Activities of Baroness Sarah LUDFORD related to 2012/2145(INI)
Plenary speeches (2)
Annual report on human rights and democracy in the world 2011 and the European Union's policy on the matter - EU's human rights strategy (debate)
Annual report on human rights and democracy in the world 2011 and the European Union's policy on the matter - EU's human rights strategy (debate)
Amendments (20)
Amendment 17 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 22 a (new)
Citation 22 a (new)
- having regard to the draft UN Principles and Guidelines on effective elimination of discrimination based on Work and Descent published by the Human Rights Council (A/HRC/11/CRP.3),
Amendment 18 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 22 b (new)
Citation 22 b (new)
- having regard to observations and recommendations on caste discrimination by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, UN Treaty Bodies and UN Special Procedures, noting in particular the Report of the Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance of 24 May 2011 (A/HRC/17/40),
Amendment 72 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8 a (new)
Paragraph 8 a (new)
8a. Welcomes the positive impact on coherence of EU internal and external policies of the EU's exercise of its legal personality created by the Lisbon Treaty to ratify the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with disabilities (UNCPD) in December 2010; calls for a similar approach to be taken to other international human rights treaties and conventions; calls for the Council and Commission to take a proactive approach in this area in order to address the negative effects of the piecemeal signature and ratification among EU Member States of other important external treaties and conventions;
Amendment 183 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 36
Paragraph 36
36. Underlines that a longer-term approach covering the whole election cycle is required to appropriately follow up on the reports and recommendations of the EU Election Observation Missions; stresses the importance of drawing up realistic and achievable recommendations and of ensuring that these recommendations are monitored and become part of political dialogue and assistance by the EU delegations; considers that Parliament's standing delegations and the joint parliamentary assemblies should also play an enhanced role in following up these recommendations and analysing progress with regard to human rights and democracy;
Amendment 207 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 40 a (new)
Paragraph 40 a (new)
40a. Stresses that despite some steps taken by the Chinese authorities in the right direction, the human rights situation continues to deteriorate and is marked by widening social unrest and the tightening of control and repression of human rights defenders, lawyers, bloggers, and social activists, as well as by targeted policies aimed at marginalising Tibetans and their cultural identity; urges the Chinese authorities to engage seriously with the Tibetan people to assess the underlying causes of self-immolations of Tibetan monks and nuns and cease harassment and intimidation of Tibetans who exercise their rights to freedom of expression, assembly and association, end all use of unnecessary excessive force in facing protestors, investigate all instances of human rights violations, and allow independent monitors into areas of protest;
Amendment 208 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 40 b (new)
Paragraph 40 b (new)
40b. Reiterates its call for the need to appoint an EU Special Representative for Tibet who would be responsible for the defence of human rights and, among other topical issues, the right to freely practice one's religion and culture in China;
Amendment 234 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 47
Paragraph 47
47. Notes that the EU is developing a human rights monitoring mechanism to be included as part of new partnership and cooperation agreements, and other trade agreements, with a number of countries; is concerned that these monitoring mechanisms are not ambitious enough and not clearly defined, compromising the EU's treaty commitment to the promotion of human rights and democracy in the world; is particularly concerned in this regard about the PCA with Uzbekistan and the pending PCA with Turkmenistan;
Amendment 255 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 53 a (new)
Paragraph 53 a (new)
53a. Welcomes Council decisions to ban the export of certain information technologies and services to Syria and Iran and urges the European Union to consider these cases as precedents for future restrictive measures against other repressive regimes; strongly supports the proposal to include human rights violations in the EU dual-use export control system as a reason for which non- listed items may be subject to export restrictions by Member States;
Amendment 274 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 63 a (new)
Paragraph 63 a (new)
63a. Welcomes the Commission's 2011 decision to amend Regulation (EC) No 1236/2005 to strengthen export controls on certain drugs capable of being used in capital punishment; welcomes the proactive steps taken by certain EU pharmaceutical companies to halt exports to third countries where there is a foreseeable risk of such drugs being used for executions; urges more EU pharmaceutical companies to take similar steps; calls on the Commission to establish a catch-all clause in Regulation (EC) No 1236/2005 that would inter alia require prior export authorisation of any drug capable of being used for executions;
Amendment 296 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 70
Paragraph 70
70. Strongly regrets that homosexuality remains criminalised in 78 states, including five in which it is subject to the death penalty; calls on these states to decriminalise homosexuality without delay, to free those imprisoned on the basis of their sexual orientation or gender identity and not to execute them; calls on the EEAS to make full use of the LGBT Toolkit to protect the rights of LGBTI people; calls on the Council to work towards binding guidelines in this area; calls on the EEAS and Member States to assist LGBTI human rights defenders in countries where they are at risk, and calls on the VP/HR to continue making clear the European Union's firm commitment to equality and non-discrimination based on sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression in the world, including by launching and supporting initiatives at bilateral, international and UN level on these matters; repeats its call on the Commission to issue a roadmap for equality on grounds of sexual orientation and gender identity;
Amendment 298 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 70 a (new)
Paragraph 70 a (new)
70a. Calls on Member States to grant asylum to people fleeing persecution in countries where LGBT people are criminalised, on the basis of applicants' well-founded fears of persecution, and relying on their self-identification as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or intersex;
Amendment 299 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 70 b (new)
Paragraph 70 b (new)
70b. Reasserts that the principle of non- discrimination, including on grounds of sex and sexual orientation, is a fundamental element in the ACP-EU partnership;
Amendment 300 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 70 c (new)
Paragraph 70 c (new)
70c. Underlines that for the EU's foreign policy to be credible and coherent in the field of fundamental rights, equality and anti-discrimination, the Council should adopt the directive on equal treatment between persons irrespective of religion or belief, disability, age or sexual orientation and enlarge the application of the Framework Decision on Racism and Xenophobia to cover other targeted groups, such as LGBT persons;
Amendment 301 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 71
Paragraph 71
71. Condemns the continued human rights violations committed against people suffering from caste-based discrimination, including the denial of equality and access to justice, continued segregation and caste- induced barriers to the achievement of basic human rights; requests the Council, the EEAS and the Commission to take joint action on caste-based discrimination, including in EU human rights communications, frameworks and country- based strategies and dialogues, wherever appropriate; , and to promote the draft UN Principles and Guidelines for the elimination of discrimination based on work and descent as a guiding framework to eliminate caste discrimination, and work for their endorsement by the UN Human Rights Council;
Amendment 303 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 71 a (new)
Paragraph 71 a (new)
71a. Requests the High Representative and the Special Representative for Human Rights to give full recognition to caste discrimination as a cross-cutting human rights and poverty predicament affecting most severely women;
Amendment 309 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 72 a (new)
Paragraph 72 a (new)
Amendment 321 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 75
Paragraph 75
75. Urges the EU to enhance its action to end the practices of female genital mutilation (FGM), early and forced marriages, and gender-selective abortion; insists that these policies should be essential elements in EU approach to development cooperation; stresses the importance of adequate access to medical means, and of information about sexual and reproductive health and rights, to the wellbeing of women in all countries;
Amendment 327 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 75 a (new)
Paragraph 75 a (new)
75a. Notes that there continues to be insufficient attention given to sexual and reproductive rights violations that undermine efforts towards the Cairo Programme of Action (ICPD) commitments; underlines that progress on reproductive health has been limited in some contexts by violations such as child, early and forced marriage and failure to enforce a legal minimum age of marriage, coercive practices such as forced sterilisation or FGM, as well as denial of autonomy to women and girls to make decisions about their sexual and reproductive health free of discrimination, coercion and violence;
Amendment 399 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 83 a (new)
Paragraph 83 a (new)
83a. Stresses the importance of the protection of freedom of religion and belief, including atheism and other forms of non-belief, under international human rights conventions and insists that such freedom should not be undermined by the application of blasphemy laws used to oppress and persecute those of a differing religion or belief;
Amendment 400 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 83 a (new)
Paragraph 83 a (new)
83a. Recalls that in a number of countries the prohibition, confiscation and destruction of both places of worship and religious publications, and prohibition of the training of clergy, are still common practice; urges the EU institutions, in their contacts with the relevant governments, to counter such violations;