2017/2122(INI) | [ParlTrack]

Motion for a resolution
Citation 1

~~— having regard to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and other UN human rights treaties and instruments,~~(Does not affect the English version.)

Amendment 10 #

László TŐKÉS, Cristian Dan PREDA, Ádám KÓSA, Laima Liucija ANDRIKIENĖ

Motion for a resolution
Citation 3 a (new)

– having regard to the UN's 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and to the 2030 Agenda to ensure peace and prosperity for people and the planet,

Amendment 100 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2 a (new)

2 a. Recalls that the EU’s objective to increase its international influence as a credible and legitimate international actor is greatly shaped by its ability to pursue human rights and democracy externally, in line with its commitments enshrined in its founding treaties;

Amendment 101 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3

3. Emphasises the importance of enhanced cooperation between the Commission, the Council, the European External Action Service (EEAS), Parliament and the EU delegations to ensure a consistent and united voice in favour of human rights and democratic principles; underlines, moreover, the importance of a strong engagement for promoting those values in multilateral fora, including through timely coordination at the EU level and an active approach during negotiations; encourages, in this context, the EU to initiate and co-sponsor resolutions and to intensify the practice of cross-regional initiatives in all UN human rights mechanisms;

Amendment 102 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3

3. Emphasises the importance of enhanced cooperation between the Commission, the Council, the European External Action Service (EEAS), Parliament and the EU delegations to promote and ensure a consistent and united voice in favour of human rights;

Amendment 103 #

Renate WEBER, Ivo VAJGL, Norica NICOLAI, Hilde VAUTMANS, Beatriz BECERRA BASTERRECHEA, Ilhan KYUCHYUK, Petras AUŠTREVIČIUS, Marietje SCHAAKE

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3

Amendment 104 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4

4. Welcomes the fact that in 2016, the rule of law, democratic principles and breaches of human rights were debated regularly in its plenary sessions, targeted in various parliamentary resolutions, and raised in committee and interparliamentary delegation meetings;deleted

Amendment 105 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4

4. ~~Welcom~~Emphasises the fact that in 2016, the rule of law, democratic principles and breaches of human rights were debated regularly in its plenary sessions, targeted in various parliamentary resolutions, and raised in committee and interparliamentary delegation meetings; denounces that a certain number of the EP resolutions on human rights do not have any follow up by the Commission;

Amendment 106 #

Renate WEBER, Ivo VAJGL, Norica NICOLAI, Hilde VAUTMANS, Beatriz BECERRA BASTERRECHEA, Ilhan KYUCHYUK, Petras AUŠTREVIČIUS, Marietje SCHAAKE

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 a (new)

4 a. Calls on the Commission to concretely act following the initiative reports, such as corporate liability for serious human rights abuses in third countries;

Amendment 107 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6

6. Notes that in 2016, DROI drafted three reports, namely on human rights and migration in third countries, corporate liability for serious human rights abuses in third countries, and the fight against trafficking in human beings in the EU’s external relations;deleted

Amendment 108 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6

6. Notes that in 2016~~, DROI~~ and 2017, the European Parliament drafted ~~three~~five key reports, namely on human rights and migration in third countries, corporate liability for serious human rights abuses in third countries, ~~and~~ the fight against trafficking in human beings in the EU’s external relations, the situation in the Mediterranean and the need for a holistic EU approach to migration and ‘Addressing refugee and migrant movements: the role of EU external action';

Amendment 109 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6

Amendment 11 #

Motion for a resolution
Citation 3 b (new)

– having regard to the UN report of 26 October 2015 on the effects of foreign debt and other related international financial obligations of states on the full enjoyment of all human rights, particularly economic, social and cultural rights,

Amendment 110 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6

6. ~~Note~~Recalls that in 2016, DROI drafted three reports, namely on human rights and migration in third countries, corporate liability for serious human rights abuses in third countries, and the fight against trafficking in human beings in the EU’s external relations;

Amendment 111 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 a (new)

6 a. Notes that in 2016, numerous DROI missions travelled to different countries with the view to collect and exchange information with the local governmental and non-governmental human rights actors, to present the position of the European Parliament and to encourage an improvement of the protection and respect for human rights;

Amendment 112 #

7. Expresses grave concern about the increasing number of attacks against religious minorities, in particular Christians, which are often committed by non-state actors such as ISIS/Daesh; deplores the fact that many countries have and enforce anti-conversion and blasphemy laws, which effectively limit and even deprive religious minorities and atheists from their freedom of religion or belief; calls for the EU and its Member States to step up their efforts to enhance respect for freedom of thought, conscience, religion and belief and to promote interreligious dialogue when engaging with third countries; requests concrete action towards the effective implementation of the EU Guidelines on the promotion and protection of freedom of religion or belief, including by ensuring the systematic and consistent training of EU staff at headquarters and in delegations; supports fully the EU practice of taking the lead on thematic resolutions on freedom of religion and belief at the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) and the UN General Assembly (UNGA); supports fully the work of the EU Special Envoy for the Promotion of Freedom of Religion or Belief outside the EU, Mr Ján Figel; reiterates the call for the institutionalization of this mandate within the EEAS;

Amendment 113 #

Beatriz BECERRA BASTERRECHEA

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7

7. Expresses grave concern about the increasing number of attacks against religious minorities, in particular Christians, which are often committed by non-state actors such as ~~ISIS/~~Daesh; deplores that many countries have and enforce blasphemy laws, which effectively limit and even deprive religious minorities and atheists from their freedom of religion or belief; calls for the EU and its Member States to step up their efforts to enhance respect for freedom of thought, conscience, religion and belief and to promote interreligious dialogue when engaging with third countries, by systematically including specific binding clauses in trade agreements; requests concrete action towards the effective implementation of the EU Guidelines on the promotion and protection of freedom of religion or belief, including by ensuring the systematic and consistent training of EU staff at headquarters and in delegations; supports fully the EU practice of taking the lead on thematic resolutions on freedom of religion and belief at the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) and the UN General Assembly (UNGA); supports fully the work of the EU Special Envoy for the Promotion of Freedom of Religion or Belief outside the EU~~, Mr Ján Figel~~;

Amendment 114 #

Renate WEBER, Ivo VAJGL, Norica NICOLAI, Hilde VAUTMANS, Beatriz BECERRA BASTERRECHEA, Louis MICHEL, Petras AUŠTREVIČIUS, Marietje SCHAAKE, Urmas PAET

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7

7. Expresses grave concern about the increasing number of attacks against religious minorities, in particular Christians, which are often committed by non-state actors such as ISIS/Daesh; deplores the attempts of state actors to limit freedom of religion and belief and freedom of expression by adopting and implementing blasphemy laws; calls for the EU and its Member States to step up their efforts to enhance respect for freedom of thought, conscience, religion and belief and to promote interreligious dialogue when engaging with third countries; requests concrete action towards the effective implementation of the EU Guidelines on the promotion and protection of freedom of religion or belief, including by ensuring the systematic and consistent training of EU staff at headquarters and in delegations; supports fully the EU practice of taking the lead on thematic resolutions on freedom of religion and belief at the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) and the UN General Assembly (UNGA); supports fully the work of the EU Special Envoy for the Promotion of Freedom of Religion or Belief outside the EU, Mr Ján Figel;

Amendment 115 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7

7. Expresses grave concern about the increasing number of attacks against religious minorities, in particular Christians, Yazidis, Turkmen, Shiites, Sabeans, Mandeans and all religious groups, including Sunnis, who do not share the same interpretation of Islam, which are often committed by non-state actors such as ISIS/Daesh; calls for the EU and its Member States to step up their efforts to enhance respect for freedom of thought, conscience, religion and belief and to promote interreligious dialogue when engaging with third countries; requests concrete action towards the effective implementation of the EU Guidelines on the promotion and protection of freedom of religion or belief, including by ensuring the systematic and consistent training of EU staff at headquarters and in delegations; supports fully the EU practice of taking the lead on thematic resolutions on freedom of religion and belief at the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) and the UN General Assembly (UNGA); supports fully the work of the EU Special Envoy for the Promotion of Freedom of Religion or Belief outside the EU, Mr Ján Figel;

Amendment 116 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7

7. Expresses grave concern about the increasing number of attacks against religious minorities, ~~in particular Christians,~~ which are often committed by non-state actors such as ISIS/Daesh; recalls that Muslim populations are the first victims of these acts of violence; calls for the EU and its Member States to step up their efforts to enhance respect for freedom of thought, conscience, and religion and ~~belief and~~ to promote interreligious and interfaith dialogue when engaging with third countries; requests concrete action towards the effective implementation of the EU Guidelines on the promotion and protection of freedom of religion or belief, including by ensuring the systematic and consistent training of EU staff at headquarters and in delegations; ~~supports fully~~notes the EU practice of taking the lead on thematic resolutions on freedom of ~~religion~~thought, conscience and breliefgion at the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) and the UN General Assembly (UNGA); supports fully the work of the EU Special Envoy for the Promotion of Freedom of Religion or Belief outside the EU, Mr Ján Figel; condemns all exploitation of religious issues;

Amendment 117 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7

7. Expresses grave concern about the increasing number of attacks against religious minorities, in particular Christians, which are often committed by non-state actors such as ISIS/Daesh, as well as the hate speech targeting members of minorities; calls for the EU and its Member States to step up their efforts to enhance respect for freedom of thought, conscience, religion and belief and to promote interreligious dialogue when engaging with third countries; requests concrete action towards the effective implementation of the EU Guidelines on the promotion and protection of freedom of religion or belief, including by ensuring the systematic and consistent training of EU staff at headquarters and in delegations; supports fully the EU practice of taking the lead on thematic resolutions on freedom of religion and belief at the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) and the UN General Assembly (UNGA); supports fully the work of the EU Special Envoy for the Promotion of Freedom of Religion or Belief outside the EU, Mr Ján Figel;

Amendment 118 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7

7. Expresses grave concern about the increasing number of attacks against religious minorities, in particular Christians, which are often committed by non-state actors such as ISIS/Daesh; calls for the EU and its Member States to step up their efforts to enhance respect for freedom of thought, conscience, religion and belief and to promote intercultural and interreligious dialogue when engaging with third countries; requests concrete action towards the effective implementation of the EU Guidelines on the promotion and protection of freedom of religion or belief, including by ensuring the systematic and consistent training of EU staff at headquarters and in delegations; supports fully the EU practice of taking the lead on thematic resolutions on freedom of religion and belief at the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) and the UN General Assembly (UNGA); supports fully the work of the EU Special Envoy for the Promotion of Freedom of Religion or Belief outside the EU, Mr Ján Figel;

Amendment 119 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7

7. Expresses grave concern about the increasing number of attacks against religious and ethnic minorities, in particular Christians, which are often committed by non-state actors such as ISIS/Daesh; calls for the EU and its Member States to step up their efforts to enhance respect for freedom of thought, conscience, religion and belief and to promote interreligious dialogue when engaging with third countries; requests concrete action towards the effective implementation of the EU Guidelines on the promotion and protection of freedom of religion or belief, including by ensuring the systematic and consistent training of EU staff at headquarters and in delegations; supports fully the EU practice of taking the lead on thematic resolutions on freedom of religion and belief at the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) and the UN General Assembly (UNGA); supports fully the work of the EU Special Envoy for the Promotion of Freedom of Religion or Belief outside the EU, Mr Ján Figel;

Amendment 12 #

Motion for a resolution
Citation 8

— having regard to the jJoint sStaff wWorking dDocument ~~entitled ‘EU~~“Mid-term review of the Action Plan on Human Rights and Democracy ~~(2015-2019): Mid-Term Review~~”, adopted on 7 June 2017’3 3, _________________ 3 http://data.consilium.europa.eu/doc/docum ent/ST-11138-2017-INIT/en/pdf

Amendment 120 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7

7. Expresses grave concern about the increasing number of attacks against religious minorities~~, in particular Christians,~~ which are often committed by non-state actors such as ISIS/Daesh; calls for the EU and its Member States to step up their efforts to enhance respect for freedom of thought, conscience, religion and belief and to promote interreligious dialogue when engaging with third countries; requests concrete action towards the effective implementation of the EU Guidelines on the promotion and protection of freedom of religion or belief, including by ensuring the systematic and consistent training of EU staff at headquarters and in delegations; supports fully the EU practice of taking the lead on thematic resolutions on freedom of religion and belief at the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) and the UN General Assembly (UNGA); supports fully the work of the EU Special Envoy for the Promotion of Freedom of Religion or Belief outside the EU, Mr Ján Figel;

Amendment 121 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 a (new)

7a. Regrets that the financial and economic crisis and the sovereign debt crisis, together with the budgetary restrictions adopted in an attempt to address them, are having a negative impact on civil, economic and social rights;stresses that the UN has repeatedly criticised the management of sovereign debt and its consequences for human rights;regrets the fact that none of the Member States voted for the UN resolution of 10 September 2015 recognising, in particular, the right of any state to restructure its sovereign debt;recalls that according to the UN report on ‘financial globalisation’, the liberalisation of trade, the privatisation of public services and the increasing role of businesses in development are having an impact on fundamental rights to such an extent as to compromise the establishment of a sustainable means of subsistence;

Amendment 122 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 a (new)

7 a. Requests actions to protect religious minorities, non-believers and atheists that are victims of blasphemy laws and calls on the EU and Member States to engage in political discussions to repeal such laws;

Amendment 123 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8

8. Reiterates the fact that freedom of expression online and offline is a vital component of any democratic society, as it nourishes a culture of pluralism that empowers civil society and citizens to hold their governments and decision-makers to account, and supports respect for the rule of law; emphasizes that any removal of online content is to be exceptional, prescribed by law, subject to a judgment and justified by the pursuit of a constitutional aim; stresses, therefore, that the EU should intensify its efforts to promote freedom of expression through its external policies and instruments; reiterates its request for the EU and its Member States to enhance their monitoring of all types of restrictions on freedom of expression and the media in third countries and to rapidly and systematically condemn such limitations; emphasiszes the importance of ensuring the effective implementation of the EU Guidelines on Freedom of Expression Online and Offline and of regularly monitoring their impact; condemns the use of vague notions such as ‘hate speech’ to define crimes and calls for more detailed definition in order to avoid the infringement of the principle of nullum crimen sine lege, above all in such a sensitive field as freedom of thought; welcomes the new European Instrument for Democracy and Human Rights (EIDHR) launched in 2016, with its specific focus on training EU delegations and media actors in third countries on how to apply the Guidelines;

Amendment 124 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8

8. Reiterates the fact that freedom of expression online and offline is a vital component of any democratic society, as it nourishes a culture of pluralism that empowers civil society and citizens to hold their governments and decision-makers to account, and supports respect for the rule of law; emphasizes that restriction of online or offline freedom of expression, such as the removal of online content, is to be exceptional, prescribed by law and justified by the pursuit of a legitimate aim; stresses, therefore, that the EU should intensify its efforts to promote freedom of expression through its external policies and instruments; reiterates its request for the EU and its Member States to enhance their monitoring of all types of restrictions on freedom of expression and the media in third countries and to rapidly and systematically condemn such limitations; emphasiszes the importance of ensuring the effective implementation of the EU Guidelines on Freedom of Expression Online and Offline and of regularly monitoring their impact; welcomes the new European Instrument for Democracy and Human Rights (EIDHR) launched in 2016, with its specific focus on training EU delegations and media actors in third countries on how to apply the Guidelines;

Amendment 125 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8

8. Reiterates the fact that freedom of expression online and offline is a vital component of any democratic society, as it nourishes a culture of pluralism that empowers civil society and citizens to hold their governments and decision-makers to account, and supports respect for the rule of law; stresses, therefore, that the EU should intensify its efforts to promote freedom of expression through its external policies and instruments; deplores the fact that, according to Reporters Sans Frontières1 c, 74 journalists met their deaths in 2016 and 348 others were imprisoned, including over one hundred in Turkey, and reiterates its request for the EU and its Member States to enhance their monitoring of all types of restrictions on freedom of expression and the media in third countries and to rapidly and systematically condemn such limitations; emphasises the importance of ensuring the effective implementation of the EU Guidelines on Freedom of Expression Online and Offline and of regularly monitoring their impact; calls on the EU to effectively protect journalists and bloggers under threat in the world, and welcomes the new European Instrument for Democracy and Human Rights (EIDHR) launched in 2016, with its specific focus on training EU delegations and media actors in third countries on how to apply the Guidelines; _________________ 1c https://rsf.org/sites/default/files/rsf_2016- part_2-en.pdf

Amendment 126 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8

8. Reiterates the fact that freedom of expression online and offline is a vital component of any democratic society, as it nourishes a culture of pluralism that empowers civil society and citizens to hold their governments and decision-makers to account, and supports respect for the rule of law; stresses, therefore, that the EU should intensify its efforts to promote freedom of expression through its external policies and instruments; reiterates its request for the EU and its Member States to enhance their monitoring of all types of restrictions on freedom of expression and the media in third countries and to rapidly and systematically condemn such limitations; emphasises the importance of ensuring the effective implementation of the EU Guidelines on Freedom of Expression Online and Offline and of regularly monitoring their impact; welcomes the new European Instrument for Democracy and Human Rights (EIDHR) launched in 2016, with its specific focus on training EU delegations and media actors in third countries on how to apply the Guidelines; stresses the importance of condemning hate speech and incitements to violence, both on the internet and elsewhere, since they constitute a threat to the rule of law and the values embodied by human rights;

Amendment 127 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8

8. Reiterates the fact that freedom of expression online and offline is a vital component of any democratic society, as it nourishes a culture of pluralism that empowers civil society and citizens to hold their governments and decision-makers to account, and supports respect for the rule of law; stresses, therefore, that the EU should intensify its efforts to promote freedom of expression, freedom of association and artistic freedom through its external policies and instruments; reiterates its request for the EU and its Member States to enhance their monitoring of all types of restrictions on freedom of expression and the media in third countries~~and~~, to rapidly and systematically condemn such limitations and to use all available diplomatic means and instruments to reverse such restrictions; emphasises the importance of ensuring the effective implementation of the EU Guidelines on Freedom of Expression Online and Offline and of regularly monitoring their impact; welcomes the new European Instrument for Democracy and Human Rights (EIDHR) launched in 2016, with its specific focus on training EU delegations and media actors in third countries on how to apply the Guidelines;

Amendment 128 #

Beatriz BECERRA BASTERRECHEA, Soraya POST, Ulrike LUNACEK, Daniele VIOTTI, Malin BJÖRK, Tanja FAJON, Sirpa PIETIKÄINEN

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8

8. Reiterates the fact that freedom of expression online and offline is a vital component of any democratic society, as it nourishes a culture of pluralism that empowers civil society and citizens to hold their governments and decision-makers to account, and supports respect for the rule of law; stresses, therefore, that the EU should intensify its efforts to promote and consolidate freedom of expression through its external policies and instruments; reiterates its request for the EU and its Member States to enhance their monitoring of all types of restrictions on freedom of expression and the media in third countries ~~and~~, to rapidly and systematically condemn such limitations and to reverse the consequences thereof; emphasises the importance of ensuring the effective implementation of the EU Guidelines on Freedom of Expression Online and Offline and of regularly monitoring their impact; welcomes the new European Instrument for Democracy and Human Rights (EIDHR) launched in 2016, with its specific focus on training EU delegations and media actors in third countries on how to apply the Guidelines;

Amendment 129 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8

8. Reiterates the fact that freedom of expression online and offline is a vital component of any democratic society, as it nourishes a culture of pluralism that empowers civil society and citizens to hold their governments and decision-makers to account, and supports respect for the rule of law; stresses, therefore, that the EU should intensify its efforts to promote freedom of expression through its external policies and instruments; reiterates its request for the EU and its Member States to enhance their monitoring of all types of restrictions on freedom of expression and the media in third countries, including when they are used to silence minority groups, and to rapidly and systematically condemn such limitations; emphasises the importance of ensuring the effective implementation of the EU Guidelines on Freedom of Expression Online and Offline and of regularly monitoring their impact; welcomes the new European Instrument for Democracy and Human Rights (EIDHR) launched in 2016, with its specific focus on training EU delegations and media actors in third countries on how to apply the Guidelines;

Amendment 13 #

Beatriz BECERRA BASTERRECHEA, Soraya POST, Ulrike LUNACEK, Daniele VIOTTI, Malin BJÖRK, Tanja FAJON, Sirpa PIETIKÄINEN

Motion for a resolution
Citation 10

— having regard to the Global Strategy ~~for the European Union’s~~on Foreign and Security Policy of the European Union presented by the Vice-President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy (VP/HR) Federica Mogherini on 28 June 2016~~5 , _________________ 5 http://europa.eu/globalstrategy/sites/globals trategy/files/regions/files/eugs_review_we b_0.pdf~~, as well as its first Report on implementation progress presented in 2017,

Amendment 130 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8 a (new)

8 a. Strongly condemns increasing restrictions on freedom of assembly and association of opposition movements or minority group events, such as Pride marches, in some cases with violent responses from authorities against protesters;reaffirms the crucial role of these fundamental freedoms in the functioning of democratic societies and the responsibility of states in ensuring such rights are upheld and participants protected;calls on EU delegations, relevant institutions, bodies and individuals to take an active role in promoting these rights in line with international human rights standards;

Amendment 131 #

8 a. Emphasises the utmost importance of academic freedom as a human right protected by international treaties and as a basis for the rule of law, pluralism and democracy;denounces the attacks against academic freedom occurring worldwide, including travel restrictions, loss of positions, unlawful prosecutions and imprisonment, violence, disappearances and killings;

Amendment 132 #

Renate WEBER, Ivo VAJGL, Norica NICOLAI, Hilde VAUTMANS, Beatriz BECERRA BASTERRECHEA, Ilhan KYUCHYUK, Louis MICHEL, Petras AUŠTREVIČIUS, Marietje SCHAAKE, Urmas PAET

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9

9. Is deeply concerned that civil society is increasingly under attack worldwide, through, inter alia, a growing number of repressive laws adopted throughout the world, under the pretext of combating terrorism or disclosing "foreign agents"; recalls that independent civil society plays an essential role in the defence and advancement of human rights and in the functioning of democratic societies; deeply regrets the fact that human rights defenders, journalists and civil society activists are victims of harassment, intimidation and killings; calls for the EU and its Member States to constantly monitor and raise cases of violations of freedom of assembly and association, including the various forms of bans and limitations on civil society organisations (CSOs) and their activities, such as laws aiming at shrinking civil society space or the promotion of NGOs sponsored by governments (GONGOs) which mimic a functioning and free civil society space; calls, in addition, for the EU and its Member States to use all available means, such as human rights dialogues, political dialogues and public diplomacy, to systematically raise individual cases of human rights defenders (HRDs) and civil society activists at risk, particularly those in prison;

Amendment 133 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9

9. Is deeply concerned that the numerous, ever-increasing attempts made to shrink the space of civil society, i~~s increasingly under attack worldwide~~ncluding for human rights, environmental rights and women's rights defenders, and at the growing number of repressive laws adopted throughout the world, including under the pretext of combating terrorism; recalls that independent civil society plays an essential role in the defence and advancement of human rights and in the functioning of democratic societies; calls for the EU and its Member States to constantly monitor and raise cases of violations of freedom of assembly and association, including the various forms of bans and limitations on civil society organisations (CSOs) and their activities; calls, in addition, for the EU and its Member States to use all available means, such as human rights dialogues, political dialogues and to step up its public diplomacy~~, to systematically~~ in open and clear support of human rights defenders; calls on the EU and its Members States to systematically and unequivocally denounce the repression, harassment and killings of human rights defenders, and raise individual cases of human rights defenders (HRDs) and civil society activists at risk, particularly those in prison;

Amendment 134 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9

9. Is deeply concerned ~~that~~by the shrinking space of civil society, i~~s increasingly under attack worldwide~~n particular for human rights defenders, through the pretext of combatting terrorism; recalls that independent civil society plays an essential role in the defence and advancement of human rights and in the functioning of democratic societies by notably promoting transparency, accountability and the separation of powers; calls for the EU and its Member States to constantly monitor and raise cases of violations of freedom of assembly and association, including the various forms of bans and limitations on civil society organisations (CSOs) and their activities; calls, in addition, for the EU and its Member States to use all available means, such as human rights dialogues, political dialogues and public diplomacy, to systematically raise individual cases of human rights defenders (HRDs) and civil society activists at risk, particularly those in prison;

Amendment 135 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9

9. Is deeply concerned that civil society is increasingly under attack worldwide; recalls that independent civil society plays an essential role in the defence and advancement of human rights and in the functioning of democratic societies; calls for the EU and its Member States to constantly monitor and raise cases of violations of freedom of assembly and association, including the various forms of bans and limitations on civil society organisations (CSOs) and their activities; calls, in addition, for the EU and its Member States to use all available means, such as human rights dialogues, political dialogues and public diplomacy, to systematically raise individual cases of persecution of human rights defenders (HRDs) and civil society activists at risk, particularly those in prison; urges them, finally, to seek to impose measures to redress such injustices;

Amendment 136 #

Soraya POST, Ulrike LUNACEK, Daniele VIOTTI, Malin BJÖRK, Tanja FAJON

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9

9. Is deeply concerned that civil society is increasingly under attack worldwide; recalls that independent civil society plays an essential role in the defence and advancement of human rights and in the functioning of democratic societies; calls for the EU and its Member States to constantly monitor and raise cases of violations of freedom of assembly and association, including the various forms of bans and limitations on civil society organisations (CSOs) and their activities through restrictive legislation, heavy administrative burdens, monitoring or other means that inhibit the functioning of the organisations; calls, in addition, for the EU and its Member States to use all available means, such as human rights dialogues, political dialogues and public diplomacy, to systematically raise individual cases of human rights defenders (HRDs) and civil society activists at risk, particularly those in prison;

Amendment 137 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9

9. Is deeply concerned that civil society isand faith-based organizations, including churches, are increasingly under attack worldwide; recalls that independent civil society and autonomous churches plays an essential role in the defence and advancement of human rights and in the functioning of democratic societies; calls for the EU and its Member States to constantly monitor and raise cases of violations of freedom of assembly and association, including the various forms of bans and limitations on civil society organiszations (CSOs), including faith- based organizations and churches, and their activities; calls, in addition, for the EU and its Member States to use all available means, such as human rights dialogues, political dialogues and public diplomacy, to systematically raise individual cases of human rights defenders (HRDs) and civil society activists at risk, particularly those in prison;

Amendment 138 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9

9. Is deeply concerned that civil society is increasingly under attack worldwide; recalls that independent civil society plays an essential role in the defence and advancement of human rights and in the functioning of democratic societies; calls for the EU and its Member States to constantly monitor and raise cases of violations of freedom of assembly and association, including the various forms of bans and limitations on civil society organisations (CSOs) and their activities; calls, in addition, for the EU and its Member States to use all available means, such as human rights dialogues, political dialogues and public diplomacy, to systematically raise individual cases of human rights defenders (HRDs) and civil society activists at risk, particularly those~~in prison~~ who have been detained or imprisoned for arbitrary reasons and/or on account of their political convictions or social commitment;

Amendment 139 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 a (new)

9a. Deplores the deaths, according to the Amnesty International annual report 2015/2016, of at least 156 human rights defenders, condemns all forms of persecution - be this by the courts, the state or private individuals - of human rights defenders, and expresses its concern at the increase in the number of forced disappearances, especially of environmental activists;expresses disappointment at the fact that only 57 states worldwide have ratified the ad hoc UN Convention;

Amendment 14 #

Motion for a resolution
Citation 11 a (new)

- having regard to the Joint Statement about the New European Consensus on Development “Our World, Our Dignity, Our Future”, adopted by the Council, the European Parliament and the European Commission on 7 June 2017,

Amendment 140 #

Renate WEBER, Ivo VAJGL, Norica NICOLAI, Hilde VAUTMANS, Beatriz BECERRA BASTERRECHEA, Louis MICHEL, Petras AUŠTREVIČIUS, Marietje SCHAAKE

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 a (new)

9 a. Underlines that the phenomenon of shrinking civil society space is a global phenomenon, which, in an increasing manner, is also occurring in established democracies and middle and high-income countries, including in EU Member States and some of its closest allies;calls on the EU and its Member States to lead by example and strictly uphold universal human rights, ensure an enabling environment for their civil society and to address any negative trends in this field;

Amendment 141 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 a (new)

9 a. Calls for the establishment of a system to effectively monitor civil society space with clear benchmarks and indicators, to fill in the gaps in the overall framework under which the EU deals with the issue of civil society space, notably as regards the use and definition of terms around the enabling, conducive, legal environment for civil society;

Amendment 142 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 a (new)

9a. Highlights the need to further inter-parliamentary relations between the EU and its partner countries, in a framework of honest dialogue underpinned by mutual understanding and trust, with the aim of promoting human rights effectively;

Amendment 143 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10

10. Encourages the EU delegations and the Member States’ diplomatic staff to continue to actively support HRDs, by systematically monitoring trials, visiting detained activists and issuing statements on individual cases, where appropriate; highlights the importance of silent diplomacy tools in this regard; welcomes the fact that the EU raised HRD cases in dialogues and consultations at EU level with over 50 countries in 2016; highlights the fact that the EIDHR Emergency Fund supported more than 250 HRDs at EU level in 2016, representing an increase of 30 % compared with 2015; welcomes the establishment of the EU Human Rights Defenders Mechanism implemented by civil society, ProtectDefenders.eu, and its successful operation which has provided critical support to a large number of HRDs; urges the Commission to ensure the continuation of the programme after October 2018 and to increase its capabilities in order to provide more support to HRDs worldwide;

Amendment 144 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 a (new)

10 a. Recalls the European Union's strong opposition to the death penalty;takes note that in 2016 there was a decrease in the number of executions carried out globally compared to the previous year and expresses its grave concern that, nevertheless, the overall number of executions remains higher than the average recorded for the previous decade;underlines in this context the importance for the EU and its Member States to continue their efforts towards a global abolition of the death penalty;

Amendment 145 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 a (new)

10 a. Calls for the establishment of a system to effectively monitor civil society space with clear benchmarks and indicators, to fill in the gaps in the current overall framework under which the EU deals with the issue of civil society space;commits to establish, on an annual basis, a list of countries where civil society space is most under threat and to use it as a benchmark against which to assess the engagement of the EU and its Member States with these countries;

Amendment 146 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 a (new)

10 a. Strongly condemns the increasing number of human rights defenders facing digital threats, including compromised data through confiscation of equipment, remote surveillance and data leakages;condemns the practice of online surveillance and hacking to gather information, which can be used in legal cases or defamation campaigns;

Amendment 147 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 a (new)

10a. Regrets any legislation or government pressure that restricts freedom of expression or encourages violence against journalists and the media, preventing them from carrying out their work safely, without fear of reprisals, harassment or political pressure leading to any type of censorship;

Amendment 148 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11

11. Considers it deeply regrettable that torture, ill-treatment and the death penalty continue ~~all over~~in many countries across the world, and calls for the EU to intensify its efforts to eradicate these serious human rights violations; expresses alarm at the fact that in 2016, 1 032 people were executed across 23 countries1 d, and urges the EEAS and the VP/HR to engage more strongly in the fight against torture and other cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment or punishment, including the death penalty, through increased diplomatic efforts and more systematic public positioning; recommends that the EEAS, the EU delegations and the Member States be especially vigilant vis-à-vis states which are threatening to introduce or re- introduce the death penalty, and use all existing instruments, such as the EU Guidelines on Torture, to their full potential; welcomes the fact that the UN’s resolution on a moratorium on the use of the death penalty was adopted by the UNGA in December 2016 with the support of 117 countries; _________________ 1d https://www.amnesty.org/en/documents/do cument/?indexNumber=act50%2f5740%2 f2017

Amendment 149 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11

11. Considers it deeply regrettable that torture, i~~ll-~~nhuman or degrading treatment and the death penalty continue all over the world, and calls for the EU to intensify its efforts to eradicate these serious human rights violations; urges the EEAS and the VP/HR to engage more strongly in the fight against torture and other cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment or punishment, including the death penalty, through increased diplomatic efforts and more systematic public positioning; recommends that the EEAS, the EU delegations and the Member States use all existing instruments, such as the EU Guidelines on Torture, to their full potential; welcomes the fact that the UN’s resolution on a moratorium on the use of the death penalty was adopted by the UNGA in December 2016 with the support of 117 countries and calls for the EU to be in the front line in terms of monitoring the implementation of that resolution and for it to make all possible political and diplomatic efforts to persuade countries to adapt;

Amendment 15 #

Beatriz BECERRA BASTERRECHEA, Soraya POST, Ulrike LUNACEK, Daniele VIOTTI, Malin BJÖRK, Tanja FAJON

Motion for a resolution
Citation 11 b (new)

- having regard to the EU Guidelines on the enjoyment of human rights by lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) persons, adopted in 2013,

Amendment 150 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11

11. Considers it deeply regrettable that torture, ill-treatment and the death penalty continue all over the world~~, and~~ against dissenting members of society and against vulnerable groups, such as ethnic, linguistic and religious minorities, LGBTI persons, women, children, asylum seekers and migrants; calls for the EU to intensify its efforts to eradicate these serious human rights violations; urges the EEAS and the VP/HR to engage more strongly in the fight against torture and other cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment or punishment, including the death penalty, through increased diplomatic efforts and more systematic public positioning; recommends that the EEAS, the EU delegations and the Member States use all existing instruments, such as the EU Guidelines on Torture, to their full potential; welcomes the fact that the UN’s resolution on a moratorium on the use of the death penalty was adopted by the UNGA in December 2016 with the support of 117 countries;

Amendment 151 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11

11. Considers it deeply regrettable that torture, ill-treatment and the death penalty continue all over the world, and calls for the EU to intensify its efforts to eradicate these serious human rights violations; welcomes in this regard the update of the EU legislation on trade in certain goods which could be used for capital punishment, torture or other treatment or punishment; urges the EEAS and the VP/HR to engage more strongly in the fight against torture and other cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment or punishment, including the death penalty, through increased diplomatic efforts and more systematic public positioning; recommends that the EEAS, the EU delegations and the Member States use all existing instruments, such as the EU Guidelines on Torture, to their full potential; welcomes the fact that the UN’s resolution on a moratorium on the use of the death penalty was adopted by the UNGA in December 2016 with the support of 117 countries;

Amendment 152 #

Renate WEBER, Ivo VAJGL, Norica NICOLAI, Hilde VAUTMANS, Beatriz BECERRA BASTERRECHEA, Ilhan KYUCHYUK, Louis MICHEL, Petras AUŠTREVIČIUS, Marietje SCHAAKE, Urmas PAET

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11

11. Considers it deeply regrettable that torture, ill-treatment and the death penalty continue all over the world, and calls for the EU to intensify its efforts to eradicate the~~se serious human rights violations~~m; urges the EEAS and the VP/HR to engage more strongly in the fight against torture and other cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment or punishment, including the death penalty, through increased diplomatic efforts and more systematic public positioning; recommends that the EEAS, the EU delegations and the Member States use all existing instruments, such as the EU Guidelines on Torture, to their full potential; welcomes the fact that the UN’s resolution on a moratorium on the use of the death penalty was adopted by the UNGA in December 2016 with the support of 117 countries; calls on countries that still retain this practice to adopt a moratorium and abolish the death penalty;

Amendment 153 #

Beatriz BECERRA BASTERRECHEA, Soraya POST, Ulrike LUNACEK, Daniele VIOTTI, Malin BJÖRK, Tanja FAJON, Sirpa PIETIKÄINEN

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11

11. Considers it deeply regrettable that torture, ill-treatment and the death penalty continue in many places all over the world, and calls for the EU to intensify its efforts to eradicate these serious human rights violations; urges the EEAS and the VP/HR to engage more strongly in the fight against torture and other cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment or punishment, including the death penalty, through increased diplomatic efforts and more systematic public positioning; recommends that the EEAS, the EU delegations and the Member States use all existing instruments, such as the EU Guidelines on Torture, to their full potential; welcomes the fact that the UN’s resolution on a moratorium on the use of the death penalty was adopted by the UNGA in December 2016 with the support of 117 countries;

Amendment 154 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11 a (new)

11 a. Condemns violations of bodily integrity against women as well as minority groups which are in breach of the fundamental right to bodily integrity and identity, such as female genital mutilation (FGM), intersex genital mutilations, forced sterilisation of people belonging to ethnic minority groups and people with disabilities;calls on states to outlaw these practices, address perpetrators and support victims;highlights that transgender people are psychopathologised and subjected to forced sterilisation in order to obtain legal recognition of their gender identity;calls on states to establish fast, accessible and transparent procedures for legal gender recognition, based on self-determination only and to depathologise trans identities in accordance to the ICD-11;

Amendment 155 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11 a (new)

11 a. Expresses its concern about the increasing privatisation of the rule of law online, where private companies make decisions about the limitations of fundamental rights such as freedom of speech on the basis of their term of services as opposed to democratically adopted laws;

Amendment 156 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11 b (new)

11 b. Calls on the Commission to adopt a notice-and-action directive which increases the transparency and proportionality of takedown procedures, while providing effective remedies for users whose content has been wrongly taken down;

Amendment 157 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11 c (new)

11 c. Expresses its concern about the ever-increasing use of certain cyber surveillance dual-use technologies that are being used against politicians, activists and journalists;welcomes in this regard the ongoing work of the EU institutions to update the dual-use export control regulation;

Amendment 158 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12

12. WCondemns the use of sexual violence against women and girls as a weapon of war, including mass rape, sexual slavery, enforced prostitution and gender-based forms of persecution, including trafficking, as well as sex tourism and all other forms of physical, sexual and psychological violence; draws attention to the fact that gender-related crimes and crimes of sexual violence are classified in the Rome Statute as war crimes, crimes against humanity or constitutive acts with respect to genocide or torture; stresses the importance in defending women’s rights, including their sexual and reproductive rights, both through legislation and by supporting civil society organizations; welcomes the adoption of the EU Gender Action Plan 2016-2020 which sets out a comprehensive list of measures to improve the situation of women in terms of equal rights and empowerment; emphasises the importance of ensuring its effective implementation; welcomes, in addition, the adoption of the Strategic Engagement for Gender Equality 2016-2019, which promotes gender equality and women’s rights worldwide; requests that the Commission, the EEAS and the VP/HR step up their fulfillment of the obligations and commitments in the area of women’s rights under the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW); believes that the EU should continue mainstreaming support for women within common security and defence policy (CSDP) operations, conflict prevention and post- conflict reconstruction; stresses the importance of women’s systematic, equal, full and active participation in the prevention and resolution of conflicts, in the promotion of human rights and democratic reforms, and in peacekeeping operations, humanitarian assistance and post-conflict reconstruction and democratic transition processes leading to lasting and stable political solutions; recalls that the 2016 Sakharov Prize was awarded to Nadia Murad and Lamiya Aji Bashar, survivors of sexual enslavement perpetrated by ISIS/Daesh; strongly condemns all forms of abuse and violence against women and girls in this connection;

Amendment 159 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12

12. Welcomes the adoption of the EU Gender Action Plan 2016-2020 which sets out a comprehensive list of measures to improve the situation of women in terms of equal rights and empowerment; emphasises the importance of ensuring its effective implementation; welcomes, in addition, the adoption of the Strategic Engagement for Gender Equality 2016-2019, which promotes gender equality and women’s rights worldwide; stresses that the ratification and effective implementation by all Member States of the Istanbul Convention must be viewed as a priority for coming year; points out that education - and more especially non-sexist education - is the best tool for combating discrimination and violence against women and children, and requests that the Commission, the EEAS and the VP/HR step up their fulfilment of the obligations and commitments in the area of women’s rights under the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW); believes that the EU should continue mainstreaming support for women within common security and defence policy (CSDP) operations, conflict prevention and post- conflict reconstruction and in particular should ensure that all necessary medical assistance is provided, in conditions of complete security, to women who are victims of war rape - including abortion as provided for in international humanitarian law; recalls that the 2016 Sakharov Prize was awarded to Nadia Murad and Lamiya Aji Bashar, survivors of sexual enslavement perpetrated by ISIS/Daesh; strongly condemns all forms of abuse and violence against women and girls in this connection;

Amendment 16 #

- having regard to the protection of the Freedom of Expression offline and online afforded by Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Article 19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, Article 10 of the European Convention of Human Rights and Article 10 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union,

Amendment 160 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12

12. Welcomes the adoption of the EU Gender Action Plan 2016-2020 which sets out a comprehensive list of measures to improve the situation of women in terms of equal rights and empowerment; emphasises the importance of ensuring its effective implementation; welcomes, in addition, the adoption of the Strategic Engagement for Gender Equality 2016-2019, which promotes ~~gender~~ equality between men and women and women’s rights worldwide; requests that the Commission, the EEAS and the VP/HR step up their fulfilment of the obligations and commitments in the area of women’s rights under the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW); believes that the EU should continue mainstreaming support for women within common security and defence policy (CSDP) operations, conflict prevention and post- conflict reconstruction; recalls that the 2016 Sakharov Prize was awarded to Nadia Murad and Lamiya Aji Bashar, survivors of sexual enslavement perpetrated by ISIS/Daesh; strongly condemns all forms of abuse and violence against women and girls in this connection; emphasizes States' international commitment to protect pregnant women and pregnancy, and to reduce the number of abortions, including forced abortions, and to combat reproductive exploitation of women; condemns pressuring women to have an abortion and forced abortions as forms of violence against women and girls; strongly reiterates its call to fight sex- selective abortions which result in a gendercide;

Amendment 161 #

Beatriz BECERRA BASTERRECHEA, Soraya POST, Ulrike LUNACEK, Daniele VIOTTI, Malin BJÖRK, Tanja FAJON, Sirpa PIETIKÄINEN

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12

12. Welcomes the adoption of the EU Gender Action Plan 2016-2020 which sets out a comprehensive list of measures to improve the situation of women in terms of equal rights and empowerment; emphasises the importance of ensuring its effective implementation; welcomes, in addition, the adoption of the Strategic Engagement for Gender Equality 2016-2019, which promotes gender equality and women’s rights worldwide; requests that the Commission, the EEAS and the VP/HR step up their fulfilment of the obligations and commitments in the area of women’s rights under the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW); ~~believes~~draws attention to the vital and constructive contribution that women make in post- conflict areas and believes therefore that the EU should continue mainstreaming support for women within common security and defence policy (CSDP) operations, conflict prevention and post- conflict reconstruction; recalls that the 2016 Sakharov Prize was awarded to Nadia Murad and Lamiya Aji Bashar, survivors of sexual enslavement perpetrated by ISIS/Daesh; strongly condemns all forms of abuse and violence against women and girls in this connection;

Amendment 162 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12

12. Welcomes the adoption of the EU Gender Action Plan 2016-2020 which sets out a comprehensive list of measures to improve the situation of women in terms of equal rights and empowerment; emphasises the importance of ensuring its effective implementation; welcomes, in addition, the adoption of the Strategic Engagement for Gender Equality 2016-2019, which promotes gender equality and women’s rights worldwide; requests that the Commission, the EEAS and the VP/HR step up their fulfilment of the obligations and commitments in the area of women’s rights under the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW); believes that the EU should continue mainstreaming support for women within common security and defence policy (CSDP) operations, conflict prevention and post- conflict reconstruction; recalls that the 2016 Sakharov Prize was awarded to Nadia Murad and Lamiya Aji Bashar, survivors of sexual enslavement perpetrated by ISIS/Daesh; strongly condemns all forms of abuse and violence against all women and girls, including violence based on sexual orientation, gender identity and sex characteristics, in this connection;

Amendment 163 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12

12. Welcomes the adoption of the EU Gender Action Plan 2016-2020 which sets out a comprehensive list of measures to improve the situation of women in terms of equal rights and empowerment; emphasises the importance of ensuring its effective implementation; welcomes, in addition, the adoption of the Strategic Engagement for Gender Equality 2016-2019, which promotes gender equality and women’s rights worldwide; requests that the Commission, the EEAS and the VP/HR step up their fulfilment of the obligations and commitments in the area of gender equality and women’s rights, not least under the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), and encourage third countries to do likewise; believes that the EU should continue mainstreaming support for women within common security and defence policy (CSDP) operations, conflict prevention and post- conflict reconstruction; recalls that the 2016 Sakharov Prize was awarded to Nadia Murad and Lamiya Aji Bashar, survivors of sexual enslavement perpetrated by ISIS/Daesh; strongly condemns all forms of abuse and violence against women and girls in this connection;

Amendment 164 #

Urmas PAET

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12

12. Welcomes the adoption of the EU Gender Action Plan 2016-2020 which sets out a comprehensive list of measures to improve the situation of women in terms of equal rights and empowerment; emphasises the importance of ensuring its effective implementation; welcomes, in addition, the adoption of the Strategic Engagement for Gender Equality 2016-2019, which promotes gender equality and women’s rights worldwide; requests that the Commission, the EEAS and the VP/HR step up their fulfilment of the obligations and commitments in the area of women’s rights under the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW); reiterates the importance of UN Security Council Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace and Security; believes that the EU should continue mainstreaming support for women within common security and defence policy (CSDP) operations, conflict prevention and post- conflict reconstruction; recalls that the 2016 Sakharov Prize was awarded to Nadia Murad and Lamiya Aji Bashar, survivors of sexual enslavement perpetrated by ISIS/Daesh; strongly condemns all forms of abuse and violence against women and girls in this connection;

Amendment 165 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12

12. Welcomes the adoption of the EU Gender Action Plan 2016-2020 which sets out a comprehensive list of measures to improve the situation of women in terms of equal rights and empowerment; emphasises the importance of ensuring its effective implementation; welcomes, in addition, the adoption of the Strategic Engagement for Gender Equality 2016-2019, which promotes gender equality and women’s rights worldwide; requests that the Commission, the EEAS and the VP/HR step up their fulfilment of the obligations and commitments in the area of women’s rights under the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW); believes that the EU should continue mainstreaming support for women within common security and defence policy (CSDP) operations, conflict prevention and post- conflict reconstruction; recalls that the 2016 Sakharov Prize was awarded to Nadia Murad and Lamiya Aji Bashar, survivors of sexual enslavement perpetrated by ISIS/Daesh; strongly condemns all forms of abuse and violence against women and girls, in ~~this connec~~cluding early and forced marriage and female genital mutilation;

Amendment 166 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12

Amendment 167 #

Beatriz BECERRA BASTERRECHEA, Soraya POST, Ulrike LUNACEK, Daniele VIOTTI, Malin BJÖRK, Tanja FAJON, Sirpa PIETIKÄINEN

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12

Amendment 168 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12 a (new)

12 a. Welcomes the signing of the Istanbul Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence by the European Union;highlights the importance of fighting against gender-based violence in the countries of the Council of Europe and beyond;calls on the EU and Member States to ratify the Istanbul Convention as soon as possible;calls on the EU, EU delegations and Member States to mainstream the fight against gender- based violence and violence against women, including lesbian and bisexual women and transgender and intersex people, in their work with third countries;

Amendment 169 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12 a (new)

12 a. Stresses that Member States should make full use of the existing instruments to fight radicalisation of European citizens and develop effective programmes for countering terrorist and extremist propaganda and recruitment;highlights the importance to invest in preventive measures, namely through the development of strategies of integration and social inclusion;stresses the need to implement specific deradicalisation and re-integration programmes targeting prisoners and returnees;

Amendment 17 #

Motion for a resolution
Citation 13 a (new)

- having regard to the international protection of the Freedom of Religion or Belief afforded by Article 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Article 18 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the 1981 Declaration on the Elimination of all Forms of Intolerance and of Discrimination based on Religion or Belief, Article 9 of the European Convention on Human Rights and Article 10 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union,

Amendment 170 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12 a (new)

12 a. Welcomes the Council decision of 11 May 2017 on the signing of the Council of Europe Convention (Istanbul Convention) on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence;calls on the EU and its Member States to speed up the process towards accession and promote its implementation through external action in order to ensure coherence between EU internal and external action on violence against women and girls;

Amendment 171 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12 a (new)

12a. Emphasises that the economic crisis has further exacerbated inequalities and that women are the first to suffer as a result;stresses also that the 'empowerment of women' goal can only be achieved by creating stable well-paid jobs rather than the precarious part-time reserved for women, and by ensuring genuine wage equality;

Amendment 172 #

Renate WEBER, Ivo VAJGL, Norica NICOLAI, Hilde VAUTMANS, Beatriz BECERRA BASTERRECHEA, Ilhan KYUCHYUK, Louis MICHEL, Petras AUŠTREVIČIUS, Marietje SCHAAKE, Urmas PAET

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12 a (new)

12 a. Condemns the fact that women’s sexual and reproductive rights are frequently violated;emphasises that proper, affordable health care and universal respect for and access to sexual and reproductive rights and education should be ensured to all women;

Amendment 173 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12 b (new)

12b. Considers that violence towards women is also expressed psychologically by the presence of a relationship of domination in society and by the dissemination of degrading images of women;stresses that the Commission and Member States must combat not only all forms of violence against women -be this physical, psychological, social or financial - but also adopt as a priority access to education and the combating of all gender stereotypes in respect of boys and girls, and this from a very early age;

Amendment 174 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12 c (new)

12c. Stresses again the inalienable right of women to decide what to do with their bodies and to have access to healthcare and the necessary means of contraception, in particular the right to abortion;expresses concern, therefore, at the erosion of this fundamental right in recent years;

Amendment 175 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13

13. Reaffirms the urgent need for the universal ratification and effective implementation of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and its Optional Protocols; requests that the EU systematically consult relevant local and international child rights organisations, and raise, in its political and human rights dialogues with third countries, States Parties’ obligations to implement the Convention; welcomes the Council of Europe Strategy for the Rights of the Child (2016-2021); requests that the EU continue to promote the EU-UNICEF Child Rights Toolkit for integrating child rights in development cooperation through its external delegations, and to train the EU delegation staff adequately in this field; reiterates its request for the Commission to propose a comprehensive children’s rights strategy and action plan for the next five years, in order to prioritise children’s rights within EU external policies, specifically targeting developing countries in strengthening their health systems to enable better access to good quality and responsive healthcare, as well as access to a decent education and to an adequate standard of living including the right to water and sanitation; welcomes the fact that under the 2016 Development Cooperation Instrument, resources were allocated to support UN agencies in carrying out measures targeted to children’s rights;

Amendment 176 #

Renate WEBER, Ivo VAJGL, Norica NICOLAI, Hilde VAUTMANS, Beatriz BECERRA BASTERRECHEA, Ilhan KYUCHYUK, Louis MICHEL, Petras AUŠTREVIČIUS, Marietje SCHAAKE, Urmas PAET

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13

13. Reaffirms the urgent need for the universal ratification and effective implementation of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and its Optional Protocols; underlines that children are often exposed to specific abuses, such as child marriages or genital mutilation, and therefore are in need of enhanced protection; requests that the EU systematically consult relevant local and international child rights organisations, and raise, in its political and human rights dialogues with third countries, States Parties’ obligations to implement the Convention; welcomes the Council of Europe Strategy for the Rights of the Child (2016-2021); requests that the EU continue to promote the EU-UNICEF Child Rights Toolkit for integrating child rights in development cooperation through its external delegations, and to train the EU delegation staff adequately in this field; reiterates its request for the Commission to propose a comprehensive children’s rights strategy and action plan for the next five years, in order to prioritise children’s rights within EU external policies; welcomes the fact that under the 2016 Development Cooperation Instrument, resources were allocated to support UN agencies in carrying out measures targeted to children’s rights;

Amendment 177 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13

13. RUnderlines that child labour, recruitment of children in armed conflicts and early and forced marriages remain critical issues in some countries; reaffirms the urgent need for the universal ratification and effective implementation of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and its Optional Protocols; requests that the EU systematically consult relevant local and international child rights organisations, and raise, in its political and human rights dialogues with third countries, States Parties’ obligations to implement the Convention; welcomes the Council of Europe Strategy for the Rights of the Child (2016-2021); requests that the EU continue to promote the EU-UNICEF Child Rights Toolkit for integrating child rights in development cooperation through its external delegations, and to train the EU delegation staff adequately in this field; reiterates its request for the Commission to propose a comprehensive children’s rights strategy and action plan for the next five years, in order to prioritise children’s rights within EU external policies; welcomes the fact that under the 2016 Development Cooperation Instrument, resources were allocated to support UN agencies in carrying out measures targeted to children’s rights;

Amendment 178 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13

13. Reaffirms the urgent need for the universal ratification and effective implementation of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) and its Optional Protocols; in this respect, calls on the USA, as the only remaining country not to have ratified the CRC, to do so as a matter of urgency; requests that the EU systematically consult relevant local and international child rights organisations, and raise, in its political and human rights dialogues with third countries, States Parties’ obligations to implement the Convention; welcomes the Council of Europe Strategy for the Rights of the Child (2016-2021); requests that the EU continue to promote the EU-UNICEF Child Rights Toolkit for integrating child rights in development cooperation through its external delegations, and to train the EU delegation staff adequately in this field; reiterates its request for the Commission to propose a comprehensive children’s rights strategy and action plan for the next five years, in order to prioritise children’s rights within EU external policies; welcomes the fact that under the 2016 Development Cooperation Instrument, resources were allocated to support UN agencies in carrying out measures targeted to children’s rights;

Amendment 179 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13

13. Reaffirms the urgent need for the universal ratification and effective implementation of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and its Optional Protocols; requests that the EU systematically consult relevant local and international child rights organisations, and raise, in its political and human rights dialogues with third countries, States Parties’ obligations to implement the Convention; welcomes the Council of Europe Strategy for the Rights of the Child (2016-2021); requests that the EU continue to promote the EU-UNICEF Child Rights Toolkit for integrating child rights in development cooperation through its external delegations, and to train the EU delegation staff adequately in this field; reiterates its request for the Commission to propose a comprehensive children’s rights strategy and action plan for the next five years, in order to prioritise children’s rights within EU external policies; welcomes the fact that under the 2016 Development Cooperation Instrument, resources were allocated to support UN agencies in carrying out measures targeted to children’s rights; calls for an urgent solution to the issue of children born outside their parents’ country of origin;

Amendment 18 #

Motion for a resolution
Citation 13 b (new)

- having regard to the Conclusions on Intolerance, Discrimination and Violence on the Basis of Religion or Belief, adopted by the Council on 21 February 2011,

Amendment 180 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13

13. Reaffirms the urgent need for the universal ratification and effective implementation of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and its Optional Protocols, providing children with legal protection before and after birth; requests that the EU systematically consult relevant local and international child rights organisations, and raise, in its political and human rights dialogues with third countries, States Parties’ obligations to implement the Convention; welcomes the Council of Europe Strategy for the Rights of the Child (2016-2021); requests that the EU continue to promote the EU-UNICEF Child Rights Toolkit for integrating child rights in development cooperation through its external delegations, and to train the EU delegation staff adequately in this field; reiterates its request for the Commission to propose a comprehensive children’s rights strategy and action plan for the next five years, in order to prioritise children’s rights within EU external policies; welcomes the fact that under the 2016 Development Cooperation Instrument, resources were allocated to support UN agencies in carrying out measures targeted to children’s rights;

Amendment 181 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13

13. Reaffirms the urgent need for the universal ratification and effective implementation of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and its Optional Protocols providing children with legal protection before and after birth; requests that the EU systematically consult relevant local and international child rights organisations, and raise, in its political and human rights dialogues with third countries, States Parties’ obligations to implement the Convention; welcomes the Council of Europe Strategy for the Rights of the Child (2016-2021); requests that the EU continue to promote the EU-UNICEF Child Rights Toolkit for integrating child rights in development cooperation through its external delegations, and to train the EU delegation staff adequately in this field; reiterates its request for the Commission to propose a comprehensive children’s rights strategy and action plan for the next five years, in order to prioritise children’s rights within EU external policies; welcomes the fact that under the 2016 Development Cooperation Instrument, resources were allocated to support UN agencies in carrying out measures targeted to children’s rights;

Amendment 182 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13

13. Reaffirms the urgent need for the universal ratification and effective implementation of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and its Optional Protocols; requests that the EU systematically consult relevant local and international child rights organisations, and raise, in its political and human rights dialogues with third countries, States Parties’ obligations to implement the Convention; welcomes the Council of Europe Strategy for the Rights of the Child (2016-2021); requests that the EU continue to promote the EU-UNICEF Child Rights Toolkit for integrating all child rights in development cooperation through its external delegations, and to train the EU delegation staff adequately in this field; reiterates its request for the Commission to propose a comprehensive children’s rights strategy and action plan for the next five years, in order to prioritise children’s rights within EU external policies; welcomes the fact that under the 2016 Development Cooperation Instrument, resources were allocated to support UN agencies in carrying out measures targeted to children’s rights;

Amendment 183 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13

13. Reaffirms the urgent need for the universal ratification and effective implementation of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and its Optional Protocols; requests that the EU systematically consult relevant local and international child rights organisations, and raise, in its political and human rights dialogues with third countries, States Parties’ obligations to implement the Convention; welcomes the Council of Europe Strategy for the Rights of the Child (2016-2021); requests that the EU continue to promote the EU-UNICEF Child Rights Toolkit for integrating child rights in development cooperation through its external delegations, and to train the EU delegation staff adequately in this field; reiterates its request for the Commission to propose a comprehensive children’s rights strategy and action plan for the next five years, in order to prioritise children’s rights within EU external policies; ~~welcomes the fact that under the 2016 Development Cooperation Instrument, resources were allocated to support UN agencies in carrying out measures targeted to children’s right~~calls emphatically for the implementation of spending policies designed to maximise the effective benefit for children in need, by minimising bureaucratic expenditure and transfers of money through numerous intermediaries;

Amendment 184 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 a (new)

13 a. Reiterating that trafficking in human beings means their recruitment, transportation, transfer, harbouring or receipt of persons, by means of the threat or use of force or other forms of coercion, of abduction, of fraud, of deception, of the abuse of power or of a position of vulnerability or of the giving or receiving of payments or benefits to achieve the consent of a person having control over another person, for the purpose of exploitation;calls on the EU and the Member States to take measures to discourage the demand that fosters all forms of exploitation of persons, especially women and children, that lead to trafficking;

Amendment 185 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 a (new)

13a. Highlights the increase in the number of stateless people and the worrying problem of unregistered children, and particularly those born far from their parents' countries of origin, which has become a particularly pressing issue as a result of the crises in Iraq and Syria;

Amendment 186 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 a (new)

13 a. Highlights the serious issue of unregistered children born away from their parents’ home country;

Amendment 187 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 b (new)

13b. Expresses its concern at the numerous reports and testimonies highlighting the increase in violence against migrant children, including torture and detention;points out that migrant children are particularly vulnerable, particularly when they are unaccompanied, and that they are entitled to special protection based on the best interests of the child;calls for them to be protected in accordance with the rules of international law;

Amendment 188 #

Beatriz BECERRA BASTERRECHEA, Soraya POST, Ulrike LUNACEK, Daniele VIOTTI, Malin BJÖRK, Tanja FAJON, Sirpa PIETIKÄINEN

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14

14. Condemns in the strongest terms all forms of discrimination, including on grounds of race, colour, religion, gender, sexual orientation, language, culture, social origin, caste, birth, age, disability or any other status; stresses that the EU should intensify its efforts to eradicate all types of discrimination, racism and xenophobia through human rights and political dialogues, the work of the EU delegations and public diplomacy; stresses, in addition, that the EU should continue promoting the ratification and full implementation of all UN conventions that support this cause; condemns the exploitation of religious issues for political ends;

Amendment 189 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14

14. Condemns in the strongest terms all forms of discrimination, including on grounds of race, colour, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, sex characteristics, language, culture, social origin, caste, birth, age, disability or any other status; stresses that the EU should intensify its efforts to eradicate all types of discrimination, racism and xenophobia through human rights and political dialogues, the work of the EU delegations and public diplomacy; stresses, in addition, that the EU should continue promoting the ratification and full implementation of all UN conventions that support this cause;

Amendment 19 #

Motion for a resolution
Citation 15 a (new)

- having regard to the UN-Protocol to prevent, suppress and punish trafficking in persons especially women and children, supplementing the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime and the Council of Europe Convention on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings,

Amendment 190 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14

14. Condemns in the strongest terms all forms of discrimination, including on grounds of race, colour, religion, gender, sexual orientation, language, culture, social origin, caste, birth, age, disability or any other status; stresses that the EU should intensify its efforts to eradicate all types of discrimination, racism ~~and~~, xenophobia and other forms of intolerance through human rights and political dialogues, the work of the EU delegations and public diplomacy; stresses, in addition, that the EU should continue promoting the ratification and full implementation of all UN conventions that support this cause;

Amendment 191 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14

14. Condemns in the strongest terms all forms of discrimination, including on grounds of race, colour, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, language, culture, social origin, caste, birth, age, disability or any other status; stresses that the EU should intensify its efforts to eradicate all types of discrimination, racism and xenophobia through human rights and political dialogues, the work of the EU delegations and public diplomacy; stresses, in addition, that the EU should continue promoting the ratification and full implementation of all UN conventions that support this cause;

Amendment 192 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14

14. Condemns in the strongest terms all forms of discrimination, including on grounds of race, colour, religion, gender, sexual orientation, language, culture, social origin, caste, birth, age, diagnosed disability or any other status; stresses that the EU should intensify its efforts to eradicate all types of discrimination, racism and xenophobia through human rights and political dialogues, the work of the EU delegations and public diplomacy; stresses, in addition, that the EU should continue promoting the ratification and full implementation of all UN conventions that support this cause;

Amendment 193 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 a (new)

14 a. Condemns the continuing human rights violations committed against people suffering from caste hierarchies and caste-based discrimination, including the denial of equality and of access to the legal system and to employment, and the continued segregation and caste-induced barriers to the achievement of basic human rights and development;reiterates its call for an EU policy development on caste discrimination, and calls on the EU to use every opportunity, including EU- third country high-level dialogues and summits, to publicly and privately express its grave concern over caste discrimination;urges the EU and its Member States to intensify efforts and support initiatives at the UN and delegation levels to eliminate caste discrimination;asks that initiatives should include the promotion of specific indicators, disaggregated data and special measures to tackle caste in the implementation and monitoring of the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals, observance of the new UN Guidance tool on descent-based discrimination and support to states’ implementation of recommendations by UN human rights mechanisms on the topic of caste discrimination;

Amendment 194 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 a (new)

14 a. Reiterates the need for all Member States to implement the EU Strategy towards the Eradication of Trafficking in Human Beings (THB) and the Directive 2011/36/EU on this matter;urges the EU and Member States to make the fight against THB a priority in its external policies, addressing both the demand and supply side of the phenomenon;calls on the EU to make these efforts more effective, coordinated and coherent including when it comes to investigating the crime, identifying potential victims and to prosecuting perpetrators;stresses the need for a human rights-based and victim-centred approach;expresses profound concerns that despite efforts made in the EU to tackle trafficking for sexual exploitation, it has not decreased;

Amendment 195 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 a (new)

Amendment 196 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 a (new)

14 a. Stresses that the EU should continue applying immediate and effective measures to eradicate forced labour, combating modern slavery and human trafficking and secure the prohibition and elimination of the worst forms of child labour including the recruitment and use of child soldiers;

Amendment 197 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 b (new)

14 b. Urges the EU and its Member States to intensify efforts and support initiatives at the UN and delegation levels to eliminate caste discrimination:Initiatives should include promotion of specific indicators, disaggregated data and special measures to tackle caste in the implementation and monitoring of the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals, observance of the new UN Guidance tool on descent-based discrimination and support to states’ implementation of recommendations by UN human rights mechanisms on the topic of caste discrimination;

Amendment 198 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 b (new)

14 b. Expresses its profound concern at the extreme vulnerability of migrants and refugees to exploitation, smuggling and THB;stresses the need to uphold the distinction between the concepts of THB and migrant smuggling;

Amendment 199 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 c (new)

14 c. Condemns the continuing human rights violations committed against people suffering from caste hierarchies and caste-based discrimination;reiterates its call for the development of an EU policy on caste discrimination, and calls on the EU to use every opportunity, including high-level dialogues and summits, to publicly and privately express its grave concern over caste discrimination;urges the EU and its Member States to intensify its efforts and to support initiatives at the UN and EU delegation levels to eliminate caste discrimination;

Amendment 2 #

Beatriz BECERRA BASTERRECHEA, Soraya POST, Ulrike LUNACEK, Daniele VIOTTI, Malin BJÖRK, Tanja FAJON, Sirpa PIETIKÄINEN

Motion for a resolution
Citation 2

— having regard to the European Convention on Human Rights and the prospects of the EU’s acceptance of the jurisdiction of the European Court of Human Rights,

Amendment 20 #

Motion for a resolution
Citation 18 a (new)

- having regard to the Guidelines to Promote and Protect the Enjoyment of All Human Rights by Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Intersex (LGBTI) Persons, adopted by the Council on 24 June 2013,

Amendment 200 #

Beatriz BECERRA BASTERRECHEA, Soraya POST, Ulrike LUNACEK, Daniele VIOTTI, Tanja FAJON

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15

15. Expresses profound concern that minorities, such as ethnic, linguistic and religious minorities, LGBTI persons, persons with disabilities, women, children, asylum seekers and migrants, are still at a heightened risk of discrimination and are especially vulnerable to political, economic, environmental and labour- related changes and disruptions; notes that many have little or no access to political representation and are acutely affected by poverty; stresses that the EU should intensify its efforts to eradicate the violations of human rights committed against minorities; stresses the need to mainstream recognition and support for the specific needs of people experiencing multiple vulnerabilities, such as LGBTI asylum seekers, and ethnic or religious minority persons with disabilities;

Amendment 201 #

Kinga GÁL, András GYÜRK

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15

15. Expresses profound concern that minorities are still at a heightened risk of discrimination and are especially vulnerable to political, economic, environmental and labour-related changes and disruptions; notes that many have little or no access to political representation and are acutely affected by poverty; stresses that the EU should intensify its efforts to eradicate the violations of human rights committed against minorities; stresses that ethnic and linguistic minority communities have special needs and their full access and equal treatment should be guaranteed in all areas of economic, social, political and cultural life;

Amendment 202 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15

15. Expresses profound concern that minorities and indigenous peoples are still at a heightened risk of discrimination and are especially vulnerable to political, economic, environmental and labour- related changes and disruptions; notes that many have little or no access to political representation and are acutely affected by poverty; stresses that the EU should intensify its efforts to eradicate the violations of human rights committed against minorities, and expresses its concern at the fact, which it condemns, that ethnic issues are exploited in many conflicts in order to justify violence and divide populations;

Amendment 203 #

15. Expresses profound concern that minorities are still at a heightened risk of discrimination and are especially vulnerable to political, economic, environmental and labour-related changes and disruptions; stresses the legitimate right of ethnic and religious minorities to political participation and notes that many have little or no access to political representation and are acutely affected by poverty; stresses that the EU should intensify its efforts to eradicate the violations of human rights committed against minorities;

Amendment 204 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15

Amendment 205 #

Ilhan KYUCHYUK

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15 a (new)

15a. Recalls that existence of IDPs worldwide, especially those in Eastern Partnership countries constitute a serious challenge to the human rights situation all over the world and in those countries;

Amendment 206 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16

16. Welcomes the ratification of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities; reiterates the importance of its efficient implementation by both the Member States and the EU institutions; stresses, in particular, the need to mainstream credibly the principle of universal accessibility and the rights of persons with disabilities in all relevant EU policies, including in the area of development cooperation, and underlines the prescriptive and horizontal nature of this issue; emphasises that disabilities are not depriving a person of human dignity, which entails a State duty to protect them from premature death; condemns policies which encourage prenatal screening in order to interrupt pregnancies of children with potential disabilities or non-life threatening chromosomal arrangement; emphasises that such polices have a chilling redox of eugenicist ideology, as they send out the message to people already born with such and other conditions requiring special needs that their lives are not worth living; calls for the EU to incorporate the fight against discrimination on grounds of disability in its external action and development aid policies;

Amendment 207 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16

16. Welcomes the ratification of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD); reiterates the importance of its efficient implementation by both the Member States and the EU institutions and calls for continued support for the process of ratifying and implementing the UNCRPD in those countries that have not yet done so; stresses, in particular, the need to mainstream credibly the principle of universal accessibility and the rights of persons with disabilities in all relevant EU policies, including in the area of development cooperation, and underlines the prescriptive and horizontal nature of this issue; welcomes the inclusion of the rights of people with disabilities in the New European Consensus on Development; calls for the EU to incorporate the fight against discrimination on grounds of disability in its external action and development aid policies;

Amendment 208 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16

Amendment 209 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17

17. Reiterates its support for the introduction of human rights clauses in international agreements between the EU and third countries; calls on the Commission to monitor the implementation of such clauses effectively and systematically and to provide Parliament with regular reports on partner countries’ respect for human rights; notes however that human rights dialogues to monitor these clauses are still exclusively organised on an ad hoc, responsive and reactive basis with limited preparation ex ante and uncertain follow up; calls, therefore, on the European Commission, in the framework of the negotiations for the post-Cotonou agreement, to adopt a more structured and strategic approach to human rights dialogues by establishing interparliamentary permanent committees, on the example of those included under EU’s association agreements, with a mandate of monitoring the implementation of the essential element clauses in order to move beyond an emergency approach and engage in a more comprehensive and systematic dialogue; takes a positive view of the GSP+ preference system as a means to stimulate the effective implementation of 27 core international conventions on human rights and labour standards; expects the Commission to report back to Parliament and to the Council on the status of its ratification; reiterates the importance of the proper implementation of the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights;

Amendment 21 #

Motion for a resolution
Citation 18 a (new)

- having regard to the EU guidelines to promote and protect the enjoyment of all human rights by lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) persons, adopted in 2013,

Amendment 210 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17

17. Reiterates its support for the introduction of human rights clauses in international agreements between the EU and third countries; calls on the Commission to monitor the implementation of such clauses effectively and systematically and to provide Parliament with regular reports on partner countries’ respect for human rights; takes a positive view of the GSP+ preference system as a means to stimulate the effective implementation of 27 core international conventions on human rights and labour standards; expects the Commission to report back to Parliament and to the Council on the status of its ratificationhighlights, nevertheless, the failure of their introduction in free trade agreements with third countries, as such agreements may even have led to the violation of basic economic and social rights, including the impoverishment of the populations concerned and the grabbing of resources by transnational companies; sees a need, moreover, for ex ante monitoring mechanisms prior to a framework agreement being concluded and on which such conclusion is made conditional as a fundamental part of the agreement, and for ex post monitoring mechanisms which enable infringements of these clauses to be condemned and practical action taken in response to them, including the possible suspension of the agreement; 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; reiterates the importance of the proper implementation of the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights;

Amendment 211 #

Beatriz BECERRA BASTERRECHEA, Soraya POST, Ulrike LUNACEK, Daniele VIOTTI, Malin BJÖRK, Tanja FAJON

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17

17. Reiterates its support for the systematic introduction of human rights clauses in all international agreements between the EU and third countries, including trade and investment agreements, and stresses the need to make use of these clauses and to include a complaint mechanism therein; calls on the Commission to monitor the implementation of such clauses effectively and systematically and to provide Parliament with regular reports on partner countries’ respect for human rights; takes a positive view of the GSP+ preference system as a means to stimulate the effective implementation of 27 core international conventions on human rights and labour standards; stresses, however, that repeated infringements of core labour standards have been reported in several countries with GSP+ status, but that this has not led to an investigation or a suspension of preferences; calls for a genuine enforcement of GSP+ to be implemented, alongside a transparent reporting mechanism and funding for civil society monitoring; expects the Commission to report back to Parliament and to the Council on the ~~status of its ratification~~progress of GSP+ beneficiaries on their commitments under this scheme; reiterates the importance of the proper implementation of the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights;

Amendment 212 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17

17. Reiterates its support for the introduction of human rights clauses in international agreements between the EU and third countries; recalls that all human rights must be considered of equal value, being indivisible, interdependent and interrelated; calls on the Commission to monitor the implementation of such clauses effectively and systematically and to provide Parliament with regular reports on partner countries’ respect for human rights; takes a positive view of the GSP+ preference system as a means to stimulate the effective implementation of 27 core international conventions on human rights and labour standards; expects the Commission to report back to Parliament and to the Council on the status of its ratification; reiterates the importance of the proper implementation of the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights;

Amendment 213 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17

17. Reiterates ~~its support for the~~the vital importance of introduc~~tion of~~ing human rights clauses in international agreements between the EU and third countries, along with targeted monitoring and penalty mechanisms; calls on the Commission to monitor the implementation of such clauses effectively and systematically and to provide Parliament with regular reports on partner countries’ respect for human rights; takes a positive view of the GSP+ preference system as a means to stimulate the effective implementation of 27 core international conventions on human rights and labour standards; expects the Commission to report back to Parliament and to the Council on the status of its ratification; reiterates the importance of the proper implementation of the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights;

Amendment 214 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17

Amendment 215 #

Beatriz BECERRA BASTERRECHEA, Soraya POST, Ulrike LUNACEK, Daniele VIOTTI, Malin BJÖRK, Tanja FAJON

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18

18. ~~Reaffirms the fact~~Calls, once again, on the EU and its Member States to participate constructively in the work of the UN Intergovernmental Working Group on Transnational Corporations and Other Business Enterprises; stresses the critical importance for all countries, including EU Member States, to fully implement the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, particularly with respect to the third pillar on access to remedy; calls on the EU and its Member States to ensure that the activities of all companies, including European ones, operating in third countries ~~should b~~are in full compliance with international human rights standards, including not contributing directly or indirectly to violations; calls on the Commission to establish an inter- institutional task force on business and human rights and to explore an EU-level duty of care initiative; reaffirms, moreover, the importance of promoting corporate social responsibility and of European enterprises playing a leading role in promoting international standards on business and human rights~~; acknowledges that~~, which is all the more important in order to make global value chains contribute to enhancing international core labour, environmental and social standards, and represent an opportunity for sustainable progress, especially in developing countries;

Amendment 216 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18

18. Reaffirms the fact that the activities of all companies, including European ones, operating in third countries should be in full compliance with international human rights standards; reaffirms, moreover, the importance of promoting corporate social responsibility and of European enterprises playing a leading role in promoting international standards on business and human rights; emphasises that European enterprises should serve as examples of good practice by enforcing within their workforce and across vertical and horizontal value chains equal treatment and suitable support for women and minorities, such as ethnic, linguistic and religious minorities, LGBTI people, people with disabilities, children, asylum seekers and migrants; acknowledges that global value chains contribute to enhancing international core labour, environmental and social standards, and represent an opportunity for sustainable progress, especially in developing countries;

Amendment 217 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18

18. Reaffirms the fact that the activities of all companies, including European ones, operating in third countries should be in full compliance with international human rights standards; reaffirms, moreover, the importance of promoting corporate social responsibility and of European enterprises playing a leading role in promoting international standards on business and human rights; acknowledges that global value chains ~~contribute to enhancing international core labour, environmental and social standards, and represent an opportunity for sustainable progress, especially in developing countrie~~represent both opportunities and challenges for sustainable progress, especially in developing countries; calls the EU to play a more active role in obtaining adequate, fair, transparent and sustainable management of global value chains and mitigate any negative effects on human rights, including the undermining of labour rights;

Amendment 218 #

Renate WEBER, Ivo VAJGL, Norica NICOLAI, Hilde VAUTMANS, Beatriz BECERRA BASTERRECHEA, Ilhan KYUCHYUK, Louis MICHEL, Petras AUŠTREVIČIUS, Marietje SCHAAKE

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18

18. Reaffirms the fact that the activities of all companies, including European ones, operating in third countries should be in full compliance with international human rights standards; reaffirms, moreover, the importance of promoting corporate social responsibility and of European enterprises playing a leading role in promoting international standards on business and human rights; acknowledges that global value chains contribute to enhancing international core labour, environmental and social standards, and represent an opportunity for sustainable progress, especially in developing countries; outlines, however, that in case of business-related human rights abuses, the effective access to remedies for victims should be ensured;

Amendment 219 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18

18. Reaffirms the fact that the activities of all companies, including European ones, operating in third countries should be in full compliance with international human rights standards; reaffirms, moreover, the importance of promoting corporate social responsibility and of European enterprises playing a leading role in promoting international standards on business and human rights, including by participating fully in the drafting and implementation of a binding treaty under the auspices of the UN; acknowledges that global value chains contribute to enhancing international core labour, environmental and social standards, and represent an opportunity for sustainable progress, especially in developing countries;

Amendment 22 #

Motion for a resolution
Citation 19 a (new)

- having regard to the Regulation of 3 April 2017 laying down supply chain due diligence obligations for Union importers of tin, tantalum and tungsten, their ores, and gold originating in conflict-affected and high-risk areas,

Amendment 220 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18

18. ~~Reaffirms the fact~~Calls on the EU and its Member States to ensure that the activities of all companies, including European ones, operating in third countries ~~should b~~are in full compliance with international human rights standards and do not directly or indirectly contribute to violations of those standards; reaffirms, moreover, the importance of promoting corporate social responsibility and of European enterprises playing a leading role in promoting international standards on business and human rights; acknowledges that global value chains contribute to enhancing international core labour, environmental and social standards, and represent an opportunity for sustainable progress, especially in developing countries;

Amendment 221 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18

18. Reaffirms the fact that the activities of all companies, including European ones, operating in third countries should be in full compliance with international human rights standards; reaffirms, moreover, the importance of promoting corporate social responsibility and of European enterprises playing a leading role in promoting international standards on business and human rights; acknowledges that global value chains contribute to enhancing international core labour, environmental and social standards, and represent an opportunity for sustainable ~~progres~~growth and prosperity, fair and ethical trade and the promotion of human rights, especially in developing countries;

Amendment 222 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18

18. ~~Reaffirms the fact~~Calls for the EU and Member States to take tangible steps to ensure that the activities of all companies, including European ones, operating in third countries ~~should b~~are in full compliance with international human rights standards; reaffirms, moreover, the importance of promoting corporate social responsibility and of European enterprises playing a leading role in promoting international standards on business and human rights; ~~acknowledges~~calls for the EU and Member States to take tangible steps to ensure that global value chains contribute to enhancing international core labour, environmental and social standards, and represent an opportunity for sustainable progress, especially in developing countries;

Amendment 223 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18

Amendment 224 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18 a (new)

18a. Strongly condemns, once more, the lack of action by the Commission in response to the Resolution on corporate liability for serious human rights abuses in third countries, which was adopted with a huge majority in the EP over a year ago; vigorously denounces the fact that the Commission has ignored the many calls made by the EP, including in an oral question, specific questions within a structured dialogue between the Committee on Development and the Commissioner, and a letter to the Secretary-General of the Commission signed by two Committee Chairs; firmly reiterates its desire for the many proposals made in that resolution to be implemented in the form of binding rules, and thus to move from words to deeds;

Amendment 225 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18 a (new)

18a. Calls on the Commission to establish, in cooperation with the EEAS, a framework for annual reporting by the European Investment Bank (EIB) on its operations outside of the EU with regard to compliance with the general principles guiding the Union's external action as referred to in Article 21 TEU and the EU Strategic Framework and Action Plan for Human Rights; urges the Commission to ensure that the projects supported by the EIB are in line with EU policy and commitments on human rights; calls on the EIB to further develop its policy on social standards into a human rights policy in the area of banking; calls for the inclusion of human rights benchmarks in its project evaluations;

Amendment 226 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18 a (new)

18a. Welcomes the ongoing negotiations on binding Transnational Corporations and Other Business Enterprises with respect to human rights; calls on the Commission and the Member States to engage constructively in these negotiations and to play an active role through the development of concrete proposals, including access to remedies, and through genuine efforts to achieve a positive outcome including by encouraging trade partners to equally engage; asks the Commission, in this context, to consider the possibility of extensive mandatory due diligence, including at global level;

Amendment 227 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18 a (new)

18a. Urges States not to neglect their obligations regarding human rights laws when privatising essential services or goods such as water, sanitation, education, healthcare and security, ensuring independent monitoring of the companies responsible;

Amendment 228 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18 b (new)

18b. Calls strongly on the Commission to launch legislative procedures to convert into binding rules the many proposals made in the Resolution on corporate liability for serious human rights abuses in third countries, including the creation of suitable judicial redress mechanisms for victims and rules to efficiently regulate the use by those responsible for serious human rights abuses of corporate veils in order to avoid liability;

Amendment 229 #

19. Calls for the EU and its Member States to use all their political weight to prevent any act that could be considered genocide, a war crime or a crime against humanity from taking place, to respond in an efficient and coordinated manner in cases where such crimes occur, to mobilise all necessary resources to bring to justice all those responsible, including through the application of the principle of universal jurisdiction, and to assist the victims and support stabilisation and reconciliation processes; calls on the international community to set up instruments to minimise the warning- response gap in order to prevent the emergence, re-emergence and escalation of violent conflict, such as the EU’s early warning system;

Amendment 23 #

Renate WEBER, Ivo VAJGL, Norica NICOLAI, Hilde VAUTMANS, Beatriz BECERRA BASTERRECHEA, Ilhan KYUCHYUK, Louis MICHEL, Petras AUŠTREVIČIUS, Marietje SCHAAKE

Motion for a resolution
Citation 21

— having regard to the EU Annual Report on Human Rights and Democracy in the World in 20165,

Amendment 230 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19

19. Calls for the EU and its Member States to use all their political weight to prevent any act that could be considered genocide, a war crime or a crime against humanity from taking place, to respond peacefully in an efficient and coordinated manner in cases where such crimes occur, to mobilise all necessary resources to bring to justice all those responsible, and to assist the victims and support stabilisation and reconciliation processes; calls on the international community to set up instruments to minimise the warning- response gap in order to prevent the emergence, re-emergence and escalation of violent conflict, such as the EU’s early warning system;

Amendment 231 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19

19. Calls for the EU and its Member States to use all their political ~~weight~~means to prevent any act that could be considered genocide, a war crime or a crime against humanity from taking place, to respond in an efficient and coordinated manner in cases where such crimes occur, to mobilise all necessary resources to bring to justice all those responsible, and to assist the victims and support stabilisation and reconciliation processes; calls on the international community to set up instruments to minimise the warning- response gap in order to prevent the emergence, re-emergence and escalation of violent conflict, such as the EU’s early warning system;

Amendment 232 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19 a (new)

19a. Calls for the EU to provide support to organisations (including NGOs, open source investigation organisations, Iraqi and Syrian civil society) that collect, preserve and protect evidence, digital and otherwise, of crimes committed in Iraq and Syria by any party to these conflicts, in order to facilitate their prosecution internationally;

Amendment 233 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19 b (new)

19b. Expresses concern over YouTube deleting video evidence relating to potential war crimes in Syria as part of its work to remove terrorist content and propaganda from the platform;

Amendment 234 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19 c (new)

19c. Expresses grave concern over the destruction of cultural heritage sites in Syria, Iraq, Yemen and Libya; notes that of the world’s 38 endangered cultural heritage sites, 22 are in the Middle East; supports the activities of the Cultural Heritage Initiative and its fact-finding activities in Syria and Iraq related to the destruction of archaeological and cultural heritage;

Amendment 235 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19 d (new)

19d. Welcomes the EU’s efforts to support the International, Impartial and Independent Mechanism (IIIM) set up by the UN to assist in the investigation of serious crimes committed in Syria; emphasises the need to set up a similar independent mechanism in Iraq; calls on the EU and on EU Member States that have not already done so to contribute financially to the IIIM;

Amendment 236 #

Beatriz BECERRA BASTERRECHEA, Javier NART

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20

20. Strongly condemns the heinous crimes and human rights violations committed by non-state actors such as Boko Haram in Nigeria and ISIS/Daesh in Syria and Iraq; is horrified at the vast range of crimes committed, including murder, torture, rape, enslavement and sexual slavery, the recruitment of child soldiers, forced religious conversions and the systematic killing of religious minorities, including Christians, Yazidis and others ; emphasises that the EU and its Member States should support the prosecution of members of non-state groups such as ISIS/Daesh by seeking a consensus within the UN Security Council to confer jurisdiction to the International Criminal Court (ICC); stresses that efforts to combat terrorism cannot be genuinely successful while trade agreements and political relations are maintained with the countries that fund terrorism; denounces arms sales to those countries by certain Member States and calls therefore for the suspension of those agreements and for the prosecution of undertakings that directly or indirectly finance terrorism; condemns any exploitation of the fight against terrorism which leads to breaches of fundamental rights;

Amendment 237 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20

20. Strongly condemns the heinous crimes and human rights violations committed by non-state actors such as Boko Haram in Nigeria and ISIS/Daesh in Syria and Iraq; is horrified at the vast range of crimes committed, including murder, torture, rape, enslavement and sexual slavery, the recruitment of child soldiers, forced religious conversions and the systematic killing of religious minorities, including Christians, Yazidis and others; recalls that the situation suffered by religious minorities in the territories governed by ISIS/Daesh was qualified by the European Parliament, in the Resolution of the humanitarian crisis in Iraq and Syria and in particular in the context of the Islamic State, as a genocide; emphasises that the EU and its Member States should support the prosecution of members of non-state groups such as ISIS/Daesh by seeking a consensus within the UN Security Council to confer jurisdiction to the International Criminal Court (ICC);

Amendment 238 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20

20. Strongly condemns the heinous crimes and human rights violations committed by state actors, such as the Syrian regime in Syria and the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen, and non-state actors, such as Boko Haram in Nigeria ~~and~~, ISIS/Daesh in Syria ~~and Iraq~~, Iraq and Libya, and the Houthi rebels in Yemen, amongst others; is horrified at the vast range of crimes committed, including murder, torture, rape, enslavement and sexual slavery, the recruitment of child soldiers, forced religious conversions and the systematic killing of religious minorities, including Christians, Yazidis and others; emphasises that the EU and its Member States should support the prosecution of members of non-state groups such as ISIS/Daesh by seeking a consensus within the UN Security Council to confer jurisdiction to the International Criminal Court (ICC);

Amendment 239 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20

Amendment 24 #

Motion for a resolution
Citation 26 a (new)

- having regard to the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights,

Amendment 240 #

Renate WEBER, Ivo VAJGL, Norica NICOLAI, Hilde VAUTMANS, Beatriz BECERRA BASTERRECHEA, Ilhan KYUCHYUK, Louis MICHEL, Petras AUŠTREVIČIUS, Urmas PAET

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20

20. Strongly condemns the heinous crimes and human rights violations committed by state actors, as well as non- state actors such as Boko Haram in Nigeria ~~and~~, ISIS/Daesh in Syria and Iraq and Houthi in Yemen, among others; is horrified at the vast range of crimes committed, including murder, torture, rape as a weapon of war, enslavement and sexual slavery, the recruitment of child soldiers, forced religious conversions and the systematic killing of religious minorities, including Christians, Yazidis and others; emphasises that the EU and its Member States should support the prosecution of state actors, as well as members of non-state groups such as ISIS/Daesh by seeking a consensus within the UN Security Council to confer jurisdiction to the International Criminal Court (ICC);

Amendment 241 #

Soraya POST, Ulrike LUNACEK, Daniele VIOTTI, Tanja FAJON

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20

Amendment 242 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20

Amendment 243 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20

20. Strongly condemns the heinous crimes and human rights violations committed by non-state actors such as Boko Haram in Nigeria and ~~ISIS/~~Daesh in Syria and Iraq; is horrified at the vast range of crimes committed, including murder, torture, rape, enslavement and sexual slavery, the recruitment of child soldiers, forced religious conversions and the systematic killing of religious minorities, including Christians, Yazidis and others; emphasises that the EU and its Member States should support the prosecution of members of non-state groups such as ~~ISIS/~~Daesh by seeking a consensus within the UN Security Council to confer jurisdiction to the International Criminal Court (ICC);

Amendment 244 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20 a (new)

20a. Expresses solidarity with the victims of the war conducted by Saudi Arabia in Yemen with outrageous and massive suffering of civilians, namely children; condemns the Saudi-instilled repression of the majority of citizens in Bahrain, the repression of women and human rights activists in Saudi Arabia itself and the role played by Saudi financing in spreading Wahhabism and its radical extremist ideology which feeds terrorist groups and organisations throughout the world;

Amendment 245 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20 a (new)

20a. Reiterates its condemnation, in the harshest terms, of the crimes perpetrated by the Syrian regime against its population and the Saudi-led coalition against the population in Yemen; calls for more EU leadership towards a negotiated end to violence, and in ensuring perpetrators are brought to justice;

Amendment 246 #

Urmas PAET

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20 a (new)

20a. Roundly condemns the human rights violations in North Korea, the Philippines, and elsewhere, as well as the persecution and killings of Rohingya in Myanmar; points out that states have an obligation to observe the principle of non- refoulement;

Amendment 247 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20 b (new)

20b. Believes that exports to Saudi Arabia are non-compliant with at least criterion 2 regarding the country's involvement in grave breaches of humanitarian law as established by competent UN authorities; reiterates its call from 26 February 2016 on the urgent need to impose an arms embargo on Saudi Arabia;

Amendment 248 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21

21. Reiterates its full support for the ICC, the Rome Statute, the Office of the Prosecutor, the Prosecutor’s proprio motu powers, and the progress made in initiating new investigations as an essential means to ~~fight~~end impunity for atrocity crimes; urges the EU and its Member States to consistently support ICC examinations, investigations and decisions and to take steps to prevent and respond effectively to instances of non-cooperation with the ICC; reiterates its calls on the EU and its Member States to provide the ICC with adequate funding; welcomes the meeting of 6 July 2016 between EU and ICC representatives in Brussels in preparation for the 2nd EU-ICC round table meeting, enabling relevant staff at the ICC and the EU institutions to identify common areas of interest, exchange information on relevant activities and ensure better cooperation between both parties; notes, with profound regret, the recent announcements of withdrawals from the Rome Statute, which represent a challenge in terms of victims’ access to justice and which should be firmly condemned; reiterates its call for the VP/HR to appoint an EUSR for International Humanitarian Law and International Justice with a mandate to promote, mainstream and represent the EU’s commitment to the fight against impunity and to the ICC across EU foreign policies;

Amendment 249 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21

21. Reiterates its full support for the ICC, the Rome Statute, the Office of the Prosecutor, the Prosecutor’s proprio motu powers, and the progress made in initiating new investigations as an essential means to fight impunity for atrocity crimes; calls the Assembly of States Parties to adopt the Kampala amendment on the crime of aggression and encourages the EU Member States to amend Article 83 of the Treaty of the Functioning of the European Union to add the "atrocity crimes" to the list of crimes for which the EU has competences; welcomes the meeting of 6 July 2016 between EU and ICC representatives in Brussels in preparation for the 2nd EU-ICC round table meeting, enabling relevant staff at the ICC and the EU institutions to identify common areas of interest, exchange information on relevant activities and ensure better cooperation between both parties; notes, with profound regret, the recent announcements of withdrawals from the Rome Statute, which represent a challenge in terms of victims’ access to justice and which should be firmly condemned; reiterates its call for the VP/HR to appoint an EUSR for International Humanitarian Law and International Justice with a mandate to promote, mainstream and represent the EU’s commitment to the fight against impunity and to the ICC across EU foreign policies;

Amendment 25 #

Motion for a resolution
Citation 28 a (new)

- having regard to the individual and collective commitments of its Members in communicating with human rights organisations worldwide, promoting the reflection and dialogue about human rights and in raising individual cases of human rights abuses,

Amendment 250 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21

21. Reiterates its full support for the ICC, the Rome Statute, the Office of the Prosecutor, the Prosecutor’s proprio motu powers, and the progress made in initiating new investigations as an essential means to fight impunity for atrocity crimes; vehemently condemns any attempt to undermine its legitimacy or independence and calls on the EU and its Member States to cooperate consistently in order to support the ICC’s investigations and decisions with the aim of putting an end to impunity for international crimes; welcomes the meeting of 6 July 2016 between EU and ICC representatives in Brussels in preparation for the 2nd EU-ICC round table meeting, enabling relevant staff at the ICC and the EU institutions to identify common areas of interest, exchange information on relevant activities and ensure better cooperation between both parties; notes, with profound regret, the recent announcements of withdrawals from the Rome Statute, which represent a challenge in terms of victims’ access to justice and which should be firmly condemned; reiterates its call for the VP/HR to appoint an EUSR for International Humanitarian Law and International Justice with a mandate to promote, mainstream and represent the EU’s commitment to the fight against impunity and to the ICC across EU foreign policies;

Amendment 251 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21

21. Reiterates its full support for the ICC, the Rome Statute, the Office of the Prosecutor, the Prosecutor’s proprio motu powers, and the progress made in initiating new investigations as an essential means to fight impunity for atrocity crimes; strongly condemns any attempts to undermine its legitimacy or independence, and calls on the EU and Member States to consistently support ICC examinations, investigations and decisions, in order to end impunity of the most serious international crimes; welcomes the meeting of 6 July 2016 between EU and ICC representatives in Brussels in preparation for the 2nd EU-ICC round table meeting, enabling relevant staff at the ICC and the EU institutions to identify common areas of interest, exchange information on relevant activities and ensure better cooperation between both parties; notes, with profound regret, the recent announcements of withdrawals from the Rome Statute, which represent a challenge in terms of victims’ access to justice and which should be firmly condemned; reiterates its call for the VP/HR to appoint an EUSR for International Humanitarian Law and International Justice with a mandate to promote, mainstream and represent the EU’s commitment to the fight against impunity and to the ICC across EU foreign policies;

Amendment 252 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21

21. Reiterates its full support for the ICC, the Rome Statute, the Office of the Prosecutor, the Prosecutor’s proprio motu powers, and the progress made in initiating new investigations as an essential means to fight impunity for atrocity crimes; strongly condemns any attempts to undermine its legitimacy or independence, and calls on the EU and Member States to consistently support ICC examinations, investigations and decisions, in order to end impunity of the most serious international crimes; welcomes the meeting of 6 July 2016 between EU and ICC representatives in Brussels in preparation for the 2nd EU-ICC round table meeting, enabling relevant staff at the ICC and the EU institutions to identify common areas of interest, exchange information on relevant activities and ensure better cooperation between both parties; notes, with profound regret, the recent announcements of withdrawals from the Rome Statute, which represent a challenge in terms of victims’ access to justice and which should be firmly condemned; reiterates its call for the VP/HR to appoint an EUSR for International Humanitarian Law and International Justice with a mandate to promote, mainstream and represent the EU’s commitment to the fight against impunity and to the ICC across EU foreign policies;

Amendment 253 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21

21. Reiterates its full support for the ICC, the Rome Statute, the Office of the Prosecutor, the Prosecutor’s proprio motu powers, and the progress made in initiating new investigations as an essential means to fight impunity for atrocity crimes; welcomes the meeting of 6 July 2016 between EU and ICC representatives in Brussels in preparation for the 2nd EU-ICC round table meeting, enabling relevant staff at the ICC and the EU institutions to identify common areas of interest, exchange information on relevant activities and ensure better cooperation between both parties; notes, with profound regret, the recent announcements of withdrawals from the Rome Statute, which represent a challenge in terms of victims’ access to justice and which should be firmly condemned; reiterates its call for the VP/HR to appoint an EUSR for International Humanitarian Law and International Justice with a mandate to promote, mainstream and represent the EU’s commitment to the fight against impunity and to the ICC across EU foreign policies; calls on the EU and its Member States not to engage in cooperation in any area with countries whose leaders are subject to an ICC arrest warrant and not to have diplomatic relations with them;

Amendment 254 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21

21. Reiterates its full support for the ICC, the Rome Statute, the Office of the Prosecutor, the Prosecutor’s proprio motu powers, and the progress made in initiating new investigations as an essential means to fight impunity for atrocity crimes; welcomes the meeting of 6 July 2016 between EU and ICC representatives in Brussels in preparation for the 2nd EU-ICC round table meeting, enabling relevant staff at the ICC and the EU institutions to identify common areas of interest, exchange information on relevant activities and ensure better cooperation between both parties; notes, with profound regret, the recent announcements of withdrawals from the Rome Statute, which represent a challenge in terms of victims’ access to justice and which should be firmly condemned; considers that the Commission, the European External Action Service and the Member States should continue to encourage third countries to ratify and apply the Rome Statute; reiterates its call for the VP/HR to appoint an EUSR for International Humanitarian Law and International Justice with a mandate to promote, mainstream and represent the EU’s commitment to the fight against impunity and to the ICC across EU foreign policies;

Amendment 255 #

Urmas PAET

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21

21. Reiterates its full support for the ICC, the Rome Statute, the Office of the Prosecutor, the Prosecutor’s proprio motu powers, and the progress made in initiating new investigations as an essential means to fight impunity for atrocity crimes; points out that it is vital that states should cooperate in the arrest of persons wanted by the ICC, whatever their status; welcomes the meeting of 6 July 2016 between EU and ICC representatives in Brussels in preparation for the 2nd EU-ICC round table meeting, enabling relevant staff at the ICC and the EU institutions to identify common areas of interest, exchange information on relevant activities and ensure better cooperation between both parties; notes, with profound regret, the recent announcements of withdrawals from the Rome Statute, which represent a challenge in terms of victims’ access to justice and which should be firmly condemned; reiterates its call for the VP/HR to appoint an EUSR for International Humanitarian Law and International Justice with a mandate to promote, mainstream and represent the EU’s commitment to the fight against impunity and to the ICC across EU foreign policies;

Amendment 256 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21 a (new)

21a. Urges the EU and its Member States to adopt a common position on the crime of aggression and the Kampala Amendments and calls on the EU to be at the forefront of global efforts in support of the ratification of the Rome Statute and the Kampala Amendments and of the activation of the Court's jurisdiction over the crime of aggression;

Amendment 257 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21 a (new)

21a. Expresses grave concern about the continued impunity for violations of international law worldwide and calls on the EU and its Member States to support UN accountability mechanisms and vote in favour of all resolutions on accountability at the UN multilateral fora, including the Human Rights Council;

Amendment 258 #

László TŐKÉS, Cristian Dan PREDA, Ádám KÓSA, Laima Liucija ANDRIKIENĖ

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21 b (new)

21b. Expresses grave concern about the continued impunity for violations of international law worldwide and calls on the EU and its Member States to support UN accountability mechanisms and consistently support all resolutions on accountability at the UN multilateral fora, including the Human Rights Council;

Amendment 259 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22

22. ~~Is of the opinion that~~Urges the EU ~~should~~to step up its efforts to promote the rule of law and the independence of the judiciary at multilateral and bilateral levels as a fundamental principle for the consolidations of democracy; encourages the EU to support the fair administration of justice worldwide by assisting legislative and institutional reform processes in third countries; encourages, in addition, the EU delegations and Member States’ embassies to monitor trials systematically with a view to promoting the independence of the judiciary;

Amendment 26 #

Motion for a resolution
Citation 29 a (new)

- having regard to the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises, adopted in 1976 and revised in 2011,

Amendment 260 #

Beatriz BECERRA BASTERRECHEA, Soraya POST, Ulrike LUNACEK, Malin BJÖRK, Tanja FAJON

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22 a (new)

22a. Strongly condemns the intimidation and violence used against legal practitioners such as judges, public prosecutors and lawyers; firmly reiterates the key importance of the independence of the judiciary and impartiality of the prosecution and the sanctity of the unconditional right of defence; condemns in particular violence and intimidation when used by the state, and calls on the EU and Member States, within the ambit of their international relations, to promote their non-use, as a basic facet of democracy and the rule of law;

Amendment 261 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23

23. Expresses profound concern at and solidarity with the large number of asylum seekers, refugees and migrants who suffer grave human rights violations as the victims of conflicts, persecution, governance failures and illegal migration, trafficking and smuggling networks; stresses the urgent need to tackle the root causes of migration flows and therefore to address the external dimension of the refugee crisis, including by finding sustainable solutions to conflicts in our neighbourhood by developing cooperation and partnerships with the third countries concerned, while keeping in sight the importance of ensuring the respect of human rights in those countries; underlines the need for a comprehensive human-rights-based approach to migration and calls for the EU to collaborate further with the UN, regional organisations, governments and NGOs; in the meantime calls on Member States to respect and fully implement the adopted common European asylum package and the common migration legislation, particularly to safeguard vulnerable asylum seekers, such as women as well as LGBTI people, against violence, discrimination and re-traumatisation during the asylum process; calls on Member States to recognise that specific vulnerabilities of LGBTI people must be considered in classifying whether a country is “safe”, and to factor this into decisions on applications, country placements and deportation; calls for specific medical needs to be unconditionally provided for throughout the migration and asylum process, especially for particularly vulnerable populations, including women as well as trans and intersex people and people with disabilities; calls on the EASO to provide appropriate training to Member States to enable appropriate and sensible proceedings; calls on Member States to recognise the gender identity of trans asylum seekers already in asylum proceedings; calls on Member States to participate in resettlement programmes, giving access to family reunification and granting humanitarian visas;

Amendment 262 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23

23. Expresses profound concern at and solidarity with the large number of refugees and migrants who suffer grave human rights violations as the victims of conflicts, persecution, poverty, violent repression, governance failures and illegal migration, trafficking and smuggling networks, in which many public authorities are directly or indirectly implicated; condemns the dramatic increase in the number of deaths at sea in the Mediterranean; stresses the urgent need to genuinely tackle the root causes of migration flows and therefore to address the external dimension of the refugee crisis, including by finding sustainable solutions to conflicts in our neighbourhood by developing cooperation and partnerships with the third countries concerned, but also by granting humanitarian visas and opening up legal channels for migrants; stresses the inconsistency of EU policies and particularly condemns the conditions attached to aid to certain countries by readmission agreements; underlines the need for a comprehensive human-rights- based approach to migration and calls ~~for~~on the EU to co~~llaborate further~~operate more with the UN, regional organisations, governments and NGOs; considers that the erection of fences or walls, far from disrupting the economic model followed by the people smugglers and traffickers, only adds impetus to their human trafficking activities;

Amendment 263 #

Boris ZALA

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23

23. Expresses profound concern at and solidarity with the large number of refugees and migrants who suffer grave human rights violations as the victims of conflicts, persecution, governance failures and illegal migration, trafficking and smuggling networks; stresses the urgent need to tackle the root causes of migration flows and therefore to address the external dimension of the refugee crisis, including by finding sustainable solutions to conflicts in our neighbourhood by developing cooperation and partnerships with the third countries concerned; is deeply concerned over the plight and rising number of IDPs, including in the EU’s Eastern neighbourhood, who remain unable to exercise their basic rights of returning to their homes and places of origin; underlines the need for a comprehensive human-rights-based approach to migration and calls for the EU to collaborate further with the UN, regional organisations, governments and NGOs;

Amendment 264 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23

23. Expresses profound concern at and solidarity with the large number of refugees and migrants who suffer grave human rights violations as ~~the~~ victims of conflicts, violence, persecution, governance failures, poverty and illegal migration, trafficking and smuggling networks; stresses the urgent need to tackle the root causes of migration flows and therefore to address the external dimension of the refugee crisis, including by finding sustainable solutions to conflicts in our neighbourhood by developing cooperation and partnerships with the third countries concernedrecalls with alarm the reports of refugees' human rights being systematically violated in EU Members States and neighbouring countries; expresses its profound concern over the astounding numbers of missing unaccompanied migrant children; urges Member States to give absolute priority to the full operation of the resettlement and family reunification schemes; urges Member States to make it an absolute priority to swiftly reunite unaccompanied minors with family members in the EU and assist adequately all others; underlines the need for a comprehensive human-rights-based approach to migration and calls for the EU to collaborate further with the UN, regional organisations, governments and NGOs;

Amendment 265 #

Kinga GÁL, András GYÜRK

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23

23. Expresses profound concern at and solidarity with the large number of refugees and migrants who suffer grave human rights violations as the victims of conflicts, persecution, governance failures and illegal migration, trafficking and smuggling networks; stresses the urgent need to tackle the root causes of migration flows and therefore to address the external dimension of the refugee crisis, including by finding sustainable solutions to conflicts in our neighbourhood by developing cooperation and partnerships with the third countries concerned; calls on the EU and its Member States to supply humanitarian assistance in the field of education, housing, health and other humanitarian purposes that aid the refugees closest to their homeland and foster their return there; underlines the need for a comprehensive human-rights-based approach to migration and calls for the EU to collaborate further with the UN, regional organisations, governments and NGOs;

Amendment 266 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23

23. Expresses profound concern at and solidarity with the large number of refugees and migrants who suffer grave human rights violations as the victims of conflicts, persecution, governance failures and illegal migration, trafficking and smuggling networks; stresses the urgent need to tackle the root causes of migration flows and therefore to address the external dimension of the refugee crisis, including by finding sustainable solutions to conflicts in our neighbourhood by developing cooperation and partnerships with the third countries concerned; underlines the need for a comprehensive human-rights-based approach to migration and calls for the EU to collaborate further with the UN, regional organisations, and governments ~~and NGO~~; stresses the need for cooperation with the NGOs, which must neither replace nor obstruct the national authorities in the fulfilment of their tasks;

Amendment 267 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23

23. Expresses profound concern at and solidarity with the ~~large number of refugee~~asylum seekers and migrants who suffer grave and growing human rights violations ason the ~~victims of conflicts, persecution, governance failures and illegal migration, trafficking and smuggling networks~~ir route to Europe; stresses the urgent need to tackle the root causes of migration flows and therefore to address the external dimension of the refugee crisis, including by finding sustainable solutions to conflicts in our neighbourhood ~~by develop~~, that are ing co~~operation and partnerships with the third countries concerned~~nformity with international law; underlines the need for a comprehensive human-rights- based approach to migration and calls for the EU to collaborate further with the UN, regional organisations, governments and NGOs;

Amendment 268 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23

23. Expresses profound concern at and solidarity with the large number of refugees and migrants who suffer grave human rights violations as the victims of conflicts, persecution, governance failures and illegal migration, trafficking and smuggling networks; stresses the urgent need to tackle the root causes of migration flows and therefore to address the external dimension of the refugee crisis, including by finding sustainable solutions to conflicts in our neighbourhood ~~by developing cooperation and partnerships with the third countries concerned~~; underlines the need for a comprehensive human-rights- based approach to migration and calls for the EU to collaborate further with the UN, regional organisations, governments and NGOs;

Amendment 269 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23

23. Expresses profound concern at and solidarity with the large number of refugees and migrants who suffer grave human rights violations as the victims of conflicts, persecution, governance failures and illegal migration, trafficking and smuggling networksthe growing number of human rights abuses against migrants and asylum seekers, including an ever larger number of women, along their journey to Europe; stresses the urgent need to ~~tackle the root cau~~find long-term solutions basesd o~~f migration flows~~n respect for human rights and dignity and therefore to address the external dimension of the refugee crisis, including by finding sustainable solutions to conflicts in our neighbourhood by developing cooperation and partnerships with the third countries concerned; underlines the need for a comprehensive human-rights-based approach to migration and calls for the EU to collaborate further with the UN, regional organisations, governments and NGOs;

Amendment 27 #

Motion for a resolution
Citation 30 a (new)

- having regard to its resolution of 10 October 2013 on caste-based discrimination and to the report of 28 January 2016 on minorities and caste- based discrimination by the UN Special Rapporteur on Minority Issues and the UN Guidance tool on descent-based discrimination,

Amendment 270 #

Renate WEBER, Ivo VAJGL, Norica NICOLAI, Hilde VAUTMANS, Beatriz BECERRA BASTERRECHEA, Ilhan KYUCHYUK, Louis MICHEL, Petras AUŠTREVIČIUS, Marietje SCHAAKE

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23

23. Expresses profound concern at and solidarity with the large number of refugees and migrants who suffer grave human rights violations as the victims of conflicts, persecution, governance failures and illegal migration, trafficking and smuggling networks; stresses the urgent need to tackle the root causes of migration flows and therefore to address the external dimension of the refugee crisis, including by finding sustainable solutions to conflicts in our neighbourhood by developing, among others, cooperation and partnerships with the third countries concerned; underlines the need for a comprehensive human-rights-based approach to migration and calls for the EU to collaborate further with the UN, regional organisations, governments and NGOs;

Amendment 271 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23 a (new)

23a. Understands that partnerships and cooperation with key countries of origin, transit and destination should continue to be a focus and stresses the importance to tackle the root causes of migration flows and therefore to address the external dimension of the refugee crisis, including by finding sustainable solutions to conflicts in our neighbourhood by developing cooperation and partnerships with the third countries concerned; condemns, however, the attempt to outsource Member States’ responsibilities to third countries; deplores the EU- Turkey statement on migration and the attempt to replicate it with other third countries, such as Libya; condemns the course of action agreed at the Valetta Summit and the instrumentalisation of the Khartoum process to finance repressive regimes, such as Ethiopia, Eritrea and Sudan, under the pretext to curb migration to Europe; takes the view that this flawed policy violates EU's human rights principles and undermines any foreign policy designed for the promotion of human rights, the rule of law and the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), and is counter-productive in the long term, leading to a vicious circle of abuse and repression which will reinforce the causes that make people flee their countries;

Amendment 272 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23 a (new)

23a. Reiterates its call on the EU to ensure that all migration cooperation and readmission agreements with non-EU states strictly comply with international human rights, refugee and maritime law, particularly with the Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees; insists on the need to integrate pre-assessment as well as monitoring mechanisms to evaluate the human rights impact of cooperation on migration with third countries; in this context, calls on the EU to increase transparency and ensure parliamentary scrutiny and democratic oversight over these agreements; emphasises the need to delink development cooperation from cooperation on readmission or migration management; insists that human rights need to be mainstreamed and monitored in all the activities carried out by Frontex;

Amendment 273 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23 a (new)

23a. Stresses that solutions to the global development of migration and refugee crises will only be found if responses are built on the principle of solidarity and a global strategy to promote safe and legal migration which ensures full respect for human rights and fundamental values; calls on the EU and its Member States to promote peace and to support and promote peace processes and dialogue around the world, rejecting any participation in military operations; stresses that a global migration strategy built on human rights is needed, taking into account also humanitarian and development aid;

Amendment 274 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23 a (new)

23a. Underlines that to avoid traffic and smuggling of migrants, there is a need for the creation of secure humanitarian corridors to allow the international protection application to be lodged prior the departure at dedicated Offices established by the European Union, following bilateral agreement with the third country, at refugee camps situated in the countries next to those in conflict or at EU Delegation offices or diplomatic Representatives of Member States;

Amendment 275 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23 a (new)

23a. Calls on the EU and the Member States to establish full transparency concerning the funds allocated to third countries for cooperation on migration and to ensure that such cooperation does not benefit, directly or indirectly, security, police and justice systems involved in human rights violations;

Amendment 276 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23 b (new)

23b. Calls on the EU and its Member States to take into account the persecution and discrimination suffered by migrants; stresses that the concepts of safe countries and safe countries of origin must not prevent the consideration of individual asylum applications; expresses concern at the proliferation of negotiations on the subject of readmission and return; calls for the suspension of all readmission agreements with countries that do not respect human rights; calls on Member States to respect the principle of non- refoulement to countries where the lives and liberty of the persons concerned would be at risk; calls for applications by migrants in need of international protection to be taken into account in all circumstances;

Amendment 277 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23 b (new)

23b. Warns against the instrumentalisation of EU foreign policy as ‘migration management’ and emphasises that any attempt to work with third countries on migration must go hand in hand with improving human rights conditions within these countries;

Amendment 278 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23 c (new)

23c. Calls on the EU and its Member States to sign mobility agreements which favour exchanges of skills, no matter of what level, including the lowest; calls for permanent and compulsory resettlement programmes to be established, giving access to family reunification and granting humanitarian visas which give asylum seekers the possibility of entering third countries to make their claim;

Amendment 279 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23 d (new)

23d. Rejects any attempts to outsource the European Union’s migration policies; rejects any agreement that does not guarantee the protection of refugees and respect for the fundamental rights of migrants; condemns the creation and use of the EU Emergency Trust Fund for stability and addressing root causes of irregular migration and displaced persons in Africa, which is financed to a large extent out of the European Development Fund (EDF), and the extension of the Rabat Process to the countries of the Horn of Africa whose governments have been condemned by the ICC or the UN, or the Khartoum Process; calls for assessment and monitoring of these mechanisms and this fund and any similar agreements such as the EU- Turkey statement;

Amendment 28 #

Motion for a resolution
Citation 30 a (new)

- having regard to resolutions 1325, 1820, 1888, 1889, 1960, 2106, 2122 and 2242 on women, peace and security,

Amendment 280 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23 e (new)

23e. Reaffirms the principle of the right to live as a family, calls on the EU and its Member States to do everything possible to ensure that it is respected all over the world, and calls in this context for cooperation with third countries and assessments of systems of aid to migrants and asylum-seekers;

Amendment 281 #

László TŐKÉS, Cristian Dan PREDA, Ádám KÓSA, Laima Liucija ANDRIKIENĖ

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23 f (new)

23f. Calls for the rights of migrants, no matter what their status may be, to be guaranteed, particularly in agreements with third countries, which must accord with international law, and calls for the adoption of legislation on the subject, including on asylum, which means in particular that merely crossing a border irregularly must not be regarded as grounds for imprisonment;

Amendment 282 #

24. Considers that development cooperation and the promotion of human rights, and democratic principles including the rule of law and good governance, should go hand in hand; recalls, in this context, that the UN has stated that without a human rights-based approach, development goals cannot be fully achieved; recalls, in addition, that the EU has committed to supporting partner countries, taking into account their development situation and their progress as regards human rights and democracy;

Amendment 283 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24 a (new)

24a. Calls on the EU and its Member States to increase their financial contribution to humanitarian and development aid; deplores the fact that most EU Member States have not achieved the target of allocating 0.7% of their GNI to official development aid as agreed 45 years ago and that some of them have even cut their development aid contributions; insists that development aid should not be used under migration policies; calls on the EU and its Member States not to count in their development aid any monies spent on receiving refugees or migrants or on controlling or returning migrants;

Amendment 284 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24 a (new)

24a. Recalls that criterion two of Common Position 944/2008/CFSP obliges Member States to examine each arms- export licence against the country of destination's respect for human rights; deplores the numerous cases of non- respect by Member States of this criterion; calls for a reform of the assessment process of arms exports projects, notably by the introduction of a risk assessment based on the overall situation in the country, therefore introducing the precautionary principle; also recommends to initiate discussions on the extension of criterion two to include democratic governance indicators that could help establish further safeguards against unintended negative consequences of arms exports;

Amendment 285 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24 a (new)

24a. Emphasises the fundamental importance of combating corruption, in all its forms, so as to vouchsafe the rule of law, democracy and respect for human rights; strongly condemns any conduct accommodating such corrupt practices, including on the part of EU politicians and businesses;

Amendment 286 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24 b (new)

24b. Recalls the commitment in the EU Action Plan on Human Rights and Democracy of the Commission, the EEAS and the Council to develop and implement, by 2017, a due diligence policy to ensure that EU support to security forces, such as its programme Capacity building in support of security and development (CBSD), is in compliance with and contributes to the implementation of the EU human rights policy and is consistent with the promotion, protection and enforcement of international human rights law and international humanitarian law, as may be applicable;

Amendment 287 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24 c (new)

24c. Recalls its resolution of 27 February 2014 on the use of armed drones; expresses its grave concern over the use of armed drones outside the international legal framework; calls on the EU to urgently develop a legally binding framework for the use of armed drones to ensure that the Member States, in conformity with their legal obligations, do not perpetrate unlawful targeted killings or facilitate such killings by other states; calls further on the Commission to keep Parliament properly informed about the use of EU funds for all research and development projects associated with the construction of drones; calls for human rights impact assessments in respect of further drone development projects; urges the HR/VP to ban the development, production and use of fully autonomous weapons, which enable strikes to be carried out without human intervention;

Amendment 288 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25

25. Considers that the EU should continue its efforts to enhance respect for the rights of LGBTI people, in line with the EU Guidelines on the topic; recommends that the Guidelines be implemented, including through the training of EU staff in third countries; regrets that 72 countries still criminalise homosexuality, 13 of which have the death penalty, and believes that practices and acts of violence against individuals on the basis of their sexual orientation should not go unpunished;deleted

Amendment 289 #

Liliana RODRIGUES, Beatriz BECERRA BASTERRECHEA, Soraya POST, Ulrike LUNACEK, Daniele VIOTTI, Malin BJÖRK, Tanja FAJON, Sirpa PIETIKÄINEN

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25

25. Considers that the EU should continue its efforts to enhance respect for the human rights of LGBTI people, in line with the EU Guidelines on the topic; ~~recommends that the Guidelines be implemented~~calls for the full implementation of the Guidelines, including through the training of EU staff in third countries; regrets that 72 countries still criminalise homosexuality, 13 of which have the death penalty, and believes that practices and acts of violence against individuals on the basis of their sexual orientation, gender identity or sex characteristics, such as forced outings, hate crimes and hate speech both online and offline, corrective rape, and intersex genital mutilations should not go unpunished;

Amendment 29 #

Motion for a resolution
Citation 30 b (new)

- having regard to the Istanbul Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence, signed by the Council of the EU on 13 June 2017,

Amendment 290 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25

25. Considers that the EU should continue its efforts to enhance respect for the rights of LGBTI people, in line with the EU Guidelines on the topic; recommends that the Guidelines be implemented, including through the training of EU staff in third countries; regrets that 72 countries still criminalise homosexuality, 13 of which have the death penalty~~, and believes that practices and acts of violence against individuals on the basis of their sexual orientation should not go unpunished~~;

Amendment 291 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25

25. Considers that the EU should continue its efforts to enhance respect for the rights of LGBTI people, in line with the EU Guidelines on the topic; recommends that the Guidelines be implemented, including through the training of EU staff in third countries; regrets that 72 countries still criminalise homosexuality, is horrified that some 13 of ~~which~~these have the death penalty, and believes that practices and acts of violence against individuals on the basis of their sexual orientation should not go unpunished;

Amendment 292 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25

25. Considers that the EU should continue its efforts to enhance respect for the rights of LGBTI people, in line with the EU Guidelines on the topic; recommends that the Guidelines be implemented, including through the training of EU staff in third countries; ~~regrets~~strongly denounces the fact that 72 countries still criminalise homosexuality, 13 of which have the death penalty, and believes that practices and acts of violence against individuals on the basis of their sexual orientation should not go unpunished;

Amendment 293 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25

25. Considers that the EU should continue its efforts to en~~hanc~~sure respect for the rights of LGBTI people, in line with the EU Guidelines on the topic; recommends th~~at the Guidelines be implemented~~e implementation of the Guidelines, including through ~~the~~ training of EU staff in third countries; ~~regrets that 72 countries still criminalise homosexuality, 13 of which have the death penalty, and believes that practices and acts of violence~~believes that homosexuality should not be criminalised and that acts of violence, including the death penalty, against individuals on the basis of their sexual orientation ~~should not go unpunish~~are to be condemned and eschewed;

Amendment 294 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25 a (new)

25a. Considers that the detention conditions and the state of prisons in a number of countries are a matter of grave concern; considers it essential to combat all forms of torture and ill-treatment of detainees, including psychological torture, and to step up efforts to ensure compliance with the relevant international law; considers that refusal to permit prisoners access to care and medicines, particularly in the case of those with hepatitis or HIV, constitutes ill- treatment or even an act of torture, and may be tantamount to failure to assist persons in danger;

Amendment 295 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25 a (new)

25a. Welcomes the legalisation of same-sex marriage or same-sex civil unions in an increasing number of countries – 28 to date –around the world; encourages the EU institutions and the Member States to further contribute to the recognition of same-sex marriage or same-sex civil union as a political, social and human and civil rights issue;

Amendment 296 #

26. Recalls that corruption is a threat to the equal enjoyment of human rights and undermines democratic processes such as the rule of law and the fair administration of justice; takes the view that the EU should emphasise in all platforms for dialogue with third countries the importance of integrity, accountability and the proper management of public affairs, finances and property, as stipulated in the UN Convention Against Corruption (UNCAC); recommends that the EU use its expertise to support third countries more consistently and systematically in their efforts to tackle corruption, by setting up and consolidating independent and effective anti-corruption institutions; calls, in particular, on the Commission to negotiate provisions on combating corruption in all future trade agreements that it negotiates with third countries;

Amendment 297 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26

26. Recalls that corruption is a threat to the equal enjoyment of human rights and undermines democratic processes ~~such as~~and the rule of law and the fair administration of justice; takes the view that the EU should emphasise in all platforms for dialogue with third countries the importance of integrity, accountability and the proper management of public affairs, finances and property, as stipulated in the UN Convention Against Corruption (UNCAC); recommends that the EU use its expertise to support third countries more consistently and systematically in their efforts to tackle corruption, by setting up and consolidating independent and effective anti-corruption institutions;

Amendment 298 #

Beatriz BECERRA BASTERRECHEA, Javier NART

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26

26. Recalls that corruption is a threat to the ~~equal~~ enjoyment of human rights and undermines ~~democratic processes such as~~the foundations of democracy, the rule of law and the fair administration of justice; takes the view that the EU should emphasise in all platforms for dialogue with third countries the importance of integrity, accountability and the proper management of public affairs, finances and property, as stipulated in the UN Convention Against Corruption (UNCAC); recommends that the EU use its expertise to support third countries more consistently and systematically in their efforts to tackle corruption, by setting up and consolidating independent and effective anti-corruption institutions;

Amendment 299 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26 a (new)

26a. Warns of the deterioration of democracy and human rights in candidate countries for EU membership; recalls that any country aiming to join the EU has to fully guarantee human rights and strictly fulfil the Copenhagen Criteria; urges the European Council to end with negotiation processes in cases of blatant violations of human rights or abolition of the democratic system in a candidate country for EU membership;

Amendment 3 #

Motion for a resolution
Citation 2 a (new)

- having regard to CEDAW general recommendations12, 19 and 35 on violence against women,26 on women migrant workers and32 on the gender- related dimensions of refugee status, asylum, nationality and statelessness of women,

Amendment 30 #

Motion for a resolution
Citation 30 c (new)

- having regard to its resolution of 17 November 2011 on EU support for the ICC:facing challenges and overcoming difficulties,

Amendment 300 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 27

27. Highlights the essential obligations and responsibilities of states and other duty bearers to mitigate climate change, prevent its negative impacts on human rights and foster policy coherence in order to ensure that climate change mitigation and adaptation efforts are adequate, sufficiently ambitious, non-discriminatory and otherwise compliant with human rights obligations; underlines that the UN estimated that there will be around 150 million environmental refugees by the year 2050; calls therefore for an international and legal definition of "climate refugees" and for a strong diplomatic action by the international community in order to emend the 1951 Convention relating to the Status of Refugees and include the category of “climate refugees”;

Amendment 301 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 27

27. Highlights clearly the essential obligations and responsibilities of states, enterprises and other duty bearers to mitigate climate change, prevent its negative impacts on human rights and foster policy coherence in order to ensure that climate change mitigation and adaptation efforts are adequate, sufficiently ambitious, non-discriminatory and otherwise compliant with human rights obligations; emphasises the intrinsic link between trade policies, environmental policies and development policies, and the positive and negative impact such policies can have on respect for human rights;

Amendment 302 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 27

Amendment 303 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 27

Amendment 304 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 27 a (new)

27a. Stresses that land-grabbing has increased considerably since 2008 with, according to the FAO, 50-80 million hectares of agricultural land in developing countries being subject to lease or purchase negotiations on the part of international investors, some two-thirds of this land being in sub-Saharan Africa; considers that the fight against the exploitation and appropriation of resources should be a priority; highlights in particular the link between the exploitation of resources and the funding of conflicts, wars and violence and their impact on population movements;

Amendment 305 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 27 a (new)

27a. Calls on international institutions, national governments, NGO's and individuals to work in synergy to provide an appropriate regulatory framework in order to guarantee access to a minimum amount of water to everyone in the world; underlines that water should not be a merchandise good but a question of development and sustainability and that water privatization does not exempt States from their human rights responsibilities; calls on countries where water is one of the causes of tensions or conflicts, to cooperate towards water-sharing to get a win-win situation for the sustainability and the peaceful development of the region;

Amendment 306 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 27 a (new)

27a. Strongly condemns practices that undermine human rights such as land grabbing, indiscriminate use of natural resources and waste trafficking; calls on the Commission to take urgent action in response to Parliament's many recent resolutions in this field;

Amendment 307 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 28

28. Stresses that the EU should continue to actively support democratic and effective human rights institutions and civil society in their efforts to promote democratisation; welcomes~~, in this context,~~ the invaluable assistance provided to civil society organizations worldwide under the European Instrument for Democracy and Human Rights, which continues to constitute the flagship instrument of the EU in implementing its external human rights policy; welcomes also the European Endowment for Democracy’s consistent efforts to promote democracy and respect for fundamental rights and freedoms in the eastern and southern neighbourhoods of the EU;

Amendment 308 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 28

28. Stresses that the EU should continue to actively support democratic and effective human rights institutions and civil society in their efforts to promote democratisation; welcomes, in this context, the European Endowment for Democracy’s consistent efforts to promote democracy and respect for fundamental rights and freedoms in the eastern and southern neighbourhoods of the EU;

Amendment 309 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 29

29. Recalls that the experience gained and lessons learned from transitions to democracy within the framework of enlargement and neighbourhood policy could contribute positively to the identification of best practices that could be used to support and consolidate ~~other~~ democratisation processes worldwide;

Amendment 31 #

Motion for a resolution
Citation 30 d (new)

- having regard to Council Decision 2011/168/CFSP of 21 March 2011 on the International Criminal Court,

Amendment 310 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 29 a (new)

29a. Stresses that enlargement policy is one of the strongest tools for reinforcing respect for democratic principles and human rights in the light of current political developments in candidate and potential candidate countries; calls on the Commission to strengthen its efforts to support the reinforcement of democratic political cultures, the respect of the rule of law, the independence of media, as well as of the judiciary, and the fight against corruption in those countries;

Amendment 311 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 29 b (new)

29b. Reiterates, in this context, its call on the Commission to develop EU guidelines for democracy support;

Amendment 312 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 30

~~30.~~ Expresses its conviction that the ~~30.~~ revised European neighbourhood policy should continue to have the promotion of human rights and democratic principles at its core; reiterates the fact that the promotion of human rights and democracy are in the interest of both partner countries and the EU; stresses furthermore the need for the EU to maintain the commitment it has made to its partners, especially in its neighbourhood, to support economic, social and political reform, to protect human rights and to help establish the rule of law, as the best means of strengthening the international order and ensuring the stability of its neighbourhood;

Amendment 313 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 30

30. Expresses its conviction that the revised European neighbourhood policy should continue to have the promotion of human rights and democratic principles at its core; reiterates the fact that the promotion of human rights and democracy are in the interest of both partner countries and the EU; recalls that the Union for the Mediterranean can and should shape the political dialogue in this area and push for a strong human rights and democracy agenda in the region;

Amendment 314 #

Soraya POST, Ulrike LUNACEK, Daniele VIOTTI, Malin BJÖRK, Tanja FAJON

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 30

30. Expresses its conviction that the revised European neighbourhood policy should continue to have the promotection, promotion and implementation of human rights and democratic principles at its core; reiterates the fact that the promotection, promotion and implementation of human rights and democracy are in the interest of both partner countries and the EU;

Amendment 315 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 30

Amendment 316 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 30 a (new)

30a. Stresses that peacebuilding involves efforts to prevent and reduce conflict and strengthen the resilience of political, socioeconomic, and security institutions, in order to lay the foundation for sustainable peace and development in the long term; underlines that the promotion of the rule of law, good governance and human rights is fundamental to sustaining peace;

Amendment 317 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 31

31. Recommends that the EU step up its efforts to develop a more comprehensive approach to democratisation processes, of which free and fair elections ~~are only one~~, media diversity and egalitarian allocation of speaking time to candidates are just certain dimensions, in order to contribute positively to the strengthening of democratic institutions and public confidence in electoral processes worldwide;

Amendment 318 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 32

32. Welcomes the eight Election Observation Missions (EOMs) and the eight Electoral Expert Missions (EEMs) deployed around the globe by the EU in 2016; highlights the fact that since 2015, the EU has deployed 17 EOMs and 23 EEMs; reiterates its positive view of the EU’s continued support for electoral processes and its provision of electoral assistance and support for domestic observers; ~~welcomes and fully supports the work of the Democracy Support and Election Coordination Group (DEG) in this regard;~~

Amendment 319 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 32

32. Welcomes the eight Election Observation Missions (EOMs) and the eight Electoral Expert Missions (EEMs) deployed around the globe by the EU in 2016; highlights the fact that since 2015, the EU has deployed 17 EOMs and 23 EEMs; reiterates its positive view of the EU’s continued support for electoral processes and its provision of electoral assistance ~~and support for domestic observers~~; welcomes and fully supports the work of the Democracy Support and Election Coordination Group (DEG) in this regard;

Amendment 32 #

Motion for a resolution
Citation 30 e (new)

- having regard to the European Agenda on Migration of 13 May 2015 and the communication on establishing a new Partnership Framework with third countries under the European Agenda on Migration of 7 June 2016,

Amendment 320 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 34 a (new)

34a. Encourages States to promote the inclusion of human rights education in their school systems, either through the curriculum and teaching materials or through policies and practices that make it possible to create environments in which human rights are respected;

Amendment 321 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 34 b (new)

34b. Recommends that the implementation of austerity measures that have an impact on universal access to high-quality public services or that may compromise the social security system should safeguard the economic, social and cultural rights of the most vulnerable groups and that such measures should be regarded as a last resort, should respect the principles of proportionality and non- discrimination and should guarantee human dignity;

Amendment 322 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 34 c (new)

34c. Underlines the importance of ensuring that human rights are covered in social policies, education, health and security along with access to goods and services such as water and sanitation;

Amendment 323 #

László TŐKÉS, Cristian Dan PREDA, Ádám KÓSA, Laima Liucija ANDRIKIENĖ

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 34 d (new)

34d. Encourages the collection and analysis of disaggregated and rigorous statistical data on the population as a way of preventing discrimination against specific groups, in cooperation with national human rights institutions and civil society;

Amendment 324 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 35

35. Welcomes the adoption of the EU Annual Report on Human Rights and Democracy in the World 2015; considers that the Annual Report is an indispensable tool for scrutiny, communication and debate on the EU’s policy on human rights and democracy in the world; and a valuable instrument providing a comprehensive overview on the EU’s priorities, efforts and also challenges in this field and to identify further effective ways to address them;

Amendment 325 #

Renate WEBER, Ivo VAJGL, Norica NICOLAI, Hilde VAUTMANS, Beatriz BECERRA BASTERRECHEA, Ilhan KYUCHYUK, Louis MICHEL, Petras AUŠTREVIČIUS, Marietje SCHAAKE

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 35

35. ~~Welcomes the adoption of the EU Annual Report on Human Rights and Democracy in the World 2015; c~~Considers that the Annual Report is an indispensable tool for scrutiny, communication and debate on the EU’s policy on human rights and democracy in the world;

Amendment 326 #

László TŐKÉS, Cristian Dan PREDA, Ádám KÓSA, Laima Liucija ANDRIKIENĖ

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 36

36. Reiterates its invitation to the VP/HR to take part in a debate with MEPs in two plenary sessions per year, once when the Annual Report is presented and once in response to its own report; reiterates the importance of a continuous dialogue, namely regarding the follow-up of European Parliament’s Urgency Resolutions on human rights; recalls that written answers also play an important role in interinstitutional relations, as they allow for a systematic and in-depth follow- up to all the points raised by Parliament; requests the VP/HR and the EEAS to reply to written questions substantially and to take the issues regarding human rights to the highest level of dialogue with the countries involved;

Amendment 327 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 36

36. Reiterates its invitation to the VP/HR to take part in a debate with MEPs in two plenary sessions per year, once when the Annual Report is presented and once in response to its own report; recalls that written answers also play an important role in interinstitutional relations, as they allow for a systematic and in-depth follow- up to all the points raised by Parliament and thus contribute to the strengthening of effective coordination;

Amendment 328 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 36

36. Reiterates strongly its invitation to the VP/HR to take part in a debate with MEPs in two plenary sessions per year, once when the Annual Report is presented and once in response to its own report; recalls that written answers also play an important role in interinstitutional relations, as they allow for a systematic and in-depth follow- up to all the points raised by Parliament;

Amendment 329 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 36 a (new)

36a. Stresses once again the lasting importance of vigilant and sufficient follow-up to the urgency resolutions of the European Parliament on cases of breaches of human rights, democracy and the rule of law;

Amendment 33 #

Beatriz BECERRA BASTERRECHEA, Soraya POST, Ulrike LUNACEK, Daniele VIOTTI, Malin BJÖRK, Tanja FAJON, Sirpa PIETIKÄINEN

Motion for a resolution
Citation 30 f (new)

- having regard to its resolution of 18 July 2017 on arms export:implementation of Common Position 2008/944/CFSP,

Amendment 330 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 38

38. Reiterates its view that the adoption of the EU Strategic Framework and the first Action Plan on Human Rights and Democracy in 2012 constituted a major milestone for the EU in placing human rights and democracy at the core of its external relations; welcomes the adoption by the Council in July 2015 of a new Action Plan on Human Rights and Democracy for 2015-2019 and the performance of a mid-term review in 2017; calls on the VP/HR, the EEAS, the Commission, the Council and the Member States to ensure the efficient and coherent implementation of the current Action Plan, including through genuine collaboration with civil society organisations; stresses that the Member States should report back on how they have implemented the Plan; draws particular attention to the importance of increasing the effectiveness and maximising the local impact of the tools used to promote respect for human rights and democracy worldwide;

Amendment 331 #

Beatriz BECERRA BASTERRECHEA, Soraya POST, Ulrike LUNACEK, Daniele VIOTTI, Malin BJÖRK, Tanja FAJON, Sirpa PIETIKÄINEN

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 39

39. Reiterates its view that a solid consensus and enhanced coordination between Member States and the EU institutions is required in order to advance the human rights and democracy agenda coherently and consistently; stresses firmly that Member States should take greater ownership of the implementation of the Action Plan and the EU Strategic Framework and use them as a blueprint for promoting human rights and democracy bilaterally and multilaterally; notes that, for obvious reasons, special attention should be given to avoiding situations which leave even the slightest suspicion of human rights infringements within the EU Member States;

Amendment 332 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 39

39. Reiterates its view that a solid consensus and enhanced coordination between Member States and the EU institutions, as well as genuine collaboration with civil society organisations at local, national and international level, is required in order to advance the human rights and democracy agenda coherently and consistently; stresses firmly that Member States should take greater ownership of the implementation of the Action Plan and the EU Strategic Framework and use them as a blueprint for promoting human rights and democracy bilaterally and multilaterally;

Amendment 333 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 39

39. Reiterates its view that a solid consensus and enhanced coordination between Member States and the EU institutions is required in order to advance the human rights and democracy agenda coherently and consistently; ~~stresses firmly~~deplores the fact that Member States ~~should~~are not takeing greater ownership of the implementation of the Action Plan and of the EU Strategic Framework and useing them as a blueprint for promoting human rights and democracy bilaterally and multilaterally;

Amendment 334 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 40

40. Recognises the key role of the EUSR for Human Rights, Mr Lambrinidis, in enhancing the EU’s visibility and effectiveness in protecting and promoting human rights and democratic principles around the world, and highlights his role in promoting the consistent and coherent implementation of the EU’s human rights policy; welcomes the extension of the EUSR’s mandate until 28 February 2019 and reiterates its request for this mandate to be made permanent; recommends, in this regard, that the EUSR be given own- initiative powers, higher public visibility and adequate staff and financial resources to work at his full potential; further recommends the EUSR to increase the transparency of his activities, plans, progress reports and reviews;

Amendment 335 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 40

40. Recognises the key role ofthat the EUSR for Human Rights~~, Mr Lambrinidis,~~ could play in enhancing the EU’s visibility and effectiveness in protecting and promoting human rights and democratic principles around the world, and highlights his role in promoting the consistent and coherent implementation of the EU’s human rights policy; welcomes the extension of the EUSR’s mandate until 28 February 2019 and reiterates its request for this mandate to be made permanent; recommends, in this regard, that the EUSR be given own- initiative powers, higher public visibility and ~~adequate staff and financial resources~~greater political support to work at his full potential;

Amendment 336 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 40 a (new)

40a. Regrets that the work and the impact of the EU Special Representative for Human Rights (EUSR) can only be partially accessed through a review of the Annual Report on Human Rights, his Twitter account, and available speeches; also regrets that there is no official information on his activities, plans, nor progress reports and reviews;

Amendment 337 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 40 a (new)

40a. Notes that the work and the impact of the EU Special Representative for Human Rights (EUSR) can only be partially accessed through a review of the Annual Report on Human Rights, his social media account, and available speeches; suggests that efforts be made towards greater transparency about his activities;

Amendment 338 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 41

41. Supports fully the human rights country strategies (HRCSs), which tailor EU action to each country’s specific situation and needs; reiterates its call for MEPs to be given access to strategy content; underlines strongly the importance of taking into account the HRCSs at all levels of policy-making vis-à-vis individual third countries; reiterates that HRCSs should correspond to EU actions to be implemented in each country depending on specific situations, and should contain measurable progress indicators and the possibility to adjust them if necessary;

Amendment 339 #

Renate WEBER, Ivo VAJGL, Norica NICOLAI, Hilde VAUTMANS, Beatriz BECERRA BASTERRECHEA, Louis MICHEL, Petras AUŠTREVIČIUS, Marietje SCHAAKE, Urmas PAET

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 43

43. Acknowledges that Human Rights Dialogues with third countries can be an efficient tool for bilateral engagement and cooperation in the promotion and protection of human rights; welcomes the establishment of Human Rights Dialogues with a growing number of countries; urges the EEAS to ensure that women’s rights are included in all agendas and to systematically hold consultation meetings with civil society, including local civil society, before and after each Dialogue; praises and further encourages the involvement of civil society in preparatory dialogues; reiterates its call for the development of a comprehensive mechanism for monitoring and reviewing the functioning of Human Rights Dialogues;

Amendment 34 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital A

A. whereas, under Article 6 of the Treaty on European Union, the EU is to accede to the European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms; whereas Article 21 of the TEU commits the EU to developing a common foreign and security policy (CFSP) guided by the principles of democracy, the rule of law, the universality and indivisibility of human rights and fundamental freedoms, respect for human dignity, the principle of equality and solidarity, and compliance with the UN Charter, the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union and international law;

Amendment 340 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 44

44. Recalls the EU’'s commitment to placing human rights and democracy at the centre of its relations with third countries; stresses, therefore, that the advancement of human rights and democratic principles needs to be supported through all EU policies with an external dimension, such as enlargement and neighbourhood policy, the CSDP, and development, trade, justice and home affairs policies; stresses that the measure must be implemented to the letter and neither amended nor circumvented for reasons of political or economic expediency;

Amendment 341 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 44

44. Recalls the EU’s commitment to placing human rights and democracy at the centre of its relations with third countries; stresses, therefore, that the advancement of human rights and democratic principles needs to be supported through all EU policies with an external dimension, such as enlargement and neighbourhood policy, the CSDP, and development, ~~trade, justice and home affairs policies~~security, counter-terrorism, trade, migration, justice and home affairs policies, in particular through the implementation of human rights conditionality;

Amendment 342 #

László TŐKÉS, Cristian Dan PREDA, Ádám KÓSA, Laima Liucija ANDRIKIENĖ

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 44

44. Recalls the EU’s commitment to placing human rights and democracy at the centre of its relations with third countries; stresses, therefore, that the advancement of human rights and democratic principles needs to be supported through all EU policies with an external dimension, such as enlargement and neighbourhood policy, the CSDP, and development, trade, justice and home affairs policies, as well as policies on migration;

Amendment 343 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 44

44. Recalls the EU’s commitment to placing human rights and democracy at the centre of its relations with third countries; stresses, therefore, that the advancement of human rights and democratic principles needs to be supported through all EU policies with an external dimension, such as enlargement and neighbourhood policy, the CSDP, and environment, development, trade, justice and home affairs policies;

Amendment 344 #

Beatriz BECERRA BASTERRECHEA, Javier NART

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 44

44. Recalls the EU’s commitment to placing human rights and democracy at the centre of its relations with third countries; stresses, therefore, that the advancement of human rights and democratic principles needs to be supported through all EU policies with an external dimension, such as enlargement and neighbourhood policy, the CSDP, and development, commercial, trade, justice and home affairs policies;

Amendment 345 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 44 a (new)

44a. Recalls that sanctions are an essential tool of the EU's Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP);urges the Council to adopt the sanctions provided for in European legislation when deemed necessary to achieve the objectives of the CFSP, in particular to protect human rights and consolidate and support democracy, avoiding their impact on the civilian population; asks that these sanctions be focused on officials identified as responsible for human rights violations in order to punish their crimes and abuses;

Amendment 346 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 44 a (new)

44a. Calls on the EU to play a larger and more active role in protecting and assisting the large number of internally- displaced persons worldwide as well as in Eastern Partnership countries to enable in voluntary, dignified and safe return, resettlement or local integration, including help in recovering lost property and possessions;

Amendment 347 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 45

45. Notes the Commission’s efforts to fulfil its commitment to including human rights provisions in its impact assessments for legislative and non-legislative proposals, implementing measures and trade agreements; urges the Commission to improve the quality and comprehensiveness of the impact assessments and to ensure in consequence the systematic incorporation of human rights issues in the text of the legislative and non-legislative proposals;

Amendment 348 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 45

45. Notes the Commission’s efforts to fulfil its commitment to including human rights provisions in its impact assessments for legislative and non-legislative proposals, implementing measures and trade and investment agreements; urges the Commission to improve the quality and comprehensiveness of the impact assessments and to ensure the systematic incorporation of human rights issues;

Amendment 349 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 46

46. Reiterates its full support for the EU’s strong engagement in promoting the advancement of human rights and democratic principles through cooperation with UN structures and UN specialised agencies, the Council of Europe, the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) and the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), as well as with regional organisations such as the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC), the African Union, the Arab League and others, in line with Articles 21 and 220 of the TEU;

Amendment 35 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital A

A. whereas Article 21 ~~of the~~ TEU commits the EU to ~~developing~~ a common foreign and security policy (CFSP) guided by the principles ofwhich have inspired its own creation, and which it seeks to advance in the world: democracy, the rule of law, the universality and indivisibility of human rights and fundamental freedoms, respect for human dignity, the principle of equality and solidarity, including women's rights and gender equality, and compliance with the UN Charter, the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union and international law;

Amendment 350 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 46

46. Reiterates its full support for the EU’s ~~strong~~ engagement in promoting the advancement of human rights and democratic principles through cooperation with UN structures and UN specialised agencies, the Council of Europe, the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) and the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), in line with Articles 21 and 220 of the TEU;

Amendment 351 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 46 a (new)

46a. Stresses that in order to fulfil the ambitious objectives set out in the new Action Plan, the EU must set aside sufficient resources and expertise, both in terms of dedicated human resources in delegations and in headquarters and in terms of funds available;

Amendment 352 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 47 a (new)

47a. Expresses its concern that the victims of human rights abuses face huge obstacles in accessing justice and in obtaining redress; encourages the EU and its Member States to transpose any and all human rights obligations through their domestic legislation and guarantee that the people have efficient legal options and accessible ways of defending their human rights on a local level; considers an adequate remedy for human rights violations as an essential indicator of a country’s compliance with the international human rights obligations;

Amendment 353 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 48

48. Instructs its President to forward this ~~resolution~~Annual Report to the Council, the Commission, the Vice-President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, the EU Special Representative for Human Rights, the governments and parliaments of the Member States, the UN Security Council, the UN Secretary- General, the President of the 70th UN General Assembly, the President of the UN Human Rights Council, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and the EU heads of delegation.

Amendment 354 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 48 a (new)

48a. Considers the absence of strong linkages between the human rights NGOs and businesses in third countries to be detrimental to the EU’s efforts in the promotion of democracy and human rights, that otherwise would be reinforced by local ownership; emphasises that the agreements between human rights and business organisations would empower local actors for an efficient protection of human rights and as a result foster a stronger civil society; highlights that such agreements would optimise the financial and operational expenses of local human rights NGOs;

Amendment 355 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 48 b (new)

48b. Considers that in its human rights dialogues with third countries the EU should give particular attention to the obstacles hindering the effective implementation of international human rights obligations: high level of informality (low level of codification), ineffective governmental inspection, ineffective judiciary system, ineffective grievance mechanisms, low public awareness on human rights, low information about the remedy access and high level of corruption;

Amendment 356 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 48 c (new)

48c. Highlights that the widespread violations and abuses of human rights and fundamental freedoms require an ever more determined and coordinated commitment by the EU and its Member States; reiterates that a closer cooperation is needed on different levels of governance to guarantee that the promotion of democracy and human rights meets the objectives of coherence and consistency;

Amendment 357 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 48 d (new)

48d. Acknowledges what great importance the modern information and communication technologies have in promoting, defending and redressing human rights worldwide and invites the EU institutions and the Member States to use their information channels to systematically reiterate within their specific frameworks and remits the EP’s position on different human rights issues, while contributing to the efficiency and visibility of the EU’s common efforts;

Amendment 36 #

Renate WEBER, Norica NICOLAI, Ivo VAJGL, Hilde VAUTMANS, Beatriz BECERRA BASTERRECHEA, Ilhan KYUCHYUK, Louis MICHEL, Petras AUŠTREVIČIUS, Marietje SCHAAKE, Urmas PAET

Motion for a resolution
Recital A

A. whereas Article 21 of the TEU commits the EU to ~~developing~~ a common foreign and security policy (CFSP) guided by the principles of democracy, the rule of law, the universality and indivisibility of human rights and fundamental freedoms, respect for human dignity, the principle of equality and solidarity, including women's rights and gender equality and compliance with the UN Charter, the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union and international law;

Amendment 37 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital B

B. whereas today’s worldwide abuses of human rights and fundamental freedoms necessitate determined efforts on the part of the whole international communityto condemn such actions and secure justice for their victims;

Amendment 38 #

Renate WEBER, Ivo VAJGL, Norica NICOLAI, Hilde VAUTMANS, Beatriz BECERRA BASTERRECHEA, Ilhan KYUCHYUK, Louis MICHEL, Petras AUŠTREVIČIUS, Marietje SCHAAKE, Urmas PAET

Motion for a resolution
Recital B

B. whereas today’s worldwide abuses of human rights and fundamental freedoms, including crimes against humanity, war crimes and genocides, necessitate determined efforts on the part of the whole international community;

Amendment 39 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital B a (new)

Ba. whereas, as the UN pointed out in its report of 26 October 2015, these are very troubled times for the global economy: a situation which, combined with certain public decisions, is having an adverse impact on the most basic human rights, particularly economic and social rights, as well as on people's living conditions (with rising unemployment, poverty, inequality and insecure employment, and with declining quality in, and restricted access to, healthcare and education), meaning that people's wellbeing is also being adversely affected;

Amendment 4 #

Motion for a resolution
Citation 2 a (new)

– having regard to the United Nations Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) of 18 December 1979,

Amendment 40 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital B a (new)

Ba. whereas in many places democracy is being supplanted by new authoritarian regimes, with the result that fundamental freedoms are restricted and human rights are increasingly at risk and should be defended more actively;

Amendment 41 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital C

C. whereas the protection of the human rights of the most vulnerable groups – including women, young people, children, people with disabilities, LGTBIQ people, ethnic groups and religious minorities –deserves special attention;

Amendment 42 #

Beatriz BECERRA BASTERRECHEA, Soraya POST, Ulrike LUNACEK, Daniele VIOTTI, Malin BJÖRK, Tanja FAJON, Liliana RODRIGUES

Motion for a resolution
Recital C

C. whereas the protection of the human rights of the most vulnerable groups, such as ethnic, linguistic and religious minorities, LGBTI persons, women, children, asylum-seekers and migrants deserves special attention;

Amendment 43 #

Beatriz BECERRA BASTERRECHEA, Soraya POST, Ulrike LUNACEK, Daniele VIOTTI, Malin BJÖRK, Tanja FAJON, Liliana RODRIGUES, Sirpa PIETIKÄINEN

Motion for a resolution
Recital C a (new)

C a. whereas human rights violations such as torture and inhuman treatment, hate crimes, forced disappearances, violation of bodily integrity, and many other violations continue to be a cause for serious concern;

Amendment 44 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital C a (new)

Ca. whereas women and children face threats, discrimination and violence, particularly in war zones and under authoritarian regimes;

Amendment 45 #

Beatriz BECERRA BASTERRECHEA, Soraya POST, Ulrike LUNACEK, Malin BJÖRK, Tanja FAJON, Sirpa PIETIKÄINEN

Motion for a resolution
Recital C b (new)

Cb. whereas gender equality incorporates core European values and is enshrined in the EU's legal and political framework;whereas violence and discrimination against women and girls has increased in recent years, particularly in the EU's neighbourhood;

Amendment 46 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital C b (new)

C b. whereas states have the ultimate responsibility to safeguard all human rights of people through enacting and implementing international human rights treaties and conventions, monitoring human rights violations and ensuring effective remedy for victims;

Amendment 47 #

Renate WEBER, Ivo VAJGL, Norica NICOLAI, Hilde VAUTMANS, Beatriz BECERRA BASTERRECHEA, Ilhan KYUCHYUK, Louis MICHEL, Petras AUŠTREVIČIUS, Marietje SCHAAKE

Motion for a resolution
Recital D

D. whereas an increasing number of human rights violations amounting to war crimes and crimes against humanity, including genocide, are being committed by state and non-state actors;

Amendment 48 #

Renate WEBER, Ivo VAJGL, Norica NICOLAI, Hilde VAUTMANS, Beatriz BECERRA BASTERRECHEA, Ilhan KYUCHYUK, Louis MICHEL, Petras AUŠTREVIČIUS, Marietje SCHAAKE, Urmas PAET

Motion for a resolution
Recital D a (new)

D a. whereas children and women face increasing threats, discrimination and violence, especially in war zones and authoritarian regimes;

Amendment 49 #

Renate WEBER, Ivo VAJGL, Norica NICOLAI, Hilde VAUTMANS, Beatriz BECERRA BASTERRECHEA, Ilhan KYUCHYUK, Louis MICHEL, Petras AUŠTREVIČIUS, Marietje SCHAAKE

Motion for a resolution
Recital D b (new)

D b. whereas gender equality is at the core of European values and enshrined within the EU’s legal and political framework;whereas violence and discrimination against women and girls has dramatically increased during the recent years;

Amendment 5 #

Motion for a resolution
Citation 2 b (new)

- having regard to United Nations General Assembly Resolution 69/167, adopted on 18 December 2014, on protecting and promoting the human rights and fundamental freedoms of all migrants, regardless of their migration status,

Amendment 50 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital E

E. whereas freedom of thought, conscience, and religion ~~and belief must be enhanced unconditionally~~, including the freedom to believe or not to believe, to practise or not to practise the religion of one's choice, and to take on, abandon or change a religion, must be guaranteed all over the world, and unconditionally enhanced, in particular through interreligious and intercultural dialogue;

Amendment 51 #

Renate WEBER, Ivo VAJGL, Norica NICOLAI, Hilde VAUTMANS, Beatriz BECERRA BASTERRECHEA, Louis MICHEL, Petras AUŠTREVIČIUS, Marietje SCHAAKE

Motion for a resolution
Recital E

E. whereas freedom of thought, conscience, religion and belief must be enhanced unconditionally through interreligious and intercultural dialogue and consolidated at international level through sincere cooperation and commitment on the part of all states;

Amendment 52 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital E

E. whereas freedom of thought, conscience, religion and belief, as well as the right to apostasy and the right to adopt atheistic views must be enhanced unconditionally through interreligious and intercultural dialogue;

Amendment 53 #

Soraya POST, Ulrike LUNACEK, Malin BJÖRK, Tanja FAJON

Motion for a resolution
Recital E

E. whereas freedom of thought, conscience, religion and belief ~~must be enhanced unconditionally~~could be preserved through interreligious and intercultural dialogue;

Amendment 54 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital E a (new)

E a. whereas laws prohibiting blasphemy are widespread, with states laying down disproportionate punishments ranging from prison sentences to lashings or the death penalty;

Amendment 55 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital E b (new)

E b. whereas an appalling number of human rights defenders were killed, harassed, detained or subjected to smear campaigns and other violations in 2016;

Amendment 56 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital E c (new)

E c. whereas cultural heritage sites face increasing threats in the form of illicit looting and vandalism, especially in the Middle East;

Amendment 57 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital F

F. whereas t~~rade and human rights reinforce each~~he UN Guiding Principles on business, trade and human rights link all states and all business enterprises, multinational or otherwise, and ~~whereas the business community has an important role to play in offering positive incen~~regardless of their size, sector, location, ownership and structure, but whereas beyond measures to promote human rights and corporate responsibility, there are currently no effective principles or mechanisms as regards monitoring and penaltives ~~in terms of promoting human rights, democracy and corporate responsibility~~; whereas the Member States and the Union itself must, as a priority, guarantee that human rights are protected, in particular by playing an active role in drawing up a binding treaty at UN level to ensure that European businesses uphold human rights, regardless of where they might breach those rights; whereas that priority will require – in addition to the introduction of monitoring mechanisms and penalties – the establishment of redress measures where rights are breached;

Amendment 58 #

Renate WEBER, Ivo VAJGL, Norica NICOLAI, Hilde VAUTMANS, Beatriz BECERRA BASTERRECHEA, Ilhan KYUCHYUK, Louis MICHEL, Petras AUŠTREVIČIUS, Marietje SCHAAKE, Urmas PAET

Motion for a resolution
Recital F

F. whereas Article 207 of the TFEU stipulates that the EU’s commercial policy is to be based on the principles and objectives of the Union’s external action; whereas trade and human rights reinforce each other, and whereas the business community has an important role to play in offering positive incentives in terms of promoting human rights, democracy and corporate responsibility;

Amendment 59 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital F

F. whereas trade ~~and human rights reinforce each other, and whereas~~has a direct impact on the enjoyment of human rights in third countries, and whereas under a system of corporate liability, as presently ventured in the UN, the business community has an important role to play in offering positive incentives in terms of promoting human rights, democracy and corporate responsibility;

Amendment 6 #

Motion for a resolution
Citation 2 b (new)

– having regard to the Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence (Istanbul Convention) of 12 April 2011,

Amendment 60 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital F a (new)

Fa. having regard to the growing role of global value chains in the global economy and whereas the EU can make a vital positive contribution to fair world trade;

Amendment 61 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital F b (new)

Fb. whereas a lack of ethical behaviour in trade in, and production of, goods is also a consequence of a lack of good governance and the non-existence of public authorities acting in the general interest;

Amendment 62 #

Soraya POST, Ulrike LUNACEK, Daniele VIOTTI, Malin BJÖRK, Tanja FAJON, Sirpa PIETIKÄINEN

Motion for a resolution
Recital G

G. whereas placing a high value on freedom and the principle of holding periodic and genuine elections, as well as protecting the fundamental rights to freedom of assembly and expression, are essential elements of democracy;

Amendment 63 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital G

G. whereas ~~placing a high value on freedom and the principle of holding periodic~~freedom of opinion and expression, and the holding of regular, transparent and genuine elect~~ion~~oral processes are essential elements of democracy;

Amendment 64 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital G

G. whereas placing a high value on freedom and the principle of holding periodic ~~and genuin~~, fair, open and free elections are essential elements of democracy;

Amendment 65 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital G

G. whereas ~~placing a high value on~~democratic freedom ~~and~~, the ~~principle of holding~~rule of law, and periodic and genuine elections are essential elements of democracy;

Amendment 66 #

Renate WEBER, Ivo VAJGL, Norica NICOLAI, Hilde VAUTMANS, Ilhan KYUCHYUK, Petras AUŠTREVIČIUS, Marietje SCHAAKE

Motion for a resolution
Recital G a (new)

G a. whereas in fragile, conflict-prone or oppressive societies, elections can at times trigger widespread political violence;

Amendment 67 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital H

H. whereas engaging with third countries in all bilateral and multilateral fora, for example during human rights dialogues, is ~~one of~~among the most effective tools for addressing human rights concerns;

Amendment 68 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital I

I. whereas appropriate resources must be made available and deployed in the most efficient manner in order to enhance the promotion of human rights and democracy in third countries by supporting civil society and, in particular, human rights defenders, without interfering in the political processes of the countries concerned;

Amendment 69 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital I a (new)

I a. whereas access to water and sanitation is a fundamental human right and its limitation is one of the causes of geopolitical tension in certain regions;

Amendment 7 #

Motion for a resolution
Citation 2 c (new)

– having regard to the 1990 International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families,

Amendment 70 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital J

J. whereas respect for and ~~the~~ promotion, of the indivisibility and ~~safeguarding of the~~ universality of human rights arshould be cornerstones of the CFSP; whereas in its role of scrutiny over the CFSP, Parliament has the right to be kept informed of and consulted on its main aspects and basic choices (Article 36 of the TEU); strongly opposes any reorientation of the CFSP towards an increased militarisation relating only to the reinforcement of NATO and considers that European policies should be oriented solely towards peace and conflict resolution;

Amendment 71 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital K

K. whereas the Global Strategy for the European Union’s Foreign and Security Policy, adopted by the Council in June 2016, affirms that human rights must be mainstreamed systematically across any policy sectors and institutions, including international trade and commercial policy;

Amendment 72 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital L

L. whereas increased coherence between the EU’s internal and external policies, as well as among the external policies themselves, is a fundamental requirement for a successful and effective EU human rights policy; whereas improved consistency should enable the EU to respond more rapidly in the early stages of human rights violations, including international trade and commercial policy;

Amendment 73 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital L

L. whereas increased coherence between the EU’s internal and external policies, as well as among the external policies themselves, is a fundamental requirement for a successful and effective EU human rights policy; whereas improved consistency should enable the EU to respond more rapidly in the early stages of human rights violations and, in certain cases, predict and prevent their perpetration;

Amendment 74 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital M a (new)

Ma. whereas education has a crucial role to play in preventing human rights violations and conflicts and helps to boost citizens’ participation in decision-making processes within democratic systems;whereas human rights education is primarily the responsibility of States, which can include it in their education systems;whereas educational institutions which promote human rights, respect and diversity should be supported by States;

Amendment 75 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital M a (new)

M a. whereas the EU initiatives for the promotion of synergies and cooperation between human rights NGOs and business organisations in third countries have the potential to reduce the abuses and violations of human rights related to business, employment, living standards, gender, age, sexual orientation, environmental impact, sustainability, etc.;

Amendment 76 #

Renate WEBER, Ivo VAJGL, Norica NICOLAI, Hilde VAUTMANS, Beatriz BECERRA BASTERRECHEA, Louis MICHEL, Petras AUŠTREVIČIUS, Marietje SCHAAKE, Urmas PAET

Motion for a resolution
Recital M a (new)

M a. whereas human rights and democracy support policies should be mainstreamed across all other EU policies with an external dimension, such as development, migration, security, counter- terrorism, women’s rights and gender equality, enlargement and trade in particular through the implementation of human rights conditionality;

Amendment 77 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital M a (new)

Ma. whereas migration is a major external policy challenge requiring appropriate solutions based on strict compliance with international agreements and respect for human rights;

Amendment 78 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital M a (new)

Ma. whereas the EU is committed to promoting and developing international law and to strengthening the role of the United Nations on the international stage;

Amendment 79 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital M b (new)

M b. whereas an increased number of communication channels represents an important tool that allows quick learning about human rights abuses and reaching a major number of victims or potential victims of human rights violations in third countries and providing them with information and assistance;

Amendment 8 #

Motion for a resolution
Citation 2 c (new)

- having regard to the 1951 Convention on refugees, its 1967 Protocol and ILO conventions Nos43 and 97,

Amendment 80 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital M b (new)

Mb. whereas cuts to the funding of public services and social security are leading to the removal of citizens’ economic, social and cultural rights or to violations of those rights, particularly among groups that are already marginalised or at risk of marginalisation;

Amendment 81 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital M b (new)

Mb. whereas, according to UNICEF, almost 50 million children worldwide were uprooted in 2015, of whom 28 million were forcibly displaced by conflict and violence1b; _________________ 1b http://www.unicef.org/publications/files/U prooted_growing_crisis_for_refugee_and _migrant_children.pdf

Amendment 82 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital M c (new)

Mc. whereas people are moving around more than ever before, and whereas more and more people are living in a different country than the one in which they were born, which in 2015 was the case for over 244 million people, of whom 90 million were Asians and 60 million Europeans;whereas most move without incident, but whereas during that same year 2015 more than 65 million people were forcibly displaced, including more than 21 million refugees, and whereas more than 5 000 migrants lost their lives in the Mediterranean in 2016;whereas the refugee crisis is a global problem, and whereas the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) reports that there are currently 65.6 million uprooted people, including 22.5 million refugees and 40.3 million internally displaced people worldwide;whereas, according to UNICEF, almost 50 million children worldwide were uprooted in 2015, of whom 28 million were forcibly displaced by conflict and violence;

Amendment 83 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital M c (new)

Mc. whereas collecting rigorous disaggregated data is essential in order to safeguard human rights, particularly those of the most vulnerable groups, marginalised groups and groups that are at risk of marginalisation;whereas the use of appropriate indicators is also an effective way of assessing progress in the implementation of States’ obligations under international treaties;

Amendment 84 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital M c (new)

M c. whereas the EU recognises the limited efficiency of voluntary commitments and gives preference to binding bilateral and multilateral agreements in the field of human rights;

Amendment 85 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital M d (new)

M d. whereas the EU welcomes the efforts of the working group established under the UN framework in 2014 with the task of drafting a binding treaty on human rights and business;

Amendment 86 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital M e (new)

M e. whereas the support for democracy and human rights remains a joint responsibility of the EU and its Member States and whereas the EU institutions together with the Member States should encourage the European enterprises to operate in a socially responsible way, especially in cases where the enterprises operate abroad;

Amendment 87 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital M f (new)

M f. whereas the EU acknowledges cultural differences and is committed to promote human rights and democracy with full respect to different cultural values and sensitivities;

Amendment 88 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1

1. Expresses profound concern that human rights, the rule of law and democratic values continue to be under threat worldwide; recalls that the EU has committed to promoting the universality and indivisibility of human rights and fundamental freedoms as well as to advancing democratic principles; considers that, given the current challenging times, the EU, together with its Member States, should double their efforts in promoting these values worldwide;

Amendment 89 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1

1. Expresses profound concern ~~that human rights, the rule of law and democratic values continue to be under threat worldwide~~about the global authoritarian pushback against democracy, the rule of law and human rights;

Amendment 9 #

Motion for a resolution
Citation 2 d (new)

– having regard to the New York Declaration for Refugees and Migrants adopted by the UN General Assembly on 19 September 2016,

Amendment 90 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 a (new)

1a. Stresses the inalienable nature of the right of people to self-determination as set out in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights;

Amendment 91 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2

2. Reiterates its firm belief that the EU and its Member States must actively pursue the principle of mainstreaming human rights and democracy in all EU policies; reiterates, in this regard, the crucial importance of ensuring increased coherence between the EU’s internal and external policies; regrets that EU human rights policy is limited, or even contradicted, by diplomatic, political or economic considerations and that democracy and human rights clauses are rarely implemented;

Amendment 92 #

Renate WEBER, Ivo VAJGL, Norica NICOLAI, Hilde VAUTMANS, Beatriz BECERRA BASTERRECHEA, Ilhan KYUCHYUK, Louis MICHEL, Petras AUŠTREVIČIUS, Marietje SCHAAKE, Urmas PAET

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2

2. Reiterates its firm belief that the EU and its Member States must actively pursue the principle of mainstreaming human rights and democracy in all EU policies, including those with an external dimension, such as development, migration, security, counter-terrorism, enlargement and trade, in particular through the implementation of human rights conditionality; reiterates, in this regard, the crucial importance of ensuring increased coherence between the EU’s internal and external policies;

Amendment 93 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2

2. Reiterates its firm belief that the EU and its Member States must actively pursue the principle of mainstreaming human rights and democracy in all EU policies; reiterates, in this regard, the crucial importance of ensuring increased coherence between the EU’s internal and external policies; stresses that the growing complexity of conflicts around the world necessitates an integrated, united and vigorous international approach and cooperation;

Amendment 94 #

László TŐKÉS, Cristian Dan PREDA, Ádám KÓSA, Laima Liucija ANDRIKIENĖ

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2

2. Reiterates its firm belief that the EU and its Member States must actively pursue the principle of mainstreaming human rights and democracy in all EU policies; reiterates, in this regard, the crucial importance of ensuring increased coherence between the EU’s internal and external policiesand between the various external policies themselves, and greater coordination between the external policies of the Member States;

Amendment 95 #

James CARVER

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2

2. Reiterates its firm belief that the ~~EU and its~~ Member States must actively pursue the principle of mainstreaming human rights and democracy in all ~~EU policies; reiterates, in this regard, the crucial importance of ensuring increased coherence between the EU’s internal and external~~ policies;

Amendment 96 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2

2. Reiterates its firm belief that the EU and its Member States must actively pursue the principle of mainstreaming human rights and democracy in all EU policies as mutually reinforcing and fundamental principles at the core of the EU; reiterates, in this regard, the crucial importance of ensuring increased coherence between the EU’s internal and external policies;

Amendment 97 #

2. Reiterates its firm belief that the EU and its Member States must actively pursue the principle of mainstreaming human rights and democracy in all EU policies; reiterates, in this regard, the crucial importance of ensuring increased coherence between the EU’s internal and external policies, including international trade and commercial policy;

Amendment 98 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2

2. Reiterates its firm belief that the EU and its Member States must actively pursue the principle of mainstreaming human rights and democracy in all EU policies, including migration; reiterates, in this regard, the crucial importance of ensuring increased coherence between the EU’s internal and external policies;

Amendment 99 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2 a (new)

2a. Reiterates its condemnation of the foreign policy of the EU and of some Member States, which has contributed to international instability and insecurity by not ending the arms trade and to the participation in military operations which have contributed to the emergence of a number of terrorist groups;notes that some EU Member States are major global arms exporters and considers it essential to apply and strengthen international standards on arms sales; calls for investigations into alleged direct or indirect financing of terrorist groups and for the undertakings involved to be held accountable;

source: 610.559

2017/10/03 FEMM 50 amendments...

Amendment 1 #

Draft opinion
Recital 1 a (new)

1. whereas the EU is committed to promoting gender equality and ensuring gender mainstreaming in all of its actions;

Amendment 10 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 b (new)

1b. Calls on the Commission to promote equality between men and women as referred to in Article 3(3) TEU, not only within the Union but also in other countries around the world;

Amendment 11 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2

2. Observes that neo-liberal framework is actually damaging sustainable development and human rights, including women’s rights, which are part of human rights themselves. Calls on the Commission to provide continued support to protect human rights defenders, women’s organisations and women leaders as active actors committed to promoting, protecting and raising awareness of women’s rights;

Amendment 12 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2

2. Calls on the Member States and the Commission to provide continued support to protect human rights defenders, women’s organisations and women leaders as active actors committed to promoting, protecting and raising awareness of women’s rights;

Amendment 13 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3

3. Calls on the EEAS to ~~ensure that~~consider the outcomes of the 61st session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) ~~will be included~~ in its policies ~~and will~~this way provideing a renewed impetus in promoting ‘women’s economic empowerment’ in addressing gender inequalities in the changing world of work;

Amendment 14 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4

4. Points at the positive contribution of women’s empowerment in achieving an inclusive, equitable and peaceful society and sustainable development; stresses that the focus on gender equality and women’s empowerment is explicit across all the SDGs and more efforts should be pursued to seek the full realization of women’s rights and the effective implementation of policies promoting economic and social empowerment and women’s participation in decision-making; stresses that particular attention should be given to ~~‘empowering indigenous women’~~migrant women and asylum seekers;

Amendment 15 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4

4. Points at the positive contribution of women’s empowerment in achieving an inclusive, equitable and peaceful society and sustainable development; stresses that more efforts should be pursued to seek the full realization of women’s rights and the effective implementation of policies promoting economic and social empowerment and women’s participation in decision-making processes; stresses that particular attention should be given to ‘empowering indigenous women’;

Amendment 16 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 a (new)

4a. Points out that the EU is committed to promoting gender equality and ensuring gender mainstreaming in all of its actions as enshrined in its treaties;

Amendment 17 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 b (new)

4b. Points out women should be encouraged to organise, via trade unions, and they should not be discriminated when seeking financing of businesses;

Amendment 18 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5

5. Strongly recommends including education at the core of EEAS policies with the aim of ensuring full and equal access to education to all children, in particular in the context of conflict and humanitarian and migration crises where children can be deprived of basic education; stresses that special attention should be put to girls’ access to education without risks;

Amendment 19 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 6

6. Calls on the EEAS to promote the role of women as peace-builders and place it at the core of the EU Global Strategy and Political Dialogues, particularly when it comes to conflict prevention and in promoting human rights and democratic reform in post-conflict reconstruction;

Amendment 2 #

Draft opinion
Recital 1 a (new)

1a. whereas , in times of armed conflict , women and children ,including female and child refugees, are among the most vulnerable groups in society;

Amendment 20 #

Viorica DĂNCILĂ

Draft opinion
Paragraph 6

6. Calls on the EEAS to promote the role of women as peace-builders, to encourage women’s participation in leadership and decision-making process, and place it at the core of the EU Global Strategy and Political Dialogues, particularly when it comes to conflict prevention;

Amendment 21 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 6 a (new)

6a. Calls on the EEAS to promote the role of women in the prevention of terrorism: as mothers, they can have a strong influence in persuading their children not to become radicalised and to join extremist groups and, as the contact point between the community and the family, they can play the role of ‘gatekeepers’, providing vital information which could promote non-violent interventions to prevent any acts of terrorism;

Amendment 22 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 6 a (new)

6a. Is concerned about the vulnerability of migrants, refugees, and asylum seekers, especially women and children or members of marginalised groups, and calls for urgent development of proper safe legal channels for migration, while guaranteeing access to family reunification and psychological support;

Amendment 23 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 6 b (new)

6b. Calls on the EU to support all women’s associations that on an everyday basis work to support women in humanitarian crises and conflicts;

Amendment 24 #

Marijana PETIR

Draft opinion
Paragraph 7

7. Condemns ~~all forms of~~ violence against women and ~~gender-based violence~~their physical integrity, including the use of sexual violence as a weapon of war; ~~calls on the EU and its Member States to ratify the Istanbul Convention in all its parts in order to ensure coherence between EU internal and external action in this field~~strongly reiterates its call to fight sex- selective abortions which result in gendercide; recalls the Council decision to access the Istanbul Convention, on behalf of the European Union, only as regards matters falling within the competence of the Union; emphasises that the signature of the Convention on behalf of the European Union does not oblige Member States to ratify the Convention domestically;

Amendment 25 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 7

7. Condemns all forms of violence against women and gender-based violence, including the use of sexual violence as a weapon of war; calls on the EU and its Member States to ratify the Istanbul Convention in all its parts in order to ensure coherence between EU internal and external action in this field; underlines that religious, cultural and traditional differences can in no way justify discrimination or any form of violence;

Amendment 26 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 7

7. Condemns all forms of violence against women and gender-based violence, including the use of sexual violence as a weapon of war; calls on the EU and its Member States to ratify and sign the Istanbul Convention, the first legally binding international instrument seeking to prevent and combat violence against women; in all its parts in order to ensure coherence between EU internal and external action in this field;

Amendment 27 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 7

7. Condemns all forms of violence against women and gender-based violence, including trafficking in human beings, forced marriage, honour crimes, female genital mutilation or the use of sexual violence as a weapon of war; calls on the EU and its Member States to ratify the Istanbul Convention in all its parts in order to ensure coherence between EU internal and external action in this field;

Amendment 28 #

Viorica DĂNCILĂ

Draft opinion
Paragraph 7

7. Condemns all forms of violence against women and girls and gender-based violence, including the use of sexual violence as a weapon of war; calls on the EU and its Member States to ratify the Istanbul Convention in all its parts in order to ensure coherence between EU internal and external action in this field;

Amendment 29 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 7

7. Condemns all forms of violence against women and gender-based violence, ~~including~~specially the use of sexual violence as a weapon of war; calls on the EU and its Member States to ratify the Istanbul Convention in all its parts in order to ensure coherence between EU internal and external action in this field;

Amendment 3 #

Draft opinion
Recital 1 b (new)

1b. whereas sexual and reproductive health and rights are grounded on basic human rights and are essential elements of human dignity; whereas furthermore, these have not yet been secured in all parts of the world;

Amendment 30 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 7 a (new)

7a. Calls on the EU to strongly condemn all forms of violence against women and gender-based violence, as well as to adopt active and effective policies to prevent and combat them;

Amendment 31 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 7 a (new)

7a. Stresses that gender stereotypes are among the main reasons for violations of women’s rights and inequalities between men and women; emphasises the importance of the involvement of men and boys in awareness-raising campaigns on women’s rights, both as targets and agent of change;

Amendment 32 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 7 b (new)

7b. Stresses that one of the obstacles to women’s economic empowerment is violence against women, in particular sexual harassment and sexism inflicted on many of them in workplaces;

Amendment 33 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 7 b (new)

7b. Condemns the fact that in some third countries, marriages between adults and minors are legal;

Amendment 34 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 7 c (new)

7c. Calls on the Commission and the Member States to tackle trafficking in human beings effectively and efficiently; notes that research has shown that the majority of victims of trafficking in human beings are women, who, once they have arrived in Europe, are forced into the prostitution market;

Amendment 35 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 7 c (new)

7c. Condemns the fact that in some third countries homosexuality is a crime;

Amendment 36 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 8

8. EStrongly condemns the Global Gag Rule and its impact on girls access to comprehensive sexuality education, sexual and reproductive health and rights services, including safe and legal abortions; calls on the EU and the Member States to counter the impact of the gag rule by significantly increasing financing for sexual and reproductive health and rights, in particular funding explicitly destined to ensure access to birth control and safe and legal abortion, using both national as well as EU development funding, in order to fill the financing gap left after the Trump administration’s moves to cease funding all overseas aid organisations that provide sexual and reproductive health and rights services; emphasises that universal respect for and access to sexual and reproductive health and rights contributes to prenatal care and the ability to avoid high-risk births, reduce infant and child mortality; points out that family planning, maternal health and safe abortion services are important elements to save women’s lives.

Amendment 37 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 8

8. Emphasises that universal respect for and access to sexual and reproductive health and rights contributes to prenatal care and the ability to avoid high-risk births, reduce infant and child mortality; points out that family planning, maternal health and safe abortion services are important elements to save women’s lives. Finds it unacceptable that women’s and girls’ bodies, specifically with respect to their sexual and reproductive health and rights, still remain an ideological battleground, and calls for the EU and its Member States to recognise the inalienable rights of women and girls to bodily integrity and autonomous decision- making as regards,

Amendment 38 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 8

Amendment 39 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 8

8. Emphasises that universal respect for and access to ~~sexual and reproductive~~ health and rights contributes to prenatal care and the ability to avoid high-risk births, reduce infant and child mortality; points out that family planning, and maternal health ~~and safe abortion services~~ are important elements to save women’s lives.

Amendment 4 #

Draft opinion
Recital 1 c (new)

1c. whereas violence against women and girls is one of the world’s most widespread human rights violations, affecting all levels of society, regardless age, education, income, social position or country of origin or residence, and representing a mayor barrier for gender equality;

Amendment 40 #

Marijana PETIR

Draft opinion
Paragraph 8

8. Emphasises that ~~universal respect for and access to sexual and reproductive health and rights~~prenatal care and the ability to provide maternal health services should contributes to prenatal care and the ability to avoid high-risk births, reduce infant and child mortality; points out that family planning, maternal health and safe abortion services are important elements to save women’s livethe good development of pregnancy, safe birth giving, and reduce infant and child mortality; emphasises States’ international commitment to protect pregnant women and pregnancy, and to reduce the number of abortions.

Amendment 41 #

Marijana PETIR

Draft opinion
Paragraph 8 a (new)

8a. Condemns all types of surrogacy, which violates the human dignity of the surrogate and the child since her body and its reproductive functions are used as a commodity for financial or other gain, and the child is reduced to a commodity; emphasises that surrogacy, with or without financial gain, is a form of reproductive exploitation, in particular in the case of vulnerable women in developing countries.

Amendment 42 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 8 a (new)

8a. Condemns and rejects laws, regulations, or government pressure imposing undue restrictions on freedom of expression, especially for women and other gender categories.

Amendment 43 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 8 a (new)

8a. Strongly condemns the reinstatement and expansion of the Global Gag Rule and its impact on women’s and girls’ global health care and rights; reiterates its call on the EU and its Member States to fill the financing gap left by the US in the area of sexual and reproductive health and rights, using both national as well as EU development funding.

Amendment 44 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 8 a (new)

8a. Calls on the EU Member States to implement new public awareness campaigns with an emphasis on discouraging violence against women, sexual assault, cyber-bullying and gender stereotypes.

Amendment 45 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 8 b (new)

8b. Condemns the frequent violations of women’s sexual and reproductive rights, including the denial of access to family planning services, contraceptives and safe and legal abortion services.

Amendment 46 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 8 b (new)

8b. Calls on the Member States to take all necessary measures to ensure the protection of women migrants, refugees and asylum seekers such as legal counselling, access to health, safe spaces for women and children and access to sexual and reproductive health and rights, including safe abortions.

Amendment 47 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 8 c (new)

8c. Stresses the need for family reunification procedures to afford individual rights for women and girls joining their families in the EU, in order not to have to depend on a possibly abusive relationship with the male family member for access to health, education or work.

Amendment 48 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 8 c (new)

8c. Underlines the need for women to be afforded proper and free health care, especially prenatal and neonatal, in order to reduce the high number of mothers and babies who die in childbirth in many third countries.

Amendment 49 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 8 d (new)

8d. Condemns all forms of discrimination and violence against LGBTI people; calls on the EEAS to raise and promote global awareness on LGBTI rights through the EU external actions in order to end the discrimination they face on a daily basis.

Amendment 5 #

Draft opinion
Recital 1 d (new)

1d. whereas the EU strategy for equality between men and women provides for the integration for gender equality into its trade policies;

Amendment 50 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 8 e (new)

8e. Points out that the rates of people at risk of poverty or social exclusion are higher amongst women and asks the Commission to increase its efforts in implementing measures to combat poverty and social exclusion as part of its development policies.

Amendment 6 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1

1. Calls on the Commission to integrate gender mainstreaming into all EU ~~legislation, guidelines, actions and funding~~ as a core EU principle, with a special emphasis on EU external relations polices; stresses the ~~need to reinforce~~importance of the EEAS, EU delegations and the role of the EEAS Principal Advisor on Gender ~~by ensuring a specific budget dedicated to her area of competenc~~who shall cooperate in a synergetic way as well as use the allocated EU budget effectively to eliminate inequalities and promote equality between women and men in the EU external relations policies;

Amendment 7 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 – subparagraph 1 (new)

-1. Recalls that equality between women and men is a core principle of the European Union and its Member States, and its promotion one of its principal objectives;

Amendment 8 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 a (new)

1a. Recalls that the EU Plan of Action on Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment in Development is one of the fundamental tools of the EU to improve gender equality in third countries and therefore believes that GAP2 should take the form of a Commission communication; calls on the Commission to take into account EP’s resolution on the renewal of the GAP;

Amendment 9 #