New York, NY, Oct. 5 – Acknowledging the financial challenges facing the global community, the Permanent Observer of the Holy See, His Excellency Archbishop Francis Chullikatt, expressed hope that the United Nations will fulfill its responsibilities to address extreme poverty. In his address to the General Assembly of the United Nations concerning “Agenda item 108: Report of the Secretary-General on the work of the Organization”, Archbishop Chullikatt noted that the fifteen percent increase in global military expenditures from 2007 to 2009 despite the economic crisis is all the more troubling in light of the fact that over 1.4 billion people around the world live on less than $1.25 per day.