Speeches

Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, climate change is not the future, but a daily reality. Unbearable heat in summer, long periods of drought and increasingly extreme rain. The central theme of this summit is climate finance: money to repair the damage that has already occurred and also to prepare us for the future. We see that countries that emit or pollute the least are hit the hardest. This loss will have to be shared fairly. We cannot wait while big polluters evade their responsibility. We see that consumers, farmers and entrepreneurs want to contribute, but they need support: clear and achievable goals, but also certainty from Europe, without bureaucratic obstacles and with a long-term vision to bring about real change. Finally, I welcome the attention we are giving to water in this resolution. We need to work on a water strategy. In simple words: ensure that everyone has access to clean and safe water without fear of flooding. Together we are responsible for our future.

Mr President, when you are nine years old, you should not be in a wedding dress, but in school. The amendment of the Law on the Rights of Persons in Iraq will allow girls from the age of nine and boys from the age of 15 to marry. Let that affect you: Nine years for girls, 15 years for boys! A forced child marriage in which the woman, or rather the girl, is further disadvantaged. This legislative change does not stand alone, but follows the erosion of women's rights, the criminalisation of homosexuality and the delaying of a law against domestic violence. And it does not stop there. Unregistered marriages, often child marriages, are legalised. This does not determine the law, but a random religious leader when a girl is old enough to marry. In 2021, this was one in five. Up to 20% of marriages were child marriages — a child marriage is with a girl under 14 years of age. In 2023, this was already 30%. One in three girls under the age of 14 was married and this will only increase. An unregistered marriage provides limited access to medical care, limited access to government and often it is impossible for these girls to register their children. This vicious circle places more and more girls outside the law, outside health care, outside the protection that they so desperately need. Your husband's faith determines your future, while you're supposed to be in school, playing with your girlfriends. Soon, the life of a nine-year-old girl will be locked up. You don't know: “Can you divorce? Are you going to stand on the street if you want to leave your husband? Can you inherit land or property?’ The faith of the religious leader determines your future. Children should be able to grow up in safety, to be protected by us, to be protected by the law. Unfortunately, this is not the case. Iraq is in danger of losing sight of this protection for women, girls and children. Alignment with the Law on the Rights of Persons in Iraq undermines the rights of women, girls and children. Violence against women and children will increase. The First Lady of Iraq has also spoken out against this adjustment and we should support her appeal. We should support the appeal of human rights organisations. After years of war in Iraq, the country is slowly climbing back out of the valley. There are people who fight for their rights. They come from far away, let us support them.

Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, sex in exchange for food: It is the reality of many Sudanese women. A reality we cannot imagine. But we can't look away from it either. When access to humanitarian aid and food is not self-evident, this is the only way out to feed your children in Sudan. The civil war has been going on for a year and a half. Gross human rights violations are a daily occurrence, with both the government army and the RSF blocking and looting humanitarian aid. Ten million people have been driven from their homes and another twenty-five million people are hungry every day. Before the war broke out, the UN was still an interlocutor and mediator between the two parties to ensure access for aid organizations. In the peace negotiations led by the United States in August, both parties did not even show up. A ceasefire is disappearing further and further from view. It is important for Europe to focus on access to humanitarian aid for all Sudanese. This is happening on the edge of our continent. It's happening on the edge of Europe. We must prevent millions of people from dying due to a lack of clean drinking water, food and medical care.

Mr President, the conflict in the Middle East and the situation in Lebanon are also reflected in our cities. Violent demonstrations, polarization and growing anti-Semitism. It is up to us to deal with injustice. It's up to us to keep looking for the connection. I also struggle with my attitude towards the conflict. This conflict is very complex, has a long history and nuance is so important. On October 7, innocent people were brutally murdered, raped and kidnapped. But that is not yet a license to let even larger numbers of innocent people become victims. Humanitarian law of war must continue to form the basis. Israel has the right to defend itself, but that right is not unlimited. All countries and parties involved in this conflict must do everything possible to prevent worse, ensure that the hostages return and allow humanitarian aid. At the end of the day, everyone wants to live in freedom. Freedom is our greatest good.

Mr President, Commissioner, colleagues, since the Taliban regained power again in Afghanistan, life has been reduced to work and mosque for men and to family for women. Without a doubt, under the Taliban, every Afghani lost. But Afghani women really lost everything. They lost their right to work; they lost their right to education; they lost their right to choose their own identity or to choose to marry and whom they want to marry. And now their loss is complete: they are losing their voice as well. With our military withdrawal, we seem to start to look away, whereas other powers, like China and Russia, now operate in the power vacuum that has risen. And it's positive that Europe has reopened its diplomatic post. Hopefully that's a small step to hear the Afghan women and to support the women and men who are courageous in Afghanistan to stand up against the Taliban. We must not forget all the women and children who are living oppressed without control over their own bodies.

Mr President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, we share an important responsibility in this House and I am proud to contribute to a discussion that reflects Europe’s core values. Solidarity, looking after others and action. These values are being invoked today. The World Health Organization recently declared that the MPOX outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo is an international public health emergency. More than 22,000 infections and 700 deaths this year confirm the seriousness of the situation. In times like these, our solidarity must extend beyond our European borders. This is not only a moral duty, but also a strategic necessity. After all, we need to tackle the outbreak at its source in order to prevent further spread. Thus, vulnerable populations in the affected region need access to vaccines. A coordinated approach is crucial to stop the spread of mpox. The EU is already coordinating the procurement of vaccines. But we'll have to do more. Each Member State must do its part to donate vaccines and cooperate with African health organisations. Only together can we prevent this outbreak from becoming a global threat. And let's not forget that equal access to healthcare is one of Europe's core values.

Mr President, those who want peace must prepare for war: si vis pacem, para bellum. If we truly stand for peace in Europe, we must stand together with Ukraine and be united in our support for the country and in our commitments and obligations to enable Ukraine to defend its sovereignty. Europe contributes financially and sends weapons. However, this does not seem to scare Russia enough. We must therefore jointly lift the ban on the use of weapons on Russian territory. Only if we are united can Ukraine effectively defend itself and show Russia that it has nothing to do with Ukraine. Only in this way will there be peace.