Motion for a resolution | Doc. 14353 | 27 June 2017

The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals – how parliaments and member States of the Council of Europe can contribute

Signatories: Ms Ingjerd SCHOU, Norway, EPP/CD ; Ms Boriana ÅBERG, Sweden, EPP/CD ; Ms Thorhildur Sunna ÆVARSDÓTTIR, Iceland, NR ; Ms Sirkka-Liisa ANTTILA, Finland, ALDE ; Mr Vilhjálmur ÁRNASON, Iceland, EC ; Ms Gülsün BİLGEHAN, Turkey, SOC ; Mr Tobias BILLSTRÖM, Sweden, EPP/CD ; Ms Anastasia CHRISTODOULOPOULOU, Greece, UEL ; Ms Lise CHRISTOFFERSEN, Norway, SOC ; Ms Christiana EROTOKRITOU, Cyprus, SOC ; Mr Pierre-Alain FRIDEZ, Switzerland, SOC ; Mr Jonas GUNNARSSON, Sweden, SOC ; Mr Domagoj HAJDUKOVIĆ, Croatia, SOC ; Ms Susanna HUOVINEN, Finland, SOC ; Mr Rafael HUSEYNOV, Azerbaijan, ALDE ; Ms Mariia IONOVA, Ukraine, EPP/CD ; Ms Eva-Lena JANSSON, Sweden, SOC ; Mr Mogens JENSEN, Denmark, SOC ; Ms Kristin Ørmen JOHNSEN, Norway, EPP/CD ; Mr Ghislain MALTAIS, Canada ; Mr Jenő MANNINGER, Hungary, EPP/CD ; Ms Marianne MIKKO, Estonia, SOC ; Mr Killion MUNYAMA, Poland, EPP/CD ; Mr Martin POLIAČIK, Slovak Republic, ALDE ; Ms Azadeh ROJHAN GUSTAFSSON, Sweden, SOC ; Ms Ulla SANDBÆK, Denmark, UEL ; Mr Stefan SCHENNACH, Austria, SOC ; Mr Paul SCULLY, United Kingdom, EC ; Ms Petra De SUTTER, Belgium, SOC ; Mr Morten WOLD, Norway, EC ; Mr Emanuelis ZINGERIS, Lithuania, EPP/CD

This motion has not been discussed in the Assembly and commits only those who have signed it.

In September 2015 the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) were adopted. Through the 17 goals and corresponding targets all member States of the United Nations are committed to work to secure global sustainable development. The SDGs are not only relevant for developing States, they are directly relevant to the member States of the Council of Europe. Several of the goals are within the scope of what the Council of Europe is working for. This is especially true for the goal on peace, justice and strong institutions, as well as the goals on ending poverty, education, gender equality and climate change.

Co-operation between the Council of Europe and the United Nations is important, and it is the topic for a report under preparation in the Parliamentary Assembly. It is of great importance that this co-operation contributes to the SDGs being met. The Council of Europe is working to contribute to meeting the SDGs, and the member States should be compelled to follow up as well.

National parliaments play an important role in meeting the SDGs. Parliaments represent the people and oversee and scrutinize what governments do. For the SDGs to succeed, the national parliaments of the Council of Europe member States must contribute to putting the SDGs on the agenda in their countries and put pressure on their governments to follow up their SDG-commitments.

On this basis the Assembly should prepare a separate report on how the Assembly, national parliaments and member States can contribute to achieving the SDGs in their own countries.