11 DE JULHO DE 2015

17

A people-centred approach requires environmental justice: the planet and all its ecosystems must be treated

as common assets for the whole of humanity to enjoy now and in the future. Human well-being must be the

driver of all policies for sustainable development and progress measured in terms that go well beyond gross

domestic product. People are more than taxpayers and consumers; they are citizens endowed with rights and

responsibilities towards each other. We must invest in them — their health, nutrition, education and skills — as

our most important resource.

All government institutions must be representative and accessible to all. Cultural differences should be

respected and home-grown approaches to sustainable development employed. All people, regardless of

gender, race, culture, religion and health status, must be empowered to work cooperatively for peace and the

common good.

Commitment

Acknowledging that the sustainable development goals will be the result of a delicate compromise, we look

forward to this transformational framework that will inspire policy-making in all countries.

We are pleased that our efforts to advocate for the inclusion of goals on healthy lives and well-being, gender

equality and women’s empowerment, reducing inequalities within and between countries, as well as on

governance, have borne fruit. We appreciate the broadened focus on health, which will provide an opportunity

to end the AIDS epidemic while tackling emerging challenges such as non-communicable diseases.

We welcome the new goal calling for urgent action against climate change and we appreciate the broad-

based goal on the means of implementation — finance, trade, technology, capacity building and systemic

reforms — that must be mobilized in support of the new framework. This goal should inject new energy into the

current global partnership for development.

We commit to doing our utmost to strengthen national ownership of the goals, particularly by making them

known to our constituents. People must understand how the goals are relevant to their lives. As representatives

of the people, we are responsible for ensuring that each and every voice is heard in the political process

without discrimination and irrespective of social status.

We commit to translating the goals into enforceable domestic laws and regulations, including through the

critical budget process. Each country must do its part to ensure that all the goals are met.

Action

As parliamentarians, we must support efforts to reach the new goals in ways that respect each country’s

national specificities. Our responsibility is clear: to hold governments accountable for the goals they have

subscribed to, and to make sure that enabling laws are passed and budgets adopted.

Our first order of business must be to examine our institutions and decision-making processes to ensure

that they are fit for purpose.

As representatives of the people, our concern is to defend the public interest and pursue the common good

above all else. We must prevent individual interests from exercising excessive influence in our deliberations.

We must focus on building consensus around practical solutions.

We will seek to overcome the silo mentality within our own parliaments and national administrations to

reflect the intersectoral nature of the goals. To this end, we will do our utmost to institutionalize the goals in

every parliament, with sufficient time for discussion and monitoring. Parliamentary committees and processes

must pursue all goals coherently.