Activities of Ana GOMES related to 2007/2208(INI)
Plenary speeches (1)
Stabilisation of Afghanistan: challenges for the EU and the international community (debate)
Amendments (15)
Amendment 6 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Takes the view that after more than 20 years of civil war Afghanistan has become a ‘failed state’,is characterised by missing or weak institutions at all levels and unable to satisfy the mostmust continue to improve the provision of basic needs of its citizens such as education, housing, health, nutrition; is convinced that the country has become a test case for the success or failure of international development assistance and the legitimacy of bi- and multi-lateral development cooperation; stresses the need for the international community to continue to work with the Afghan Government and the people of Afghanistan in order to demonstrate its ability to end the vicious circle of violence and poverty and to give the country the prospect of sustainable peace and development;
Amendment 21 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Stresses the urgent need for the international community to analyse what strategic and conceptual misjudgements have contributed to the current situation in Afghanistan, including an honest assessment of both the current military strategy and the strategy for civil reconstruction; concludes that a major shift of strategy is necessary as peace, security and development will only prevail if the spiral of violence is brought to an end, if the prevailing military soluoperation is areplaced by reinforced primarily guided by the goal of protecting the Afghan civilian population, if civil reconstruction efforts are reinforced, and if, as a result, the confidence of the Afghan population is restored; considers in particular that ‘Operation Enduring Freedom’ is politically counterproductive because reconciliation and consolidation of peace cannot be imposed militarily from the outside but have to be developed inside Afghanistancan only provide short-term military answers to political problems that need long-term solutions;
Amendment 46 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Points out that the main problems facing the country isare restoring security and establishing a functioning state; notes that Afghanistan’s security problems are more complex than just a war on terror and therefore they require more than a military solution; points out that security is a prerequisite for the rule of law, which in turn creates an atmosphere conducive to human development, and that strengthening the rule of law can serve as an important means to advance the freedom of people to exercise choices and enhance their capacity to live meaningful and healthy lives, when supplemented by measures aimed at restoring a functioning state in order to protect the rule of law, secure access to basic public services and ensure equal opportunities for its people;
Amendment 64 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
Amendment 71 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8 a (new)
Paragraph 8 a (new)
8a. Stresses the fact that Afghanistan presents particular challenges to international military and civilian actors; underlines the vital need for military authorities and civilian aid agencies to coordinate and cooperate in a way that both responds to the complex security situation on the ground and seeks to safeguard the neutrality, independence and impartiality of the activities of humanitarian organisations;
Amendment 86 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 a (new)
Paragraph 10 a (new)
10a. Expresses its concern for the physical integrity of Ms Malalai Joya, Member of the Wolesi Jirga, and calls on the Afghan authorities to guarantee her protection;
Amendment 87 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 b (new)
Paragraph 10 b (new)
10b. Expresses its utmost concern for the life of Pervez Kambash and other individuals who are facing the death penalty in a judicial system which is not yet able to ensure a fair trial, and calls on President Karzai to commute their sentences;
Amendment 89 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11
Paragraph 11
11. Welcomes Afghanistan’s progress in improving women’s political representation; remains concerned about the huge income disparities between men and women, very low literacy rate of women, the injustices to women and girls, both in the denial of – induced by cultural practices – both in the denial by family members and communities of access for women to basic services like healthcare and education and the lack of employment opportunities as well as high levels of domestic violence and discrimination; stresses the urgent need for measures aimed at protecting the rights of women to be built into legal and political reform; calls on the Council and the Commission to lend active support to such an initiative and to earmark funds for measures which will help build the country’s capacity to protect the rights of women and girls, girls and children, since the latter are also victims of domestic violence, sexual exploitation induced by cultural practices, and exploitative labour and trafficking;
Amendment 93 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11 a (new)
Paragraph 11 a (new)
11a. Stresses the urgent need to enhance efforts to control the growth of the country’s population – which rose by 3.88% p.a. over the period 2000-2005 – by strengthening family planning services at national level, supported by a targeted national campaign to raise awareness of the challenges which uncontrolled population growth poses to the overall wellbeing and development of the country;
Amendment 95 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13
Paragraph 13
13. Expresses its deep concern about the ever-expanding cultivation and trafficking of opium which has serious political and national security implications; stresses that the opium economy has becomcautiously welcomes the report from the UN Office on Drugs and Crime, which states in its Rapid Assessment Survey that ‘Overall, opium poppy cultivation in Afghanistan is likely to decrease slightly in 2008’; stresses that the opium economy continues to be a source of corruption and undercuts public institutions, particularly those in the security and justice sectors; since there is no obvious ‘quick fix’ solution, and since repressive measures aimed at crop eradication have not producecannot on their own yield the expected results, calls on the international community andled by the Afghan government to develop a long-term strategy primarily aimed at comprehensive rural development, including the establishment of the necessary infrastructure and functioning adminiredouble and sustain its efforts to implement the comprehensive eight-pillar National Drug Control Strategy (NDCS) and the NDCS priorities of combining the fight against drugs trafficking with strengthening rural livelihoods, reducing demand and strengthening strative institutions;
Amendment 104 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 a (new)
Paragraph 14 a (new)
14a. Recalls the European Parliament’s initiative, under its 2008 budget, to support democracy-building with parliaments in third countries, and resolves to make use of it for capacity- building and technical assistance aimed at improving the ability of the Afghan Parliament to legislate and to monitor the executive branch, especially by upholding the rule of law and respect for human rights, and women’s rights in particular;
Amendment 107 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A
Recital A
A. whereas Afghanistan is at a crossroads, as evidenced by the rise in thewith an ongoing violent insurgency, increase and opium production, and growing continuing, and popular discontent over corruption and government failures; whereas despite the efforts of the international community and the partial success as regards civil reconstruction, the living conditions of considerable sections of the Afghan population have not improved; whereas the current threat Afghanistan is facing requires short-term action but long-term solutions will only come about through comprehensive improvements in alternative sustainable livelihoods coupled with enhanced governance and the emergence of a stronger and functioning state,
Amendment 123 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital F
Recital F
F. whereas there are no official figures on civilian deaths in Afghanistan but a study by the Afghan government suggests that more than 3,700 people were killed by fighting in Afghanistan in 2006; whereas the majority appear to be insurgents, but it is estimated that some 1,000 civilians were killed by both Taliban attacks and NATO air strikes; whereas in June 2007 a network of Afghan and international NGOs had ‘strongly condemned the operations and force protection measures carried out by international military forces in which disproportionate or indiscriminate use of force has resulted in civilian casualties’,
Amendment 135 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 6 a (new)
Citation 6 a (new)
Amendment 143 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 12 a (new)
Citation 12 a (new)
– having regard to the Government of Afghanistan’s National Drug Control Strategy (NDCS) launched at the London Conference in January 2006,