The President and a delegation of the European Parliament attended the UN Future Summit and the Action Days

On the final day of the UN Summit of the Future, Barry Andrews (RE, Ireland), Chair of the Committee on Development and co-chair of the 13-member delegation said: “It is clear from our visit that large reductions in development aid is causing significant suffering in our partner countries, particularly those that are badly affected by conflict, climate change and food insecurity. The European Parliament needs to play a central role in supporting new sources of funding particularly from international financial institutions to make sure we live up to our commitments to Agenda 2030 and the Sustainable Development Goals.”

Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety MEP Marta Temido (S&D, Portugal), and co-chair of the delegation, said: “The pact for the future should be a beacon of hope and a bold move towards a sustainable future, placing multilateralism at the heart of global governance and connecting regions and peoples in the pursuit of common goals, like the green transition and the eradication of extreme poverty.

“The Pact reflects the urgent need for strong and inclusive solutions to environmental crises, emphasising the need for global solidarity, collective responsibility, and concrete actions to safeguard the planet for future generations.”

The 13 MEPs from five Parliament committees held a series of bilateral meetings with high-level UN and international representatives, parliamentarians from across the globe, civil society representatives and more than 20 EU Youth Delegates, to discuss future challenges and how to advance priority themes, including sustainable development and financing, peace and security, and global governance.

The European Parliament and the National Assembly of Cote d’Ivoire co-hosted a discussion on “How can parliaments close the SDG financing gap?”, featuring a speech by the President of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola (available to watch here). Parliament also organised a side-event on “Parliaments and Parliamentary Partnerships for The Women, Peace, and Security Agenda.”

Parliament hosted a discussion on the role of parliaments in multilateralism at the global level. President Metsola delivered an opening speech, and the event focused on the importance of strengthening ties with other parliaments from across the world, referring to parliamentary multilateralism as modern democracy’s greatest success.

MEPs are pleased with the adoption of the Pact, as which alongside the Global Digital Compact and Declaration for Future Generations is an important achievement for multilateralism.

Further information: European Parliament