On October 24, the Permanent Observer Mission of the Holy See to the UN gave an intervention during the deliberations of the Second Committee of the Seventy-First Session of the United Nations General Assembly on Agenda Item 25, dedicated to “Agricultural development, food security and nutrition.”

In its statement, the Holy See noted that even though much progress has been made since 1990 in reducing hunger, nearly 800 million people are still undernourished and more than two billion suffer from micronutrient deficiencies, including 200 million children under five. It echoed the report of the UN Secretary General calling for “firm political and societal commitment” to “end hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition” by 2030 (SDG 2). Poverty and hunger cannot be treated merely as “natural” inevitabilities, it said. Rather, the faces of the poor and hungry must constantly be seen. Likewise poverty and hunger cannot be bureaucratized, where aid and development projects are obstructed for political reasons. What is necessary is not just to increase food production and improve food distribution but to approach the situation with solidarity, compassion, empathy and social justice.

The statement can be found here.