Activities of Richard HOWITT related to 2014/2205(INI)
Shadow opinions (1)
OPINION on Private sector and development
Amendments (17)
Amendment 4 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Stresses that, under Article 208 TFEU, the primary objective of EU development cooperation is to reduce and eradicate poverty; highlights the fact that development cooperation must be guided by that objective and not by geostrategic or economic interests; refu, furthermore, that under Article 3 (5) TEU, the aim of the EU in its relations with the wider world is to contribute to sustainable development, solidarity and mutual respect, free and fair trade, eradication of poverty and the protection of human rights; stresses, to acceptherefore, that development cooperation should be subordinate to external and security policymust be guided by these objectives and not by geostrategic or economic interests;
Amendment 25 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Notes that development is the primary responsibility of the State; notes that reducing poverty or inequality is not the primary objective of the private sector, by its very nature, and that that is therefore a task for the public sector; rejects and therefore private sector involvement in development objectives must be carefully designed with special emphasis on Corporate Social Responsibility; emphasises, however, that building up an endogenous private sector with local microbusinesses, SMEs and local value chains is important for job creation and a source of tax revenue for developing countries; notes that public- private partnerships, and blending and the focus on microcredit, since they finance corporate profits, above all, and do not reduce povertmechanisms can be efficient, but need to be thoroughly analysed in terms of development impacts, accountability and transparency;
Amendment 41 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Is dismayed that because of public procurement contract awards and debt servicing, inter alia, 61 % of official development assistance goes back to donor countries1 ; calls for an increase in real aid and for sustainable building offurther empowerment of local actors and an emphasis on building sustainable regional/local value chains; __________________ 1 ActionAid. ActionAid.
Amendment 48 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Is concerned at the devastating consequences of land grabbing, inter alia, for human rights, the economy and the environmentHighlights that the defence of human rights, gender equality, social cohesion and the fight against inequalities should remain at the core of development activities; recalls the need to comply with agreed international standards such as the International Labour Organisation (ILO) standards and the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights; calls for binding international rules for firms on compliance with human rights, labour law and environmental standards and urges the European Commission to take the lead by developing a clearly defined framework agreement governing all partnership agreements with private sector in line with the Corporate Social Responsibility principles and standards;
Amendment 55 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 a (new)
Paragraph 4 a (new)
4 a. Calls for European development efforts to play a significant role in implementation of the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, including working with European enterprises and investors to ensure full compliance with the guiding principles and the OECD Guidelines on Multinational Enterprise in their business activities and in their supply chains in developing countries;
Amendment 58 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 b (new)
Paragraph 4 b (new)
4 b. Calls on the European Commission to champion the proposal from investors and other stakeholders to support binding rules on social, environmental and human rights reporting by business, consistent with the EU directive on non- financial reporting, which are encompassed as one of the new proposed UN Sustainable Development Goals;
Amendment 67 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Calls on the EU and its Member States to support developing countries in garnering their resources, e.g. through national tax systems, and in combating illicit financial flows and corruption, as a result of which developing countries lose at least € 660-870 billion a year2 ; calls for the ownership principle to be resolutely acted on; calls for further measures to ensure corporations are accountable to countries they operate in; calls for effective international rules against tax avoidance and evasion; __________________ 2 Eurodad.
Amendment 69 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 a (new)
Paragraph 5 a (new)
5 a. Calls for greater transparency in finance to help combat corruption and illicit financial flows, including through the development of fair and effective tax systems;
Amendment 71 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 b (new)
Paragraph 5 b (new)
5 b. Stresses that financing for development must strengthen the resources available to promote equality between women and men, women's rights and women's empowerment, as well as to eliminate child labour; points out that the private sector can play a major role in this respect;
Amendment 77 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. CInsists that the EU and its Member States should maintain their position as major donors of development aid and play a leading role in upholding international sustainable development commitments; calls on the Member States to honour the commitment to give over 0.7% of their GDP to development assistance; stresses that private funds must not be used to increase contributions artificially.
Amendment 79 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 6 a (new)
Paragraph 6 a (new)
6 a. Welcomes the Commissions differentiated approach to the highly diverse private sector from microbusinesses to large corporations; calls for a differentiated approach with regards to least developed and fragile states;
Amendment 80 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 6 b (new)
Paragraph 6 b (new)
6 b. Calls on the EU to continue to actively engage in the discussions on the post-2015 agenda, considering also the opportunities and challenges that arise from a closer partnership with private sector actors.
Amendment 97 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 d (new)
Paragraph 1 d (new)
1d. Notes that development cooperation is the primary responsibility of the State; notes that reducing poverty or inequality is not the primary objective of the private sector and therefore private sector involvement in development objectives must be carefully designed with special emphasis on Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR);
Amendment 168 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 a (new)
Paragraph 9 a (new)
9a. Highlights that the defence of human rights, gender equality, social cohesion and the fight against inequalities should remain at the core of development activities; recalls the need to comply with agreed international standards such as the International Labour Organisation (ILO) standards and the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights; calls for binding international rules for firms on compliance with human rights, labour law and environmental standards and urges the European Commission to take the lead by developing a clearly defined framework agreement governing all partnership agreements with private sector in line with the Corporate Social Responsibility principles and standards;
Amendment 172 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 c (new)
Paragraph 9 c (new)
9c. Calls for European development efforts to play a significant role in implementation of the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, including working with European enterprises and investors to ensure full compliance with the guiding principles and the OECD Guidelines on Multinational Enterprise in their business activities and in their supply chains in developing countries;
Amendment 179 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 a (new)
Paragraph 10 a (new)
10a. Calls on the European Commission to champion the proposal from investors and other stakeholders to support binding rules on social, environmental and human rights reporting by business, consistent with the EU directive on non- financial reporting, which are encompassed as one of the new proposed UN Sustainable Development Goals;
Amendment 183 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 c (new)
Paragraph 10 c (new)
10c. Calls for greater transparency in finance to help combat corruption and illicit financial flows, including through the development of fair and effective tax systems;