356 Amendments of Nicole KIIL-NIELSEN
Amendment 7 #
2013/2169(INI)
Draft opinion
Recital D a (new)
Recital D a (new)
Da. whereas the EU Guidelines on torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, updated in 2012, identify women as one of the groups requiring special protection; reiterates the importance of recognising gender-specific forms of torture and degrading treatment;
Amendment 11 #
2013/2169(INI)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Urges the EU to ensure, by means of aid conditionality, that third countries protect women and girls from torture; calls on the Council to suspend aid to countries practising torture and to divert aid to support victims, by channelling aid towards victim support; urges the Commission to ensure that all new Free Trade Agreements with third countries provide for strict obligations which safe-guard women;
Amendment 12 #
2013/2169(INI)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. StressesWelcomes the measures contemplated by the Commission in its Communication COM(2013)0833 entitled ‘Towards the elimination of female genital mutilation , and reiterates the need for consistency between the European Union's internal and external policies in regard to this phenomenon; restates moreover the continuing need for the EU to work with third countries to eradicate the practice of FGM; and reminds those Member States with national legislation criminalising FGM that they must act on this legislation;
Amendment 28 #
2013/2169(INI)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Welcomes the inclusion by the International Criminal Court of gender crimes, including rape, sexual assault and humiliation, as forms of torture, and its recommendation that these crimes be considered war crimes; welcomes too the implementation by the ICC s victim support fund of programmes to rehabilitate women who have suffered torture, notably in post-conflict situations;
Amendment 29 #
2013/2169(INI)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 a (new)
Paragraph 5 a (new)
5a. Calls on the EU to maintain its support, notably through the EIDHR, for programmes supporting and rehabilitating women who have suffered torture and the victims, in particular, of sexual violence in post-conflict situations;
Amendment 33 #
2013/2169(INI)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Calls on the EU in its human rights dialogues with third countries to promote the prevention, investigation and prosecution of violence against women; calls on it lastly to make sure that full account is taken during peace negotiations of the fight to stop the perpetrators of torture or inhuman or degrading crimes enjoying impunity, and that the place of women in these peace processes is promoted as a consequence;
Amendment 41 #
2013/2169(INI)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 8 a (new)
Paragraph 8 a (new)
8a. Stresses the need to bear the gender- specific needs of female prisoners in mind in all places of detention when implementing appropriate international and national standards.
Amendment 1 #
2013/2168(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Citation 4 a (new)
Citation 4 a (new)
- having regard to EU Regulation 978/2012 on the General System of Preferences and notably the special incentive arrangement for 'sustainable development and good governance' ("GSP+"),
Amendment 2 #
2013/2168(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Citation 4 b (new)
Citation 4 b (new)
- having regard to Annex VIII of the above regulation listing the UN/ILO Conventions on core human and labour rights and those related to the environment and to governance principles, which Pakistan has ratified and has agreed to effectively implement,
Amendment 4 #
2013/2168(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Citation 7 a (new)
Citation 7 a (new)
- having regard to the September 18 report by UN Special rapporteur on Human Rights and Counterterrorism, Ben Emmerson, on "Promotion and protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms while countering terrorism", and the September 13 report by UN Special Rapporteur on Extrajudicial, Summary or Arbitrary Executions, Christof Heyns, on "Extrajudicial, Summary or Arbitrary Executions",
Amendment 5 #
2013/2168(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Citation 7 b (new)
Citation 7 b (new)
- having regard to the resolution adopted by the UN General Assembly on 19 December 2013 on Promotion and protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms while countering terrorism,
Amendment 6 #
2013/2168(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Recital A
Recital A
A. whereas Pakistan’'s regional conduct and EU-Pakistan relations are of major and growing consequence to EU interestsstrategic role in the region and its relationship to its neighbours are of major and growing importance to the EU, given the country’'s pivotal location at the heart of a volatile neighbourhood, its centrality to security and development in Central and South Asia, and its crucial role in combating terrorism, non-proliferation, drug trafficking and other transnational threats, all of which affect the security and well-being of European citizens;
Amendment 10 #
2013/2168(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Recital C a (new)
Recital C a (new)
Ca. whereas Pakistan has one of the highest out-of-school population in the world with an estimated 12 million children not attending school and about two third of Pakistani women and half of Pakistani men being illiterate; whereas the country is still ranked 134 out of 135 countries in the World Economic Forum's 'gender gap' report;
Amendment 11 #
2013/2168(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Recital C b (new)
Recital C b (new)
Cb. whereas Pakistan is among the twelve countries most affected by climate change in the last twenty years, according to the Global Climate Risk Index, has been victim of severe flooding and water shortage and is directly affected by the glacial retreat on the Himalayas and Karakorum ranges;
Amendment 16 #
2013/2168(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Recital D d (new)
Recital D d (new)
Dd. whereas the Pakistani government has formally submitted a resolution to the UN General Assembly on 19 December clarifying that Pakistan is clearly opposing US drone strikes on its territory;
Amendment 17 #
2013/2168(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Recital D e (new)
Recital D e (new)
De. whereas starting on 1 January 2014 Pakistan is now integrated into the EU's special General System of Trade Preferences (GSP+);
Amendment 18 #
2013/2168(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Recital D f (new)
Recital D f (new)
Df. whereas in September 2012 Ali Enterprises factory in Karachi was devastated by a fire, resulting in the death of 286 trapped workers, producing jeans for the European market, whereas the integration of Pakistan into the GSP plus scheme could boost production in the textile sector and make improvements of labour rights and production conditions ever more important;
Amendment 20 #
2013/2168(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Takes the view, however, thatAcknowledges however, that accomplishing greater social justice, eradicating deep poverty and malnutrition in parts of the country, raising the basic education level, preparing the country for the effects of climate change and building a sustainable democracy and a pluralistic society will entail deep and difficult reforms of Pakistan’'s political and socio- economic order, which remains characterised by feudalistic structures of land ownership and political allegiances, imbalances in priorities between military spending and welfare provision, and a dysfunctional revenue collection system that systematically undercuts the state’'s capacity to deliver public goods;
Amendment 24 #
2013/2168(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Reiterates that good governance, accountable and inclusive institutions, separation of powers and respect for fundamental rights are the most effective framework forimportant elements to addressing the nexus of development and security in Pakistan; further believes that elected civilian governments, endowed with democratic legitimacy, devolution of power to the provinces and effective local government are best positioned to contain the tide of violence and extremism, restore state authority in the FATA areas, and ensure Pakistan’'s sovereignty and territorial integrity;
Amendment 25 #
2013/2168(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Supports, in this context, the intent of the Pakistani Government to enter into a peace dialogue with the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), provided this paves the way for a political and lasting solution to the insurgency and a stable democratic order, respecting human rights; appeals however to the negotiators to take into account that the educational level - in particular of women - is an absolutely decisive element for the advancement of societies and to make schooling of girls an essential element in the negotiations; appreciates Pakistan’s continued commitment to fight terrorism on both sides of its border, and encourages the authorities to take bolder steps to further limit the possibilities for the recruitment and training of terrorists on Pakistan’s territory;
Amendment 27 #
2013/2168(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 a (new)
Paragraph 4 a (new)
4a. Takes note that the Pakistani government has clearly expressed its opposition to US drone strikes on its territory; believes therefore that such strikes are not reconcilable with international law and should be halted immediately; welcomes the UNGA resolution which calls for further clarification on the legal framework applicable for the use of armed drones;
Amendment 28 #
2013/2168(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Welcomes Pakistan’s contribution to state-building and reconciliation processes in Afghanistan, including assistance in facilitating the restart of peace talks; expects Pakistan’s positive attitude to continue in the run-up to Afghanistan’s presidential elections and beyond; warns, however, against escalatedexpresses concern about geopolitical competition among neighbouring powers over influence in Afghanistan after the withdrawal of NATO combat troops;
Amendment 29 #
2013/2168(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Expects Pakistan to play aSets its hope in Pakistan's constructive role in promoting regional stability, inter alia by supportingcluding when it comes to the presence of NATO and EU Member States in post- 2014 Afghanistan, by further advancing the trialogue format of engagement in Afghanistan with India, Turkey, China, Russia and the United Kingdom, and by fostering regional cooperation in the fight against the trafficking of people, drugs, and goods;
Amendment 31 #
2013/2168(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
Amendment 34 #
2013/2168(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9
Paragraph 9
9. ICalls concerned by reports that Pakistan ias considering exporting nuclear weapons to third countries, in particular Saudi Arabia; expects the EU and its Members States, despite official denials of the reports, to it make clear to Pakistan that the export of nuclear weapons is unacceptablea nuclear weapon state, to legally ban exports of all nuclear weapons related know how or material and to actively contribute to possible international efforts for the reduction and eventual elimination of all nuclear weapons;
Amendment 39 #
2013/2168(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11
Paragraph 11
11. Recalls that EU-Pakistan relations traditionally developed inside a framework focused on development and trade; appreciates the significant and enduring contribution of EU development and humanitarian cooperation, and welcomes the prospective eligibility of Pakistan to benefit from the EU’s GSP Plus as from 2014underlines that cooperation particularly in the sectors of education, democracy building and climate change adaption should continue to receive primary focus;
Amendment 54 #
2013/2168(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17
Paragraph 17
17. Reiterates that progress in bilateral relations is linked to improvement in Pakistan’s human rights record, in particular as regards eradicating modern- day slavery, curbing gender-based violence, enhancing women’s rights, including that of access to education, promoting tolerance and protection of vulnerable minorities, preserving freedom of religion and belief, including by easing the strict anti-blasphemy legislation, and moving towards abolition of the death penalty; recognises that this requires the development of a reliable legal and judicial system at all levels, which is accessible to all;
Amendment 55 #
2013/2168(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 a (new)
Paragraph 17 a (new)
17a. Calls particularly on the Pakistani authorities: to apprehend and prosecute those inciting violence, or who are responsible for violent attacks on schools or minority groups such as Shia, including the Hazara community, Ahmadis, and Christians and to instruct the security forces to actively protect those facing attacks from extremist groups; to enact laws against domestic violence; to end enforced disappearances, extrajudicial killings and arbitrary detentions notably in Balochistan;
Amendment 56 #
2013/2168(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 b (new)
Paragraph 17 b (new)
17b. Welcomes the adoption of the bill to create a National Human Rights Commission in 2012 and urges the government to set it up so that it can start functioning;
Amendment 57 #
2013/2168(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 c (new)
Paragraph 17 c (new)
17c. Recalls that the EU's GSP Plus which Pakistan benefits from as of 2014, is only granted to countries which have agreed in a binding manner to implement international human rights, labour rights and environment and good governance conventions; underlines notably Pakistan's obligations under the conventions listed in Annex VIII and reminds the Commission of its obligation to monitor their effective implementation; recalls further that in case a country "does not respect its binding undertakings" the GSP plus shall be temporarily withdrawn;
Amendment 58 #
2013/2168(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 d (new)
Paragraph 17 d (new)
17d. Calls on the Pakistani government to sign up to the ILO/IFC led "Better Work Program", as promised, in order to give a push to improvements in health and safety standards for workers; calls on all those directly or indirectly responsible in the factory fire at Ali Enterprises garment factory, including the involved Social Accountability auditing company and European retailers to finally pay the survivors of the fire full, long-term and fair compensation which still has not been done;
Amendment 7 #
2013/2167(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Recital A
Recital A
A. whereas the EU is a culturally diverse community of values, based on the motto ‘United in diversity’ and founded on the principles of human rights and democracy and has a legal and a moral duty to promote these values in its relations with all other countries;
Amendment 31 #
2013/2167(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. whereas the necessity to combat extremismrespect for cultural diversity and tolerance vis-à-vis different concepts and beliefs remains a condition fornecessary integral part of the successful construction of a newpeaceful international order based on widely shared universal values;
Amendment 38 #
2013/2167(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Reiterates its conviction that the EU must defend its own global interests in a determined, unified manner, whileUnderlines that the EU should always basinge its foreign policies on the promotion of the fundamental values upon which the Union is founded (namely, respect for human dignity, freedom, democracy, equality, the rule of law and respect for human rights) and on respect for other countries;
Amendment 69 #
2013/2167(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Notes in particular that the democratisation of numerous states throughout the world in the past two decades, and more recently the events of the uprisings in the Arab world, have shown that the quest for democracy - notably freedom of expression, human drignityhts and equal participation - is not only a Western ideologyconcern but an important action driverspiration for people within and across diverse cultural systems and religious backgrounds;
Amendment 70 #
2013/2167(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Considers that the notion of cultural and religious differences has, all across history and until now, been used repeatedly as a pretext for blatant violations of human rights by authoritarian and radical regimes and extremist groups;
Amendment 80 #
2013/2167(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. Rejects essentialist visions of cultures as fixed entities; bBelieves that the growing interaction of people belonging to different cultural backgrounds can lead to the development and strengthening of a common core of universal values;
Amendment 98 #
2013/2167(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13
Paragraph 13
Amendment 110 #
2013/2167(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16
Paragraph 16
16. Calls for the EU to seek particular cooperateion with those Islamic states which uphold an inclusive and tolerant vision of Islam todifferent cultures, ethnicities and beliefs in order to jointly counter the attempts to promote fundamentalistdiscriminatory and exclusivist interpretations of religbeliefs which can lead to violent persecution of all those who do not fit to such an interpretation; notes that instances of radical religious resurgence is not limited to the Muslim world but it is taking place on a global scalehave regretfully taken place all through history and are not limited to a certain faith;
Amendment 125 #
2013/2167(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18
Paragraph 18
18. Considers that the EU should be more assertive in its support of the promotion of human rights, social and political rights by civil society, as well as of more liberal interpretations of religious dogma in those countries the governments of which promote fundamentalist and exclusivist views of religion and culture or allow groups with such an agenda to dominate the public discourse;
Amendment 138 #
2013/2167(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22
Paragraph 22
22. Stresses the importance of the EU taking action throughout the worldin its external actions to promote respect for freedom of expression, freedom of the press and freedom of access to media and new information technologies;
Amendment 144 #
2013/2167(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23 a (new)
Paragraph 23 a (new)
23a. Is concerned at the fragmentation of external EU cultural policy and projects, which is hampering the strategic and efficient use of cultural resources and the development of a visible common EU strategy on the cultural aspects of the EU’s external relations; calls for a coherent EU strategy for the international promotion of European cultural activities and programmes based on the protection of diversity, a more effective coordination of existing EU external policy programmes with cultural components and their implementation in agreements with third countries;
Amendment 5 #
2013/2152(INI)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Reaffirms its condemnation of all violence against women, especially the use of sexual violence as a weapon of war and domestic violence and calls on all Member states of the Council of Europe to sign and ratify the Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and on the EU to engage into an accession process to the Convention in order to ensure coherence between EU internal and external action on violence against women; stresses the importance of information and awareness campaigns in communities wheras well as including human rights defenders already working on ending the female genital mutilation (FGM) is practised;.
Amendment 15 #
2013/2152(INI)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Calls for efforts to be stepped up to achieve the Millennium Development Goals concerning gender equality, maternal health and access to education, especially for girls and young women, with a solid commitment from states to enhance accountability and monitoring mechanisms for existing human rights obligations, promote access to justice for all and ensure effective participation for everybody, including the most marginalized and disadvantaged in development decision-making and implementation;
Amendment 19 #
2013/2152(INI)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 a (new)
Paragraph 5 a (new)
5a. 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 and to addressing discrimination, including gender discrimination and inequality, in population and development strategies; 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 20 #
2013/2152(INI)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 b (new)
Paragraph 5 b (new)
5b. Urges the EU and its Member States to ensure the ICPD+20 review process results in a comprehensive review of all aspects related to the full enjoyment of sexual and reproductive rights and reaffirm a strong and progressive approach to sexual and reproductive rights for all in consistency with international human rights standards and increasing accountability for their achievements; in particular, calls on the EU and its Member States to ensure that the review process is conducted in a participatory manner and provides opportunity for different stakeholders, including civil society as well as women, adolescents and young people to participate in a meaningful manner; recalls that the framework for such a review must be based on human rights and have a specific focus on sexual and reproductive rights.
Amendment 212 #
2013/2152(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 41 a (new)
Paragraph 41 a (new)
41a. Recalls its resolutions of 25 November 2010 on the situation in Western Sahara and its previous Annual Report 2010 and 2011; condemns the on- going repression of Sahrawi people in the occupied territories and expresses its concern at the deterioration of human rights situation, as reported by, among others, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment; calls for the fundamental rights of the people of Western Sahara, including freedom of association, freedom of expression and the right to demonstrate, to be respected; demands the release of all Sahrawi political prisoners; demands the opening of the territory to independent observers, NGOs, and the media; reiterates its support for the establishment of an international mechanism to monitor human rights in Western Sahara; supports a fair and lasting settlement of the conflict, on the basis of the right to self-determination of the Sahrawi people, in accordance with the relevant United Nations resolutions;
Amendment 1 #
2013/2147(INI)
Draft opinion
Recital A
Recital A
A. whereas women in Saudi Arabia continue to face many forms of discrimination and segregation in private and public life and must obtain permission from a male guardian for most basic life decisions, in particular for certain medical procedures;
Amendment 5 #
2013/2147(INI)
Draft opinion
Recital A a (new)
Recital A a (new)
Aa. whereas the World Bank report on 'Women, Business and the Law 2014 – Removing Restrictions to Enhance Gender Equality'1 places Saudia Arabia as the first in the list of countries whose laws limit the economic potential of women; 1 http://wbl.worldbank.org/~/media/FPDK M/WBL/Documents/Reports/2014/Women -Business-and-the-Law-2014-Key- Findings.pdf
Amendment 10 #
2013/2147(INI)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 a (new)
Paragraph 1 a (new)
1a. Regrets, however, that the law protecting women against domestic violence, adopted on 26 August 2013, requires the consent and support of the legal guardian in order for victims to be able to complain;
Amendment 23 #
2013/2147(INI)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Reminds the Saudi Government of its commitments under the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women and the Convention on the Rights of the Child and those which are incumbent upon it also under the United Nations General Assembly Resolution A/RES/53/144 adopting the Declaration on human rights defenders; regrets, therefore, the recent sentencing of two Saudi women activists to 10 months in prison and a ban on leaving the country for two years, for having rescued a woman who was a victim of domestic violence;
Amendment 10 #
2013/2103(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Citation 13 a (new)
Citation 13 a (new)
- having regard to the EU Strategy Towards the Eradication of Trafficking in Human Beings,
Amendment 19 #
2013/2103(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Recital A a (new)
Recital A a (new)
Aa. whereas prostitution is a form of slavery incompatible with human dignity and fundamental human rights,
Amendment 31 #
2013/2103(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Recital B a (new)
Recital B a (new)
Ba. Whereas any policy on prostitution has an impact on the realisation of gender equality, and delivers messages and norms to a society, including its youth;
Amendment 35 #
2013/2103(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Recital B c (new)
Recital B c (new)
Bc. whereas organised crime, human trafficking, extremely violent crime and corruption flourish in the shadow of prostitution, and any framework of legalisation primarily benefits the pimps, who are able to transform themselves into ‘businessmen',
Amendment 48 #
2013/2103(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Recital C a (new)
Recital C a (new)
Ca. Whereas EU data show that there is a current policy problem to identify and prosecute traffickers and that we need to strengthen the investigation of sex- trafficking cases and the prosecution and conviction of human traffickers.
Amendment 57 #
2013/2103(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Recital E a (new)
Recital E a (new)
E a. Whereas the issue of prostitution needs to be addressed with a long-term vision and the perspective of gender equality;
Amendment 60 #
2013/2103(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Recital G
Recital G
G. whereas the number of prostitutes in Germany is estimated at 400 000, but whereas only 44 prostitutes are officially registered with the social welfare agencies following the 2002 law legalising prostitution; whereas in 2007 the German Government admitted that there ‘are no viable indications that the [law to legalise prostitution] has reduced crime’, and whereas one third of German prosecutors have noted that legalising prostitution has ‘made their work in prosecuting trafficking in human beings and pimping more difficult’;
Amendment 65 #
2013/2103(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Recognises that prostitution and sexual exploitation are violations of human dignity and therefore contrary to the principles of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union; including the goal and the principle of gender equality
Amendment 71 #
2013/2103(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Recognises that prostitution both globally and across Europe feeds trafficking of vulnerable women and girls, and stresses that, as shown by data from the European Commission, the majority (62 %) are trafficked for sexual exploitation, and women and girls account for 80 % of identified and presumed victims; with an increase of the percentage of victims from non EU countries in the last years who come mainly from Nigeria and China.
Amendment 171 #
2013/2103(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18
Paragraph 18
18. Urges the Member States to provide social services for victims of trafficking or sexual exploitation and to implement policies aimed at helping vulnerable women and girls to leave prostitution;, including for migrant and undocumented women, by assessing their individual needs and risks in order to receive the appropriate assistance, support and protection, including the granting of residence permits.
Amendment 176 #
2013/2103(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18
Paragraph 18
18. Urges the Member States to provide public social services for victims of trafficking or sexual exploitation, offering psychological and social support and staffed by specialised professionals, and to implement social policies aimed at helping vulnerable women and girls to leave prostitution, specifically by guaranteeing them jobs which will effectively result in their social inclusion;
Amendment 181 #
2013/2103(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18 a (new)
Paragraph 18 a (new)
18a. Urges the Member States to also implement policies aimed at helping vulnerable women and girls to leave prostitution;
Amendment 2 #
2013/2090(INI)
Draft opinion
Paragraph B
Paragraph B
B. whereas it is estimated that 48 % of girls aged between 15-19 years are forced into marriage in South Sudan and whereas 12- year-old girls have reportedly been forced into marriage, which directly affect girls' enrolment, only 39% of pupils at primary school and 30% at Secondary School are girls,
Amendment 6 #
2013/2090(INI)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Welcomes the creation of the first College of Nursing and Midwifery at the Juba teaching hospital, but notes that more qualified nurses and midwives are needed to ensure significant improvement of maternal health; and to open up roads, establish more health centres based on this model in the whole country;
Amendment 8 #
2013/2090(INI)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Urges the South Sudanese authorities to ensure that police and judicial staff are better trained to deal with crimes and violence against womenstrengthen the fight against impunity by training the justice and the law enforcement community with tools designed to curb violence against women ensuring that the authors are effectively convicted;
Amendment 10 #
2013/2090(INI)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Calls on the South Sudanese authorities to adopt laws which will criminalise all forms of violence against women as well as the forced marriage of a minor and condemn all marriage involving girls under the age of 18 years, guarantee the safety of women and ensure the conviction of the perpetrators of crimesintroduce a family law setting out a minimum age marriage, conditions for the custody of children and a law that tackles gender-based violence particularly which criminalises harmful traditional practices such as female genital mutilation;
Amendment 12 #
2013/2090(INI)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 a (new)
Paragraph 3 a (new)
3a. Urges the South Sudanese government to ratify the CEDAW and the UN Convention on the rights of the child;
Amendment 15 #
2013/2090(INI)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 a (new)
Paragraph 4 a (new)
4a. Welcomes the commitment made by the President of South Sudan to achieve the aim of at least 25 percent female representation in cabinet and invites him to strengthen women's participation in the ongoing constitutional process; recalls that women play a key role in conflict resolution and peace-building processes, invites therefore the South Sudanese authorities to ensure that women are fully included in the implementation of the peace process with Sudan;
Amendment 2 #
2013/2082(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Citation 3
Citation 3
– having regard to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and General Comment 22 by the Office of the UN High Commissioner forUnited Nations Human Rights Committee,
Amendment 28 #
2013/2082(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point b
Paragraph 1 – point b
(b) Violence against religious communitiepersons belonging to religious communities and minorities or against persons who hold non-religious beliefs, with political, socio- economic or ideological roots, persists in many parts of the world; clear condemnation by the European Union of all forms of violence and discrimination should be a basic element of EU policy in the area of freedom of religion or belief.
Amendment 34 #
2013/2082(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point c
Paragraph 1 – point c
(c) The purpose and scope of the EU Guidelines should be to promote and protect freedom of religion or belief in third countries, to mainstream freedom of religion or belief in all the EU's external actions and human rights policies and to develop clear benchmarks, criteria, standards and a practical orientation in order to enhance the promotion of freedom of religion or belief in the work of civil servants and EU officialofficials from the EU institutions and Member States.
Amendment 44 #
2013/2082(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point g
Paragraph 1 – point g
(g) While freedom of religion or belief and freedom of expression are mutually reinforcing rights, in cases where these two rights are invoked against each other, the EU should also recall that modern media tools can afford a close interconnectedness between cultures and faiths. Therefore steps need to be taken to avoid inter- cultural violence as a reaction to acts of freedom of expression related to criticism and especially ridicule.In this context, the EU should condemn unequivocally any act of violence committed in reaction to such speech and it should firmly oppose any attempt to criminalise freedom of speech in relation to religious issues, such as blasphemy laws.
Amendment 49 #
2013/2082(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point h
Paragraph 1 – point h
(h) It should be stressed in the Guidelines that an indispensable part of freedom of religion or belief is the right to manifest the freedom of religion or belief in community with others; this includes the freedom to establish and maintain places of worship and religious sites, to establish and maintain appropriate religious, social and charitable institutions with legal personality and organisational autonomy, including the freedom to appoint personnel and leaders of these institutions without external interference from the state, the freedom to provide religious teaching and training, the freedom to exercise one's ministry, the freedom to observe days of rest and to celebrate holidays and ceremonies in accordance with the precepts of one's religion or belief and the freedom to carry out charitable activities. Equally, it should be noted in the Guidelines that the right to exercise religion in community with others should not unnecessarily be limited to officially recognised places of worship, and that all undue limitations to the freedom of assembly should be condemned by the EU.The Guidelines should underline that States have a duty to remain neutral and impartial towards religious groups, including as regards symbolic or financial support.
Amendment 65 #
2013/2082(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point o
Paragraph 1 – point o
(o) Proper and ongoing monitoring and assessment of the situation in the area of freedom of religion or belief in the world has to be ensured by the European External Action Service, under the responsibility of the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, and a special section should continue to be devoted to this issue in the EU's Annual report on Human Rights in the World, including recommendations for improvement. The EU Special Rapporteurepresentative for Human Rights should pay particular attention to questions relating to the promotion and protection of freedom of religion or belief in the course of all his or her activities, and regularly inform the European Parliament and its relevant committees of areas of concern and progress achieved.
Amendment 69 #
2013/2082(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point p
Paragraph 1 – point p
(p) The EU's external financial instruments should be used both as incentives and deterrents (for example, freezing funds) with regard to freedom of religion or belief in a particular country, as this forms an integral part of the assessment of the whole human rights situation in the country. UIn case of serious deterioration of the human rights situation including with regards to fredeom of religion or belief, the EU should apply the existing human rights clauses in EU external agreements should be encouragwith the country concerned.
Amendment 9 #
2013/2020(INI)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Recalls that where more women are engaged in conflict resolution and peace- building processes, they play a key role in peace negotiations, broadening the scope of reconstruction, rehabilitation and peace buildinglong-term stability; therefore encourages the participation of women in all reconciliation efforts in Mali and in the north of the country especially; calls for national action plans under UN Security Council Resolution 1325 to be subject to regular reviews and for the priority points to be updated regularly;
Amendment 14 #
2013/2020(INI)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 a (new)
Paragraph 1 a (new)
1a. Stresses that efforts to tackle impunity, including in connection with gender- based violence in conflicts, which is an affront to women's dignity, are key to restoring stability and building lasting peace; welcomes, therefore, the application to the ICC by the Malian Government and the establishment of an international commission of inquiry into the crimes and human rights violations committed in Mali;
Amendment 17 #
2013/2020(INI)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Recognises the positive role played by the European Instrument for Democracy and Human Rights (EIDHR) in the protection of women’s rights and in the consolidation of democracy in third countries and recalls that democracy entails the full participation of women in public life;
Amendment 29 #
2013/2020(INI)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Calls on the Commission, the EEAS and the Council to encourage more countries in the region to make explicit statutory provision for women’s and girls’ rights and to prioritise programmes that would ensure those rights, in particular, access to education, the financial independence of womenpublic services, including in the field of education and health, in particular sexual and reproductive health, access to resources and to loans particularly in rural areas, empowerment and the financial independence of women, in particular by helping them make the transition from informal to formal work, the participation of women in political and economic decision-making by promoting temporary measures such as quotas where necessary, and the elimination of all forms of violence against women and girls;
Amendment 33 #
2013/2020(INI)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 a (new)
Paragraph 4 a (new)
4a. Draws attention to the need to involve local women's associations in setting up and implementing projects, taking account of their knowledge and experience and making it easier for them to access national and international public funding;
Amendment 38 #
2013/2020(INI)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Calls on the Special Representatives of the EU for the Sahel and for human rights to develop joint actions to ensure women’s rights in the region more effectively; urges that the European Commission, the EEAS and partner states make women’s rights and gender equality a priority for bilateral aid programmes., and that they provide sustainable and reliable funding for initiatives aimed at empowering women and boosting gender equality;
Amendment 66 #
2013/2020(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Recital H
Recital H
H. whereas a ceasefire in Western Sahara between the Moroccan Government and the Polisario Front has been in place since 1991; whereas the UN considers Western Sahara a non-self-governing territory; whereas no country recognises Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara; whereas the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic is currently recognised by the AU and over 45 UN states, but not by the UN collectively or by any EU Member State; whereas the UN andrecognises Morocco as the de facto administrative power of Western Sahara; notes with surprise that the EU does not explicitly consider Morocco to be an occupying power; whereas a referendum on the status of Western Sahara, first agreed on principle in 1988, has still not taken place;
Amendment 100 #
2013/2020(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Attaches particular urgency to the human rights situation in Mali, with reports of serious human rights violations in northern Mali by armed groups; notes that alleged crimes include mass rape, mutilation, cruel treatment and torture, ethnic-based violence, summary executions, illegal arrests and passing of sentences without due process, forced disappearances, the use of child soldiers, forced marriages, intentionally directing attacks against protected objects, and destruction and looting of property; notes that, since January 2013, there have also been reports of human rights violations by elements of the Malian security forces and vigilante groups against the Tuareg and Arab communities, and other groups perceived to have cooperated or been associated with rebel groups; urges the Malian authorities and their international partners to pay close attention to the new patterns of human rights violations, including reprisals based on ethnicity, that have emerged since the recovery of certain parts of northern Mali, and could constitute an obstacle to peace-building and reconciliation if not properly addressed; calls upon the Malian Government to facilitate the reporting of abuses in any future offensives, and to respect due process when interrogating suspected militants; reiterates its condemnation of the atrocities committed against the civilian population; recalls the International Criminal Court (ICC) Prosecutor's determination of a reasonable basis to believe that atrocities committed in the Mali conflict constitute war crimes; believes moreover that some atrocities could constitute crimes against humanity;
Amendment 105 #
2013/2020(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 a (new)
Paragraph 4 a (new)
4a. Welcomes the fact that a peace accord was signed in Mali on 18 June 2013 in order to pave the way for the presidential election and for peace negotiations between the Malian authorities and non- terrorist armed groups in northern Mali and that the signatories have all promised to end human rights violations in every form; urges the Malian authorities and their international partners to pay close attention to the new patterns of human rights violations, including reprisals based on ethnicity, which could constitute an obstacle to peace-building and reconciliation if not properly addressed; welcomes the fact that the Malian Government has set up units to monitor military operations in northern Mali and opened investigations into the human rights violations allegedly committed by certain elements of the Malian armed forces; calls on the Government to redouble its efforts and respect due process when interrogating suspected militants;
Amendment 107 #
2013/2020(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Notes with grave concern the UNHCR’s estimate of almost 300 000 internally displaced persons in Mali, in addition to over 175 000 refugees in neighbouring countries; calls for immediate action in those refugee camps which are reportedlyand in those parts of northern Mali which are suffering from extreme food insecurity and alarming levels of child mortality; maintains that the immediate action in question has to be taken before the start of the rainy season in July; appeals to international donors to honour their financial commitments as a matter of urgency and, without delay, to raise the $290 million needed to enable the UNHCR to halt the severe food crisis now affecting 3.4 million Malians; stresses the importance of securing the refugees’ and IDPs’ safety, and facilitating their orderly return to their home communities as a key element of national reconciliation;
Amendment 113 #
2013/2020(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Abhors the grave violations against children in Mali, including the reported use of child soldiers by all of the armed groups active in the north; emphasises the importance of allocating sufficient recourses to the tasks of demobilisation and rehabilitation of child soldiers; welcomes the draft agreement being drawn up between the Malian Government and the United Nations whereby child soldiers involved in the armed groups are to be handed over to UN representatives; condemns in the strongest terms the sexual violence against girls, forced marriages, abductions and attacks on schools and hospitals that have occurred during the Mali conflict; draws attention to the capture and detention of children for intelligence purposes and to the cases of abandonment of children born as a result of rape crimes in northern Mali as a worrying emerging trend thato which a solution needs to be addressed found as a matter of the utmost urgency;
Amendment 125 #
2013/2020(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10
Paragraph 10
10. Welcomes the substantial African contingent within the MINUSMA mission, and in particular the AU’s decision to send human rights observers embedded within it; welcomes the fact that the armed groups and the Malian authorities which signed the interim peace accord of 18 June have promised to facilitate the phased deployment of human rights observers in northern Mali; welcomes furthermore the European Commission’s endeavour to train additional local observers within the European Instrument for Democracy and Human Rights; urges the EU to learn lessons from this experience and to explore appropriate ways to have available pools of trained experts, who could be quickly deployed on the ground in urgent situations to give professional advice to EU policy- makers if necessary;
Amendment 134 #
2013/2020(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12
Paragraph 12
12. Considers the need to fight impunity and hold all perpetrators of serious human rights violations accountable, irrespective of affiliation and status, as key to ensuring lasting peace and stability in Mali; welcomes therefore the Malian Government’s referral of the situation to the ICC and the ICC Prosecutor’s opening of formal investigations; calls on the EU and other international partners of Mali to help the government to pursue its objective of investigating and prosecuting perpetrators of abuses; calls on the Malian Government to consider establishing a Truth and Reconciliation Commission, along the South African lines, to encourage dialogue and foster trust between communitiewelcomes Article 18 of the interim peace accord of 18 June 2013 and the undertaking by the Malian authorities and the signatory armed groups to set up an international committee of inquiry as soon as possible to investigate war crimes, crimes against humanity, and other serious breaches of international and humanitarian law in all parts of Mali; calls on the EU and other international partners of Mali to help the Malian authorities to implement the provisions of the interim peace accord; welcomes the fact that the Dialogue and Reconciliation Commission was set up in March 2013 to serve for a two-year term, and maintains that the commission must be as broadly representative as possible and that its work has to produce practical results as soon as possible; welcomes the fact that the national reconciliation process, encompassing all elements of Malian society, is to be launched after the presidential election, once a new Malian government has been installed; calls on the EU and its partners in the international community to support the national reconciliation and inclusive dialogue process;
Amendment 184 #
2013/2020(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22
Paragraph 22
22. Notes with due seriousness the extreme and pervasive poverty of Mali, Niger, Chad and Burkina Faso, and acknowledges its detrimental impact on the prospects of realising human rights; expresses grave concern over the high maternal and under- five child mortality rates in the region; draws attention to the inverse relationship between the level of education among mothers and the infant mortality rate and accordingly points to the importance of promoting schooling for girls; stresses the UN’s findings of lower mortality rates among better educated mothers as a rallying call for universal education; points out that fast population growth puts additional pressure on governments’ capacity to protect even the most basic economic and social rights; considers it necessary, therefore, to provide better access to health services and – as far as sexual and reproductive rights are concerned – to family planning services in particular;
Amendment 191 #
2013/2020(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23 a (new)
Paragraph 23 a (new)
23a. Draws attention once again to the need to make development aid for States contingent on respect for fundamental rights; reiterates that the allocation of European development aid funding can be effective only if the Union is in a position to carry out proper scrutiny of the way that funding is used, in order to satisfy itself that it is not being diverted from its intended purpose; reaffirms the need, if human rights are to be safeguarded effectively, to make the EU’s external and internal policies more consistent, in keeping with the EU’s development aims;
Amendment 202 #
2013/2020(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25
Paragraph 25
25. Condemns in the strongest possible terms the ongoing slavery in Mauritania; is shocked by evidence that up to20 % of Mauritania's population reportedly lives in slavery, embedded in a rigid caste system, despite the country's official abolition of slavery in 1981 and its criminalisation in 2007; notes thatpractice of hereditary slavery, which is still widespread in the Sahel, and in Mauritania in particular; urges the Mauritanian Government is extremely reluctant to acknowledge the continued widespread existence of slavery, and that to date only one legal case against a slave owner is known to have seen successful prosecution; urges the Mauritanian Government to live up to its national and international legal commitments and obligations tothorities of the States concerned to enact as soon as possible, in cooperation with the International Labour Organisation, appropriate specific laws which can be used to combat this phenomenon effectively; end all forms of slavery; furthermore, urges the Mauritanian authorities to stop harassing local civil society organisationsmphasises that anti-slavery laws should make provision for procedures for caompaigning for an end toensating persons held as slaverys; calls on the Commission and the Member States to continue to support the work of Mauritanian as well as international anti- slavery organisations, including the UN Special Rapporteur (UNSR) on contemporary formsensure that laws of this kind are in fact adopted, implemented and enforced in such a way as to end the practice of slavery;
Amendment 204 #
2013/2020(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25 a (new)
Paragraph 25 a (new)
25a. Declares itself extremely shocked by evidence that 20 % of Mauritania's population reportedly lives in slavery, trapped in a rigid caste system, despite the country's official abolition of slavery in 1981 and its criminalisation in 2007; expresses deep concern at the institutionalised nature of this practice, which reaches as far as the civil service; deplores the fact that the Mauritanian Government is extremely reluctant to acknowledge the continued widespread existence of slavery, and that to date only one successful prosecution has been brought against a slave owner; urges the Mauritanian Government to honour its national and international legal commitments and obligations to end all forms of slavery; urges, further, the Mauritanian authorities to stop harassing local civil society organisations campaigning for an end to slavery and to waive all the charges brought against their members and representatives; calls on the Commission and the Member States to continue to support the work of Mauritanian and international anti- slavery organisations, including the UN Special Rapporteur (UNSR) on contemporary forms of slavery;
Amendment 208 #
2013/2020(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26
Paragraph 26
26. Notes, furthermore, with great concern, that slavery persists across the wider Sahel region, withthere are a large numbers of people in bonded labour in Mali, Niger and elsewhere; urges the responsible national and international authorities to take action in this regard, with particular attention to the position and vulnerability of women and girls, inter alia assisting victims' rehabilitation and reintegration, collecting data, and organising awareness-raising campaigns;
Amendment 222 #
2013/2020(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 29
Paragraph 29
29. Notes the discrimination and violence faced by women and girls in much of the region, the manifestations of which include forced marriage, child marriage, sexual exploitation, under-education and, particularly in Chad, widespread female genital mutilation, including infibulation; calls on the EU to assistprovide financial support for local women's groups and civil society to tackle oppression, and enable women to lead lives that they have freely chosen;
Amendment 258 #
2013/2020(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 37
Paragraph 37
37. Emphasises the need for human rights in Western Sahara to be considered without anticipating any final political settlement or expressing a view on such a settlement; reiterates, nevertheless, that self- determination is a fundamental human right, as specified by Article 1 of the UN International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights; moreover, recalls UN Security Council Resolution 1754, urging the parties to enter into negotiations in good faith, without preconditions, 'with a view to achieving a just, lasting and mutually acceptable political solution, which would provide for the self- determination of the people of Western Sahara'; fears that the 25-year delay in arranging a referendum is increasing Sahrawi alienation and the potential for violence, particularly amongst the young; calls on the European Union to become more closely involved and to support the United Nations in its efforts to encourage the parties to resume direct negotiations with a view to securing a peaceful and lasting resolution of the conflict;
Amendment 270 #
2013/2020(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 38
Paragraph 38
38. Expresses deep concern at the recent report from the UNSR on torture, who found credible evidence that Moroccan officials have detained individuals on political grounds, inflicted torture and rape on Sahrawi inmates, kidnapped and abandoned protesters in the desert to intimidate them, and deliberately and frequently targeted pro-independence advocates, including in their homes; notes further widespread allegations of forced disappearances and unfair trials; draws particular attention to the dismantling of the Gdeim Izik protest camp in November 2010, where significant violence claimed Moroccan and Sahrawi lives, and the subsequent trial of 25 Sahrawis, many of them known human rights activists, in February 2013; notes Morocco's insistence regarding the trial's fairness and due process, and the positivecontradictory conclusions of some international observers, but also recalls the OHCHR's and the UNSR's concern at the use of a military court, the allegations of torture, and the Moroccan authorities' failure to investigate them; notes the conclusions by some NGOs and human rights observers relating to the case's alleged politicised prosecutions, deficient evidence and excessive sentences to try civilians, the serious allegations of torture, including reports of rape from Sahrawi inmates, and the court’s refusal to allow any investigations or medical examinations to be conducted in that connection; notes the conclusions by some NGOs and human rights observers relating to the case's alleged politicised prosecutions, deficient evidence and excessive sentences; deplores the fact that Morocco’s decision no longer to try civilians in military courts was made after the military court sentenced the 25 Sahrawis, who are unable to lodge an appeal with the Supreme Court; calls therefore on the Moroccan authorities to work with civil society and other actors to guarantee the transparency and fairness of its judicial processes, and to investigate and prosecute security officials alleged to have been involved in arbitrary detentions, torture and other abuses of power;
Amendment 274 #
2013/2020(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 38 a (new)
Paragraph 38 a (new)
38a. Condemns the fact that on Wednesday 6 March 2013 Morocco expelled a delegation of four Members of the European Parliament; notes that the aim of the delegation was to visit the territories of Western Sahara, to inquire about the situation of human rights and to meet with representatives of the MINURSO; condemn Morocco's authorities behaviour and demands the Kingdom of Morocco to permit free access and free movement in Western Sahara to independent observers, members of parliaments, to the press and to humanitarian organisations;
Amendment 279 #
2013/2020(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 39
Paragraph 39
39. Reiterates the concerns of the 2006 OHCHR report, as well as those voiced by the UNSR on torture, about restrictions on freedom of speech, assembly and association in Western Sahara; notes Morocco's claim to allow sit-ins and other forms of protest but points out that, according to local NGOs and international observers, Sahrawi demonstrators have been beaten, abducted and tortured by Moroccan forces; regrets Morocco's apparent institutional obstruction of NGOs advocating a pro- independence position by preventing their legal registration and recognition; condemns the often severe punishments for 'undermining Moroccan territorial integrity', an item of legislation reportedly used to target Sahrawis peacefully advocating independence; recalls the findings of the UN Independent Expert on cultural rights that the Moroccan authorities suppress certain aspects ofon Morocco to accept the five recommendations regarding the human rights situation in Western Saharawi culture, and repeats her call to overturn such measures and promote full cultural diversity that were made by the UN Human Rights Council in September 2012 as part of the universal periodic review for Morocco;
Amendment 281 #
2013/2020(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 39 a (new)
Paragraph 39 a (new)
39a. Recalls the finding of the UN Independent Expert on cultural rights that the Moroccan authorities suppress certain aspects of Sahrawi culture, and repeats her call to overturn such measures and promote full cultural diversity;
Amendment 292 #
2013/2020(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 40
Paragraph 40
40. WelcomNotes the significant economic and infrastructural development implemented by the Moroccan Government in Western Sahara; remains concerned, however, by the ongoing dispute over the exploitation of the territory's natural resources, particularly relating to phosphate mines, fisheries, and preliminary oil exploration; recalls the UN Under-Secretary-General for Legal Affairs' advice in 2002, which stressed the Western Saharan people's 'inalienable rights' to their territory's natural resources, and determined that further exploitation 'in disregard of the interests and wishes of the people of Western Sahara' would be illegal; stresses, therefore, that Western Saharan goods and resources should be exempt from any trade agreements between Morocco and the EU unless the Sahrawi population's consent and benefit can be clearly demonstrated; expresses particular concern that the EU should not re-institute a fisheries agreement with Morocco while this controversy remains unresolved; calls on the Commission explicitly to exclude Western Saharan territorial waters from the fisheries agreement currently being renegotiated with Morocco;
Amendment 293 #
2013/2020(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 40
Paragraph 40
40. Welcomes the significant economic and infrastructural development implemented by the Moroccan Government in Western Sahara; remains concerned, however, by the ongoing dispute over the exploitation of the territory's natural resources, particularly relating to phosphate mines, fisheries, and preliminary oil exploration; recalls the UN Under-Secretary-General for Legal Affairs' advice in 2002, which stressed the Western Saharan people's ‘inalienable rights’ to their territory's natural resources, and determined that further exploitation ‘in disregard of the interests and wishes of the people of Western Sahara’ would be illegal; stresses, therefore, that Western Saharan goods and resources should be exempt from any trade agreements between Morocco and the EU unless the Sahrawi population's consent and benefit can be clearly demonstrated; expresses particular concern thatinvites the EU shouldto not re-institute a fisheries agreement with Morocco while this controversy remains unresolved;
Amendment 319 #
2013/2020(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 44
Paragraph 44
44. Notes that while most recent observers, and reports from the OHCHR, Robert F. Kennedy Center for Justice and Human Rights, and Human Rights Watch, have identified little evidence of systemic and institutional human rights violations in the camps, multiple actors, including the Moroccan Government, Moroccan NGOs and some former inhabitants of Tindouf, have alleged that the Polisario authorities restrict inhabitants’ freedom of expression and freedom of movement, practise or permit slavery, forcibly marry children, and separate families in order to send children to Cuba for military training; notes Polisario's vigorous denials of these accusations, which it claims are politically motivated; notes Polisario's vigorous denials of these accusations and its willingness to cooperate with UN human rights agencies; calls therefore on Polisario to allow independent human rights observers full, regular and unfettered access to the camps; amidst reported evidence of some residual private slavery in both Tindouf and Western Sahara, calls on the Polisario and Moroccan authorities to redouble their efforts to terminate this practice and rehabilitate its victims;
Amendment 327 #
2013/2020(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 45
Paragraph 45
45. Welcomes efforts to improve the documentation of alleged human rights abuses in Western Sahara, in particular through the institution of the Moroccan National Council for Human Rights (CNDH), with offices in Laayoune and Dakhla; notes the positive work of the CNDH, and calls on the Moroccan Government to help strengthen its independence and remit, and to ensure the implementation of its recommendations; furthermore welcomes Moroccan invitations to, and acceptances of, ad-hoc international delegations, including the UNSR on torture, and the fact that those invitations were accepted, and urges the Moroccan authorities to give authorisation for fact- finding missions to be conducted by other international organisations, such as the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights and the European Parliament; urges all relevant parties to continue such engagement with UN human rights bodies;
Amendment 334 #
2013/2020(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 46
Paragraph 46
46. Notes, nevertheless, the serious and contested allegations against both the Moroccan and Polisario administrations, and recalls the UN Secretary-General's recent emphasis on 'independent, impartial, comprehensive and sustained monitoring of the human rights situation in both Western Sahara and the camps'; notes with dismay, in this regard, that the UN did not upgrade the mandate of MINURSO in April 2013 to incorporate a human rights dimensionfailed to incorporate a human rights dimension into the mandate of MINURSO in April 2013; encourages the UN to do so, or else to establish a new, permanent, impartial human rights body for the purpose of supervising and reporting on the overall situation of human rights, and investigating individual complaints; calls on such a body to encompass the Moroccan-controlled section of Western Sahara, the Tindouf camps, and other territory controlled by the Polisario Front;
Amendment 8 #
2013/2004(INL)
Motion for a resolution
Citation 15
Citation 15
– having regard to the UN General Assembly resolutions of 12 December 1997 entitled ‘Crime prevention and criminal justice measures to eliminate violence against women’ (A/RES/52/86), of 18 December 2002 entitled ‘Working towards the elimination of crimes against women committed in the name of honour’ (A/RES/57/179), and of 22 December 2003 entitled ‘Elimination of domestic violence against women’ (A/RES/58/147) and of the UN General Assembly resolution of 5 March 2013 entitled "Intensifying global efforts for the elimination of female genital mutilations" (A/RES/67/146),
Amendment 11 #
2013/2004(INL)
Motion for a resolution
Citation 20 a (new)
Citation 20 a (new)
- having regard to the UN Report of the Special Rapporteur on violence against women, its causes and consequences, Rashida Manjoo, of 16th May 2012,
Amendment 12 #
2013/2004(INL)
Motion for a resolution
Citation 20 b (new)
Citation 20 b (new)
- having regard to the European Parliament resolution of 11 October 2007 on the murder of women (feminicide) in Mexico and Central America and the role of the European Union in fighting the phenomenon (2007/2025(INI)),
Amendment 16 #
2013/2004(INL)
Motion for a resolution
Recital B
Recital B
B. whereas gender-based violence may result in physical, sexual, emotional or psychological harm, or economic loss, to the victim; whereas gender-based violence can occur both in private and in public spheres;
Amendment 46 #
2013/2004(INL)
Motion for a resolution
Recital G
Recital G
G. whereas violence against women can leave deep physical and psychological scars, damage the general health of women and girls, including their reproductive and sexual health, and in some instances results in death, also named feminicide;
Amendment 71 #
2013/2004(INL)
Motion for a resolution
Recital R
Recital R
R. whereas the adoption of EU guidelines on Violence against Women and girls and combating all forms of discrimination against them is a mark ofas well as the specific chapter on the protection of women against gender-based violence in the EU Human Rights Strategic Framework and Action Plan are marking the EU’s clear political will to treat the subject of women’s rights as a priority and to take long-term action in that field; whereas coherence between the internal and external dimensions in polices concerning human rights can sometimes expose a gap between rhetoric and behaviour;
Amendment 73 #
2013/2004(INL)
Motion for a resolution
Recital S
Recital S
S. whereas, according to Amnesty International reports, FGM concern hundreds of thousands of women and girls in Europe; whereas the disparities between legal provisions in Member States are leading to the phenomenon of so-calledthe Parliament report (2008/2071(INI)) some 500,000 women and girls in Europe live with the consequences of FGM; whereas the disparities between Member States with regard to FGM prevention actions, protection of victims and prosecution impact on the cross -border ‘FGM tourism’ within the EU; aspects of the practice;
Amendment 76 #
2013/2004(INL)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 a (new)
Paragraph 1 a (new)
1a. Calls on the Commission and Member State to legally classify gender-based violence killing of women as feminicide and develop a legal framework to end eradicate it;
Amendment 105 #
2013/2004(INL)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 a (new)
Paragraph 6 a (new)
6a. Calls on the Commission and Member States to take action in order to end impunity of feminicide and any kind of violence against women by enhancing access to justice of women, ending impunity of perpetrators, disaggregating data collection and supporting national capacity and assistance;
Amendment 107 #
2013/2004(INL)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 b (new)
Paragraph 6 b (new)
6b. Calls on the European External Action Service to develop a detailed action plan to end any kind of violence against women, ask the EEAS to cooperate with third countries to end gender-based killing of women or feminicide;
Amendment 138 #
2013/2004(INL)
Motion for a resolution
Annex – Recommendation 2
Annex – Recommendation 2
- design, implement and evaluate yearly comprehensive strategies and programmes, including public education programmes and training for teachers and professionals in the recreational sector aimed at removing obstacles that prevent women and girls from enjoying their full rights and freedom out of violence and at changing the mind-set of societies; (…) - exchange expertise, experience, information and best practices through the European Union Crime Prevention Network (EUCPN) (…) - open specialised sheltersand other relevant EU platforms for professionals such as CEPOL, EUROJUST, EU Chief Medical Officers and EU Chief Nursing Officers (…) - open specialised shelters conceived as safe and empowering space for women and equip them with facilities and adequately trained staff, offering places for at least 1 woman per 10 000 inhabitants.
Amendment 1 #
Amendment 11 #
2012/2289(INI)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Urges the United Nations to enhance the importance accorded to women's rights and gender equality by making them the subject of at least one specific goal in the post-2015 MDG framework and emphasising their status as cross-cutting issues within development cooperation programmes as a whole; stresses that targets and indicators for the future goals must genuinely reflect the barriers women and girls face (e.g. access to education beyond enrolment) and should be disaggregated by gender to ensure that certain sections of the population are not left behind;
Amendment 15 #
2012/2289(INI)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 b (new)
Paragraph 1 b (new)
1b. Stresses the need to include a gender perspective in national budgets and hence introduce gender-specific public finance management systems, making it possible to evaluate and monitor access by women and girls to the services they require;
Amendment 18 #
2012/2289(INI)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Urges the United Nations, when assessing the MDGs after 2015, invariably to base its reasoning on the Gender Inequality Index (GII) as described in the UNDP Human Development Report 2010, bearing in mind that the GII is the index providing the most representative and complete picture of the gender equality situation in a given country, and to adopt an approach encompassing both the quantitative and the qualitative point of view; points out that it must evaluate more closely the reasons for which progress made in improving maternal health has been relatively slow compared with other MDGs;
Amendment 22 #
2012/2289(INI)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Calls for the post-2015 MDG framework to set ambitious targets for women’s rights and gender equality in terms of women’s empowerment and well-being, participation in decision-making, combating violence against women, access to good education (at primary, secondary, and higher level) and training, access to effective health care, improvements in sexual and reproductive health and rights, quality and stability of employment, equal pay, career development, the representation of women in politics and economic activity by improving access for women to productive and financial assets and not only microcredit, and ownership and inheritance rights;
Amendment 23 #
2012/2289(INI)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Calls for the post-2015 MDG framework to set ambitious targets for women’'s rights and gender equality in terms of women’'s empowerment and well- being, participation in decision-making, combating violence against women, access to goodquality education (at primary, secondary, and higher level) and training, access to effective health carpromotion of universal health coverage through health systems which are public and free at the point of use, improvements in sexual and reproductive health and rights, quality and stability of employment, equal pay, career development, the representation of women in politics and economic activity, and ownership and inheritance rights;
Amendment 28 #
2012/2289(INI)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 b (new)
Paragraph 3 b (new)
3b. Call on the United Nations, in the post-2015 framework, to focus on synergy between consideration of sexual and reproductive rights and the achievement of other MDGs such as girls’ education and women’s empowerment, thereby promoting access to family planning services, especially in rural areas;
Amendment 33 #
2012/2289(INI)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 g (new)
Paragraph 3 g (new)
3g. Calls for the post-2015 framework provisions fully to involve women’s associations in content definition and formulation and the implementation of the new MDGs, based on their expectations and experiences;
Amendment 55 #
2012/2289(INI)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 a (new)
Paragraph 5 a (new)
5a. Calls for the post-2015 MDG framework to have adequate finance resources dedicated to development, environment and pro poor spending in order to achieve the goals; donors need to meet long-standing financial commitments including 0.7% of GNI as ODA in the post-2015 framework and should invest in increasing revenue from innovative sources of finance as well as put an end to tax evasion and tax avoidance;
Amendment 45 #
2012/2273(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Recital J
Recital J
J. whereas sex-selective pgendercide and femicide cause skewed population sex racticesos, disrupt gender balance in societies, cause skewed population sex ratios and have economic and social impactand have harmful political, economic and social consequences which, in turn, lead to more violence against women and girls;
Amendment 49 #
2012/2273(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Recital K
Recital K
K. whereas a culture of persistent ‘son preference’ not onlypatriarchal culture preserves stereotypes, democratic deficits and gender inequalities but also, and presents obstacles for women to fully enjoy equal treatment and equal opportunities in all areas of life;
Amendment 55 #
2012/2273(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Recital N a (new)
Recital N a (new)
Na. whereas in its resolution entitled ‘Combating gender-motivated murders of women and girls’ the United Nations Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice expresses grave concern at the alarming levels femicide has reached and reiterates the need for the phenomenon to be recognised as a crime punishable by law;
Amendment 63 #
2012/2273(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Stresses that gendercide remains a crime and a severe violation of human rights that necessitates effective ways to address and uproot all its fundamental causes leading to ‘son preference’patriarchal cultures;
Amendment 113 #
2012/2273(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15
Paragraph 15
15. Stresses the importance of enabling women to access health care without spousal authorisatiat women’s exercise of their rights is necessarily bound up with their capacity to take decisions individually and independently of their spouse, for which reason it is essential to ensure that women have access to education, work, health care, and a bank account without requiring the authorisation or consent of another person;
Amendment 8 #
2012/2153(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Recital A
Recital A
A. whereas Kazakhstan aspires to deepen and broaden its relations with the EU; whereas the EU and Kazakhstan should benefit mutually from closer cooperation; whereas the conclusion of the new PCA negotiation should provide a comprehensive framework for cooperation;
Amendment 10 #
2012/2153(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Recital A a (new)
Recital A a (new)
Aa. whereas Kazakhstan has played a positive role in Central Asia making efforts to develop good neighbourly relations with bordering countries, resume regional cooperation and solve peacefully all bilateral issues,
Amendment 17 #
2012/2153(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Recital B a (new)
Recital B a (new)
Ba. whereas Kazakhstan held the OSCE chairmanship in 2010; whereas commitments undertaken to bring media law in line with international standards, to liberalise registration requirements for political parties by the end of 2008, and to incorporate recommendations by the OSCE's Office of Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) in the elections legislation, remain unmet
Amendment 26 #
2012/2153(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Recital D a (new)
Recital D a (new)
Da. whereas 37 people were tried on charges of organizing or participating in mass unrest; whereas 34 were convicted, 13 of whom will serve time in prison, among them prominent leaders and activists from the oil workers' strike, including Talgat Saktaganov, Roza Tuletaeva and Maksat Dosmagambetov
Amendment 29 #
2012/2153(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Recital E
Recital E
E. whereas the International Monitoring Mission of Civic Solidarity concludes in its preliminary report that the Zhanaozen trials cannot be considered as compliant with the fair trial standards and that the investigation of the events of December 2011 was neither full nor independent; whereas the accused and some witnesses were victims of severe violations of their rights during the pre-trial stage, including the alleged use of torture, denial of access to an attorney, intimidation, and fabrication of evidence; whereas the defendants' testimony during the trials of ill-treatment and torture during pre-trial detention were not fully, impartially and thoroughly investigated in a manner capable of holding the perpetrators responsible
Amendment 31 #
2012/2153(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Recital E a (new)
Recital E a (new)
Ea. whereas in July 2012, the UN high Commissioner for Human Rights Ms. Navi Pillay called after her two-day visit in Kazakhstan on the authorities to authorise an independent international investigation into the events of Zhanaozen themselves, their causes and their aftermath.
Amendment 34 #
2012/2153(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Recital F
Recital F
F. whereas despite the attempts to improve the law of 17 February 2012, the right of individuals to associate, organize and register independent trade unions, the right to collective bargaining and the right to strike are not being fully respected, and an independent judiciary is not in place;
Amendment 69 #
2012/2153(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point j
Paragraph 1 – point j
(j) closely monitorexpress deep concern at the gross violations of international standards for a fair trial in the trials ofagainst Vladimirt Kozlov and others,, Serik Sapargaly and Akzhanat Amirov, closely monitor these trials and report back to the EP thereon;
Amendment 78 #
2012/2153(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point p a (new)
Paragraph 1 – point p a (new)
(pa) insist that Kazakhstan reconsider restrictive amendments to the administrative code and its recent law on religion and put an end to arbitrary raids, interrogations, threats and fines on minority religious groups
Amendment 84 #
2012/2153(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point t
Paragraph 1 – point t
(t) call on Kazakhstan to sign and ratify the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court;
Amendment 100 #
2012/2153(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point z
Paragraph 1 – point z
(z) eEncourage the Kazakh government to demonstrate its renewed commitment to the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) by removing all legal or regulatory obstacles to its successful implementation and allowing independent civil society organisations to participate fully in the initiative;
Amendment 103 #
2012/2153(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point z b (new)
Paragraph 1 – point z b (new)
(zb) Stress that water issues in the region remain one of the main sources of tension and potential conflict and underlines the importance of a regional approach in order to protect and properly manage shared water resources; in this context reiterate the importance for the countries of the region to sign and ratify without delay the Espoo and Århus Conventions and to foster involvement of local actors in decision making
Amendment 104 #
2012/2153(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point z c (new)
Paragraph 1 – point z c (new)
(zc) step up its technical assistance to Kazakhstan in the field of water conservation and management of water resources in general in the framework of the EU Water Initiative for Central Asia with a view also to improving relations between upstream and downstream countries in the region and reaching sustainable water-sharing agreements ;
Amendment 105 #
2012/2153(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point z a (new)
Paragraph 1 – point z a (new)
(za) support and assist Kazakhstan in its efforts to save the Aral Sea in the framework of the action programme of the International Fund for saving the Aral Sea
Amendment 106 #
2012/2153(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point z d (new)
Paragraph 1 – point z d (new)
(zd) assist Kazakhstan in the adoption of effective mitigation measures and cleaning-up programmes of radioactive wastes and radioactive pollution in the Semey/Semipalatinsk region;
Amendment 107 #
2012/2153(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point z e (new)
Paragraph 1 – point z e (new)
(ze) welcome Kazakhstan's action for a nuclear weapons-free world and its leadership in the global nuclear disarmament process and for a comprehensive ban on nuclear tests;
Amendment 108 #
2012/2153(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point z f (new)
Paragraph 1 – point z f (new)
(zf) express concern at the initiative of establishing an International Nuclear Fuel Bank in Kazakhstan in partnership with the International Agency on Atomic Energy and call, in this regard, on the Kazak authorities to make public all the relevant information about the ongoing negotiations and start immediately the necessary environmental impact assessment and the consultation procedure in compliance with the Aarhus Convention;
Amendment 8 #
2012/2145(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Citation 9
Citation 9
– having regard to its resolution of 17 November 2011 on EU support for the ICC: facing challenges and overcoming difficulties3 , the Review Conference, and its resolution of 19 May 2010 on the first Review Conference of the Rome Statute of the ICC held in Kampala, Uganda, (31 May–11 June 2011, and the pledges signed up to by the EU, )4 as well as to the pledges made by the EU on this occasion,5 [3] Texts adopted, P7_TA(2011)0507. [4] OJ C 161, 31.5.2010, p.78. [5] http://www.icc- cpi.int/NR/rdonlyres/18B88265-BC63- 4DFF-BE56- 903F2062B797/0/RC9ENGFRASPA.pdf
Amendment 9 #
2012/2145(INI)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Reiterates that the situation regarding women’s rights and the promotion of women’sthese rights must be a crucial part ofraised systematically during human rights dialogues conducted by the EU with third countries with which cooperation or association agreements have been signed;
Amendment 11 #
2012/2145(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Citation 10
Citation 10
– having regard to Council Decision 2011/168/CFSP of 21 March 2011 on the International Criminal Court4 1, and the revised aAction plan, to follow up on the Decision of 12 July 2011, [1] OJ L 76, 22.3.2011, p. 56.
Amendment 11 #
2012/2145(INI)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 a (new)
Paragraph 1 a (new)
(1a) Calls for women’s rights and the status of these rights to be included systematically in the briefings made available to MEPs travelling on delegations and official visits;
Amendment 12 #
2012/2145(INI)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 b (new)
Paragraph 1 b (new)
(1b) Calls on the Commission and the Member States to address violence against women and the gender-related dimension of human rights violations internationally, in particular in the context of the bi-lateral association and international trade agreements in force and those under negotiation;
Amendment 13 #
2012/2145(INI)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 c (new)
Paragraph 1 c (new)
(1c) Supports the Latin American states to fulfil their obligation of due diligence in the prevention, attention, investigation, legal prosecution, sanction and reparation of feminicide, calls on the Commission to regularly raise the topic within political dialogues, and in particular the existing human rights dialogues, and offer cooperation in the search of remedies to eliminate violence against women and feminicide in the context of the bi- regional partnership;
Amendment 15 #
2012/2145(INI)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 a (new)
Paragraph 2 a (new)
(2a) Is deeply concerned about the raise of gender based violence in many parts of the world, as one of the symptoms of the worldwide crisis, and especially about the increasing number of feminicide (the homicides of women and girls) in Mexico and other countries of central and South America, which take place in a context of generalized violence and structural discrimination; strongly condemns all kinds of gender based violence and the aberrant crime of feminicide and the prevailing impunity for these crimes, which further pretexts and encourages the murderers;
Amendment 16 #
2012/2145(INI)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 a (new)
Paragraph 3 a (new)
(3a) Points out that the full participation of women in politics is not limited to statistical objectives regarding the number of candidates and elected officials. Ensuring gender equality entails taking the problems of women’s rights into consideration in policy-making and the free and effective participation of women in all aspects of public, political and economic life;
Amendment 20 #
2012/2145(INI)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 a (new)
Paragraph 5 a (new)
(5a) In order to ensure the effective participation of women when they are under-represented in both political and civil society organisations, it is important to provide training and support modules both for European staff dealing with gender issues and the women on the ground to enable them to make an effective contribution to these peace and conflict resolution processes;
Amendment 33 #
2012/2145(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Recital B
Recital B
B. whereas justice, rule of law. accountability for all crimes, including the most serious crimes of concern to the international community, fair trials, and an independent judiciary are indispensible elements in the protection of human rights and the pillars of sustainable peace;
Amendment 42 #
2012/2145(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Recital C
Recital C
C. whereas democracy is the best safeguard of human rights and fundamental freedoms, tolerance of all groups in societynon-discrimination in all its forms and tolerance vis-à-vis individuals and communities and equality of opportunity for each person;
Amendment 50 #
2012/2145(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Recital E
Recital E
E. whereas violations of freedom of religthe enjoyment of the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion is fundamental to the development of pluralist and democratic societies and a precondition for the enjoyment of many other rights such as freedom of expression, assembly and association; whereas violations or belieff freedom of thought, conscience and religion, perpetrated by governments and non-state actors alike, are increasing in many countries of the world, resulting in discrimination, intolerance and violence against certain individuals and religious communities, including religious minority representatives;
Amendment 94 #
2012/2145(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Subheading 4
Subheading 4
EU policy on international criminal justice and, the fight against impunity and the International Criminal Court (ICC)
Amendment 101 #
2012/2145(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16 b (new)
Paragraph 16 b (new)
16b. Celebrates the 10th anniversary of the entry into force of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court; recognized the ICC as a mechanism of "last resort" for bringing justice to victims of crimes against humanity, genocide, war crimes as provided by the principle of complementarity as enshrined in the Rome Statute;
Amendment 105 #
2012/2145(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 a (new)
Paragraph 17 a (new)
17a. Welcomes the inclusion in the EU Strategic Framework and Action Plan on Human Rights and Democracy of reference to the need to fight vigorously against impunity for serious crimes not least through a commitment to the ICC, and the understanding that it is the primary duty of states to investigate grave international crimes, promote and contribute to strengthening the capacity of national judicial systems to investigate and prosecute these crimes;
Amendment 107 #
2012/2145(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18
Paragraph 18
18. Welcomes the commitments made in the CouncilEU Decision on the ICC 2011/168/CFSP, adopted on 21 March 2011, and the subsequent Action Plan adopted on 12 July 2011, and recommends the EU and its Member States ensure their implementation through effective and concrete measures to promote the universality and integrity of the Rome Statute, to support the independence of the Court and its effective and efficient functioning and to support the implementation of the principle of complementarity;
Amendment 111 #
2012/2145(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18 a (new)
Paragraph 18 a (new)
18a. Recognises the efforts of the European Commission to establish an 'EU Complementarity Toolkit' aimed at supporting the development of national capacities and generating political will for the investigation and prosecution of alleged international crimes, and stresses the importance of thorough consultations with EU Member States, the European Parliament and civil society organisations in order to finalise the toolkit;
Amendment 115 #
2012/2145(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19
Paragraph 19
19. Reiterates its recommendation that the Rome Statute be added to the package of international treaties on good governance and the rule of law to be ratified by third countries admitted to the System of Generalised Preferences Plus (GSP+); supports consistent inclusion of an ICC clause in EU agreements with third countries; calls for the mainstreaming of the ICC in all EU foreign policy priorities, by, in particular, systematically taking into account the fight against impunity and the principle of complementarity;
Amendment 118 #
2012/2145(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19 a (new)
Paragraph 19 a (new)
19a. Stresses the importance of strong EU action to anticipate and avoid or condemn instances of non-cooperation such as the extension of invitations to individuals subject to an ICC arrest warrant and failure to arrest and surrender such individuals; and encourages the EU and Member States to develop internal protocols with concrete and standard actions enabling them to respond timely and consistently to instances of non- cooperation with the Court;
Amendment 122 #
2012/2145(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19 b (new)
Paragraph 19 b (new)
19b. Calls again on the EU and its Member States to comply with all the requests by the Court to provide assistance and cooperation in a timely manner, to ensure, inter alia, the execution of pending arrest warrants; and reaffirms the need for the EU and its Member States, with the help of the EEAS, to put in place a set of internal guidelines outlining a code of conduct for contact between EU/Member State officials and persons wanted by the ICC;
Amendment 124 #
2012/2145(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19 c (new)
Paragraph 19 c (new)
19c. Emphasises that the EU's support to the fight against impunity should cover a number of initiatives that include, among others: increased efforts to promote wider ratification and implementation of the Rome Statute and of the APIC in order to make the Court truly global and universal; enhanced efforts to secure full cooperation with the Court, including through enacting relevant national legislation on cooperation and concluding framework agreements with the ICC for the enforcement of the Court's sentences, the protection and relocation of victims and witnesses, etc, in order to facilitate adequate and timely cooperation with the Court; and determined political and diplomatic support, in particular with regard to the execution of pending arrest warrants;
Amendment 126 #
2012/2145(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19 d (new)
Paragraph 19 d (new)
19d. Notes that the Court is fully operational with seven active investigations (in the Central African Republic; Côte d'Ivoire; the Democratic Republic of the Congo; Darfur, the Sudan; Kenya; Libya; and Uganda); Notes with concerns that the Court is still facing a number of challenges and needs enhanced support and cooperation, in particular due to the fact that the majority of the 22 arrest warrants publicly issued by the Court have not yet been executed, including those against Joseph Kony and other leaders of the Lord's Resistance Army in Northern Uganda; Bosco Ntaganda in the DRC; Ahmad Muhammad Harun, Ali Muhammad Ali Abd-Al-Rahman, and President Omar Hassan Ahmad Al-Bashir in Sudan; Saif al-Islam Gaddafi and Abdullah Al- Senussi in Libya; thus frustrating justice for the victims of the grave crimes for which they are accused;
Amendment 127 #
2012/2145(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19 e (new)
Paragraph 19 e (new)
Amendment 130 #
2012/2145(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20
Paragraph 20
20. Underlines, further to the Arab Spring, the importance of developing a coherent and nuanced EU policy on transitional justice in addition to the reinforcement of the independence of the judiciary, including the linkage to the ICC as a court of last resort, to help countries in transition address the past human rights violations and to fight against impunity;
Amendment 138 #
2012/2145(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22 a (new)
Paragraph 22 a (new)
22a. Further recommends that an 'EUSR on International Humanitarian Law and International Justice' be appointed to advance EU policy and actions on the ICC effectively, and to give it the prominence and visibility it deserves, as well as to assist in ensuring the effective mainstreaming of justice and the fight against impunity in EU foreign policies, and that these issues are consistently weighed appropriately in policy discussions; Welcomes the appointment of an EUSR on Human Rights tasked with implementing the EU Strategic Framework on Human Rights, and calls on the EUSR to work to implement the actions related to the ICC contained therein;
Amendment 142 #
2012/2145(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23
Paragraph 23
23. Further emphasises the need to ensure that the issue of accountabilitythe fight against impunity for crimes against humanity, war crimes and genocide is addressed more systematically in the EU's bilateral relations with relevant countries, including by raising it in public statements, and that the EU addresses impunity more consistently at multilateral level, for instance at the UN General Assembly and Human Rights Council;[VA1]
Amendment 158 #
2012/2145(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 27 a (new)
Paragraph 27 a (new)
Amendment 159 #
2012/2145(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 27 a (new)
Paragraph 27 a (new)
27a. Emphasises that the role of women, and their full participation, in the political, economical and social spheres is essential, especially in post-war peace building processes, democratic transition negotiations and conflict resolution, reconciliation and stabilisation processes; calls more particularly for greater involvement of local women’s organisations in these multilateral negotiations;
Amendment 179 #
2012/2145(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 34 a (new)
Paragraph 34 a (new)
34a. Condemns the climate of fear and intimidation that has undermined the human rights of the Sahrawi people and which has again been highlighted in the preliminary report by the Robert F. Kennedy Foundation following its mission to Western Sahara in August 2012, and reiterates its call for the introduction of an international human rights monitoring system for Western Sahara;
Amendment 185 #
2012/2145(INI)
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 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; encourages EU EOMs to reinforce their coordination with other international election observation missions so as to improve the coherence of the EU action in this respect;
Amendment 188 #
2012/2145(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 37
Paragraph 37
37. Reiterates its call on the Council and the Commission to develop a political strategy in relation to each EU election observation mission, followed up by an assessment of democratic progress two years after the mission with due involvement of the concerned election observation Chief Observer, to be submitted during Parliament's annual human rights debate with the VP/HR;
Amendment 254 #
2012/2145(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 53 a (new)
Paragraph 53 a (new)
53a. Is gravely concerned by developments which restrict freedom of expression and assembly based on misconceptions about homosexuality and transgenderism; recalls that these laws and proposals are inconsistent with the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which precludes discriminatory laws and practices based on sexual orientation; calls on the High Representative/Vice-President of the Commission and the Special Representative for Human Rights to raise these concerns systematically;
Amendment 270 #
2012/2145(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 62
Paragraph 62
62. Stresses the importance for the EU to take proactive action (reaction and support to HRDs under threat; observation of trials brought against HRDs; prompt, vocal and visible reaction to restrictions to the freedoms of expression, association and assembly) and systematically to provide HRDs and/or their families with information on actions undertaken on their behalf, as prescribed in the EU Guidelines on HRDs; calls in this context for a reinforcement of the EIDHR mechanism aimed at providing urgent protection measures with Human Rights Defenders in danger or at risk;
Amendment 283 #
2012/2145(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 65 a (new)
Paragraph 65 a (new)
65a. welcomes the extension in the updated guidelines of the groups requiring special protection to persons facing discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity as well as the commitment to urge third countries to provide domestic procedure for complaints and reports that are gender and child-sensitive; however; regrets that EU's coordinated efforts to counter torture do not address its gender dimension in a more comprehensive manner, this mainly derives from a lack of substantive information on all forms of torture and ill-treatment;
Amendment 330 #
2012/2145(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 76 a (new)
Paragraph 76 a (new)
76a. 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 and to addressing discrimination-including gender discrimination and inequality- in population and development strategies. 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 331 #
2012/2145(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 76 b (new)
Paragraph 76 b (new)
Amendment 334 #
2012/2145(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 77 a (new)
Paragraph 77 a (new)
Amendment 66 #
2012/2137(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Recital I
Recital I
I. whereas the vasTibet aAutonomous provinces of TibetRegion and other Tibetan autonomous areas, and the Xinjiang are vital for the PRC from the viewpoint of ‘unity of the countUyghur Autonomous Region have become important territories for China's regional, military’ and because of their great strategic, military and economic importanceonomic ambitions and therefore are seen as core issues of 'territorial integrity' by the current Chinese Government;
Amendment 72 #
2012/2137(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Recital I d (new)
Recital I d (new)
Id. whereas as of 1st September 2012, 52 Tibetans have self-immolated in Tibetan populated areas of the People's Republic of China, including the Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR) and Tibetan Autonomous Areas within the Gansu, Sichuan and Qinghai provinces ;
Amendment 120 #
2012/2137(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Joins with the public commitment made by the EU and China during their High- Level Strategic Dialogue of 9-10 July 2012 in Beijing to set a good example of international cooperation in the 21st century through their Strategic Partnership; supports and encourages the almost sixty sectoral dialogues between the EU and China with the conviction that an enhanced and highly developed partnership will be mutually beneficial to both the EU and China; wishes, however, to see a strengthening of these dialogues in the fields of the environment, security, energy and in particular the fight against counterfeit products, in view of its impact on public health and safety;
Amendment 201 #
2012/2137(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. Admires the courage and the social responsibility of numerous Chinese citizens for defending precious social rights in their country, but denounces the tragic state of affairs whereby several of them are being officially persecuted and punished for their efforts toactivism of those Chinese citizens acting in socially responsible ways to promote and defend universally recognized human rights, and to challenge and correct well- known social dangers/criminal acts by Chinese officials, such as corruption, abuse of office, environmental damage, AIDS infection, food poisoning, construction fraud concerning schools, and illegal land and property expropriation, often committed by local party authorities; urges the Chinese leadership to encourage civil responsibility for observing social human rights and to rehabilitate officially persecuted and punished defenders of these right; denounces all incidences of official retaliation against these Chinese citizens; alsond expects a responsible Chinese leadership to comply strictly with individudomestic and international human rights law;
Amendment 234 #
2012/2137(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10
Paragraph 10
10. Recognises the enormoussignificant efforts made by the Chinese Government to develop Tibet and Xinjiang economically; urges the Chinese Government to act in a politically responsible way by respecting and protecting Tibetan and Uighur traditional cultures and lifestyles; believes that Beijing cannot win the hearts and minds of the and the impact of such efforts on nomad communities and traditional livelihoods; urges the Chinese Government to act in a politically responsible way by meaningfully engaging the Tibetan and Uighur peoples in governance issues, including resource management and economic development priorities, and respecting rather than diluting cultural elements such as language and religion; strongly asserts that the Chinese Government will not achieve lasting stability in Tibet or Xinjiang or comity among Chinese, Tibetan and Uighur peoples by way of through forcible assimillations of surveillance cameras, by systematically curtailing cultural autonomy or repressive police and security methods;
Amendment 246 #
2012/2137(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11
Paragraph 11
11. Stresses that, notwithstanding a harsh policy of repression, a religious revival is taking place in China which is demonstrated by the reopening or reconstruction of countless places of worship; urges the Chinese authorities to replace their ineffective policy of controlling religion with one offering realpull back on policies and practices that curtail any citizen's fundamental right to freedom of religion and belief ;
Amendment 29 #
2012/2102(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Recital I
Recital I
I. whereas many acts of sexual violence were committed on women during and after the uprisings across the region, including rape and virginity tests used as a means of political pressure against women, inter alia by security forces; whereas gender-based intimidation is increasingly being used by extremist movements; and whereas surveys show that more than 80% of Egyptian women have experienced sexual harassment;
Amendment 32 #
2012/2102(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Recital I a (new)
Recital I a (new)
Ia. whereas female genital mutilations are harmful traditional practices that cannot be considered part of a religion and despite the criminalization of the practice in 2007, female genital mutilations still affect 90% of Egyptian women and these practices are often performed by health practitioners;
Amendment 54 #
2012/2102(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2 a (new)
Paragraph 2 a (new)
2a. Calls on the External Action Service to deepen the dialogue with Arab regional institutions to ensure they play a leading role in mainstreaming women's rights and related policies across the region; through the implementation of the Department of Women's action plan, at the League of Arab States; and by strongly supporting the mandate of the newly established Family Affairs unit of the Organization for Islamic Cooperation (OIC) to be ratified in the upcoming OIC summit in Egypt in February 2013;
Amendment 93 #
2012/2102(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. Underlines the need to strengthen access to health and social services for women and girls, particularly with regard to maternal and reproductive health; stresses the importance of awareness-raising, community mobilisation, education and training, and of involving national, regional and local authorities and civil society as well as religious and community leaders to combat the practice of female genital mutilation;
Amendment 135 #
2012/2102(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15 a (new)
Paragraph 15 a (new)
15a. Calls on the External Action Service and the Commission to address discrimination of women workers' rights in the labour law when holding political and policy dialogue with the Arab countries ; and to adopt appropriate measures in line with the 'More for More' Policy; and to promote women's participation in trade unions;
Amendment 144 #
2012/2102(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17
Paragraph 17
17. Considers that women's rights and gender equality should be assessed in the commitments made by partners in accordance withalls on the External Action Service to develop clear criteria, including gender equality, in order to measure progress for the implementation of the ‘m'More for mMore’' principle of the renewed Neighbourhood Policy, through a transparent and inclusive process, including in consultation with women's rights and civil society organisations;
Amendment 11 #
2012/2063(INI)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 a (new)
Paragraph 1 a (new)
Notes that climate change disproportionately affects women, both in health terms, as more women die as a result of natural disasters, and in terms of economic, migratory and social pressures, due to the discrimination and gendered social roles which still characterise our societies; consequently, one of the main criteria for the success of PCD must be the mainstreaming of cross-cutting gender-related issues, so as both to ensure that sexual equality is not ignored when the various policies are formulated and implemented and to prevent those policies as a whole from having a counter- productive impact on equality between men and women;
Amendment 13 #
2012/2063(INI)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 b (new)
Paragraph 1 b (new)
1b. Reaffirms the importance of taking account of the situation of women, not simply as a vulnerable section of the population, but also as active facilitators of development policies; notes, in this context, that women are responsible for 80% of farming in Africa, even if it is still rare for them to have the possibility of owning the land they cultivate; calls, therefore, not only for agricultural and fisheries policies to be integrated into PCD because of their impact on development, but also for them to be assessed in terms of their differential impact on women and men respectively;
Amendment 15 #
2012/2063(INI)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 c (new)
Paragraph 1 c (new)
1c. Stresses that the policy of promoting equality between men and women should not only be the subject of a specific budget heading in the context of development policies but should also be regarded as a cross-cutting issue, since every policy that has an impact on society affects women and men differently, given the persistence of gendered roles in society and the fact that PCD offers a practical means of preventing negative externalities from adversely affecting equality between men and women;
Amendment 17 #
2012/2063(INI)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 d (new)
Paragraph 1 d (new)
1d. Stresses the importance of including women, and civil society organisations working on behalf of women’s rights and equality between women and men, from the moment that development policies are formulated, particularly by providing training on the subject of gender-related issues in the European External Action Service and EU delegations in third countries; stresses that such training must both raise general awareness of issues relating to gender and equality between women and men and also propose practical and country-specific approaches to influencing the social mores which are an obstacle to equality by using the various means at the EU’s disposal including, in particular, PCD;
Amendment 19 #
2012/2063(INI)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 e (new)
Paragraph 1 e (new)
1e. Affirms that, while the success of development policies and, consequently, of PCD cannot be measured solely by general indicators which have already demonstrated their limitations, such as trends in GDP per inhabitant, other indicators, such as those relating to equality between men and women, should be able to provide a fuller picture of the overall effect of development policies; data, broken down by gender, must therefore be collected on the spot in order to evaluate and enhance the impact of PCD;
Amendment 225 #
2012/2050(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 40
Paragraph 40
40. Supports the EU's promotion of a regional approach in Central Asia, which is essential to tackling the regional dimension of issues including organised crime, trafficking in drugs, radioactive materials and human beings, terrorism, natural and manmade environmental disasters and management of water resources; regrets, nevertheless, the lack of substantial progress due only partly to the limited financial resources available; calls for such engagement to be differentiated and conditional upon progress in democratisation, human rights, good governance, sustainable socio-economic development, the rule of law and the fight against corruption; notes that the EU cooperation Strategy for Central Asia identifies seven priorities, but provides resources too limited to have an impact in all policy areas; calls therefore for the EU to define priorities better according to the resources available, whilst ensuring that development cooperation is not subordinated to economic, energy or security interests;
Amendment 230 #
2012/2050(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 40 a (new)
Paragraph 40 a (new)
40 a. Stresses that the exploitation and management of natural resources with regard, in particular, to water are still a matter of contention in the region and a source of instability, tension and potential conflict; welcomes, in this regard the Water Initiative launched by the EU in Central Asia but calls for a more effective and constructive dialogue between mountainous and plain countries with a view to achieving sound and sustainable ways of dealing with water issues and adopting comprehensive and long lasting water-sharing agreements;
Amendment 285 #
2012/2050(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 53 a (new)
Paragraph 53 a (new)
53 a. Recalls the European Parliament resolution of 25 November 2010 on the situation in Western Sahara; urges Morocco and the Polisario Front to continue negotiation for a peaceful and long-lasting solution of the Western Sahara conflict and reiterates the rights of the Sahrawi people to self determination which should be decided through a democratic referendum, in accordance with the relevant United Nations resolutions; condemns the ongoing violation of the human rights of the Sahrawi people; calls for the release of the Sahrawi political prisoners; welcomes the statements by 11 countries during the 13 th session of the Universal Periodic Review of the United Nations raising concerns on the situation in Western Sahara;
Amendment 9 #
2011/2197(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Recital E
Recital E
E. whereas in some regions, women provide 70% of agricultural labour, produce more thanalmost 70% of all employed women work in agriculture1 and they produce up to 90 % of the food, and yet are nowhere represented insome crops2, yet they are nearly absent from budget deliberations, including in and climate change activities;
Amendment 19 #
2011/2197(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Recital K
Recital K
K. whereas women are also powerful agents of change, and their full participation in every aspect of the fight against climate change would ensure fairer and more comprehensive and effective policies to tackle climate change, with regard to both adaptation and mitigation aspects;
Amendment 26 #
2011/2197(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Reminds the Commission and the Member States of the European Parliament resolution on the climate change conference in Durban (COP 17) and its commitment to ‘strive for female representation of at least 40% in all relevant bodies’ for climate financing; and underlines the need to apply this principle to technology transfer and adaption bodies as well;
Amendment 41 #
2011/2197(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 a (new)
Paragraph 13 a (new)
13 a. Recognises that population growth has a climate impact and highlights the need to adequately respond to any unmet contraceptive needs of women and men in all societies;
Amendment 49 #
2011/2197(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18
Paragraph 18
18. Calls for the integration of gender equality as a cross-cutting issue in all climate funds and instruments; stresses that this integration requires gender expertise and should extend to the mission, governance and operational modalities of such financing mechanisms, and that operational modalities and monitoring and evaluation mechanisms should ensure that women and local communities benefit from adequate funding;
Amendment 210 #
2011/2185(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 51 a (new)
Paragraph 51 a (new)
51 a. Underlines the importance of recognizing gender-specific forms of torture and degrading treatments (e.g. female genital mutilation, rape) and insists on the need for all policies and programmes to counter torture to adequately address its gender dimension;
Amendment 236 #
2011/2185(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 60
Paragraph 60
60. Welcomes the adoption of the landmark Convention by the Council of Europe on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence, creating a comprehensive framework to prevent violence, protect victims and end impunity, and calls on all Member States and the European Union to quickly sign and ratify this Convention;
Amendment 241 #
2011/2185(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 61
Paragraph 61
61. Strongly condemns female genital mutilation (FGM) as a barbarian breach of theviolation of the right to bodily integrity of women and girls that perpetuates gender discrimination; firmly rejects any reference to cultural, traditional or religious practice as a mitigating factor; urges the Commission to pay specific attention to such traditional harmful practices in its strategy to combat violence against women ; calls on the EEAS to develop a specific toolkit on this issue as part of its implementation strategy of the EU Guidelines on children's rights and violence against women ; reiterates the need for coherence between EU internal and external policies on violence against women, including FGM;
Amendment 246 #
2011/2185(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 62 a (new)
Paragraph 62 a (new)
62 a. Recalls that the UN Human Rights Council resolution on preventable maternal mortality and morbidity and human rights and the Millennium Development Goals reaffirm that access to information, to education and to health care are basic human rights; stresses that the EU should therefore play an important role to prevent women from dying in pregnancy; demands that the Cairo programme of Action be implemented in its human rights and development policy, to promote gender equality and women and children's rights, including sexual and reproductive health and rights;
Amendment 5 #
2011/2091(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Recital B a (new)
Recital B a (new)
Ba. whereas discrimination based on sex is a specific kind of discrimination to the extent that it is systematic and systemic and cuts across, and is added to, all other forms of discrimination,
Amendment 7 #
2011/2091(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Recital C
Recital C
C. whereas Europe's future economic competitiveness and prosperity depend on its ability to fully utilise its labour resources not only by extending the employment period of life but also by adoptingprosperity and inclusiveness depend on its ability to effectively improve the use of its labour resources by creating the working conditions and social security systems which support both an improvement in working and living conditions and merit the economy; whereas this includes also appropriate policies to reconcile work, family and private life,
Amendment 9 #
2011/2091(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Recital D a (new)
Recital D a (new)
Da. whereas European societies have not managed to develop by changing their attitudes and ways of working as women have entered the labour market; whereas the necessary thought has not been given in Europe to the use of working time and personal time and the manner in which these aspects can be fairly shared among individuals,
Amendment 20 #
2011/2091(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Recital N a (new)
Recital N a (new)
Na. whereas education for equality from the earliest age, vocational guidance policies, and policies to promote women’s employment are the only ways to stop discrimination of this kind for good,
Amendment 43 #
2011/2091(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5 a (new)
Paragraph 5 a (new)
5a. Calls on the Commission and the Member States to embark on a study to ascertain how women and men use their time and to pave the way for a profound change in the management of child- rearing and home-making tasks, not least by means of matching adjustments to working time and care facilities;
Amendment 53 #
2011/2091(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. Welcomes the fact that Member States have already acknowledged that patterns and causes of gender inequality in the labour market are strictly related to the life- cycle stage, and stresses that a life-cycle approach to work must therefore be promoted; urges the Member States, however, – in order to address the challenges of life cycle adequately – to compare the disadvantaged position of young and older women with men of the same age in their active labour market policies and not just address the latter to women and men in adulthood; urges the Member States, bearing in mind the need to make up the ground which women have lost as a result of discrimination, to adopt the general rule whereby public policies must be weighted in favour of women;
Amendment 64 #
2011/2081(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Deplores the fact that criminalisation of expression is on the rise; recalls that journalists are frequently imprisoned worldwide because of their work; is aware that defamation, blasphemy and libel laws and laws on ‘tarnishing the image of the country abroad’ and on ‘homosexual propaganda’ are used to imprison or censor journalists and block free expression; regrets that censorship fosters self-censorship;
Amendment 127 #
2011/2081(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21
Paragraph 21
21. Considers that, while the EU addresses press and media freedom through several policies and programmes, it lacks a specific overall focus on freedom of the press and the media, as well as a coherent driving vision and benchmarks; notes, in this regard, the commitment by the European External Action Service (EEAS) to develop the EU guidelines on freedom of expression online and offline by the end of 2013; calls on the EEAS to consult closely with the European Parliament, the media and civil society in the drafting process of these guidelines;
Amendment 139 #
2011/2081(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24
Paragraph 24
24. Acknowledges that the EU can play a more significant role in relation to its immediate neighbourhood, notably in the candidate countries, and to the neighbourhood policy in the context of trade and association negotiations; believes that in order to do this, the EU should thoroughly monitor national media laws and their implementation and adopt an appropriate strategy where a country begins to change its legislation so as to restrict the freedom and pluralism of the media;
Amendment 142 #
2011/2081(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26
Paragraph 26
26. Considers that the EU should provide assistance to ensure the educateion and training of policymakers, regulators and media alike in third countries, with the goal of fostering press and media freedom and appropriate and technology-neutral forms of market regulation, especially recalling that in periods of transition freedoms are often restricted in the name of stability and security;
Amendment 145 #
2011/2081(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 27
Paragraph 27
27. Stresses that media development and enabling freedom of expression should be at the heart of the EU’s dialogue at country level, as well as of its trade and p, Partnership agreementnd Cooperation agreements, country strategy papers and aid programmes, in compliance with Article 21 TEU;
Amendment 150 #
2011/2081(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 29
Paragraph 29
Amendment 152 #
2011/2081(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 30
Paragraph 30
Amendment 164 #
2011/2081(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 34 a (new)
Paragraph 34 a (new)
34a. Condemns European companies involved in supplying equipment or technical assistance to third countries that seek to restrict freedom of expression, of the media and of other fundamental freedoms or to conduct mass surveillance when using ICT; calls upon the Council to take steps in order publicly to identify European companies involved in such practices and to take the necessary measures to stop these activities; takes note, in this context, of the Council's commitment, in the Action Plan on Human rights and Democracy adopted on 25 June 2012, to develop measures and tools to expand internet access, openness and resilience to address indiscriminate censorship or mass surveillance when using ICTs, and to include human rights violations as one of the reasons following which non-listed items may be subject to export restrictions by Member States.
Amendment 1 #
2011/2032(INI)
Draft opinion
Citation 1 (new)
Citation 1 (new)
– having regard to the 1979 UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW),
Amendment 15 #
2011/2032(INI)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Supports initiatives, incentives and capacity-building measures to ensure the participation of women in decision-making at all levels, so that their presence ensures the consideration of issues which impact on development of women, and ensures more just and balanced representation for all political decisions, not only concerning questions relating to the position of women;
Amendment 26 #
2011/2032(INI)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Notes that the decision establishing the European External Action Service requires recruitment based on merit and requires that gender balance be ensured at all levels; welcomes efforts to ensure that a 50/50 distributionregrets, however, that the service as currently constituted does not comply with this principle of balance between women and women at the level of head of Delegation be reachedmen, and calls on the Commission to restore parity, particularly at the level of Directors and Special Representatives of the EU.
Amendment 5 #
2011/2014(INI)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Stresses that the overall objectives of EU development assistance to Afghanistan should be to assist in the long term sustainable development of the country, including improvement of socio-economic standards and gender equality;, which would help to free Afghanistan's rural population from the grip of opium, underlines that the aid should further facilitate capacity building in public administration, strengthen the rule of law and reduce corruption, thus facilitating the transfer of security to the GIRoA;
Amendment 6 #
2011/2014(INI)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 a (new)
Paragraph 1 a (new)
1a. Believes that corruption in Afghanistan has reached unprecedented levels as manifest in such scandals as surrounding the Bank of Kabul in which bank officials including President Karzai's brother stand accused of having embezzled 900 million dollars; draws attention to the fact that Norway has frozen all its aid to Afghanistan and that in April, Britain stopped its payments to the main Afghan reconstruction fund;
Amendment 7 #
2011/2014(INI)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 b (new)
Paragraph 1 b (new)
1b. Considers that the European Union as one of the major donors of official development and humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan (more than €2 billion .between 2002 and end of 2010) has a particular responsibility to evaluate whether those funds reach the intended recipients and improve their living conditions;
Amendment 8 #
2011/2014(INI)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 c (new)
Paragraph 1 c (new)
1c. In view of the evident lack of absorption capacity in Afghanistan, expresses its serious concern that the indicative financial allocation for 2011– 2013 of €600 million over a period of three years means an increase of over 30% of the yearly allocation compared to the previous four-year period covered by the MIP 2007-2010;
Amendment 9 #
2011/2014(INI)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 d (new)
Paragraph 1 d (new)
1d. Underlines that after ten years of war, the majority of the Afghan population according to many observers considers the foreign troops as occupiers and that according to the latest report of the UN General Secretariat violence has increase by 40% over the last year;
Amendment 10 #
2011/2014(INI)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Reiterates the urgent need to increase efficiency of aid, as many development indicators still show no significant improvement,have not improved but declined over the years and corruption remains a major obstacle to the provision of essential services to the people;
Amendment 15 #
2011/2014(INI)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. PNotes that the majority of resources for socio-economic development in Afghanistan are channelled through international mechanisms but a significant proportion of this aid does not reach the intended beneficiaries, the impoverished and disempowered part of the Afghan population; points out the need to make donor coordination work better and to provide for detailed evaluations of aid efficiency in order to improve theransparency and donor accountability of the aid;
Amendment 19 #
2011/2014(INI)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. RExpects that the EEAS prepares a realistic analysis of risks and effectiveness of EU aid in Afghanistan for the Berlin conference in December 2011, considering that misplaced aid funnels corruption and criminal networks and thus not only wastes tax payer's money but can be seen as act of complicity towards the development of a failing state; reiterates its call on the EU to set up a centralised database on, and to analyse the costs and the impact of, all EU aid to Afghanistan, as the lack of up-to-date and reliable data undermines aid efficiency and transparency;
Amendment 21 #
2011/2014(INI)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 a (new)
Paragraph 5 a (new)
5a. Appeals to the EEAS to dare stop, reduce or redirect funding in consultation with the co-legislators in case that the necessary conditions are not fulfilled;
Amendment 22 #
2011/2014(INI)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
Amendment 15 #
2011/2008(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Recital C b (new)
Recital C b (new)
Cb. whereas concerns about security and stability in the region tend to privilege state security, rather than the security of populations through, inter alia respect for human rights, livelihoods, the environment property and access to public services,
Amendment 18 #
2011/2008(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Recital C d (new)
Recital C d (new)
Cd. whereas events in 2010 in Kyrgyzstan demonstrate that the denial of basic rights and opportunities, through concentration of power, corruption and lack of democracy and rule of law, can lead from situations of perceived stability to situations of insecurity,
Amendment 27 #
2011/2008(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Acknowledges the importance of the EU Special Representative’s continuous work in the field in ensuring a high level of political dialogue with the Central Asian states; recalls that his mandate also provides for engagement with local civil society and that this is necessary for increased EU visibility; calls for political dialogue to be based on an assessment of compliance by Central Asian states with their commitments as OSCE members;
Amendment 33 #
2011/2008(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 a (new)
Paragraph 3 a (new)
3a. Considers that limited resources and the region’s many needs require the EU to rigorously target and prioritize its assistance, also taking into consideration the effects of deep-seated corruption and insufficient administrative expertise on the effectiveness of its aid; Calls for steady levels of agreed development aid with greater flexibility in allocation and supports an emphasis on aid to be delivered to Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan that have the largest needs in this respect;
Amendment 44 #
2011/2008(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Deplores the difficulty encountered by the EU in engaging with independent civil society in the area of human rights and good governance in the context of the continued harassment of NGOs in the region; calls for support for genuinely independent NGOsgreater transparency in the allocation of EU development cooperation funding and its recipients, and the inclusion to the greatest extent possible of genuinely independent non- governmental partners in the implementation of EU programming so as to help them play an effective role in the development and consolidation of civil society;
Amendment 61 #
2011/2008(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Regrets that, although some limited positive developments have taken place in the region (abolition of the death penalty in Uzbekistan, some constitutional and judicial procedure reforms, etc.), the overall situation in the fields of human rights and the rule of law remains worrying;
Amendment 73 #
2011/2008(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10
Paragraph 10
10. Regards the Rule of Law Initiative as a key component of cooperation with the states of Central Asia, and approves of the exemplary interaction between the EU and its Member States in implementing assistance projects; notes that there has been little interaction between the projects and local civil society and that greater interactions with civil society, parliamentarians, improving access to information about the initiative by local civil society actors would enhance the visibility, transparency and accountability of its activities in line with the EU’s broader objectives for improving the Central Asia Strategy outlined in Joint Progress report; expects the Rule of Law Platform project to include clear objectives and a transparent assessment of its implementation and results while avoiding any reinforcement of the repressive components of security forces; stresses that genuine and diligent implementation of the Initiative must be one of the key criteria in allocation of aid and budgetary support;
Amendment 91 #
2011/2008(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11
Paragraph 11
11. Regards it as of the utmost importance that energy cooperation projects include long-term supply agreements, enshrining the principles of the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative; considers that where such principles are not implemented the EU should desist from activities and investments which might exacerbate existing rule of law, governance and human rights problems;
Amendment 102 #
2011/2008(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13
Paragraph 13
13. Stresses that water issues in the region remain one of the main sources of tension and potential conflict; calls in this regard on allthe countries of the region that haven’t yet done so to sign and ratify without further delay the Espoo and Århus Conventions and to foster involvement of local actors in decision- making;
Amendment 104 #
2011/2008(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15
Paragraph 15
15. Welcomes the increased engagement of the European development banks in the region, and especially, the extension of the mandate of the EIB to Central Asia focusing on environmental and water issues, but emphasises the need for any disbursement of funds to be carefully controlled and monitored; urges the development banks to uphold principles established by EBRD in desisting from support to state-owned enterprises in countries where there are systematic human rights violations;
Amendment 114 #
2011/2008(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17
Paragraph 17
17. Reaffirms its support for actions aimed at fostering regional cooperation as the only way to address the many cross-border security, resource management, ethnic, environmental and development problems of the states concerned; supports continuation and deepening of the BOMCA border management and CADAP drug action programmes;
Amendment 116 #
2011/2008(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 a (new)
Paragraph 17 a (new)
17a. Stresses that regional security is in the interest of both the EU and the other actors in the area, namely the Russian Federation, China and the US that are all concerned about growing instability and radicalisation in the region as well as porous frontiers with Afghanistan and the relevant drugs-trafficking;
Amendment 118 #
2011/2008(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18
Paragraph 18
18. Takes note of the accession of Kazakhstan to the customs union with Russia and Belarus and hopes that the development of this entity will be conducted in an inclusive manner towards those Central Asian states that are not part of itnot create obstacles to regional cooperation and will not hamper the stepping up of bilateral relations with the EU;
Amendment 123 #
2011/2008(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19
Paragraph 19
19. Calls for the inclusion of cross-border cooperation with Afghanistan, in particular with its border provinces, in transport, energy, trade, education and development actions and programmes;
Amendment 126 #
2011/2008(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19 c (new)
Paragraph 19 c (new)
19c. Calls for placing support to Security Sector Reform (SSR) in Central Asian countries on the political agendas of meetings with Central Asian leaders and urges investigating areas of Security Sector Reform that could be supported in the region next to existing work on rule of law and border management;
Amendment 138 #
2011/2008(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21 a (new)
Paragraph 21 a (new)
21a. Regrets the recent transition of prison facilities’ oversight from the Ministry of Justice to the Ministry of Interior and calls upon the Government of Kazakhstan to intensify its efforts to prevent and remedy torture and inhuman, cruel and degrading treatment;
Amendment 140 #
2011/2008(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21 b (new)
Paragraph 21 b (new)
21b. Deplores the intimidations by law enforcement officers and companies on oil workers who have been striking during the summer in Western Kazakhstan asking for increased wages and compensation for dangerous working conditions; calls for the immediate release of Natalya Sokolova, a lawyer of an independent trade union who was sentenced on charges of ‘igniting social unrest’ and Akhzanat Aminov who was arrested on charges of organising an illegal meeting; urges the Council to firmly raise the question of oil workers in Kazakhstan with all the European companies concerned in order to stop all practices that violate workers’ rights;
Amendment 142 #
2011/2008(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21 c (new)
Paragraph 21 c (new)
21c. Expresses concern over Kazakhstan introducing laws to re-register all religious entities; points out that this presents a dual challenge in terms of restricting the freedom of conscience of the prisoners and instituting a potential ‘witchhunt’ for religious extremists;
Amendment 143 #
2011/2008(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21 d (new)
Paragraph 21 d (new)
21d. Encourages Kazakhstan to demonstrate its renewed commitment to the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) by removing all legal or regulatory obstacles for the successful implementation of this initiative; calls, in this regard, on the Kazakhi government to provide the National Stakeholders Council – a multi-stakeholder working groups overseeing EITI implementation – with a legal status of a decision-making authority within the EITI mandate;
Amendment 147 #
2011/2008(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22
Paragraph 22
22. Commends Kyrgyzstan for its efforts to pursue democratic reforms and shift to a genuine multi-party system; hopes that further progress will be accomplished in the conduct of the upcoming presidential elections scheduled later this year; points out, nevertheless, that sustained efforts are needed to develop a fully functioning democracy, and, noting that Kyrgyzstan is one of the pilot countries for EU democracy support, calls in this regard on the HR/VPEU to assist the Kyrgyz authorities in the area of institution-building, consolidation of democratic practices and the fight against corruption and the infiltration of organised crime in Kyrgyz administration;
Amendment 151 #
2011/2008(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23
Paragraph 23
23. Welcomes the decision of the Kyrgyz Government to establish a Special Commission to implement and monitor the recommendations of the International Independent Commission (IIC) for investigation into the June 2010 events in South Kyrgyzstan, and calls on the Kyrgyz authorities to adopt the measures necessary to defuse interethnic tension and stabilise the situation and to promote cultural dialogue and respect for minority rights and the fight against all forms of discrimination inter alia, by instituting genuine judicial and police reform as a prerequisite for the prevention of human rights violations such as torture and other forms of police abuse; calls on the EU to design and implement EU assistance programmes together with the Kyrgyz authorities and NGOs aiming at conflict prevention, reconciliation and prevention of impunity;
Amendment 156 #
2011/2008(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24
Paragraph 24
24. Expresses its concern at the inefficiency of EU development aid in the country resulting from the high level of corruption, the influence of organized crime on governance and the looming regional fragmentation fuelled by the dire economic and social conditions; calls, therefore, for an alternative approach based on human security through alternative channels of assistance;
Amendment 158 #
2011/2008(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24 a (new)
Paragraph 24 a (new)
24a. Notes with concern restrictions on freedom of expression and recent restrictive amendments to the law on religion, as well as a new law on parental responsibility; expresses concern over reports of torture in custody and the continuing lack of access of civil society monitors to places of detention; calls for ICRC and international monitors to be granted access to penitentiaries to increase transparency and oversight;
Amendment 160 #
2011/2008(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24 b (new)
Paragraph 24 b (new)
24b. Draws attention to the now frequent outbreaks of violence in regions of Tajikistan, the authorities’ great difficulties to bring the situation under control, their calls for security assistance and international partners’ reluctance to provide this, partly due to lack of confidence in the Tajik authorities;
Amendment 161 #
2011/2008(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24 c (new)
Paragraph 24 c (new)
24c. Calls on the Tajik government to serve the citizens and make itself a credible actor for sustainable security and stability in the region by seriously combating corruption and avoiding the infiltration of organised crime into state structures; ending the loss of badly needed resources resulting from the highly opaque management of the finances of the TALCO aluminium production plant; refraining from allocating funds to unnecessary prestige projects; launching a major effort to reverse the decay of the country’s social and physical infrastructure; endeavouring to prevent new food and energy crises; and improving the respect for political, social and religious rights, with a view inter alia to remove grounds for grievances, frustration and radicalisation;
Amendment 162 #
2011/2008(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24 d (new)
Paragraph 24 d (new)
24d. Recommends, in this respect, the Tajik government to set as an objective the achievement of progress in the areas above mentioned permitting major and steady improvements in the country’s rankings in transparency, governance and other relevant indexes prepared by international organisations and calls for strict conditionality for EU aid via state structures and for intensified cooperation with non-state actors as an alternative in case the functioning of Tajik authorities does not substantially improve;
Amendment 176 #
2011/2008(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 27
Paragraph 27
27. Deplores, however, the fact that none of the conditions set by the European Parliament in February 2008 in order to move ahead with the Interim Agreement have been fulfilled, in particular free and unfettered access for the International Committee of the Red Cross, the release of all political prisoners and prisoners of conscience, the abolition of all government impediments to travel, and the possibility for NGOs to operate in the country; considers that these conditions must be met in order for Turkmenistan to comply with the international standards it has ratified;
Amendment 180 #
2011/2008(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 28
Paragraph 28
28. Takes note of the Council Conclusions of October 2010 that put an end to all sanctions on Uzbekistan and confirmed the willingness of the EU to strengthen relations with that country in a comprehensive manner; points out that the government has yet to respond the EU request for an independent investigation into the Andijan tragedy; recalls that the level of the engagement depends on progress by Uzbekistan in the fields of human rights, democratisation and the rule of law, and expects the EEAS and the Council to develop a policy of critical, conditional and coherent European engagement with Uzbekistan;
Amendment 183 #
2011/2008(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 28 a (new)
Paragraph 28 a (new)
28a. Notes the concern by ILO, representatives of workers, employers and NGOs as to the ongoing use of forced child labour in Uzbekistan’s cotton industry; calls for Uzbekistan’s authorities to engage with the ILO and grant the ILO unfettered access to monitor the cotton harvest;
Amendment 42 #
2011/0412(COD)
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 6
Recital 6
(6) The Union's contribution to democracy and the rule of law and to respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms is rooted in the universally accepted general principles established by the International Bill of Human Rights, and any other human rights instrument adopted within the framework of the United Nations, as well as relevant regional human rights instruments such as those of the Council of Europe. The indivisibility of human rights and fundamental freedoms must be reflected in the Union's actions supported by this regulation.
Amendment 45 #
2011/0412(COD)
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 7
Recital 7
(7) Gender equality and, women's rights, women empowerment, non-discrimination are fundamental human rights and athe question of social justice as well as fight against inequalities and their promotion is a strong component of this Regulation. All of them are cross-cutting issues which shall be mainstreamed in all programmes.
Amendment 49 #
2011/0412(COD)
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 8
Recital 8
(8) Democracy and human rights are inextricably linked and mutually reinforcing, as recalled in the Council Conclusions of 18 November 2009, on democracy support in the EU's external relations. The fundamental freedoms of expression and, association and assembly are the preconditions for political pluralism and democratic processes, whereas democratic control, domestic accountability and separation of powers are essential to sustain an independent judiciary and the rule of law which in turn are required for effective protection of human rights.
Amendment 55 #
2011/0412(COD)
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 9
Recital 9
(9) The task of building and sustaining a culture of human rights as well as of supporting the emergence of an independent civil society, including the enhancement of its role in its country and making democracy work for citizens, though especially urgent and difficult in emerging democracies, is essentially a continuous challenge, belonging first and foremost to the people of the country concerned but without diminishing the commitment of the international community. It also requires a range of institutions, in particular national democratic parliaments and local elected assemblies that should ensure participation, representation, responsiveness and accountability. It also requires independent civil society organisations that should take part in national good governance processes, including domestic accountability.
Amendment 61 #
2011/0412(COD)
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 11
Recital 11
(11) Union assistance under this Regulation is designed to complement the various other tools for implementing of Union policies on democracy and human rights, which range from political dialogue and diplomatic demarches to various instruments for financial and technical cooperation, including both geographic and thematic programmes. This instrument must be favoured over other instruments only if the Union assistance in this field cannot be part of geographic programmes. It will also complement the more crisis-related actions under the Instrument for Stability, including urgent actions needed during the first phases of transition process.
Amendment 69 #
2011/0412(COD)
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 11 a (new)
Recital 11 a (new)
Amendment 72 #
2011/0412(COD)
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 12
Recital 12
(12) Under this Regulation, the Union will provide assistance to address global, regional, national and local human rights and democratisation issues in partnership with civil society understood to span all types of social action by individuals or groups that are independent from the state and; it ranges from human rights defenders as defined by the UN Declaration on Human Rights Defenders, to individuals or groups that are independent from the state and that are at risk due to the lack of freedom of expression and of association in their countries and that are active in the field of human rights and democracy support.
Amendment 73 #
2011/0412(COD)
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 13
Recital 13
(13) Furthermore, whilst democracy and human rights objectives must be increasingly mainstreamed in all external assistance financing instruments, Union assistance under this Regulation will have a specific complementary and additional role by virtue of its global nature and its independence of action from the consent of third country governments and other public authorities. This will allow for cooperation and partnership with civil society on sensitive human rights and democracy issues possible, providing the flexibility to respond to changing circumstances. It shouldmay also provide Union capacity to articulate and support specific objectives and measures at international level which are neither geographically linked nor crisis related and which may require a transnational approach or involve operations both within the Union and in a range of third countriesuch as the establishment of shelter cities dedicated to human rights defenders or involve operations both within the Union and in a range of third countries while privileging the use of geographic instruments over this instrument to finance worldwide campaigns promoting fundamental rights. Moreover, it will provide the necessary framework for operations, such as support for independent European Union election observation missions requiring policy coherence, a unified management system and common operating standards.
Amendment 81 #
2011/0412(COD)
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 13 a (new)
Recital 13 a (new)
(13a) Developing and consolidating democracy under this Regulation may include democratic parliaments and their capacity to support and advance democratic reform processes. National Constituent Assemblies and parliaments towards a transition process need, therefore, to be included as bodies eligible for funding under this Regulation when this is necessary in order to achieve its objectives, unless the proposed measure can be financed under a related Union external assistance instrument.
Amendment 85 #
2011/0412(COD)
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 15
Recital 15
(15) In such most difficult countries or situations and in order to address urgent protection needs of human rights defenders, as defined by the UN Declaration on Human Rights Defenders the Union should be able to respond in a flexible and timely manner by means of ad hoc grants, specific imprest accounts for the EU Delegations and through the existing Human Rights Defenders Mechanism. This will particularly be the case when the choice of procedural modalities could impact directly on the effectiveness of the measures or could subject beneficiaries to serious intimidation, retaliation or other types of risks.
Amendment 99 #
2011/0412(COD)
Proposal for a regulation
Article 1 – paragraph 2 – point b
Article 1 – paragraph 2 – point b
(b) supporting and consolidating democratic reforms in third countries, by enhancing the good governance as well as participatory and representative democracy, strengthening the overall democratic cycle, and improving the reliability of electoral processes, in particular by means of election observation missions.
Amendment 104 #
2011/0412(COD)
Proposal for a regulation
Article 2 – paragraph 1 – point a
Article 2 – paragraph 1 – point a
(a) support to and enhancement of participatory and representative democracy, including parliamentary democracy, and the processes of democratisation at the local, national and international level, mainly through civil society organisations, inter alia in:
Amendment 113 #
2011/0412(COD)
Proposal for a regulation
Article 2 – paragraph 1 – point a – point iv
Article 2 – paragraph 1 – point a – point iv
(iv) supporting reforms to achieve effective and transparent democratic and domestic accountability and oversight, including that of the security and justice sectors, and encouraging measures against corruption;
Amendment 126 #
2011/0412(COD)
Proposal for a regulation
Article 2 – paragraph 1 – point b – point ii
Article 2 – paragraph 1 – point b – point ii
(ii) support for, protection of, and assistance to human rights defenders, in terms of Article 1 of the UN Declaration on the Right and Responsibility of Individuals, Groups and Organs of Society to Promote and Protect Universally Recognized Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms; these objectives covered by the Human Rights Defenders Mechanism should be completed by a longer-term assistance, including the support and access to shelter cities as well as the development of a network of universities;
Amendment 128 #
2011/0412(COD)
Proposal for a regulation
Article 2 – paragraph 1 – point b – point iii
Article 2 – paragraph 1 – point b – point iii
(iii) the fight against racism and xenophobia and discrimination based on any ground, including sex, race, colour, ethnic or social origin, genetic features, language, religion or belief, political or any other opinion, membership of a national minority, property, birth, disability, age or, sexual orientation or gender identity;
Amendment 134 #
2011/0412(COD)
Proposal for a regulation
Article 2 – paragraph 1 – point b – point v a (new)
Article 2 – paragraph 1 – point b – point v a (new)
(va) the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and intersex (LGBTI) persons, including measures to decriminalise homosexuality, combat homophobic and transphobic violence and persecution, and promote freedom of assembly, association and expression for LGBTI people;
Amendment 149 #
2011/0412(COD)
Proposal for a regulation
Article 2 – paragraph 1 – point d – introductory wording
Article 2 – paragraph 1 – point d – introductory wording
(d) building confidence in and enhancing the reliability and transparency of democratic electoral processes, while contributing to the efficiency and consistency of the whole electoral cycle, which should not exceed more than 25% of the total budget of the Instrument and in particular,
Amendment 152 #
2011/0412(COD)
Proposal for a regulation
Article 2 – paragraph 1 – point d – point iii
Article 2 – paragraph 1 – point d – point iii
(iii) by contributing to the development of the electoral observation capacity of civil society organisations at regional and local levels, and supporting domestic election observation and their initiatives to enhance participation in, and the follow-up to, the electoral process;
Amendment 156 #
2011/0412(COD)
Proposal for a regulation
Article 2 – paragraph 1 – point d – point iv
Article 2 – paragraph 1 – point d – point iv
(iv) by supporting measures aimed at the consistent integration of electoral processes into the democratic cycle and at implementing recommendations made by Union Election Observation Missions, in particular through civil society organisations;
Amendment 158 #
2011/0412(COD)
Proposal for a regulation
Article 2 – paragraph 1 – point d – point iv a (new)
Article 2 – paragraph 1 – point d – point iv a (new)
(iva) by contributing to the preparation of the pre-electoral cycle in order to meet the necessary requirements aimed at building a democratic environment;
Amendment 165 #
2011/0412(COD)
Proposal for a regulation
Article 2 – paragraph 2 a (new)
Article 2 – paragraph 2 a (new)
2a. Measures shall be taken to uphold the process of decentralisation and hence grassroots political representation, and underpin local democracy by ensuring closer cooperation between civil society organisations and elected local authorities.
Amendment 168 #
2011/0412(COD)
Proposal for a regulation
Article 2 – paragraph 3 a (new)
Article 2 – paragraph 3 a (new)
3a. Aid measures shall be implemented as far as possible together with the democratically elected local authorities so as to enhance their legitimacy and help underpin local democracy.
Amendment 176 #
2011/0412(COD)
Proposal for a regulation
Article 4 d (new)
Article 4 d (new)
Amendment 40 #
2011/0406(COD)
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 15 a (new)
Recital 15 a (new)
(15a) Given that climate change has a strong gender dimension, both in its effects and in the solutions thereto, gender equality concerns should be included as a cross-cutting issue in programmes and projects on climate change and the environment from their implementation through to their evaluation, so as to provide factual information to evaluate and improve the impact of these policies.
Amendment 46 #
2011/0406(COD)
Proposal for a regulation
Article 2 – paragraph 1 – point a
Article 2 – paragraph 1 – point a
(a) the primary objective of cooperation under this Regulation shall be the reduction and, in the long term, the eradication of poverty; in line with the fundamental values of the EU, especially gender equality;
Amendment 56 #
2011/0406(COD)
Proposal for a regulation
Article 3 – paragraph 4
Article 3 – paragraph 4
4. Particular attention shall be given to strengthening the rule of law, improving access to justice and supporting civil society, combating discrimination in access to economic, political and social resources, especially discrimination against women, trade and sustainable development, access to ICTs, health and food security, as well as promoting dialogue, participation and, reconciliation, and institution-building.
Amendment 59 #
2011/0406(COD)
Proposal for a regulation
Article 3 – paragraph 10
Article 3 – paragraph 10
10. The Commission shall seek regular exchanges of information with civil society and ensure that all sections of society, particularly individuals who have been discriminated against in access to political and public life, are represented in and listened to during these exchanges.
Amendment 67 #
2011/0406(COD)
Proposal for a regulation
Article 11 – paragraph 1 – subparagraph 3 b (new)
Article 11 – paragraph 1 – subparagraph 3 b (new)
In order to respect the principle of aid effectiveness, the EU shall ensure that the proposed strategies for achieving the development goals do not accentuate any existing discrimination in the allocation of resources, and shall promote the combating of all kinds of discrimination and foster gender equality.
Amendment 79 #
2011/0406(COD)
Proposal for a regulation
Annex IV – part B – paragraph 4 "Central Asia" – point a
Annex IV – part B – paragraph 4 "Central Asia" – point a
(a) promoting constitutional reform and legislative, regulatory and administrative approximation with the Union, including further democratisation and organised civil society, support for the rule of law, good governance, taxation and strengthening of national institutions and bodies, such as election bodies, parliaments, public administration reform and judicial reform, and public financial management;
Amendment 80 #
2011/0406(COD)
Proposal for a regulation
Annex IV – part B – paragraph 4 "Central Asia" – point b
Annex IV – part B – paragraph 4 "Central Asia" – point b
(b) promoting inclusive and sustainable economic growth, addressing social and regional inequalities, and supporting policies in areas such as education, research, innovation and technology, health, decent work, creating independent trade unions, sustainable energy, agriculture and rural development, fostering SMEs, while stimulating the development of a market economy, trade and investment, including regulatory reforms and the support for integration into the WTO;
Amendment 81 #
2011/0406(COD)
Proposal for a regulation
Annex IV – part B – paragraph 4 "Central Asia" – point c
Annex IV – part B – paragraph 4 "Central Asia" – point c
(c) supporting efficient border management and cross-border cooperation to promote sustainable economic, social and environmental development in border regions; in the context of the security and development nexus, fighting organized crime and all forms of trafficking, includingparticularly the trafficking of women, the fight against production and consumption of drugs as well as negative effects thereof, including HIV/AIDS;
Amendment 82 #
2011/0406(COD)
Proposal for a regulation
Annex IV – part B – paragraph 4 "Central Asia" – point d
Annex IV – part B – paragraph 4 "Central Asia" – point d
(d) promoting bilateral and regional cooperation, dialogue and integration including with countries covered by the European Neighbourhood Instrument and other Union instruments to support policy reforms, including through public capacity building through institution building, technical assistance (e.g. TAIEX) , information exchange and twinning, and by key investments through appropriate mechanisms to mobilise EU financial resources in the education, environment and energy sectors, water/sanitation, low emissions development/resilience to climate change impacts, as well as improving the security and safety of international energy supply and transport operations, interconnections, networks and their operators, including through activities supported by the EIB.
Amendment 84 #
2011/0406(COD)
Proposal for a regulation
Annex V – part A – paragraph 2 "Environment and Climate Change" – point b a (new)
Annex V – part A – paragraph 2 "Environment and Climate Change" – point b a (new)
(ba) actions to help developing countries adopt the gender perspective of climate change and environmental policies, especially in policies related to the natural disasters disproportionately affecting them, access to training on matters of the environment, and increased participation of women and women’s organisations in developing policies related to the environment and climate change;
Amendment 85 #
2011/0406(COD)
Proposal for a regulation
Annex V – part A – paragraph 2 "Environment and Climate Change" – point c
Annex V – part A – paragraph 2 "Environment and Climate Change" – point c
(c) promoting implementation of Union initiatives and agreed commitments at international and regional level and/or of a transboundary character particularly in the areas of climate change through the promotion of climate resilient strategies especially adaption strategies with biodiversity co-benefits, biodiversity and ecosystems services, forests including FLEGT, desertification, integrated water resource management, natural resource management, sound chemical and waste management, resource efficiency and the green economy, while integrating the gender dimension to promote women’s participation in the development and implementation of these strategies, and to halt all kinds of discrimination against them, especially in access to resources and in participation in political life;
Amendment 86 #
2011/0406(COD)
Proposal for a regulation
Annex V – part A – paragraph 3 "Sustainable energy" – point a
Annex V – part A – paragraph 3 "Sustainable energy" – point a
(a) promoting access to secure, affordable, clean and sustainable energy services for all, while taking into account groups that are victims of discrimination, especially women, as a key driver for poverty eradication and inclusive growth, with a special emphasis on the use of local energy sources;
Amendment 65 #
2011/0000(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Strongly condemns the continued use of sexual violence against women as a tactic of war; points in this respect the continuously dramatic situation in Congo; recalls that the mass gang rape that took place from 30 July to 4 August 2010 in the eastern Congo mining district, that at least 8 300 rapes were reported in 2009 in eastern Congo and that at least 1 244 women reported being raped in the first quarter of 2010, which is an average of 14 rapes per day; points out that this situation remains unchanged in 2011; urges both EU missions in the Democratic Republic of Congo – EUPOL RD Congo and EUSEC RD Congo – to make the fight against sexual violence and the participation of women the main priorities in the context of the effort to reform the Congolese security sector.
Amendment 103 #
2011/0000(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16 a (new)
Paragraph 16 a (new)
16a. Points to the need to establish a code of conduct for EU personnel serving in military and civil missions which makes it clear that sexual exploitation constitutes unjustifiable and criminal behaviour
Amendment 104 #
2011/0000(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16 b (new)
Paragraph 16 b (new)
16b. Calls for the establishment of adequate public complaint procedures in the context of CSDP missions, which would particularly assist the reporting of sexual and gender-based violence; calls on the HR/VC to include a detailed report on women, peace and security in the six- monthly evaluation of CSDP missions, recalls that CSDP missions are one of the most important tools of the EU for demonstrating its commitment to the objectives of UNSC Resolutions 1820 and 1325 in crisis-affected countries and regions,
Amendment 98 #
2010/2202(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15
Paragraph 15
15. Calls on the EU Member States to sign up to, and ratify, all core UN and Council of Europe human rights conventions and the optional protocols thereto, in particular to ratify the 1990 International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of their Families, the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance, the Council of Europe's framework convention for the protection of national minorities, the European Charter for Regional or Minority languages, the Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, and the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities; insists that the Optional Protocol to the Convention should be regarded as an integral part thereof, and calls for simultaneous accession to the latter (Convention and Protocol);
Amendment 167 #
2010/2202(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 31
Paragraph 31
31. Welcomes the special sessions of the HRC on the human rights situation in the east of the DRC, on the impact of the global economic and financial crises on the universal realisation and effective enjoyment of human rights, on the situation of human rights in Sri Lanka, and on the human rights situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territories and East Jerusalem; regrets that in the context of the special session on the OPT the majority of members applied a one-sided interpretdedicated to the follow-up of the Goldstone report, EU Member Sates have taken different positions despite Sweden, on behalf of the EU group, pointed out that an overarching human rights priority for the EU is to combat impunity; deplores that, in spite of the extended deadlines given by UN to Israel and the Palestinian part, no independent investigation that meets international standards have been conducted so far by all parties; calls on the HR/VP to ensure that those who have committed violations of the Goldstone reportinternational law be held accountable in accordance with the EU obligation under the Geneva Convention and the EU priority to combat against impunity;
Amendment 176 #
2010/2202(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 36
Paragraph 36
36. Reiterates that the EU is opposed to the death penalty in all circumstances; recalls that the EU is the lead donor to civil society organisations which fight against the death penalty; asks the Commission to continue to give priority to the fight against this cruel and inhuman punishment and to keep it as a thematic priority under the EIDHR and geographical instruments; does not consider life imprisonment without parole to be an acceptable alternative to the death penalty;
Amendment 259 #
2010/2202(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 57
Paragraph 57
57. Expresses its deep regret at the assassinations of, among others, Stanislav Markelov, Anastasia Baburova and Natalya Estemirova in Russia and of André Rwisereka and Jean Leonard Rugambage in Rwanda, the arbitrary detention of Roxana Saberi and Abdolfattah Soltani in Iran, and the trial of Liu Xiaobo in China, all of which took place during the reporting period;
Amendment 270 #
2010/2202(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 59
Paragraph 59
59. Emphasises the importance of human rights clauses in trade policies, partnerships and trade agreements between the EU and third countries; proposes a ‘human rights assessment’ of non-EU countries that engage in trade relations with the EUrequests however once again that this clause be accompanied by an enforcement mechanism so to ensure its implementation in practice;
Amendment 280 #
2010/2202(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 59 a (new)
Paragraph 59 a (new)
59a. Welcomes the use of impact assessments on sustainable development, but considers that they should also be carried out once the agreement is in place, and not only ex-ante, to ensure continuing evaluation;
Amendment 281 #
2010/2202(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 59 b (new)
Paragraph 59 b (new)
59b. Strongly encourages the Commission to carry out impact assessments on human rights in addition to those on sustainable development, with comprehensible trade indicators based on human rights and on environmental and social standards;
Amendment 286 #
2010/2202(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 60a (new)
Paragraph 60a (new)
60a (new). Urges the Commission to table a proposal for a regulation banning the import into the EU of goods produced using forced labour and in particular child labour, in violation of basic human rights standards; emphasises that such a regulation would have to enable the EU to investigate specific claims;
Amendment 320 #
2010/2202(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 68a (new)
Paragraph 68a (new)
68a (new). Highlights the interdependence of freedom of opinion and expression and freedom of thought, conscience and religion, and stresses in particular that, owing to the interaction between them, freedom of opinion and expression constitutes the extension of freedom of thought, conscience and religion;
Amendment 321 #
2010/2202(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 68b (new)
Paragraph 68b (new)
68b (new). Condemns any attempt to subordinate the exercise of one of these freedoms to the other; points out that guarantees of freedom of opinion and expression and freedom of thought, conscience and religion reflect shared values and principles of case law, and consequently insists on the need to exercise these freedoms in a responsible, complementary and harmonious way;
Amendment 1 #
2010/2041(INI)
Draft opinion
Citation (new)
Citation (new)
- having regard to its resolution of 3 September 2008 on how marketing and advertising affect equality between women and men,
Amendment 2 #
2010/2041(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Citation 12
Citation 12
- having regard to its resolution of 24 October 2006 on women’'s immigration1: the role and place of immigrant women in the European Union,
Amendment 3 #
2010/2041(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Citation 13 a (new)
Citation 13 a (new)
Amendment 5 #
2010/2041(INI)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 a (new)
Paragraph 1 a (new)
1a. Calls on the Commission and the Member States to ensure by appropriate means that marketing and advertising guarantee respect for human dignity and that the integrity of the person are neither directly nor indirectly discriminatory nor contain any incitement to hatred based on sex, racial or ethnic origin, religion or belief, disability, age or sexual orientation;
Amendment 25 #
2010/2041(INI)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Calls on the Commission and the Member States to strengthen training and education activitiesdesign and launch initiatives developed in a spirit of tolerance and promote the culture of gender equality as a way to overcome stereotypes, combat discrimination and promote gender equality;
Amendment 32 #
2010/2041(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Recital I
Recital I
I. whereas a targeted approach to integrating women belonging to ethnic minorities is needed to avoid multiple discrimination stereotyping, stigmatisation and ethnic segregation,
Amendment 42 #
2010/2041(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Recital L
Recital L
L. whereas in the majority of cases women belonging to ethnic minority groups and migrant women face multiple discrimination and are more vulnerable to social exclusion and poverty than the women of the native population and minority group men,
Amendment 77 #
2010/2041(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Calls on the Commission and the Member States to adopt measures that aim to avoid the de-skilling of women belonging to ethnic minorities and migrant groups by ensuring equal job opportunities according to their skills and qualifications; calls in this context on the Council, the Commission and the Member States to implement policies ensuring clear procedures for the recognition of diplomas, access to vocational training courses, further education and unconditional and even priority access to language courses;
Amendment 86 #
2010/2041(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 b (new)
Paragraph 4 b (new)
4b. Considers that the process of integration must be initiated by at an early stage in life, in order effectively to provide alternatives to poverty and social exclusion; considers therefore, that it is necessary to provide an institutional framework for community-based social and educational services for children and families which meet regional and personal needs, guaranteeing equal access to high-quality services, calls on the Commission, therefore, to provide particular support for programmes for the early integration;
Amendment 111 #
2010/2041(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9
Paragraph 9
9. Points out that women’s economic empowerment is a key factor in ensuring their integration and participation; calls on the Member States to promote access to employment for women belonging to ethnic minorities and migrant groups, adopting positive measures to combat the two-fold discrimination suffered by women on the labour market and creating favourable conditions for them to access the labour market and to balance their professional and private life especially by putting into place accessible child-care- facilities, which take into account the diversity and the different languages of children and parents;
Amendment 113 #
2010/2041(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 a (new)
Paragraph 9 a (new)
9a. Calls on the Council, the Commission and the Member States to grant immigrant women and women from ethnic minority groups arriving under family reunification arrangements a legal status independent of that of their spouse, if possible within one year of their arrival;
Amendment 140 #
2010/2041(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17
Paragraph 17
17. Insists on the active involvement of the European Institute for Gender Equality in implementing suitable new measures and policicollecting data and carrying out research on integration issues concerning ethnic minority women, consistently applying the principle of gender mainstreaming and promoting priorities in the area of social integration;
Amendment 80 #
2010/0064(COD)
Proposal for a directive
Article 5 - Title
Article 5 - Title
Offences concerning child pornographyabuse material
Amendment 27 #
2009/2219(INI)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5a (new)
Paragraph 5a (new)
5a. Calls on the Commission to guarantee that no goods produced by children may be imported into the European Union, through reinforced checks on importation and also greater vigilance in respect of conditions of production in exporting countries;
Amendment 3 #
2009/2217(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Citation 7
Citation 7
– having regard to the (forthcoming)conclusions of the "Kabul Conference" scheduled forof 20 July 2010, which will assess progress in implementing decisions taken at the London Conference, and will provide an opportunity for the Afghan Government to chart the way forward, notably on anti- corruption, reinforced security, good governance, economic and social development, human rights, gender equality, economic growth, and improved electoral processesestablishing that control of military operations in all provinces is to be transferred to the Afghan forces by the end of 2014,
Amendment 30 #
2009/2217(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Recital B a (new)
Recital B a (new)
B a. whereas the national elections of 18 September 2010, like last year's presidential elections, have been marred by fraud (including the handing out of 17.5 million voter cards for an estimated 10.5 million potential voters) to an extent that the very notion of a democratic process has been lost,
Amendment 73 #
2009/2217(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Is aware of the set of factors hampering progress in Afghanistan but, given space constraints, has chosen to focus in this report on four main elements where, it believes, efforts expended willcould result in very significant improvements that could turn the course of eventsimprovements : international aid; implications of the peace process; impact of police training; elimination of opium cultivation through alternative development;
Amendment 102 #
2009/2217(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Reiterates that the EU and its Member States should support Afghanistan in the construction of its own state, with stronger democratic institutions capable of ensuring national sovereignty, state unity, territorial integrity, sustainable economic development and the prosperity of the people of Afghanistan, and respecting the historical, religious, spiritual and cultural traditions of all ethnic and religious communities in Afghan territory; calls for more support to be given to local authority development projects in those provinces which display good governance;
Amendment 125 #
2009/2217(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. Recalls that the combined EU (European Community and Member States) budget for aid to Afghanistan for the period 2002- 2010 totalled around EUR 8 billion, including 600 million euros of EU aid for the period 2007-2010;
Amendment 156 #
2009/2217(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15
Paragraph 15
15. Notes that according to the Afghan Minister of Finance, as corroborated by other independent sources, only USD 6 billion (or 15%) of the USD 40 billion in aid in fact reached the government between 2002 and 2009; and that, of the remaining USD 34 billion, which has been channelled through international organisations, between 70% and 80% has never reached the intended beneficiaries, the people of Afghanistan; notes the decision taken at the Kabul Conference that 50% of the international aid should be channelled through the Afghan national budget by 2012, in line with Afghanistan’s request;
Amendment 164 #
2009/2217(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17
Paragraph 17
17. Deplores the fact that a significant proportion of European and other international aid money is lost in the course of the distribution chain, which has been drastically revealed in the recent scandal around the Kabul Bank, and draws attention to the four main ways this happens: waste, excessive intermediary and security costs, overbilling and corruption;
Amendment 176 #
2009/2217(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20 a (new)
Paragraph 20 a (new)
20 a. Calls on the High Representative for Foreign and Security Policy, the Council and the Commission to set up a joint team of researchers with the aim of evaluating all EU and Member State measures and missions in Afghanistan once a year by using explicit qualitative and quantitative indicators especially with regard to development aid (including public health and agriculture), good governance (including the justice sector and respect for human rights), and security (especially the training of Afghan police); calls in this context also for an evaluation of the relative impact of EU measures on the overall situation in the country and of the level of coordination and cooperation between EU actors and other international missions and measures, and to publish the findings and recommendations;
Amendment 187 #
2009/2217(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21
Paragraph 21
21. Recognises the potential for local corruption but believhopes that this will be outweighed by the strengthened legitimacy the Afghan State will gain by being responsible for implementing aid and by ensuring that aid effectiveness indicators and effective monitoring mechanisms, agreed upon by both donors and the Afghan Government, are in place;
Amendment 194 #
2009/2217(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24
Paragraph 24
24. Notes that the decision to place the US military supply chain in private hands without any reliable criteria for assuring accountability, transparency and legality is fuelling extortion and corruption, as warlords, local mafia bosses and ultimately Taliban commanders end up taking a significant share of the USD 2.2-3 billion business of military logistics in Afghanistan; notes that this amount surpasses the funding going to the Taliban from their "taxation" of the narcotics industry (calculated by the UN at 15% of their war budget);
Amendment 218 #
2009/2217(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 29
Paragraph 29
29. Believes, consequently, that the real strength of the Taliban was overlookedin depth knowledge about the situation of Afghanistan was lacking, the ability of the Karzai government to provide governance overestimated, and little attention paid to the task of rebuilding and developing the country;
Amendment 227 #
2009/2217(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 31
Paragraph 31
31. Believes, too, that this, plus the poor performance of international aid and of the Afghan government in delivering it, its high level of corruption and the increased use of lethal force by coalition troops, has further alienated ordinary Afghans;
Amendment 244 #
2009/2217(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 33
Paragraph 33
33. Firmly believes that the EU's three main prerequisites for tha future peace process must bshould include an Afghan commitment to banishing Al Qaeda from the country, thecredible practical steps towards elimination ofng poppy cultivation, and the will to establish respect for fundamental human rights based on the 2004 Constitution;
Amendment 267 #
2009/2217(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 39
Paragraph 39
39. Stresses, however, that for peace to be allowed to take root in Afghanistan will require all its neighbours to agree to a common position of non-interferenceregional cooperation will be essential, based on the agreement of all its neighbours to support an independent Afghanistan;
Amendment 272 #
2009/2217(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 40
Paragraph 40
Amendment 281 #
2009/2217(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 41
Paragraph 41
41. Cannot stress strongly enough the need for a much more active EU role in theresponsibility of the EU and its Member States not to abandon the people of Afghanistan, who were promised reconstruction and, development of Afghanistan, as noand lasting peace, and notably its possible without significantwomen; insists therefore on the need to continue investing in poverty reduction and sustainable development;
Amendment 298 #
2009/2217(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 44
Paragraph 44
Amendment 304 #
2009/2217(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 45
Paragraph 45
45. Stresses, too, that the potentially vast mining and mineralse resources belong exclusively to the people of Afghanistan, and that "protection" of these assets can never be used as an excuse for the permanent presence of foreign troops on Afghan soil;
Amendment 347 #
2009/2217(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 55
Paragraph 55
Amendment 353 #
2009/2217(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 55 a (new)
Paragraph 55 a (new)
55 a. Urges the High Representative for Foreign and Security Policy and EU Member States to intensify police training in Afghanistan and to significantly increase the number of police trainers on the ground so that the objective of the London Conference to reach 134 000 trained Afghan police officers by the end of 2011 becomes a realistic scenario; urges the High Representative for Foreign and Security Policy to amend EUPOL Afghanistan's mission by also mandating training for low grade personnel in all provinces, by increasing the number of weeks dedicated to basic training, and by conducting patrols and other police activities jointly in the field; urges EU Member States not only to merge their bilateral police training mission with EUPOL but also to refrain from imposing caveats for national police deployed in EUPOL;
Amendment 355 #
2009/2217(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 56
Paragraph 56
Amendment 356 #
2009/2217(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 56
Paragraph 56
Amendment 374 #
2009/2217(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 64
Paragraph 64
Amendment 20 #
2009/2133(INI)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 – point b a (new)
Paragraph 5 – point b a (new)
(ba) the EEAS must guarantee full application of the Charter of Fundamental Rights in all aspects of the Union's external action in accordance with the spirit and purpose of the Lisbon Treaty; expects, at the same time, that the EEAS will ensure that the respect for, and the promotion of, human rights are at the core of the different areas of the Union’s external policy as enshrined in Articles 2, 3 and 21 of the Treaty on European Union in the version thereof resulting from the Lisbon Treaty; underlines the responsibility of the EEAS to guarantee the consistency between its external action and its other policies in accordance with the Article 21(3);
Amendment 4 #
2009/0155(NLE)
Draft opinion
last paragraph
last paragraph
The Committee on Foreign Affairs calls on the Committee on International Trade, as the committee responsible, to draw up an interim reportrefuse as it stands its consent to the proposal for a Council decision under Rule 81(31).