all kenyans aspire to free and fair elections with credible and accountable institutions. we have always supported kenya in its path towards stronger democracy including by sending election observers to every kenyan presidential election since.
in particular they helped the kenyan electoral commission to make systematic changes which largely eliminated irregularities in the transmission and tallying of results and i would like to take this opportunity to thank marietje schaake and her team for the fantastic job that they did there.
our observation missions are never meant to declare a winner that's not our job.
kenya's strength matters for all of us but also for its own citizens and for the rest of africa and the european union.
this wasn't just unpleasant it was totally unjustified.
kenya has huge potential for economic and human development it can be a force for stability and growth in the whole region.
kenyan troops are contributing to peace and security around africa starting with somalia and the country has given shelter to about half a million refugees fleeing from war in other african countries.
the mission's final report provides a good basis to discuss how to further improve kenya's electoral system and we are ready to support this work and high representative mogherini has sent senior officials to nairobi on saturday to pass this message on to the kenyan authorities even if no government is yet fully formed.
the mission's conduct has been balanced constructive and highly professional in line with the terms of the agreement with the kenyan authority.
the mission's recommendation for the re run election has already played a constructive role.
as you know the mission's final report was published last week.
they are there to observe to report and to make recommendations on how to strengthen the electoral process.
kenya can move towards a more inclusive governance and more inclusive development.
and we all know how important this region is for europe as a connection between the mediterranean and the indian ocean between europe africa and asia.
kenyans have already decided on the devolution of powers using the existing constitutional tool to achieve this goal.
we have sent a strong message to kenya and the kenyan people.
thank you again ms schaake and your team for the fantastic job that you have been doing and also the people on the ground in kenya who made it possible for everybody involved in the election observation mission.
the report and the recommendations that the mission produced are very useful and helpful.
the european union will continue to engage with kenya to support it in its path to strengthen democracy and the rule of law.
i have a strong belief that kenya's democratic institutions can and do work and must be supported and strengthened.
the democracy of kenya is crucial not only for kenya but for the whole of africa and for africa's relationships with the wider world.
a strong and free kenya brings security to the horn of africa and can be an important strategic ally for us all.
the european union must not destabilise kenya by simply picking one side.
this helps nobody except those who wish ill to democracy.
one must ask why alone amongst international observers the european union refuses to acknowledge that the election was comparatively free of issues.
there needs to be international help for kenya to enable trust rather than trying to kick away the foundations.
in this matter the eu is running the risk of being perceived as acting in a high handed and a neo colonialist manner.
it needs to be understood that kenya is a pivotal country in africa and is a key partner for us all in the fight against terrorism.
the enthusiasm and commitment of the kenyan people to the democratic process and to shaping the country's future has been marred by tensions amongst political forces escalating into outright violence.
since the elections the situation has failed to stabilise and the use of force by the police and the persistent attacks against human rights defenders on the ground are a cause for grave concern.
it is high time for all forces in kenya to show political maturity and to come together to lay the preconditions for an environment conducive to constructive dialogue in order to address the many challenges the country faces today.
however we have a situation where the african trust fund is currently short of eur.
so what we need urgently is a fully resourced and a permanent eu crisis reserve.
i hope not by taking away resources from our long standing commitments to sustainable development goals and undermining other goals that the ep has set which are already in need of additional resources.
we have another example which is very topical we have this amendment to the regulation on the instrument contributing to peace and stability and i am sorry to say it but this is yet another attempt to divert development money to other purposes.
so why again a separate structure which diverts our work from really addressing the root causes?
a lot of other things can be done but please not with development money.
but i am afraid that when i listen to you defending the trust fund i cannot take you one hundred seriously.
because we are concerned that the trust fund constitutes yet another attempt to divert the diminishing development funds towards aims related to protecting europe from people fleeing war and poverty and this is not acceptable.