The European Parliament has today overwhelmingly adopted a report by ECR MEP Eleni Theocharous on the delivery of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDG).
In 2015 world leaders adopted the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development that included a set of 17 SDGs to end poverty, fight inequality and injustice, and tackle climate change. The EU has committed to report annually alongside the UN on its efforts to implement the agenda in the framework of the UN High Level Political Forum.
The report adopted in parliament today reviews the European Commission’s approach and makes a series of recommendations, which take into account a number of reviews including national reports and the EU’s own analysis on implementation and progress towards the achievement of the SDGs.
Engagement across the spectrum of government agencies, civil society as well as the private sector is highlighted as essential in order to ensure the successful implementation of SDG policy. Monitoring and accountability are also required in order to ensure progress on national strategies and to identify gaps and inconsistencies in approaches.
“We have to help set the EU on track for an all-encompassing strategy to implement the Sustainable Development Goals and become a global frontrunner in their implementation and the 2030 Agenda, together with our Member States. To do this we need to have better integration across policies areas and design mechanisms to review progress and identify any issues with implementation otherwise resources will not be used effectively,” said after the vote Theocharous.
“There has been significant progress and EU Member States are getting better at integrating their policies and governance frameworks. However if we are to have truly global approach to the Sustainable Development Goals, we will need to keep working with partner countries to ensure they follow similar actions,” concluded Cypriot MEP Theocharous, who as a surgeon has taken part in over 180 humanitarian missions.
