On October 25, Archbishop Bernardito Auza, Permanent Observer of the Holy See to the United Nations, gave an intervention during the debate of the Second Committee of the General Assembly dedicated to Agenda Item 24, entitled “Operational Activities for Development.”  

In his intervention, Archbishop Auza praised the June report of the UN Secretary General António Guterres on repositioning of the UN development apparatus so that it may better advance the goals of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, saying that it will enhance the system’s effectiveness, cohesion, leadership and accountability. He said that the UN development system must better account for the local situations of those it is assisting, place their needs above process, donors’ national interests, and various forms of ideological colonization that fail to respond to the right to life and to freedom of religion, culture, history, beliefs and values of those in developing nations. Development aid should be given in ways consonant with the 2030 Agenda, Paris Agreement and the upcoming Global Compacts on Migration and on Refugees.

His statement can be found here.