Holy See Statement on Sustainable Development

Holy See Statement on Sustainable Development
"Protecting the Environment Means More Than Defending It"

NEW YORK, OCT. 30, 2007 (Zenit.org).- Here is a statement by Archbishop Celestino Migliore, permanent observer of the Holy See to the United Nations, delivered Monday to the 62nd U.N. General Assembly, on the topic of sustainable development.

* * *

Madam Chairperson,

The Plan of Implementation adopted at the conclusion of the 2002 World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg reaffirms that poverty eradication, changing unsustainable patterns of production and consumption, and protecting and managing the natural resource base of economic and social development are overarching objectives of, and essential requirements for, sustainable development. It repeatedly reasserts that the three components of sustainable development -- economic development, social development and environmental protection -- are interdependent and mutually reinforcing pillars.

My delegation believes that protecting the environment means more than defending it. Protecting the environment implies a more positive vision of the human being, in the sense that the person is not considered a nuisance or a threat to the environment, but one who holds oneself responsible for the care and management of the environment. In this sense, not only is there no opposition between the human being and the environment, there is established an inseparable alliance, in which the environment essentially conditions man’s life and development, while the human being perfects and ennobles the environment by his or her creative activity.

Beyond all the studies on environment and development, the primary concern of my delegation is the importance of grasping the underlying moral imperative that all, without exception, have a grave responsibility to protect the environment. While the duty to protect the environment should not be considered in opposition to development, it must not be sacrificed on the altar of economic development. My delegation believes that, at its core, the environmental crisis is a moral challenge. It calls us to examine how we use and share the goods of the earth and what we pass on to future generations. It exhorts us to live in harmony with our environment. Thus the ever-expanding powers of the human being over nature must be accompanied by an equally expanding responsibility toward the environment.

The issue of the environment is directly related to other basic questions, making holistic solutions ever harder to find. Environment is inseparable from questions such as energy and economics, peace and justice, national interests and international solidarity. It is not hard to see how issues of environmental protection, models of development, social equity and each one’s share of the responsibility to care for the environment are inextricably intertwined.

For instance, while we seek to find the best way to protect the environment and attain sustainable development, we must also work for justice within societies and among nations. We must consider how in most countries today, it is the poor and the powerless who most directly bear the brunt of environmental degradation. Unable to do otherwise, they live in polluted lands, near toxic waste dumps, or squat in public lands and other people’s properties without any access to basic services. Subsistence farmers clear woodlands and forests in order to survive. Their efforts to eke out a bare existence perpetuate a vicious circle of poverty and environmental degradation. Indeed, extreme want is not only the worst of all pollutions; it is also a great polluter.

However, all is not gloom. Encouraging signs of greater public awareness of the interrelatedness of the challenges we face have been emerging. The unease created by predictions of disastrous consequences of climate change has awakened individuals and countries to the urgency of caring for the environment. Environmental degradation caused by certain models of economic development makes many realize that development is not achieved through a mere quantitative increase of production, but through a balanced approach to production, respect for the rights and dignity of workers, and environmental protection.

My delegation earnestly hopes that these positive signs can lead to the consolidation of a vision of human progress that is consistent with respect for nature, and to a greater international solidarity in which the responsibility for environmental care is equitably and proportionally shared between the developed and the developing countries, between the rich and the poor. It is incumbent upon authorities to ensure that these promising signs translate into public policies capable of arresting, reversing and preventing environmental decay, while pursuing the goal of sustainable development for all.

Laws are not enough to alter behavior. Behavioral change requires personal commitment and the ethical conviction of the value of solidarity. It demands a more equitable relationship between rich and poor countries, placing special obligations on large-scale industrial structures, both in developed and developing nations, to seriously take measures for environmental protection. A more caring attitude toward nature can be attained and maintained with education and a persevering awareness campaign. The more people know about the various aspects of the environmental challenges they face, the better they can respond.

Thank you, Madam Chairperson.

[Text adapted]

ZE07103007 - 2007-10-30
Permalink: http://www.zenit.org/article-20878?l=english

Catholic Relief Services Hoping for More Aid

Group Says It Needs More U.S. Funding to Get Food to Starving

BALTIMORE, Maryland, OCT. 30, 2007 (Zenit.org).- Noting Benedict XVI's affirmation that "food is a universal right" for all people, Catholic Relief Services says it needs more support from Congress to reach its goals.

Less than two weeks after World Food Day, when the Pope echoed the U.N. affirmation that food is a right, the U.S.-based charity organization is not sure it can keep its aid programs above water.

A sharp rise in the prices of commodities such as wheat, corn and soybean oil -- in addition to the rising costs for shipping and freight -- has forced the international development agency to press for increased funding from Congress.

Without additional funding, the organization said it might face a massive shortfall in its budget for the 2008 fiscal year, which could force it to abandon more than 800,000 impoverished people who are dependent on its food aid programs.

Spokesperson John Rivera says the situation is very serious, because once funding is delayed and a program is stopped, it becomes difficult to start up again.

Contingency plans

U.S. law stipulates that 75% of food aid resources should go to programs that relieve chronic hunger, however only 25% has been delivered in recent years, with most of it having been used for emergencies.

Catholic Relief Services argues that while it is obviously necessary to respond to emergencies, the efforts should not undermine long-term programs that help millions of people feed themselves and their families.

"Basically we're doing a lot of lobbying on Congress; the big audience we need are congressional representatives," Rivera explained. "We have staff on the hill that are constantly communicating with the staffs of key Congress people and members of the Senate, and it's a matter of getting them to increase funding for the food aid in a particular program called Food For Peace."

The Catholic organization anticipates it will require several hundred million dollars in order to maintain its programs at the same level it provided in the 2006 fiscal year.

Regarding the Food For Peace program, Rivera says "the U.S. government funds to the tune of about $1.2 billion per year and we're thinking they're going to have to increase that by between $100-300 million, which is a drop in the bucket in terms of the U.S. budget, but it is still a lot of money."

ZE07102505 - 2007-10-25
Permalink: http://www.zenit.org/article-20838?l=english

U.S. Bishops Prepare Document on Politics

Statement to Urge Catholics to Participate in Civil Life

WASHINGTON, D.C., OCT. 25, 2007 (Zenit.org).- The U.S. bishops will offer an updated statement on faith and politics after their general meeting next month, ahead of the 2008 election year.

The proposed statement focuses on the bishops' role in helping to form consciences in political life.

"In this statement, we bishops do not intend to tell Catholics for whom or against whom to vote," the draft states. "Our purpose is to help Catholics form their consciences in accordance with God's truth. We recognize that the responsibility to make choices in political life rests with each individual in light of a properly formed conscience, and that participation goes well beyond casting a vote in a particular election."

Statements on political life have been released by the bishops every four years for about three decades.

The draft to be discussed in November explains the necessity of opposing actions that are intrinsically wrong, such as abortion and euthanasia, and affirms the obligation to promote the common good by combating such threats to human life and dignity as hunger, poverty, racism, unjust immigration policies and unjust war.

The proposed draft also urges Catholics "to become more involved: running for office, working within political parties and communicating concerns to elected officials." It suggests that Catholics should be "guided more by our moral convictions than by our attachment to a political party or interest group."

The document says "Catholic voters should use Catholic teaching to examine candidates' positions on issues and should consider candidates' integrity, philosophy, and performance."

Fighting the Scourge of Human Trafficking

Fighting the Scourge of Human Trafficking
Women Religious Combat New Form of Slavery

ROME, OCT. 22, 2007 (Zenit.org).- On the 200th anniversary of the U.K.'s abolition of the slave trade, which led to the end of transatlantic trafficking of human beings, women religious from 26 countries gathered to fight a new form of enslavement.

The U.S. Embassy to the Holy See and the Italian Union of Major Superiors co-sponsored a five-day seminar in Rome last week titled "Building a Network: The Prophetic Role of Women Religious in the Fight Against Trafficking in Persons."

All continents were represented at the Oct. 15-20 congress, which launched the International Network of Religious Against Trafficking in Persons (INRATIP), dedicated to strengthening the global fight against sexual, labor and organ trafficking.

Sister Susan Malone of Los Angeles said women religious are not naive about the task they are taking on, and are prepared for the long haul. The United Nations Population Fund estimates that between 700,000 and 2 million women are trafficked annually across international borders.

Pointing to history, Sister Malone said that women religious have always tackled large social problems, and human trafficking is the new call.

Sister Patricia Egbebulem of Nigeria told ZENIT that "this work is not pretty, not rosy," but women religious have an advantage in understanding the situation since they are approached by victims in dire need who see a religious sister as someone to trust.

Presidential support

U.S. President George Bush sent a note to the gathering, in which he said that "human trafficking is one of the worst offenses against human dignity; it is a modern-day form of slavery, treating women and children as commodities for sale to the highest bidder."
"As members of the global community," the president continued, "we are called by conscience and compassion to bring this cruel practice to an end. Those gathered for this seminar are helping to fight this great evil by harnessing the energy and resources of individuals guided by faith and dedicated to the cause of justice."

Bush added, "Your efforts reflect the very best of the human spirit and help build a world where every life is respected."

NEED FOR POLITICIANS INSPIRED BY IDEALS: 40th anniversary of Pope Paul VI's Encyclical "Populorum Progressio."

NEED FOR POLITICIANS INSPIRED BY IDEALS

VATICAN CITY, OCT 18, 2007 (VIS) - Made public today was the text of an address delivered by Archbishop Diarmuid Martin of Dublin, Ireland, at the United Nations headquarters in New York for the occasion of the 40th anniversary of Pope Paul VI's Encyclical "Populorum Progressio."

Archbishop Martin began his English-language talk by recalling how "it was the challenge of addressing the needs of the poorest nations and their peoples which led the Pope to write his Encyclical."

"Populorum Progressio," said the archbishop, was "the first social Encyclical to be written after Vatican Council II, an event which had among its aims that of establishing a new way of looking at the relationship between the Church and the world."

"Authentic development is one of the key concepts of 'Populorum Progressio'," he continued, indicating that such a concept "also touches on the very nature of the human person and the response we need to make to his or her needs."

"Were Pope Paul here with us today he would certainly be saying thanks to all those who have given themselves in the service of humanity within the U.N. system. He would surely also certainly be making remarks on the slow progress of U.N. reform. We need a well-functioning U.N. Today's possibilities for inter-connectivity among peoples offer new and innovative ways of cooperation, also within the U.N. system."

"In talking about responsibility for development and of international cooperation," said Archbishop Martin, "the Encyclical "consistently stresses the role of public authorities. This recalls today's debate about both good governance and the important role of politics."

"Politics," he concluded, "is an essential dimension of the construction of society. We need around the world a new revival of politics. Around the world we need a new generation of politicians inspired by ideals, but also capable of taking the risks involved in transmitting those ideals into the 'possible,' through the optimum use of resources and talents to foster the good of all."
.../POPULORUM PROGRESSION/UN:MARTIN VIS 071018 (340)

ERADICATE THE CAUSES AND THE CONSEQUENCES OF POVERTY

ERADICATE THE CAUSES AND THE CONSEQUENCES OF POVERTY



VATICAN CITY, OCT 17, 2007 (VIS) - At the end of today's general audience which was celebrated in St. Peter's Square, the Pope recalled the fact that today marks the "International Day for the Eradication of Poverty," an annual event recognized by the United Nations.



Certain peoples, said the Holy Father, "still live in conditions of extreme poverty. The disparity between rich and poor has become more evident and more disturbing, even within the most economically advanced nations. This worrying situation appeals to the conscience of mankind because the conditions being suffered by such a large number of people are such as to offend the dignity of human beings and, as a consequence, to compromise the authentic and harmonious progress of the world community. I encourage, then, an increase in efforts to eliminate the causes of poverty and the tragic consequences deriving from it."

AG/APPEAL ERADICATION POVERTY/... VIS 071017 (160)

Escaping Poverty: Interview With Archbishop Silvano Tomasi

Escaping Poverty: Interview With Archbishop Silvano Tomasi

GENEVA, OCT. 16, 2007 (Zenit.org).- Intelligent use of the economy, market and culture is needed to attain objectives coinciding with our values as Christians and members of the human family, says a Holy See representative.

In this interview with ZENIT, Archbishop Silvano Tomasi, apostolic nuncio and permanent observer of the Holy See to the Office of the United Nations and Specialized Institutions in Geneva, spoke of the necessary avenues to help developing nations escape poverty.

Q: What tools does Vatican diplomacy use to evaluate the most underprivileged in the world?

Archbishop Tomasi: The Holy See works within the international sphere, with the United Nations and in the U.N.-related agencies, as an "observer" state; this gives the Holy See the right to intervene and take part in non-voting activities, thus allowing the Holy See to act more freely than other states.

Furthermore, the Holy See endeavors to promote a line of discourse to support and aid the least developed countries, particularly those suffering in conditions of extreme poverty.

Specifically, the Holy See tries to generate a public culture, a world opinion within the international sphere, by declaring that developed countries are not only in a position to choose to support poorer populations, but that they bear the ethical responsibility to do so.

Then, the Holy See tries to offer actual help to these populations, not only in the form of financial support, which sometimes contributes to corruption, but, above all, through technical training, the exchange of information and licenses, all to help facilitate production.

And, with the aid of existing international structures and U.N.-related entities, such as the U.N. Conference for Trade and Development, we try to equip less wealthy countries with the ability to take part in trade, keeping in mind that participation is one of the most important concepts in the Church's social doctrine.

According to this concept, everyone is entitled to take part in international life, to have access to common goods in a fair, proportionate and justified manner.

Q: What is your position in the debate about debt forgiveness for poor countries?

Archbishop Tomasi: For years, particularly since the Jubilee of the year 2000, several private organizations, the Church, and the Holy Father himself, have issued exhortations on the subject of debt forgiveness for poor countries because even payment of the interest is so burdensome that it obstructs development.

Therefore, I am in favor of debt forgiveness for the poorest countries as soon as possible, so that some of the resources that thus become available can be channeled toward social development, health care, children's education, drinking water systems, all for a gradual improvement of living standards.

Q: Do you consider the developed world to be adequately informed and involved in the problems of poor countries?

Archbishop Tomasi: Public opinion is often distracted by many things that are not so essential. Occasionally, great tragedies or humanitarian campaigns draw attention for a while.

Some time back, we had the tsunami in Southeast Asia, which brought about people's very constructive, positive and generous response. But we have other "tsunamis." We have thousands of people dying of hunger, malaria or AIDS every day while nothing is said about these silent tragedies.

The media sometimes reports on these, issuing information, but it is then lost because the news items are not dramatized, and public attention wanders.

The fact that there are wars going on, people dead as the result of conflicts in Africa, Asia or the Middle East, is viewed with a certain degree of indifference. It is almost as if we have grown accustomed to the normalcy of these tragedies.

In my opinion, for people to see on the news that 100 people have been assassinated in Baghdad, another 20 in Mogadishu, and 50 refugees have died in a tragedy in Africa, is sometimes not very different from watching an entertainment movie after the news bulletin.

Therefore, it is important for Christians to sensitize people through the network of parishes, groups and movements, about the need for solidarity toward the most disenfranchised, to work together toward peace, for a bit of progress and for a better standard of living for these distant people.

Q: What are your thoughts on multilateral diplomacy versus bilateral dialogue in the international community?

Archbishop Tomasi: I would say, above all, that there is still a strong desire to struggle and negotiate in order to continue on a multilateral level, to seek solutions to current problems, particularly in the field of trade.

For example, the director general of the World Trade Organization insists on the fact that we must definitely continue to grow together in the same direction in order to be truly effective in the long term, even in the case of developed countries.

However, at the moment, there is the temptation in Europe and in other states to try to bypass common action through bilateral negotiations. This tendency can have very dangerous consequences because the stronger party tends to impose its terms on the weaker one, so that the negotiation is not really equitable.

In the long term, this can just lead to the maintenance of the status quo, in other words, the coexistence of rich and poor countries, which, in fact, does not succeed in combating poverty.

Q: As permanent observer of the Holy See in Geneva, do you consider international organizations in the field of economics, especially the World Trade Organization, as directing their course of action toward the sustained development of Third World nations?

Archbishop Tomasi: I attended the Hong Kong Ministerial Conference at the end of 2005, when the WTO tried to evaluate the "Doha Development Round" [from November 2001].

On that occasion, it became clear that, despite the extremely tough bargaining, it is possible to reach agreements that are beneficial to all concerned. Therefore, these international structures, which are necessary to achieve the globalization of the economy, the market, and culture, must be used intelligently.

We have to make an intelligent use of these structures in order to attain objectives that are truly in line with our fundamental values as Christians and as members of the human family.

PRESSING COMMITMENT TO THE RIGHT TO FOOD

PRESSING COMMITMENT TO THE RIGHT TO FOOD

VATICAN CITY, OCT 16, 2007 (VIS) - Benedict XVI has written a Message to Jacques Diouf, director general of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) for the occasion of World Food Day, an annual event organized by the FAO every October 16.

With the theme chosen for this year's Day, "the right to food," writes the Holy Father in his message, the FAO "is inviting the international community to face up to one of the most serious challenges of our time: freeing from hunger millions of human beings, whose lives are in danger because of a lack of daily bread."

"We must realize that the efforts made thus far do not seem to have significantly diminished the number of hungry people in the world," the Pope observes, "despite the fact that everyone recognizes that food is a primary right. ... The available data shows that the lack of fulfillment of the right to food is due not only to natural causes but, above all, to situations provoked by human behavior which lead to a generalized social, economic and human deterioration."

The Pope goes on to recall how "an ever greater number of people - because of poverty or bloody conflicts - find themselves obliged to abandon their homes and their loved ones in order to seek sustenance outside their own lands, Despite international agreements, many of them are rejected" he adds, highlighting the "pressing" need for a concrete undertaking in which "all members of society, both in the individual and the international spheres, feel committed to cooperating in order to make the right to food possible." The lack of fulfillment of this right, he says, "constitutes an evident violation of human dignity and of the rights deriving therefrom."

The Holy Father then goes on to praise the FAO's expert understanding of "the problems of the agricultural world and of food insecurity, and its proven capacity to present plans and programs for their solution" as well as the organization's "acute sensitivity to the aspirations of those calling for more human living conditions."

"The Catholic Church," he concludes, "feels closely involved ... in this task and, through her various institutions, wishes to continue collaboration in order to support the desires and hopes of those individuals and peoples towards whom the activity of the FAO is directed."
MESS/WORLD FOOD DAY/FAO:DIOUF VIS 071016 (400)

Holy See Urges Consideration for Refugee Rights

Holy See Urges Consideration for Refugee Rights
Says It's Best Way to Aid Displaced Peoples

GENEVA, OCT. 8, 2007 (Zenit.org).-Rethinking the central place of human
rights for refugees is an approach that opens new commitment and leads to
practical measures, the Holy See told a meeting of the United Nations.

Archbishop Silvano Tomasi, permanent observer of the Holy See to the Office
of the United Nations and Specialized Institutions in Geneva, said this to
the 58th session of the executive committee of the agency Oct. 2.

"Forcibly displaced people continue to be subjected to human rights
violations," Archbishop Tomasi explained. "Regrettably, the number of
refugees has increased again to some 10 million persons and internally
displaced people to well over 24 million.

"Millions of normal, ordinary human beings are thrust into situations of
incredible humiliation and suffering.

"An approach that opens to new commitments and that leads to practical
measures of assistance and protection is based on rethinking the central
place that human dignity and human rights should hold in refugee and asylum
policies."

"The respect of the rights of all displaced persons leads to a
comprehensive response and protection so that a globalization of protection
results from a globalization of rights," the Italian apostolic nuncio said.

Twofold approach

The archbishop explained: "The perspective of human rights emanating from
the dignity of every person offers a twofold advantage.

"First, a human rights approach means that the duty to protect reaches
beyond the narrow national interest of single states and beyond the fear
that it may be a disguised form of domination.

"Second, the human right to protection means that governments and other
social groups have a duty not to drive people from their homes by denying
them the possibility to survive there but to respond instead to the
challenges of protection in a timely and effective way."

"A comprehensive human rights perspective can indicate appropriate criteria
and means that would apply from the moment a person is forced to leave home
and to apply for asylum to the moment a durable solution is reached,"
affirmed the 66-year-old prelate.

"The prevention of conflicts, which always are a source of human rights
violations and of massive forced displacement, must become the main road in
the efforts of the international community to eradicate the tragedy of
forced displacement," he added.

Human solidarity

Archbishop Tomasi explained: "[W]elcoming refugees and giving them
hospitality is, for every one, a vital gesture of human solidarity in order
to help them feel less isolated by intolerance and disinterest.

"Benedict XVI constantly appeals that these our brothers and sisters, so
badly tested by suffering, should be guaranteed asylum and the recognition
of their rights, and that public authorities should offer them protection
in such delicate situations of need."

"In conclusion," Archbishop Tomasi said, "addressing the problem of
uprooted people from their own perspective, and that of their dignity and
rights, will lead the international community to search for more
comprehensive and humane solutions and to find the motivation for
undertaking bold steps for their implementation."

ZE07100901 - 2007-10-09
Permalink: http://www.zenit.org/article-20709?l=english

Holy See Address on Development

"Economic Policies Cannot Be Separated From Social Policies"

NEW YORK, OCT. 9, 2007 (Zenit.org).- Here is a statement given today by Archbishop Celestino Migliore, the permanent observer of the Holy See to the United Nations, to the 62nd U.N. General Assembly.

The address was given before the Third Committee, on the implementation of the outcome of the World Summit for Social Development and of the 24th special session of the General Assembly.

* * *

Mr. Chairman,

At the 1995 Copenhagen World Summit for Social Development, the member states of the United Nations affirmed the need to address the problem of poverty by attacking its structural roots. They decided to incorporate into their national policies, as an essential element, a sharp reduction of inequality and of the various forms of marginalization and to achieve full social integration.

The international debate following the Copenhagen Summit shifted its focus to the global fight to eradicate extreme poverty cantered on achieving the MDGs. It also stressed the conditions required for equity in bilateral and multilateral financial and trade relationships and made special reference to the WTO Doha Round. The debate touched on the problems of external debt, the governance of world finance and the emergencies that generate or aggravate poverty, such as wars, corruption, the trafficking of drugs and human beings.

While this discussion is of utmost importance, it is equally important to reiterate that economic policies cannot be separated from social policies; otherwise, neither one nor the other will reach its respective goal. Indeed, during the last 12 years there has been a clear tendency toward increasing inequality between rich and poor, between developed and developing or underdeveloped countries and within individual nations. Evidently, the greater benefits of global economic growth have not reached, generally speaking, the poorer segments of society.

So far, only a few states have achieved a right balance between success in a global market-driven economy and the preservation, even a fine tuning, of social protection, thus ensuring a person-cantered development. Instead, in many cases new forms of poverty in both rich and poor countries have appeared side by side with the more traditional ones mainly characterized by wide income differences. The dearth of means among the weaker sectors of society has led to the loss of social relationships and networks needed to maintain personal integrity and dignity. Such is the case of the elderly left on their own, of the uninsured sick people, of the unemployed and the unskilled, of migrants unable to find work, of women and children suffering from family breakdown, of all those in precarious situations.

The Copenhagen Summit already foresaw the problems that the rapidly globalizing economy would provoke if not accompanied by a renewed attention to the social dimension of economic development. Today the world suffers from the unhinging, in greater or lesser degree, of social development from economic progress. Hence the Copenhagen Declaration and Program of Action continue to be relevant. They indicate the necessary means to overcome marginalization and to create the conditions for all to benefit from economic development.

While the responsibility for social equity lies primarily with individual governments, the international community has the duty to cooperate actively in its implementation, both by creating trade and financial conditions favorable to the growth of all national economies and by rejecting conditionalities that would restrict states from adopting policies aimed at helping the less favored sectors of society, such as the disabled and the elderly. The international community is called to assist states develop such policies, promote a new culture of solidarity and empower the poor to be protagonists of their own development.

Mr. Chairman,

Education is at the basis of all social policies. The value of education goes beyond economic development and the satisfaction of one’s basic needs. Education enables individuals and peoples to establish with others relationships founded on mutual respect and friendship and not on coercion. An educated society facilitates the fight against corruption that erodes the possibility of economic growth of the poorest. It also helps create a legal framework that leaves ample space to the rights of property and free enterprise, while safeguarding at the same time the full enjoyment of the social and economic rights of all without exception.

The eradication of poverty and the full enjoyment of the basic social rights by all individuals and of their families is fundamentally a moral commitment. Indeed, the indications and suggestions contained in the Copenhagen Declaration are no more than a translation into the language of international relations of those ethical values that exist in the heart of every man and woman and are enunciated in moral and religious precepts. The eradication of poverty and the full enjoyment of the basic social rights by all must therefore be goals enshrined in all economic and development policies, and be measures of their success or failure.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

ZE07101207 - 2007-10-12
Permalink: http://www.zenit.org/article-20741?l=english

Holy See Glad U.N. Peace Group Exists

Hopes for Results in Burundi and Sierra Leone

NEW YORK, OCT. 12, 2007 (Zenit.org).- Though the U.N. Peacebuilding Commission is still in a stage of growth, the Holy See welcomes the existence of the group, which aims to establish peace in countries recovering from conflict.

Archbishop Celestino Migliore, the Holy See's permanent observer to the United Nations, said this Wednesday at an address before the 62nd U.N. General Assembly, when he spoke about the Peacebuilding Commission (PBC) at the end of its inaugural year.

He said: "My delegation believes that the best guarantee against conflict is the individual and collective enjoyment of durable peace. To achieve this in a post-conflict country, it is necessary to recognize the special needs of that country, so it can be assisted accordingly in laying the foundation of a sustainable peace.

"The Holy See therefore warmly welcomed the creation of the PBC, as a response to the need for greater coherence and coordination of international peacebuilding efforts in post-conflict situations."

Archbishop Migliore said, though, that the success of the mission will be measured based on the results it obtains in its first two countries, Burundi and Sierra Leone.

"The PBC's emphasis on strong national ownership and responsibility gives us reason to hope for success in those first two focus countries, as well as in other post-conflict states that will be considered in the future," he said.

"My delegation is aware of the continuing debates on what the PBC should be, on its relation with peacekeeping operations and on its procedures and methods," the archbishop continued. "While this is part of the commission’s growth process, these debates should not distract nor derail it from its mandate of making a difference in the lives of peoples and countries, lest it become just another debating forum."

Archbishop Migliore confirmed the Holy See's "continuing interest in the work of the PBC," and said he encourages it "in the pursuit of its challenging task of helping rebuild individual lives and entire countries ravaged by war."

"It shall have fully achieved this task," he added, "when development, peace and security, and human rights will finally be interlinked and mutually reinforcing in a country which knew the devastations of armed conflict."