Ahead of the UN High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development in New York Monday (July 14 to July 23), the European Parliament has adopted a report led by The Left group, calling for stronger EU action to tackle global poverty, inequality, and climate breakdown.
With the world far off track to meet the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030, the report, by Left MEP Nikoalos Farantouris and MEP Robert Biedroń (S&D), urges the EU to take real responsibility by reversing cuts to aid, supporting public services, and prioritising social justice over profit.
The report highlights how years of underfunding and austerity, both within the EU and in its external policies, are fuelling setbacks in health, education, and gender equality worldwide. Despite several attempts from right-wing MEPs to diminish the ambition of the report. It calls for bold public investment in climate adaptation, cancellation of unjust debt, and guaranteed access to sexual and reproductive health and rights, including the right to safe and legal abortion. The EU must stop outsourcing its development agenda to corporate interests and instead lead with solidarity and accountability.
Left Rapporteur for the ENVI Committee Nikolaos Farantouris (Syriza, Greece) said: “I am very happy that our House approved a strong and ambitious position for the upcoming UN High-Level Political Forum in New York. We need to prove to the world that we can lead global efforts towards a more sustainable society, a more sustainable economy and at the end of the day, a more sustainable planet for future generations.”
The Left is calling for stronger action on climate justice, including massive public investment in adaptation, loss and mitigation funding, and support for communities in the Global South. The report demands that the EU stop relying on private finance and corporate-led projects, like the “Global Gateway”, which too often reproduce colonial power dynamics rather than support locally led, democratic development.
