A European Parliament delegation from the Committee for Development Policy to the United Nations Economic and Social Council attend the High-level Political Forum (HLPF) on Sustainable Development that takes place in New York from 17 to 19 July 2017. The 2017 Summit aims to discuss progress made towards meeting the sustainable development goals (SDGs) and review the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development at the global level. S&D MEPs Linda McAvan (UK) and Arne Lietz (DE), who participated in the Forum, called on the European Commission to develop a clear roadmap for achieving the SDGs as soon as possible.
S&D MEP Linda McAvan, EP chair of the committee on development, said:
“2015 was a milestone year for co-operation and development as 150 world leaders adopted 17 SDGs at the UN Sustainable Development Summit in New York in the hope of ending extreme poverty, combating climate change and fighting inequality and injustice. Delivering on the SDGs is primarily a political choice. It is not only a question of money, nor is it only a question of ‘who does what’. What we need is the political will to work together to develop the right policies in order to achieve them. The EU has a key role to play in this regard. It must ‘lead by example’ in promoting development co-operation by reaffirming its commitment to fighting hunger and eradicating poverty worldwide.”
S&D MEP Arne Lietz, member of the delegation, added:
“Two years have passed since the SDGs were agreed at the UN Summit in September 2015 but we are yet to meet the expectations and deliver on our commitments. It is now high time that the Commission speeds up its efforts and presents a convincing and comprehensive concept on how it wants to achieve the SDGs in the framework of EU policies. We need to start filling the gaps! More needs to be done in most policy areas; for instance in relation to the global value chains in garment and textiles. This was clearly underlined in a session that was dedicated to this topic during the HLPF at the UN headquarters this week. The EU must get serious about the Global Goals. There’s no more time to lose! The Socialists and Democrats will keep putting pressure on the Commission to ensure that the EU delivers on ist commitments.“
