(27 February 2013) – The Communication “A Decent Life for All: Ending Poverty and Giving the World a Sustainable Future”, presented today by the European Commission, proposes a global framework to address poverty and promote sustainable development, with a view to achieve an EU common position to feed the debate at the UN and worldwide.
As the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) come to an end in 2015 and the Rio+20 conference launched the process for the formulation of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the European Commission acknowledges that both challenges must be tackled together through a joined up approach.
Today’s Communication proposes a single, coherent framework to offer a decent life for all by 2030. The framework should include a limited set of goals, clear and inspiring, addressing not only quantitative targets, but also qualitative ones such as standards in education, nutrition, access to clean water and air. These goals should establish a floor under which no man, woman or child should fall by 2030, in order to provide a decent life for all.
The framework should address crucial elements such as the basic human living standards, the drivers for an inclusive and sustainable growth, the sustainable management of natural resources, the issues of equity, equality and justice, and peace and security. It should apply to all countries, and be relevant to every citizen on the planet, and should ensure an effective partnership between countries, the civil society and the private sector at national and international level.