Changes from plenary report to adopted text

63. Highlights the need to protect the ocean as a unified entity and use it sustainably; calls for a holistic approach that integrates environmental protection and restoration, prosperity, social equity, sustainability and competitiveness, and for a comprehensive framework serving as a single reference point for all ocean-related policies; expects the upcoming European Ocean Pact to set an international example by providing such a holistic approach to all ocean-related policies and coherence across all policy areas linked to the ocean;

64. Believes that binding global measures and an ecosystem-based approach are urgently needed to address shortcomings, accelerate action and ensure the long-term health of the ocean, also and especially under changing climate conditions; stresses that such measures should ensure the protection of human rights and our marine ecosystems; considers it particularly necessary to support the just transition to sustainable fisheries, combat illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing, address the increasing numbers of invasive alien species, strengthen transparency in the seafood sector, protect small-scale fishers’ rights, enhance marine conservation and restoration efforts and adopt a global treaty on plastic pollution; recalls that the EU Nature Restoration Law is one of the tools for the EU to meet its international commitments in restoring marine and coastal ecosystems;

65. Calls for enhanced global action to tackle ocean acidification and ocean heat levels in order to safeguard the role of the ocean as the most important carbon sink on the planet and to protect marine life and food web;

66. Welcomes the adoption of UN High Seas Treaty (Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction Agreement, or BBNJ); regrets, however, that, to date, only one of the 27 EU Member States has ratified that treaty; urges all Member States to swiftly complete their individual ratification processes; calls on the parties to continue work on the UN Ocean and Climate Change Dialogue and ensure swift implementation of the agreement, including by mobilising funds from the EU Global Ocean Programme; welcomes the Commission proposal to integrate the UN High Seas Treaty into EU law;

73. Calls for the EU to reaffirm and step up its support for ocean science; encourages the promotion of scientific research and the dissemination of accurate data, alongside the development and sharing of best practice; emphasises the need to integrate ocean management policy with indigenous and traditional knowledge, science and community engagement; calls for the development and implementation of area-based management tools in conjunction with other appropriate conservation measures;

SDG 17. Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalise the Global Partnership for Sustainable Development

74. Calls for the EU to continue advocating and working for multilateralism and provide global leadership in advancing the implementation of the SDGs and the 2030 Agenda, and reinforcing international treaties and agreements, such as the Paris Agreement, the Convention on Biological Diversity, and regional conservation initiatives;

75. Emphasises that, in the current difficult and uncertain geopolitical landscape, a vocal re-commitment to the SDGs will send a clear signal to partners around the world and support the EU’s global action; is concerned about the USD 4 trillion investment gap on achieving the SDGs; stresses that the EU’s commitment to the SDGs should be supported by ambitious financial commitments in the next multiannual financial framework 2028-2034; calls for the EU to pursue a reinforced approach to development cooperation and to mobilise and continue to engage constructively with other international players in stepping up their sustainable development efforts and supporting peace, gender equality and human development;

76. Reaffirms that ODA remains a crucial source of public financing and an essential tool for reducing poverty, addressing inequalities, and supporting the most vulnerable communities, particularly in fragile, conflict-affected and least developed countries (LDCs);

77. Regrets the reduction in ODA by several EU Member States; calls on all Member States and global partners to uphold their commitment to ODA as a key pillar of their development policy and ensure that sufficient financing is dedicated to fulfilling the commitment to spend 0.7 % of gross national income on ODA and 0.2 % as ODA to LDCs; stresses, moreover, that only 12 % of ODA currently targets children despite their significant representation within the population of ODA-receiving countries; calls for the removal of obstacles, including administrative burden, to enable aid to reach the most vulnerable communities;

78. Calls for the EU to enhance its role in advocating stronger financial commitments for development and humanitarian aid at international level, including the SDGs and the Paris Agreement, and particularly supporting climate adaptation and resilience in the most vulnerable regions, including Small Island Developing States (SIDS) and LDCs; calls, moreover, on the EU to ensure that climate finance targets are met and prioritised in multilateral negotiations and global partnerships; emphasises that advancing EU economic interests should also encompass creating stable partnerships guided by mutual interests and that all EU external policies should be embedded in the larger framework of the 2030 Agenda, while EU development policy and the use of EU ODA should remain focused on poverty alleviation as defined by the OECD Development Assistance Committee;

79. Stresses the urgent need to address the underrepresentation of countries from the Global South in global governance and to foster a more inclusive international financial architecture; considers South-South and triangular cooperation crucial for the implementation of the 2030 Agenda;

80. Insists on the paramount importance of the UN at the core of the multilateral system for creating a peaceful, fair, equal, inclusive, and rules-based global system that works for all, leaving no one behind; expresses, in this context, its support for swift and effective reforms of the UN Security Council; highlights the pressing need to review and reform the global governance of international development cooperation, particularly following cuts to global aid by several countries; stresses that reforms to the international financial system should be driven by a renewed commitment to multilateralism;

81. Emphasises the crucial role of multi-stakeholder partnerships and the meaningful involvement of local governments, civil society and youth and women’s representatives for attaining the SDG targets as well as of the full and effective participation of indigenous peoples and local communities in global partnerships, in line with the UN Declaration on the rights of indigenous people; emphasises the need for youth-led initiatives, particularly in the Global South and in climate-affected regions;

82. Recognises the vital and multifaceted roles that civil society organisations play in advancing the SDGs through locally-led, context-specific strategies that empower local actors and ensure broad-based, inclusive participation at all levels of society; calls, in this context, for deeper involvement of vulnerable communities in designing and monitoring SDG-related policies and for strengthened cooperation, resource mobilisation, and multi-stakeholder participation to advance the SDGs; calls for civil society participation and civic space in order to ensure that public funds are prevented from financing repressive regimes; stresses that access to structural funding is necessary for the effective participation of civil society in policy-making;

83. Calls for better monitoring of SDG implementation at regional and local levels, including through support for voluntary local reviews; stresses the importance of improving the availability of reliable data and collecting and using data disaggregated by income, age, gender, disability and geography; emphasises the need to modernise statistics and strengthen data capacity-building in the countries of the Global South;

84. Calls for the EU and its Member States to support global debt relief and debt restructuring for developing countries, particularly those in the Global South, taking into account the UN Trade and Development principles on promoting responsible sovereign lending and borrowing; calls, moreover, for comprehensive reforms of global financial institutions, including multilateral development banks, to enhance their effectiveness, equity and responsibility in supporting the implementation of the SDGs; emphasises that existing instruments and development banks, such as the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, should be more in focus;

85. Stresses the need to align the Neighbourhood, Development and International Cooperation Instrument – Global Europe, including Global Gateway programmes, with the SDGs, the Paris Agreement and human development indicators; calls for greater involvement of Parliament and for it to take a more active role in the scrutiny of Global Gateway programmes, guaranteeing their effectiveness and proper implementation;

86. Insists that the Global Gateway initiative requires a more strategic and coordinated approach, incorporating strict criteria with the SDGs and the Paris Agreement goals and fundamental EU values, including human rights, good governance, democracy, transparency and environmental sustainability; recognises the potential of the Global Gateway to be able to contribute to sustainable development; stresses that it must be transparent in its planning process and have clear mechanisms for monitoring and evaluating its impact;

87. Highlights the need for clearer communication, coordination and alignment of Global Gateway projects with existing EU development policies; stresses, in this context, that the EIB should intensify its collaboration with other international financial institutions and national development banks to maximise the impact of its interventions, while ensuring its activities fully align with the objectives of the Paris Agreement and the SDGs;

88. Reiterates its strong call on the Commission and the Member States to strengthen cooperation with partners on fighting organised crime, corruption, illicit financial flows, harmful tax competition, tax avoidance and tax evasion; calls for the scaling-up of cooperation with developing countries on tax matters, including in terms of capacities, digitalisation, and the strengthening of their tax systems; welcomes the setting up of an intergovernmental process to adopt a UN convention on tax as a new global framework for international tax cooperation; highlights the pivotal role of progressive taxation in securing revenue to finance sustainable development; supports the decision of the G20 finance ministers to ensure that ultra-high net worth individuals are effectively taxed;

Outlook

89. Reiterates that the SDGs are the only globally agreed and comprehensive set of goals on the major challenges faced by both developed and developing countries and are the best tool for tackling the root causes of these challenges; stresses that the achievement of the 2030 Agenda is contingent on global collaboration and enhanced and accelerated action by all actors; calls on the EU to double down action and take the lead on advancing progress in these five years before the 2030 deadline in order to accelerate action to reverse the negative trends and foster a more just, peaceful and sustainable future for all;

90. Emphasises that policy coherence for development is a binding obligation under Article 208 of the TFEU aiming at integrating the economic, social, and environmental dimensions of sustainable development at all stages of the policymaking cycle, in order to foster synergies across policy areas, identifying and reconciling potential trade-offs, as well as addressing the international spillover effects of EU policies;

91. Highlights the opportunity provided by the SDGs to foster a sustainable, well-being and people-centred economy; emphasises the need for a comprehensive approach that ensures long-term sustainability and prosperity beyond 2030 in line with the diverse needs and circumstances of different countries;

92. Welcomes the Pact for the Future which pledges 56 actions to accelerate and finance sustainable development, ensure that technology benefits people and the planet, invest in young people, support human rights and gender equality, and transform global governance; calls for the commitments made during the Summit of the Future and reflected in the Pact for the Future to be translated into concrete actions and measurable targets; urges the UN to begin preparing a comprehensive post-2030 Agenda strategy based on global commitment to sustainable development;

96. Believes that successes in SDG progress should be made visible and lay the groundwork for formulating best practice for the achievement of the SDGs; stresses, in this context, the importance of inclusive digitalisation, including with regard to AI, building on the Global Digital Compact; welcomes the 2025 Human Development Report that focuses on this matter;

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97. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council and the Commission, the Secretary General of the United Nations and the President of the United Nations General Assembly.