Recommendation to the Council on the 69th session of the United Nations General Assembly

The Committee on Foreign Affairs adopted the report by Alexander GRAF LAMBSDORFF (ADLE, DE) with a proposal for a European Parliament recommendation to the Council on the 69th session of the United Nations General Assembly.

Members recalled that the commitment to effective multilateralism, with the United Nations at its core, was an intrinsic element of the EU’s external policy and that the EU and its Member States were the single largest financial contributor to the UN system (regular budget, programmes and UN funds, and peacekeeping budget). A solid and stable EU-UN partnership was fundamental for peace and security, human rights and development.

In this context, Members called on Parliament to make the following recommendations to the Council:

Human rights, democracy and the rule of law: Members wanted the EU to promote extensive contribution to the UN’s Universal Periodic Review process and to reiterate full support for the International Criminal Court, and remain vigilant regarding any attempts to undermine the legitimacy, universality and integrity of the Rome Statute system. Members of UN General Assembly were asked to make full transparency of reporting and to strengthen the principle of democratic governance in the UN.

Torture and death penalty: Members recalled the importance of fighting against torture and other forms of ill-treatment, and the priority that the EU placed on this issue. They also wanted the EU to continue fighting against the use of the death penalty and to strongly support the moratorium as a step towards abolition.

LGBTI rights: the report reaffirmed its support for the continuing work by the High Commissioner on Human Rights to combat these discriminatory laws and practices, and recommended active participation in combating the attempts to undermine these rights.

Peace and security: Members supported peace enforcement and peacekeeping missions and asked for increased EU support (technical, financial, equipment or EU forces) with a view to equipping the UN with more efficient de-escalation tools. They demanded of all parties to an armed conflict that they fully respected their obligations under international law, including unhindered access to humanitarian assistance. They wanted to see a focus on ending terrorism, whether state sponsored or otherwise.

At the same time, Members asked to ensure that the UN conference on the establishment of a Middle East zone free of weapons of mass destruction, took place in 2014, and to ensure that the 2015 review process of the UN peace-building architecture promoted the principle of Responsibility to Protect and the role of women in peace-building.

Responsibility to protect: Members recalled that this should be established as an international norm to prevent and stop genocide and mass atrocities where responsibility lies primarily with the state concerned, but that the international community also had a role that supersedes the invocation of sovereignty.

Women and children: the report reaffirmed its commitment to the implementation of UN Security Council resolutions on women, peace and security and strongly supported the full implementation of UN resolution on fighting impunity in conflict-related sexual violence. It called for prioritising ending child marriage and ensuring a focus on education for girls.

Post-2015 development agenda: recognising that significant progress had been made towards achieving the Millennium Development Goals, Members wanted to make the best use of the preparatory phase ahead of the September 2015 Summit on the post-2015 agenda. Special focus had to be directed towards the needs of the least developed countries and of conflict and post-conflict countries.

Once again, Members stressed the need for action on eradication of poverty, the fight against inequalities, the promotion of sustainable development, food safety and gender equality.

They called for the adoption of a single, comprehensive and integrated post-2015 framework for the MDGs, with clear benchmarks incorporating the key development and sustainability issues to make sure that this framework was universal l in nature, promoting prosperity, human rights and well-being for all. Members called for a coherent and comprehensive international approach to financing beyond 2015, addressing in a predictable manner all dimensions of sustainable development.

The EU at the UN: Members wanted to actively support a comprehensive reform of the United Nations system, and especially its Security Council, in order to strengthen its legitimacy, and they wanted to work towards the long-term goal of the EU having a seat in an enlarged UNSC. They support the role of parliaments and regional assemblies in the UN system and global parliamentarism. The report asked to raise awareness of the fact that 2015 would be declared the European Year for Development, which will create an unprecedented momentum for improving public knowledge in Europe about the global challenges and the importance of the new development goals to be agreed upon.

Members made a series of specific recommendations on

• Syria;
• South Sudan
• Central African Republic
• Israeli-Palestinian conflict