42 Amendments of Cristian Dan PREDA related to 2013/2020(INI)
Amendment 5 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Points out that the rule of law, good governance and respect for human rights are essential to ensuring the stability of states, security and respect for fundamental freedoms;
Amendment 8 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 6 b (new)
Citation 6 b (new)
- having regard to the UN Secretary General Report of 14 June 2013 on the situation in the Sahel region (S/2013/354),
Amendment 10 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 8 b (new)
Citation 8 b (new)
- having regard to the high-level Conference on Women's Leadership in the Sahel held on 9 April 2013, in Brussels, at the initiative of the European Union, the Office of the UN Secretary- General's Special Envoy for the Sahel and UN Women,
Amendment 11 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 9
Citation 9
– having regard to the UN Secretary- General's report to the UN Security Council on Western Sahara, dated 8 April 2013, in particular its reference to the inter-connectedness between Western Sahara and the situation in the Sahel,
Amendment 15 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Expresses its support for the International Support Mission to Mali, the Mali peacekeeping mission and the EUCAP Sahel Mission; calls on the United Nations to extend its mission to cover the whole of the Sahel regionUnited Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilisation Mission in Mali, which took over on 1 July 2013, and the EUCAP Sahel Mission; welcomes with satisfaction the proposal by the Secretary- General of the United Nations on 14 June 2013 to establish a ‘United Nations integrated strategy for the Sahel', which should tackle all aspects of the crisis: enhancing governance, combating crime (trafficking of drugs, people, weapons and cigarettes; money laundering), combating terrorism, and humanitarian aid; welcomes in particular the strategy’s objectives in seeking to enhance inclusive and effective governance throughout the region and to integrate humanitarian and development plans and interventions so as to ensure long-term resilience;
Amendment 19 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 7 a (new)
Paragraph 7 a (new)
7a. Acknowledges the important role which women play in stabilising and developing the Sahel, and calls for a strengthening of their leadership function in conflict prevention, peace-keeping and peace-building, and in the security field, politics and economic development; encourages development partners to allocate financial support for projects with the specific aim of empowering women in the region;
Amendment 22 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A
Recital A
A. whereas the Sahel is one of the poorest regions of the world, which confronts grave problems regarding human rights, the rule of law, security and armed conflict, as well as economic and social development, and whereas the extreme poverty in the region is reflected in the UN Human Development Index for 2012, ranking Niger (186th), Chad (184th), Burkina Faso (183rd) and Mali (182nd) among the six least developed countries in the world;
Amendment 22 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 8 a (new)
Paragraph 8 a (new)
8a. Points out that a long-term commitment is necessary in order to build resistance to drought in the Sahel and thus prevent recurring food crises and not have to provide large-scale humanitarian assistance whenever drought returns; stresses that such a commitment requires a lasting partnership - along similar lines to the European Union's 'AGIR Sahel' initiative - between governments, regional institutions, donors and financial institutions;
Amendment 23 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 8 b (new)
Paragraph 8 b (new)
8b. Stresses that a long-term approach based on universal access to education is necessary in order to improve the everyday lives of the Sahel’s inhabitants and support the development of what will be a region with 150 million people in 2040;
Amendment 24 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A a (new)
Recital A a (new)
Aa. whereas establishing democracy, peace and good governance is a crucial challenge for the Sahel states, whereas these states must embark on the process of promoting human rights and fundamental freedoms, eradicating discrimination against women and minorities and promoting education and ethnic reconciliation;
Amendment 25 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B
Recital B
B. whereas the scope of this resolution encompasses the countries identified by the EU Sahel Strategy, specifically Mauritania, Mali, Niger, and relevant parts of Burkina Faso and Chad; whereas the broader geographic and ecological definition of the Sahel also remains crucial with regard to the region’s shared human rights challenges; whereas this report will also discuss thesecurity and human rights situation in Western Sahara and the Tindouf campsissues in the countries neighbouring the Sahel which have a direct impact on the current situation in the Sahel, such as Western Sahara and the Tindouf camps in Algeria, Libya and the consequences of the Libyan conflict, Nigeria and the presence of terrorist groups such as Boko Haram, and terrorist groups and drug trafficking in West Africa;
Amendment 34 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C a (new)
Recital C a (new)
Ca. whereas the European Commission estimates that, in all, 10.3 million people are suffering from hunger in the Sahel region in 2013, of whom 4.2 million are Malians; whereas according to the AGIR- Sahel programme, 18 million people are affected by hunger in the Sahel and West Africa, one million of whom are children; whereas the European Union must continue its efforts to improve the resilience of these countries; whereas the humanitarian aid provided by the European Union for the Sahel totals EUR 650 million;
Amendment 36 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D
Recital D
D. whereas Tuareg resentments in northern Mali were exploited by extremist groups who in early 2012 allied with, and subsequently displaced, the secular National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad (MNLA) in their rebellion; whereas these groups, in particular Ansar Dine, Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) and the Movement for Oneness and Jihad in West Africa (MUJAO), further benefited from the instability arising from the subsequent coup in Bamako; whereas the systematic violations of human rights in the north, combined with the impending existential threat to the Malian state itself, precipitated the armed intervenational interventions to help shore up democracy, restore the rule of law and improve the situation of by French forces to halt the atrocities and human rights violations committed by the terrorist groups, restore democracy and the authority of the Malian state and re-establish respect for human rights;
Amendment 43 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D a (new)
Recital D a (new)
Da. whereas the presence of terrorist groups in the Sahel causes serious instability and insecurity in the region, with hostage-taking and violent attacks; whereas the Sahel is a transit zone for drug-trafficking by criminal gangs from Latin America, and whereas drug- traffickers are often linked to terrorist groups which provide security for them while in transit; whereas the presence of these traffickers is a source of instability both for the Sahel and for the European Union, which is often the final destination of this trade;
Amendment 44 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D b (new)
Recital D b (new)
Dc. whereas the intervention of NATO forces in Libya in 2011 brought into circulation more than 20 million weapons which have ended up in the hands of Tuaregs or mercenaries who have joined terrorist groups; whereas the head of the MNLA, Mohamed Ag Najim, is a former colonel in the Libyan army;
Amendment 45 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D a (new)
Recital D a (new)
Da. whereas the governments of the Sahel region need to involve the populations concerned in order to reach a durable solution to the crisis; whereas, in particular, the participation of women to the resolution of the Sahel crisis is a necessary condition for reaching long- term stability;
Amendment 46 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D b (new)
Recital D b (new)
Db. whereas fight against impunity, including for gender-based violence during conflict, is fundamental for the stability of the region and building lasting peace;
Amendment 47 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital E
Recital E
E. whereas the EU has recently paid increased attention to the Sahel, as evidenced by the adoption of the EU Sahel Strategy for Security and Development in the Sahel in 2011, the launching of EU Capacity Building (EUCAP Sahel) and the EUTM Mali mission, and the nomination of an EUSR for the Sahel; whereas the mandate of the new EUSR, adopted on 18 March 2013, includes a strong human rights component;
Amendment 55 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital F a (new)
Recital F a (new)
Fa. whereas the Sahel countries are parties to the Cotonou Agreement, and whereas partnership with the European Union is based on development aid, good governance, promotion of human rights and humanitarian aid;
Amendment 59 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital G a (new)
Recital G a (new)
Ga. whereas on 14 June 2013 the UN Secretary General has proposed, in its report to the UN Security Council, the adoption of an integrated strategy for the Sahel built around three strategic goals: enhancing inclusive and effective governance throughout the region, building national and regional security mechanisms capable of addressing cross- border threats and integrating humanitarian and development plans and interventions in order to build long-term resilience;
Amendment 67 #
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 and EU do 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; whereas the Kingdom of Morocco proposed a draft autonomous status for the Southern Provinces in 2007;
Amendment 74 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital I
Recital I
I. whereas the refugee camps near Tindouf in Algeria, having first been established thirty-seven years ago, remain the second longest-operating in the world; whereas a political stalemate precludes any realistic, in spite of the discussions between the various parties there is still no prospect of their dissolution, or the resettlement or repatriation of their inhabitants, in the near future;
Amendment 83 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital J
Recital J
J. whereas the UN Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO) is the only UN mission not to include a human rights dimension in its mandate, and offers no mechanism for alleged human rights violations to be reported; whereas the UN Security Council rejected the proposal to include human rights in MINURSO’s mandate its Resolution 2099 (2013) of 25 April 2013; whereas both the Moroccan Government and the Polisario Front have been accused of human rights violations;
Amendment 110 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Emphasises that women have borne the brunt of the violence against civilians in Mali; specifically condemns as a war crime the use of abduction and rape as weapons of war; expects the EU and other international partners of Mali to cooperate closely with the Malian authorities to implement the commitments inherent in the UN Security Council Resolutions 1325 and 1820 and in the EU Comprehensive Approach; draws attention on the importance of establishing transitional justice mechanisms to end impunity for perpetrators of gender-based violence;
Amendment 114 #
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; applauds the action of UNICEF, which is assisting in the social reintegration of demobilised Malian child soldiers; emphasises the importance of allocating sufficient recourses to the tasks of demobilisation and rehabilitation of child soldiers; 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 as a worrying emerging trend that needs to be addressed as a matter of the utmost urgency;
Amendment 117 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 a (new)
Paragraph 7 a (new)
7a. Calls on all the Sahel countries to embark on a policy of prevention and protection aimed at ensuring that children will not be recruited by force by armed groups; calls on the Sahel countries to refrain from recruiting children to their regular armies and to condemn any person guilty of this war crime;
Amendment 123 #
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 their deployment in Gao and Timbuktu and hopes that it will soon be possible to also deploy observers in Kidal, as it is important to investigate the allegations of human rights abuses in the North by all sides of the Mali conflict; 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 133 #
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; callswelcomes the establishment onf the Malian Government to consider establishing a Truth and ReconciNational Dialogue and Reconciliation Commission on 6 March 2013; welcomes the nomination of a woman and a Tuareg as vice-presidents of this Commission as a sign of a commitment to inclusiveness and plurality in the poliation Commission, alcal process; notes that the Commission is tasked with documenting human rights violationgs the South African linat have occurred since the beginning of the conflict and hopes, tohat its activities will encourage dialogue and foster trust between all Malian communities;
Amendment 146 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 a (new)
Paragraph 14 a (new)
14a. Further condemns the region’s increased incidences of kidnapping and hostage-taking, which have proved highly lucrative for criminal and terrorist groups, and welcomes the work of the UN Human Rights Council Advisory Group on the impact of terrorist hostage-taking on human rights; draws attention to the impact of these activities on the wider region, as well as on the EU, which is being targeted by this hostage-taking; notes that the hostage-taking is intended to offer a show of force in relation to European countries;
Amendment 149 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 b (new)
Paragraph 14 b (new)
14b. Points out that terrorist operations know no borders and organisations are joining forces to pursue them; notes that the Boko Haram group is established in much of Nigeria and threatening the stability of Niger and that AQMI, led by three Algerians (Abou Zeid, Yahya Abou Al-Hammam, and Mokhtar Belmokhtar), is attempting to destabilise southern Algeria; welcomes the EUBAM Libya mission, aimed at securing Libyan borders; calls on the Sahel countries, therefore, to coordinate their efforts to make the entire region secure, starting with the borders, and to intensify counterterrorism cooperation with all the countries concerned, including Algeria, Nigeria, Morocco, and Libya; calls on the EU, the AU, ECOWAS, and the international community to provide the Sahel countries with every necessary form of technical, material, and human support;
Amendment 161 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16 b (new)
Paragraph 16 b (new)
16b. Urges the governments of the Sahel countries to respect the independence and the impartiality of the courts, since these are essential guarantees of democracy and the rule of law; calls on the Sahel countries to continue their efforts to improve judicial training; and calls on the EU to support NGO projects aimed at raising human rights awareness among judicial practitioners;
Amendment 162 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16 c (new)
Paragraph 16 c (new)
16c. Calls on the Sahel countries to cooperate with the ICC so as to enable it to conduct investigations freely and with complete impartiality; calls on states parties to execute international arrest warrants issued by the ICC and enforce its decisions with all due dispatch; proposes that the UN should help the Sahel countries to set up impartial and independent judicial bodies to try international crimes, following the example of the Special Court for Sierra Leone;
Amendment 170 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19
Paragraph 19
19. Supports the UN Security Council resolution commitment to assist the transitional authorities of Mali to implement the road map towards the full restoration of constitutional order, democratic governance and national unity; considers it essential to create conditions conducive to the holding of cfrediblee, fair and democratic elections, in keeping with international standards; stresses the need to overcome challenges related to the voting arrangements in the IDP and refugee camps, to avoid further political marginalisation; calls for immediate action on this issue by the Malian Government and its international partners; welcomes the agreement signed on 18 June 2013 in Ouagadougou between the government and the Tuareg rebels that paves the way for the return of the Malian army and administration in the North and removes a major obstacle for the holding of the Presidential elections in July; emphasises the need to ensure the safe participation of women in the electoral process; welcomes the intention of the EU to send an electoral observation mission to Mali;
Amendment 218 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 28 a (new)
Paragraph 28 a (new)
28a. Calls on the Sahel States to promote access to education for all children, both boys and girls, and for nomad peoples, with no discrimination on the grounds of race, caste or ethnicity; calls on the States to promote policies on vocational training and access to higher education and employment, in order to offer young people in the Sahel a future and thus keep them out of the clutches of terrorist groups; emphasises that conditions for children in schools must meet minimum criteria as regards health, safety and dignity and that steps must be taken to ensure that children are not mistreated or forced to engage in begging by their tutors;
Amendment 220 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 29
Paragraph 29
29. Notes the discrimination 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 assist local women's groups and civil society to tackle oppression, and enable women to lead lives that they have freely chosen; underlines that more efforts are necessary in order to guarantee that reforms related to governance and rule of law respond to the specific needs of women;
Amendment 239 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 35
Paragraph 35
35. Welcomes the strong human rights dimension in the proposed UN comprehensive integrated strategy, and calls on the EU to continue its support; stresses, neverthelesscalls on the EU institutions to explore ways of achieving synergies between the Union's actions regarding the Sahel and the UN framework for the region; stresses, at the same time, the crucial importance of increased EU engagement with African regional actors such as the AU, ECOWAS, the Arab Maghreb Union, and the African regional human rights mechanisms, to generate sustained progress in the human rights and democracy initiatives in the Sahel;
Amendment 241 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 35 a (new)
Paragraph 35 a (new)
35a. Urges Senegal, Tunisia, Algeria and Morocco to play a leadership role in the Sahel region and in so doing create a genuine regional dynamic which will boost the economic development of the region and safeguard human rights;
Amendment 250 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 37
Paragraph 37
Amendment 265 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 38
Paragraph 38
38. Expresses deep concern at the recent report from the UNSR on torture, who found evidenceobtained credible testimony stating 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 homethat these types of treatment, which are contrary to international law, are being suffered by both Moroccan citizens and Sahrawis; 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 positive conclusions of some international observers, but also recalls 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; calls thereforenotes that the King of Morocco has endorsed the proposal made by the Moroccan National Human Rights Council urging that civilians should not be tried by military tribunals; calls 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 284 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 40
Paragraph 40
Amendment 311 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 43
Paragraph 43
43. Expresses concern that the poverty in Tindouf, coupled with an absence of long- term prospects for many refugees, leaves them vulnerable to radicalisation along religious fundamentalist lines; points to the danger of young people being recruited by criminal or terrorist organisations and draws attention to the region's porous borders, which risk facilitating deeper infiltration of the camps by jihadi groups from northern Mali and elsewhere; stresses, therefore, the paramount importance of ensuring the safety and security of the camps;
Amendment 324 #
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; welcomes the adoption in 2012 of five recommendations on the human rights situation in Western Sahara; furthermore welcomes Moroccan invitations to, and acceptances of, ad-hoc international delegations, including the UNSR on torture, and urges all relevant parties to continue such engagement with UN human rights bodies;