08/04/2015 Social Affairs, Health and Sustainable Development
“The pursuit of the Millennium Development Goals by the international community since 2000 has transformed the lives of hundreds of million people across the globe, but our work is far from finished,” said PACE Vice-President Robert Walter (United Kingdom, EC), speaking last month on behalf of the Assembly at the 132nd Inter-Parliamentary Union Assembly meeting in Hanoi (Vietnam).
He urged sustained parliamentary action through the new Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) that should be endorsed by the world’s nations before the end of 2015.
Recalling the PACE resolution on “Stepping up action against global inequalities: Europe’s contribution to the Millennium Development Goals process”, Mr Walter highlighted the need for a balanced and sustainable development based on good democratic governance, lasting peace and social inclusion. Society had a duty to ensure equal opportunities for all population groups and to act decisively in order to halt environmental degradation, he said.
“2015 is a pivotal year for Europe and the world in deciding a roadmap for action through the ambitious Sustainable Development Goals and a milestone global agreement to tackle climate change over the next fifteen years,” Mr Walter concluded. “The clock is ticking and the cost of inaction is growing.”