What changed

MOTION FOR A EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT RESOLUTION

P10_TA(2026)0250

on the implementationImplementation and delivery of the Sustainable Development Goals in view of the 2026 High-Level Political Forum

(2025/2248(INI))

Committee on Development, Committee on the Environment, Climate and Food Safety

PE784.194

European Parliament resolution of 7 July 2026 on the implementation and delivery of the Sustainable Development Goals in view of the 2026 High-Level Political Forum (2025/2248(INI))

The European Parliament,

– having regard to the Commission communication of 4 June 2025 entitled ‘European Water Resilience Strategy’ (COM(2025)0280),

– having regard to its resolutions of 5 October 2022 on access to water as a human right – the external dimension3dimension and of 7 May 2025 on the European Water Resilience Strategy4,Strategy,

– having regard to its resolutions of 15 June 2023 on the implementation and delivery of the Sustainable Development Goals5Goals and of 9 July 2025 on implementation and delivery of the Sustainable Development Goals in view of the 2025 High-Level Political Forum6,Forum,

– having regard to UN General Assembly Resolutions 64/292 of 28 July 2010 on the human right to water and sanitation and 68/157 of 18 December 2013 on the human right to safe drinking water and sanitation, and to UN Human Rights Council Resolution 45/8 of 6 October 2020 entitled ‘The human rights to safe drinking water and sanitation’,

D. whereas the current geopolitical climate and multiple crises, including armed conflicts, economic pressure and international instability, the energy crisis, increasing water scarcity and greater incidence of droughts, the triple planetary crisis of climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution, growing inequalities democratic backsliding, growing anti-gender and anti-rights movements and shrinking space for civil society, severely affect progress towards achieving the SDGs;

E. whereas, looking beyond the SDG financing gap, growing inequalities within and between countries are the main structural obstacle to achieving the SDGs; whereas current global consumption levels are equivalent to 1.81,8 planets worth of resources per year, and current EU consumption levels to 3 planets worth of resources per year;

F. whereas the EU and its Member States should continue to play a key role in promoting sustainable development and UN-based multilateralism;

G. whereas the 2026 High-Level Political Forum will conduct in-depth reviews of SDGs 6, 7, 9, 11 and 17;

H. whereas access to safe and clean drinking water and sanitation is a human right, as recognised by UN General Assembly Resolution 64/292; whereas around 2.22,2 billion people, including 600 million children, still lack access to safely managed drinking water, 3.53,5 billion people, including 1.11,1 billion children, lack access to safely managed sanitation, and about 4 billion people experience severe water scarcity for at least one month a year; whereas nearly three quarters of the world’s population live in countries classified as water insecure or critically water insecure; whereas, in the EU, economic losses from water scarcity total up to EUR 9 billion annually, affecting 30 % of Europeans and 20 % of land each year;

I. whereas climate change poses a major threat to water resources and aquatic ecosystems; whereas, by 2030, global water demand will exceed available resources by 40 % and, at the current demand rate and according to recent estimates, the world will not achieve sustainable water management until at least 2049;

Q. whereas investing in children and young people is key for long-term socio-economic development, stability and poverty reduction; whereas children constitute a significant share of the population in developing countries and are particularly vulnerable to the effects of poverty, of conflict and of having limited access to basic infrastructure and services; whereas actions under the SDGs, including in areas such as access to water, energy and infrastructure, should take greater account of the real needs of children;

R. whereas roughly 1.181,18 billion people globally are considered energy poor, including the 685 million people who lack access to electricity; whereas energy poverty undermines service delivery, economic recovery and peacebuilding; whereas sustainable energy is a transformative opportunity to improve resilience, reduce conflict, support displaced populations and reduce reliance on volatile supplies;

S. whereas around 55 % of the world’s population resides in urban areas; whereas, if well managed, urban forests and trees can reduce the air temperature by up to 8 °C, cut air conditioning costs by up to 40 %, reduce storm water flows and improve air quality by filtering dust and pollutants; whereas cities may produce as much as around 70 % of global waste; whereas poor collection and management of waste causes air and water pollution, generates marine litter and contributes to climate change;

U. whereas the EU has reaffirmed its unequivocal commitment to the 2030 Agenda and the SDGs outlined therein; whereas the EU acknowledges that it needs to make further progress on many SDGs; whereas EU-UN collaboration, including at country level, plays a key role in advancing SDG implementation, particularly with regard to fragile and complex settings; whereas it is estimated that the achievement of around 65 % of the targets depends on input from local and regional authorities;

V. whereas the EU and its Member States are the leading donors of official development assistance (ODA) globally; whereas, although the EU and its Member States have collectively committed to providing 0.70,7 % of gross national income (GNI) as ODA, they cut their ODA commitments from 0.530,53 % in 2023 to 0.470,47 % in 2024; whereas the EU has set the collective target of providing 0.20,2 % of GNI as ODA to least developed countries, but in 2023 such ODA amounted to 0.120,12 % of GNI; whereas least developed countries are disproportionately affected by this historic reduction in funding;

W. whereas the US administration has taken a series of deeply concerning and harmful decisions in the field of international development and humanitarian assistance, most notably the suspension of most funding for programmes under USAID; whereas these cuts are already disrupting access to essential health, food and protection services, and are expected to push millions of people into extreme poverty and exacerbate humanitarian crises; whereas, according to recent analyses, the funding cuts could contribute to millions of preventable deaths, including up to 14 million deaths by 2030, with particularly severe consequences for women, children and other vulnerable groups;

12. Is alarmed at the irreversible losses of natural water capital, with many critical water systems already water-bankrupt, which impacts the reliable provision of water services; recalls that access to water underpins global stability and calls on the international community to use the upcoming UN Water Conference to place water-related issues higher on the international agenda; underlines that water policies must support the sustainable management of water bodies and integrate water efficiency practices, including water-smart solutions and innovative digital solutions, across all sectors; calls for stronger international action to prevent and mitigate water stress and overexploitation of water resources, restore degraded ecosystems and improve water governance;

13. Expresses deep concern that, according to the UN, around 3.53,5 billion people still lack safely managed sanitation services, while 1.71,7 billion lack even basic services; highlights the fact that water security, and particularly access to clean water and sanitation, have a significant impact on economic stability, climate resilience and peace; notes, in that regard, that water security is an integral part of peacebuilding processes; calls for the EU to strengthen its external investments in water and sanitation access and to enhance its leadership in cooperative management in water governance in fragile and conflict-affected contexts as a means to support stability, peacebuilding, resilience and climate adaptation; calls, furthermore, on parties to conflict not to target water and energy infrastructure, in line with their obligations under international law;

14. Calls for improved data and monitoring, particularly in informal settlements and water-scarce regions, and for targeted, climate-resilient investments to ensure long-term sustainability and resilience;

50. Recalls the need to act on the modernisation, affordability and sustainability of housing by scaling up energy-efficient and climate-resilient housing models and construction strategies; emphasises the importance of increasing investments, in this regard, which may include private investments and public-private partnerships, and calls for the EU to support cities in leveraging capital through innovative financing instruments;

51. Recognises the right to a place to live in peace, security and dignity, as a fundamental human right, and notes that the housing affordability crisis affects up to three billion people worldwide; stresses the need to ensure, by 2030, access for all to decent, suitable, safe, accessible, sustainable, energy-efficient and affordable housing and basic services, including through promoting public housing policies and combating abusive financialisation practices and speculative purchases;policies; calls for the EU to support partner countries in developing social housing policies;

52. Encourages closer cooperation between cities, businesses, research institutions and civil society to foster innovation, share best practices and scale up successful urban solutions, including through partnerships between European and partner-country cities, EU platforms and knowledge-exchange initiatives;

54. Reiterates its full commitment to the enduring value of multilateralism and underlines that a modernised multilateral system for governing trade is essential; recalls the EU’s support for the mandate of the WTO and the ongoing negotiations regarding the UN Treaty on Business and Human Rights;

55. Expresses alarm about the annual investment gap of approximately USD 4 trillion worth of funding needed to achieve the SDGs, which is further exacerbated by declining ODA levels; urges the EU and the Member States to strive to ensure that sufficient financing is dedicated to fulfilling the commitment to spend 0.70,7 % of GNI on ODA and to provide 0.20,2 % of GNI as ODA to the least developed countries;

56. Strongly encourages the exploration of options to leverage private finance, including through the capital markets union; welcomes, in this regard, the UN Development Programme’s SDG Investor Platform, which allows private companies to identify ‘investment opportunity areas’ in order to contribute to sustainable development, and encourages further investment, including through public-private partnerships, to contribute to filling the SDG funding gap, respecting the criteria of the Development Assistance Committee of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development; further encourages the combating of illicit financial flows, tax avoidance and tax evasion;

71. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council and the Commission, and to the governments and parliaments of the Member States.

EXPLANATORY STATEMENT

With less than four years remaining until the 2030 deadline, the 2026 High-Level Political Forum (HLPF) on “Transformative, equitable, innovative and coordinated actions for the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its Sustainable Development Goals for a sustainable future for all” arrives at a definitive crossroads for the 2030 Agenda.

Over the past decade, important progress has been achieved towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. Since 2015, over 100 million children and youth have gained access to education, and millions of people have gained access to safe drinking water, sanitation, and electricity, with electricity access reaching 92% of the global population. However, the current geopolitical and security environment creates additional challenges towards progress on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and their implementation.

The 2026 HLPF will conduct in-depth reviews of SDG 6 (Clean Water and Sanitation), SDG 7 (Affordable and Clean Energy), SDG 9 (Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure), SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities), and SDG 17 (Partnerships for the Goals).

The co-rapporteurs emphasise the interconnectedness of the SDGs and in particular that energy and resource security are key issues of this year’s review. The transition towards climate neutrality and renewable energy sources and the protection of vulnerable groups, especially children, are key priorities for the co-rapporteurs. Furthermore, effective SDG implementation requires good governance, respect for the rule of law, anti-corruption frameworks and sound financial management, alongside a human-rights-based approach.

The 2026 HLPF offers the EU an opportunity to strengthen alliances with partners to spearhead the challenge of the 2030 Agenda and address the USD 4 trillion annual financing gap . Through this report, the European Parliament intends to provide a clear, ambitious contribution to the discussions at the 2026 HLPF and the broader achievement of the SDGs by the end of the decade.

ANNEX: DECLARATION OF INPUT

The rapporteurs declare under their exclusive responsibility that they did not include in their report input from interest representatives falling within the scope of the Interinstitutional Agreement on a mandatory transparency register1, or from representatives of public authorities of third countries, including their diplomatic missions and embassies, to be listed in this Annex pursuant to Article 8 of Annex I to the Rules of Procedure.

INFORMATION ON ADOPTION BY THE COMMITTEE RESPONSIBLE

Date adopted

23.6.2026

Result of final vote

+:

–:

0:

66

17

7

FINAL VOTE BY ROLL CALL BY THE COMMITTEE RESPONSIBLE

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