37 Amendments of Maria NOICHL related to 2021/2181(INI)
Amendment 10 #
Draft opinion
Recital A a (new)
Recital A a (new)
A a. whereas gender equality is a core value of the European Union and one of its common and fundamental principles, enshrined in Articles 2 and 3(3) TEU, Articles 8 and 19 TFEU and Article 23 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights, reflecting the EU’s commitment to gender mainstreaming in all of its policies and activities,
Amendment 13 #
Draft opinion
Recital C
Recital C
C. whereas an estimated 736 million women worldwide – almost one third of all women – have been subjected to intimate partner violence, non-partner sexual violence, or both at least once in their lifetime1 ;whereas gender-based violence constitutes a violation of women’s fundamental and human rights and one of the biggest obstacles to achieving gender equality; whereas a life free from violence is a prerequisite for equality; _________________ 1UN Women, ‘Facts and figures: Ending violence against women’, https://www.unwomen.org/en/what-we- do/ending-violence-against-women/facts- and-figures. Accessed 24 September 2021.
Amendment 18 #
Draft opinion
Recital C a (new)
Recital C a (new)
C a. whereas the COVID-19 crisis and its consequences have affected women all over the world disproportionately and the pandemic has exacerbated existing gender inequalities; whereas recovery policies need to be transformative and gender-just in order to eradicate these inequalities;
Amendment 22 #
Draft opinion
Recital C b (new)
Recital C b (new)
C b. whereas there has been significant backsliding against women’s and LGBTIQ+ rights, inside and outside the European Union, especially with regards to sexual reproductive health and rights;
Amendment 25 #
Draft opinion
Recital C c (new)
Recital C c (new)
C c. whereas universal access to SRHR, including safe and legal abortion, is a fundamental right and precondition to gender equality; whereas violations of SRHR, such as forced sterilization, forced abortion, forced pregnancy, denial or delay ofsafe abortion and/or post-abortion care, forced continuation of pregnancy, and obstetric and gynaecological violence, are forms of gender-based violence that may amount to torture or cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment;
Amendment 29 #
Draft opinion
Recital C d (new)
Recital C d (new)
C d. whereas women and girls are disproportionately affected by emergency situations such as those that result from armed conflicts, natural disasters and climate change; wherea sa green transition needs to be gender-just;
Amendment 40 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Deplores the rise of violence against women and girls worldwide; especially during the Covid-19 pandemic; calls for greater and, targeted and harmonised action to combat femicide;
Amendment 43 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B a (new)
Recital B a (new)
Amendment 43 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 a (new)
Paragraph 2 a (new)
2 a. Calls on the Commission and the Member States to implement the gender equality strategy in a coherent manner both within and outside the EU, and to take effective and concrete actions to counter the backlash against women’s rights, gender equality and SRHR; Recalls that SRHR, and age-appropriate, comprehensive, non-judgemental sexuality education critically addressing gender norms, gender equality, power dynamics in relationships, consent and respect for boundaries are crucial and based on human rights; calls on the EU and Member States to reaffirm the inalienable rights of women to bodily integrity, dignity and autonomous decision-making; Further calls on the EU and the Member States to promote gender equality and SRHR in all their external actions; highlights in this regard the need for affordable modern contraceptive methods and supplies, family planning counselling and information on contraception;
Amendment 44 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B b (new)
Recital B b (new)
Bb. whereas EU’s policies and actions concerning Human Rights protection and promotion in the world should keep moving forward towards a more assertive, decisive and effective action, employing all our instruments; whereas the EU should undertake an assessment of its Human Rights Toolbox with the aim of strengthening it and constantly explore the best ways for the EU to effectively act with concrete actions and employing the most adequate instruments to address Human Rights’ violations and abuses worldwide;
Amendment 48 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 b (new)
Paragraph 2 b (new)
Amendment 55 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Regrets the fact that women are still underrepresented in political and other leadership and decision-making roles around the world; calls on the EU and partner countries to implement measures to ensure the full participation and inclusion of women; reiterates it’s call on the Council to unblock the Women on Boards Directive in this regard;
Amendment 63 #
4 a. Calls for the establishment of an extensive and comprehensive training programme to underpin the implementation of the GAP III, namely on gender mainstreaming, gender budgeting and gender impact assessments, as well as on gender-based violence; stresses the need to invest in knowledge, resources and in-house expertise on gender equality in EU Delegations to be able to implement GAP III adequately; calls for these training programmes to be tailored as much as possible to the local and national context in which GAP III is being implemented; calls for these trainings and related tools to be made freely and easily available to interested local partners;
Amendment 68 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 b (new)
Paragraph 4 b (new)
4 b. Calls for the full implementation of EU GAPIII in all EU external action;
Amendment 72 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Calls on the Member States and global actors to step up the fight against sexual exploitation, forced labour and human trafficking as trafficking in persons, particularly women and children, for sexual exploitation is a form of slavery and incompatible with human dignity;
Amendment 76 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 a (new)
Paragraph 5 a (new)
5 a. Condemns the practice of surrogacy, a global phenomenon, exposing women worldwide to exploitation and human trafficking while targeting especially financially and socially vulnerable women; highlights its severe impact on women, women’s rights,women's health and gender equality, and underlines its cross-border implications, thus calling for an European response to it
Amendment 77 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Underlines the importance of the EU’s support to mediation and electoral processes through its assistance to domestic observers and through the election observations missions, in which Parliament plays an active role; stresses the importance of providing the highest level of protection for domestic electoral observers; highlights the need for effective follow-up to the missions’ reports and recommendations, in order to strengthen democratic standards and facilitate future peaceful democratic transitions in the countries concerned; recalls Parliament’s political mediation tools, which could be developed further to help in this overall approach; urges the EU to develop a closer and more ambitious international cooperation on election observation jointly with all relevant partners such as the OSCE, the Council of Europe and the endorsing organisations of the Declaration of Principles for International Election Observation;
Amendment 80 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Stresses that children, particularly girls, continue to suffer offline and online violence and abuse, including female genital mutilation forced and early marriages;
Amendment 81 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 a (new)
Paragraph 4 a (new)
4a. Calls to strengthen the European Parliament’s overseeing of EU Delegation’s actions towards human rights violations and abuses in third countries and to take concrete and vigorous measures in case these cannot fulfil with their responsibilities in this regard; points out the need of guaranteeing that EU Delegations count with all necessary and appropriate resources and capabilities to act effectively concerning human rights issues in third countries;
Amendment 83 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 6 a (new)
Paragraph 6 a (new)
6 a. Condemns obstetric and gynaecological violence, including the denial of treatment, verbal humiliations, invasive practices, disregard for pain, as well as unnecessary use of medication and sexual assault; stresses the need for safeguarding women and girls from this form of violence;
Amendment 86 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. RegretCondemns the fact that millions of girls worldwide do not have access to education thus leaving them exposed to dependence and at a higher risk of violence and exploitation; highlights furthermore the need for supporting women's participation in STEM education and careers, tackling of gender stereotypes and harmful socio-cultural norms though education as well as violence prevention through gender sensitive education programming for both boys and girls;
Amendment 89 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 7 a (new)
Paragraph 7 a (new)
7 a. is concerned about the situation of human rights and especially women’s rights defenders in the world; calls for funding for local civil society organisations, especially those working to defend the rights of women and girls, LGBTIQ+ people and other vulnerable communities, to be increased; condemns all moves to clamp down on women’s rights activists and urges all governments to protect, support and cooperate with civil society; recalls the urgent need for significant funding to support, protect and further enhance universal access to sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR);
Amendment 94 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. Underlines the precarious situation of migrant, refugee and asylum-seeking women and girls before, during and after their journeys; calls for concerted action to address their specific needs, and particularly those of unaccompanied girlan European feminist migration policy, taking into account the needs of migrant and asylum seeking women and girls and their human rights by adopting a comprehensive migration and asylum framework that specifically addresses their experiences;
Amendment 101 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 9
Paragraph 9
9. Highlights that LGBTIQ+ women do not only face intersectional discrimination. but still have to fear for their safety and lives in several regions around the world;
Amendment 118 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13
Paragraph 13
13. Notes that 2020 marked the 75th anniversary of the United Nations, an essential universal forum for international consensus-building on peace and security, sustainable development and respect for human rights and international law; calls for the EU and its Member States to maintain their vital support to the UN and to continue their efforts to speak with one voice in the UN and other multilateral forums; stresses that the challenges to the universal enjoyment of human rights call for even stronger, inclusive and effective multilateralism and international cooperation; highlights the vital role of UN bodies as the forum for advancing peace, conflict resolution and the protection of human rights, and welcomes the UN Secretary-General’s Call to Action on Human Rights; calls to attribute more competences, resources and capacity of intervention to the UN bodies;
Amendment 127 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14
Paragraph 14
14. Condemns the increase in attempts to undermine the functioning of the UN’s bodies, in particular the Human Rights Council, and to obstruct the rules-based international order; urges to reinvigorate UN bodies and make them more capable of making decisions, ensuring also the consistency and agility of its implementation; calls on the EU Member States and the EU’s democratic partners to decisively counter these attempts and to strengthen their response to serious violations of international human rights; stresses that state sovereignty cannot be used as a pretext to avoid human rights monitoring by the international community since, according to the Founding Charter of the United Nations and UN General Assembly resolution 60/251, all states, regardless of their political, economic and cultural systems, have the duty and the responsibility to promote and protect all human rights and fundamental freedoms for all, and the UN Human Rights Council should address situations of violations of human rights;
Amendment 226 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25 a (new)
Paragraph 25 a (new)
25a. Condemns the practice of surrogacy, a global phenomenon, exposing women worldwide to exploitation and human trafficking while targeting especially financially and socially vulnerable women; highlights its severe impact on women, women’s rights, women's health and gender equality and underlines its cross-border implications, thus calling for an European response;
Amendment 244 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 28
Paragraph 28
28. Reiterates its strong condemnation of discrimination, xenophobia, intolerance, persecution and killings linked to race, ethnicity, nationality, social class, disability, caste, religion, belief, age, sexual orientation and gender identity that continue to be a major problem in many countries; welcomes the launch of the EU’s anti-racism action plan 2020–2025, which recognises not only the individual and social dimensions, but also the structural nature of this phenomenon; stresses that in spite of 20 years of work since the signing of Durban Declaration and Programme of Action in 2001, racism, discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance continue to be a scourge around the world and calls for a zero-tolerance approach to them; calls the EU to organize a Global Anti-Racism Summit on combating global racism and discrimination in collaboration with like-minded partners and international organization such as the OSCE, UN, the African Union, the OAS and the CoE;
Amendment 285 #
Motion for a resolution
Subheading 14 b (new)
Subheading 14 b (new)
Right to participate in free and fair elections
Amendment 286 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 30 a (new)
Paragraph 30 a (new)
30a. Underlines that the right to participate in the conduct of public affairs, particularly though elections, in addition to being a human right in itself, is intrinsically linked to a number of other human rights, the enjoyment of which are crucial to a meaningful electoral process, and are at the core of democratic governments;
Amendment 287 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 30 b (new)
Paragraph 30 b (new)
30b. Strongly condemns the loss of democratic values in several third countries and the cases of electoral integrity challenges throughout excessive violence performed by public authorities, the misuse of administrative resources by governing parties, clampdowns on political opponents, censorship and threats to independent media, increased disinformation, among other issues of equal concern; urges the EU to target and counter this extremely worrisome situation and come forward with concrete and effective proposals, reaffirming its willingness to take a leadership role on promoting human rights, democratic values and free and fair elections in third countries;
Amendment 288 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 30 c (new)
Paragraph 30 c (new)
30c. Deplores that authoritarian and illiberal regimes move away from the path of mature democracies, universal human rights and democratic standards, creating a false impression of legitimacy by means of fake electoral processes that are neither free nor fair or transparent; calls the EU and Member States to strengthen the Union’s promotion of “democratic resilience” in third countries with all the instruments at their disposal;
Amendment 289 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 30 d (new)
Paragraph 30 d (new)
30d. Calls to establish the protection of democratic and electoral processes as a main global human right concern, and for the development of an effective framework for responses to interferences of all nature in electoral processes, collaborating closely with international organizations such as the OSCE;
Amendment 305 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 32
Paragraph 32
32. Welcomes the adoption of the EU Global Human Rights Sanctions Regime (EU GHRSR-EU Magnitsky Act) as an essential addition to the EU’s human rights and foreign policy toolbox, which strengthens the EU’s role as a global human rights actor by allowing it to take restrictive measures against legal and natural persons involved in grave human rights violations in the world; indicates that the application of the EU Global Human Rights Sanctions Regime does not prevent or exclude the adoption of other EU’s instruments for Human Rights’ protection, thus these can be combined and complementary; condemns any arbitrary and unjustified retaliatory restrictive measures imposed on the EU or other entities as a response to the EU’s decisions under the EU GHRSR-EU Magnitsky Act; regrets the fact that the Council has decided to apply unanimity instead of qualified majority voting when adopting sanctions on human rights issues;
Amendment 350 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 38
Paragraph 38
38. Stresses the multi-faceted threat to the enjoyment of human rights brought about by modern armed conflicts, which, in addition to states, often involve non-state agents and terrorist organisations; reiterates its call for the EU to strengthen its response to conflicts, for which the Union should fully develop and be able to autonomously implement its own instruments, also in collaboration with partner countries and regional organisations, including a strong focus on conflict prevention, mediation and good offices efforts, addressing the root causes of the conflicts, humanitarian aid, providing the necessary support to the international peacebuilding and peacekeeping missions, as well as EU missions in the framework of the common security and defence policy, and post- conflict reconstruction operations supporting and applying strong integration and scrutiny of human rights and a robust gender perspective;
Amendment 381 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 42
Paragraph 42
42. Reiterates its call for the systematic inclusion of human rights clauses in all international agreements between the EU and non-EU countries; calls for these clauses to be enforced through clear benchmarks and to be monitored, with the involvement of Parliament, civil society and the relevant international organisations; underlines that the establishment of specific benchmarks could lead the EU to explore the introduction of proportionality into sanctions for non-compliance; underlines that breaches of agreements should trigger clear consequences, including, as a last resort, suspension or the withdrawal of the EU from the agreement for the most severe cases of human rights violations; recommends the inclusion of monitoring mechanisms on human rights in trade and foreign investment agreements, as well as complaints mechanisms, in order to ensure effective recourse to remedy for affected citizens and local stakeholders;
Amendment 393 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 44 a (new)
Paragraph 44 a (new)
44a. Strongly condemns the misuse of surveillance technology to monitor, intimidate and silence human rights defenders, journalists, among others, seriously undermining human rights; calls to urgently adopt robust regulations worldwide to guarantee the use of these technologies in compliance with international human rights standards and pending that, to adopt a moratorium on its sale, transfer and use, as well as to guarantee transparency on its use and that developing and trading companies comply with due diligence standards and upcoming EU legislation;