Activities of Marie-Christine VERGIAT related to 2012/2136(INI)
Shadow reports (1)
REPORT on the impact of the financial and economic crisis on human rights PDF (224 KB) DOC (139 KB)
Amendments (47)
Amendment 2 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 10 a (new)
Citation 10 a (new)
- having regard to the United Nations Millennium Declaration of 8 September 2000 on the Millennium Development Goals1, 1 http://daccess-dds- ny.un.org/doc/UNDOC/GEN/N00/559/51/ PDF/N0055951.pdf?OpenElement
Amendment 4 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 15 a (new)
Citation 15 a (new)
- having regard to the report of a high- level consultation carried out by the World Health Organisation, dated 19 January 2009, entitled ‘The financial crisis and global health’,
Amendment 6 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 20 a (new)
Citation 20 a (new)
- having regard to the joint report by the International Labour Organisation (ILO) and the World Bank of 19 April 2012 entitled ‘Inventory of Policy Responses to the Financial and Economic Crisis’,
Amendment 7 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 20 b (new)
Citation 20 b (new)
- having regard to the report of 15 May 2011 by the Director-General of the International Labour Organisation (ILO), drawn up to mark the 100th session of the International Labour Conference, entitled ‘A new era of social justice’,
Amendment 8 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 22 a (new)
Citation 22 a (new)
- having regard to the resolution and conclusions adopted at the 101st session of the International Labour Conference, held in 2012, entitled ‘The youth employment crisis: a call for action’,
Amendment 9 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A
Recital A
A. whereas, althoughs a result of the financial and economic crisis affects, to varying degrees, all regions in the world, the scope of the present resolution is to assess the impact of the financial and economic crisis in third countries, with the main focus on developing and least developed countriescrisis in the OECD countries, the world may be facing the most serious slowdown in economic activity since the 1930s; whereas the World Health Organisation (WHO) believes that, as a result of increases in the cost of foodstuffs and energy, more than 100 million people have been driven back into poverty;
Amendment 12 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B
Recital B
B. whereas what is commonly known as ‘the financial and economic crisis has become intertwined with numerous other crises, such as the food, energy and social crises’ is in fact a global systemic crisis which is affecting all sectors of society and having an impact in all areas: political, social, environmental, food, energy, etc.;
Amendment 17 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B a (new)
Recital B a (new)
Ba. whereas unlike previous crises in the 1980s and 1990s, which started in the developing countries, the current crisis began in the industrialised countries; whereas the full effects of the current crisis have not yet been felt in the developing countries, but whereas it may seriously exacerbate the situation of the world’s poorest countries, which already face chronic financial problems;
Amendment 19 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D
Recital D
D. whereas the financial and economic crisis has hit developing andthe least developed countries the hardest, mainly reflected in shrinking demand for their exports, high levels of indebtedness, stemming in particular from policies imposed on them in the past, the risk of reduced foreign direct investment (FDI) inflow and declining Official Development Assistance (ODA), which are leading to difficulties budgetary restrictions and hampering the fulfilmentexercise of human rights since fewer resources are available to ensure, in particular economic, social and economiccultural rights, and more people are being driven into poverty;
Amendment 22 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital E a (new)
Recital E a (new)
Ea. whereas, according to the results of work carried out by the International Labour Organisation, 80 % of the world’s population share 30 % the world’s wealth, whereas the aggregate income of the world’s 61 million richest people is equivalent to that of the world’s 3.5 billion poorest people, whereas the crisis has confirmed the dangers inherent in the current globalisation process, and whereas it has widened degrees of social inequality, which were already glaring, to the benefit of the highest income groups, whose wealth levels have increased out of all proportion to those of middle-income groups;
Amendment 24 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital G
Recital G
G. whereas the objective of the trade agreements signed by the EU with partner countries is, inter alia, to promote and expand trade and investment, and to improve market access, with a view to increasinghave failed to achieve their objectives as regards economic integration, reducingthe eradication of poverty, the creatingon of new employment opportunities, the improvingement of working conditions and the raising of living standards, and thereby ultimately contributing to the fulfilment of human rightin some cases have even led to violations of fundamental economic and social rights, the impoverishment of the population groups concerned and the appropriation of resources by transnational undertakings;
Amendment 28 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital H
Recital H
H. whereas proper monitoring and practical enforcement of the human rights clause of each trade agreement must be guaranteed; whereas any systematic violation of the human rights clause enshrined in the EU’s trade agreements entitles each signatory party to take ‘appropriate measures’, which mathe democracy and human rights clauses in the various types of agreement concluded by the EU with third countries have essentially gone unheeded, when they should in fact impose legally binclude total or partial suspension or termination of the agreementding commitments on the Union and its partner countries;
Amendment 30 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital I
Recital I
Amendment 33 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital K
Recital K
K. whereas people living in poverty need effective and affordableimpartial access to justice in order tos a fundamental right for everyone, and whereas persons who are physically, psychologically or financially vulnerable should be able to claim their rights or challenge violations of human rights committed against them; whereas lack of access to a fair trial and judicial process further subjects them to economic and social vulnerabilityis essential if such persons are to be able to assert all their rights;
Amendment 40 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital N
Recital N
N. whereas women often experience unequal treatment in the workplace compared to men, in terms of access to employment, dismissal, social security benefits and rehiring; whereas men are forced to increase their workload because their work is generally considered to be the primary source of household income;
Amendment 43 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital O
Recital O
O. whereas the socio-economic crisis creates additional stress in families and results in an increased number of domestic abuse cases and violence mostly against women and childreninstances of mistreatment and domestic violence, of which women and children are the main victims, may become more frequent as a result of the additional pressures imposed by the economic and social impact of the crisis;
Amendment 44 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital P
Recital P
P. whereas the crisis disproportionately affects young people as new entrants to the labour market, where they are the last to be hired and the first to be dismissed; whereas, globally, 74.8 million young people aged 15–24 were unemployed in 2011, an increase of more than 4 million since 2007, with an exceptionally high level of unemployment in the Middle East and North Africa;
Amendment 47 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital U
Recital U
U. whereas risingspeculation on food markets is contributing to rises in and the volatileity of food prices are, affecting millions of people struggling to meet basic needs; whereas since 2007 global progress in reducing hunger has slowed; whereas 868 million people are suffering from chronic malnutrition, with the vast majority (850 million people) living in developing countries; whereas the coping strategies adopted by vulnerable households includes cutting down on the quantity and/or quality of food eaten at critical stages of child development or during pregnancy, with long-lasting effects on physical growth and mental health;
Amendment 50 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital V
Recital V
V. whereas, according to the FAO, less than EUR 3 billion would be needed to treat all the people affected by the most serious form of malnutrition (last stage before death), whereas 19 million children under 5 are affected, and whereas it is essential that the States in which they live should honour their undertakings in this area; whereas the impact of the economic crisis can be particularly acute for older peopleworkers who may be at greater risk of losing their jobs and are less likely to be retrained and re- employed; whereas the crisis can limit their access to affordable healthcare;
Amendment 58 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Reiterates its strong determination to defend and promotethat the defence of human rights and fundamental freedoms –- civil, political, economic, social and cultural –- as a core principles of itsEU foreign policy and underpinning all other policies, has been enshrined in the Treaty of Lisbon, in particular in the context of the economic and financial crisi; stresses that the crisis is having a major economic and social impact on ordinary people, including in the European Union; notes that the various austerity plans adopted by the EU and other international organisations, such as the IMF, have led to a worsening of the situation with regard to social rights and, in particular, to a massive increase in unemployment, job insecurity and worsening living conditions, primarily for the most vulnerable groups in the Member States and third countries;
Amendment 60 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 a (new)
Paragraph 1 a (new)
1a. Stresses that human rights include the right to food, water, education, adequate housing, land, decent work, health and social security; condemns the fact that these rights have been under attack in a number of countries since the crisis began; recognises that worsening poverty is the main factor preventing people from asserting these rights; calls for the EU to invest more effort and money in achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), given the evidence that the world is falling far short of the goals set for 2015;
Amendment 62 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Insists on the fact that the response to the crisis must include internationally coordinated multilateral cooperatiopolicies adopted to date have not only failed to provide a response to the crisis but have also exacerbated significantly the social and economic situation in the countries concerned; expresses particular concern at bothe the regionalreat of a humanitarian crisis, including in some EU Member States such as Greece, and at the inter-regional levels with a strong human rights-based approach at its corepolitical consequences leading to an increase in extremism and hunger riot scenarios; stresses that in order to end the crisis, there must be a realignment of governmental policy and European and international cooperation towards solutions by and for peoples;
Amendment 63 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Recalls the duty of governments to respect, protect and fulfil human rights at all times, as stated in international human rights lawincluding economic and social rights; expresses deep concern, therefore, at the extremely precarious situation in which an increasing number of peoples are living, and emphasises the need to ensure and reinforce the provision of a number of public services guaranteeing an inalienable right of access of the population to local resources, education, health, social security, employment and decent living conditions; calls on governments to guard against discrimination and to ensure these basic human rights for all men and women; deplores the existing gap between legal recognition and political enforcement of these rights;
Amendment 66 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Urges governments to place the interests of the most vulnerable sections of the population at the centre of policy responses by using a human rights framework in the decision-making, which implies a need for popular participation in decision-making, political, economic and social process; calls on governments to pursue all the necessary measures to ensure access to justice for all, with a particular focus on people living in poverty, who need to have a full understanding of their rights and the means to realise them or in precarious conditions, who need to be fully informed of their rights; calls on the EU to step up its support for the rule of law and justice reform programmes in partner countries;
Amendment 69 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. WelcomNotes the EU’s commitment to promoting economic, social and cultural rights and to strengthening efforts to ensure universal and non-discriminatory access to baspublic services, with a particular focus on; considers that access to be key to guaranteeing the rights of the poorest and most vulnerable groups, as set out in the Strategic Framework on Human Rights and Democracy; looks forward to seeing this reflected in concrete measurmembers of society; considers it high time for that commitment to cease being a pious wish, but rather to be reflected in concrete measures, within the EU and in its cooperation with third countries, including in the human rights country strategies drafted by the EU Delegations;
Amendment 70 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Insists that the EU Special Representative for Human Rights should ensure that human rights are at the forefront of policy initiatives, with a particular emphasis on the most vulnerable groups in the societies of third countries; reiterates that peoples have an inalienable right to self-determination with no outside interference; notes that the agreements concluded by the EU with third countries, as well as the measures imposed by the IMF and other international organisations, have often led to whole swathes of the population being deprived of access to local resources and to their economic, social and political rights; emphasises its desire to develop a new form of cooperation between peoples that places the emphasis on the mutual development and interests of the peoples concerned.
Amendment 72 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Emphasises the need to offer steady support to projects financed by the European Instrument for Human Rights and Democracy (EIDHR) for human rights defenders, including those working in the field of economic and social rights, such as the rights of workers and migrants, and stresses the importance of promoting human rights education;
Amendment 73 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9
Paragraph 9
9. Stresses that the Commission should include human rights provisions in impact assessments for legislative and non- legislative proposals, implementing measures, and trade and investment agreements that have a significant economic, social and environmental impact; democracy and human rights clauses in the various agreements concluded by the EU have not been respected; points out that this attitude has in many cases led to double standards in EU policies, which can only weaken the credibility of the EU in respect of its commitment to human rights, the rule of law and democracy, and eventually cast doubt on the universality of human rights; calls for systematic inclusion of the democracy and human rights clauses and for complete compliance with them; emphasises that with a view to fulfilling its international human rights commitments, the EU should include human rights provisions in impact assessments for legislative and non- legislative proposals, implementing measures, and trade and investment agreements that have a significant economic, social and environmental impact; considers that the democracy and human rights clauses should be supported by an operational enforcement mechanism; sees a need for ex-ante monitoring mechanisms, which would be used prior to a framework agreement being concluded, and on which that conclusion would be dependent, to be a basic feature of such agreements, as well as for ex-post monitoring mechanisms that enable any violations of those clauses to be detected; demands that the full consequences of those mechanisms apply, including the suspension of the agreement/s in question;
Amendment 75 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12
Paragraph 12
12. Stresses the importance of policy coherence and coordination in order to attain the objective of poverty rand political will in order to achieve the Millennium Development Goals, especially as regards eradicating poverty, and the importance of ensuring education and to increase the impact of EU external assistancfor all, promoting gender equality, improving access to healthcare, protecting the environment and establishing international partnerships for mutual development; stresses that this calls for genuine investment by the EU aimed at achieving those investments, but that, deplorably, this is now significantly overdue;
Amendment 79 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13
Paragraph 13
13. Reiterates that budget support to partner countries should be more closely linked to the human rights and governancedemocracy situation of the partner countries, but that this support must be provided in full respect for the right of peoples to self-determination and to decide their own political, economic and social policies;
Amendment 81 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14
Paragraph 14
14. Calls on developingall countries to devise economic policiradically change their policies and to adopt political, economic and social approaches which promote sustainable growth and development, create jobs, place vulnerable social groups at the forefront of policy responses, and base development on a sound fiscal system, which is necessary for mobilising domestic resources in a more efficient and equitable manner;
Amendment 83 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15
Paragraph 15
15. Encourages developing countries to take advantage of trade preferences afforded by the EU within the Generalised System of Preferences (GSP+) framework in order to boost their economy and improve their competitiveness; rRecalls their obligation to ratify and implement the 27 core international human rights conventions;
Amendment 88 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17
Paragraph 17
17. Calls for a specific enforcement mechanism to monitor implementation of human rights clauses in bilateral and international agreements signed by the EU; welcomes efforts to improve analysis of the human rights situation in third countries when launching or concluding trade and/or investment agreements; calls for these clauses to form an integral part of the agreements in practice and regrets that not doing so has led to the violation of fundamental economic and social rights, to the impoverishment of the populations concerned and to the monopolising of resources, not least by transnational companies; believes that besides these clauses there is a need to implement new forms of cooperation to facilitate the economic and social development of third countries based on the needs of their peoples;
Amendment 89 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20
Paragraph 20
20. Calls on governments to respect their obligations towards citizens in terms of the good stewardship of natural resources; onsiders that natural resources are essential to life and offer collective benefits which should allow them to be considered as global public goods; points out however, that access to those resources is still impossible for numerous local populations; emphasises, consequently, the importance of defining the tools designed to measure the unequal access to natural resources; welcomes the adoption by the General Assembly of the United Nations on 28 July 2010 of the resolution recognising the basic right to water and sanitation; hopes that the EU and its Member States will implement the recommendations made in that resolution concerning the provision of financial resources, particularly to developing countries; Calls on governments to respect their obligations towards citizens in terms of the supervision of those natural resources and access to them;
Amendment 90 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20 – point 1 (new)
Paragraph 20 – point 1 (new)
(1) Notes that a significant number of individuals and cultural minorities do not or no longer have access to certain resources because those resources are monopolised by companies or private entities benefiting from the support of the political authorities in the countries concerned; highlights the consequences of this situation in terms of food shortage owing to the expulsion of farmers, increases in food prices and restricted access to basic goods, such as water; calls, therefore, on the European Union and the Member States to take the necessary measures to put an end to the monopolisation of resources, particularly land, by European undertakings and to put forward proposals in international and regional fora and conferences (World Bank, WTO, UNCTAD, IMF, OECD, etc.) for recognising global public goods and including them in a specific UN convention;
Amendment 91 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21
Paragraph 21
21. UrgesCalls on governments to take all the necessary measures – including the introduction of a minimum and maximum wage, and genuine redistribution of the wealth, benefits and tools of production – to reduce extremes in income inequality and put in place conditions that will enable those currently living in extreme povertya precarious situation or in poverty or experiencing domination or exploitation to fully realise their potential and live in dignity;
Amendment 93 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22
Paragraph 22
22. Urges governments in developing countries to elaborate social protection schemesand Member States to build, strengthen and ensure genuine social security and protection structures, including healthcare access and reimbursement, a redundancy insurance system and decent pensions accessible to everyone, since these are essa fundamential for protecting the most vulnerabright and a key means of protecting the population as whole and building resilience against economic and environmental shocks and have proved to be an investment in society rather than a cost, as shown by social welfare programmes, such as Brazil’s bolsa familia or demand-driven public works schemes like India’s National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (NREGS); stresses that the success of these cash transfer schemes depends largely on conditionality such as school enrolment and attendance as well as health aspects, most notably the vaccination of children;
Amendment 94 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24
Paragraph 24
24. Considers that investment in sustainable agriculture in developing countries is an important accelerant for combating food insecurity and boosting overall growth; urges governments to support responsible private-sector investment and small-scale food producers, especially women and agricultural cooperatives, which are the most effective in reducing extreme poverty by increasing returns on labourto ensure genuine food sovereignty, access to land and the prevention of land-grabbing is an important accelerant for combating food insecurity and boosting overall growth Calls on the Commission and the Member States to check that companies which come under national or EU law do not disregard the human rights and social, health and generating employment for the poor; stresses the importance of investment in rural infrastructure that reduces transaction costs and enables farmers to reach markets and generate more incomevironmental standards they are subject to when moving to or carrying out their activities in a third country;
Amendment 98 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25
Paragraph 25
25. Urges governments not to cut or limit, or even increase, food subsidies since these subsidies can limit the prevalence of hunger and, improve nutrition in recipient households and save many lives;
Amendment 100 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26
Paragraph 26
26. Reminds governments that youth employment policies should focusExpresses particular concern at the rapid increase in unemployment among young people, including graduates, and in the precariousness of their situation; reminds governments that they must ensure not only on job creation, but also on ensuring aa decent level of income and working conditions that are appropriate for an adequate standard of living, job security and decent working conditions;
Amendment 104 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 28
Paragraph 28
28. Considers of the utmost importance the strengthening of skills development and training policies, including internships and on-the-job training, which provide support for a successful transition from school to the labour marketguaranteeing of secure jobs and training programmes that enable everyone to alternate between a stable well-paid job and training periods, allowing them mobility and emancipation; emphasises the key role of the state in achieving that objective;
Amendment 106 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 28 – point 1 (new)
Paragraph 28 – point 1 (new)
(1) Highlights that the definition of slavery provided by the UN is the status or condition of a person over whom any or all of the powers attaching to the right of ownership are exercised; deplores the fact that modern forms of slavery survive, and that many third country nationals are victims of it, including in the EU; calls, therefore, on the Commission to adopt a much firmer policy on this issue, particularly as regards domestic workers, the socio-professional category most affected by these forms of slavery;
Amendment 108 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 29
Paragraph 29
29. Urges both governments of countries with high child-labour rates and international donors to promote preventative measures, such as expanding school accesscompulsory, free schooling for all, improving school quality and reducing school costs in order to decrease poverty rates and encourage economic growth;
Amendment 113 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 34
Paragraph 34
34. Urges governments to tackle critical human rights issues faced by the elderly, especially in times of economic downturncrisis, such as long-term unemployment, age- related employment discrimination, income insecurity and unaffordable healthcare; calls on governments to put in place innovative new mechanisms for flexible workforce participation, such as entitling older people to social pensions while working part-timethe scrapping or undermining of retirement schemes, income insecurity and unaffordable healthcare and social security cover; calls on governments to guarantee these most fundamental rights and the payment of decent pensions via a national solidarity system; roundly condemns ‘back to work’ policies designed to alleviate the growing poverty among that sector of the population by promoting, for example, part-time work for the elderly;
Amendment 117 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 35
Paragraph 35
35. Calls for the transaction costs for remittances to be reduced and for such arrangements to be made more readily available, e.g. by making it easierit to be made easier, for example, for migrants to open a bank account in host countries;
Amendment 118 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 36
Paragraph 36
36. Calls on governments to ensure that the fight against trafficking in human beings remains high on their agenda during times of economic and financial crisis; urges governments to fully implement legislation to prosecute traffickers and smugglers, expand support and legal assistance to victims of human trafficking, and develop closer international cooperation; deplores also the policies of the European Union and Member States aimed at ensuring EU policing of migrants and asylum seekers by third countries participating in its Neighbourhood Policy, with contempt for the rights of persons trying to reach Europe; condemns severely the inability of the European Union and its Member States and their partner countries to uphold the right of asylum and ensure rescue at sea; considers these immigration policies to be indicative of prejudice towards the inhabitants of the countries of the South;
Amendment 119 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 37
Paragraph 37
37. Welcomes the discussions within the UN High-Level Panel on the Post-2015 Development Agenda with the participation of the European Commissioner for Development; considers that the post-2015 framework should prioritise the progressive realisuniversal implementation of human rights and take into consideration the impact of the financial and economic crisis, notably on the poorest and the most vulnerable; urges all involved parties to consider setting quantifiable targets and indicators, as well as qualitative and outcome-based indicators;