By Holy See Mission
Statement by
H.E. Archbishop Celestino MiglioreApostolic
Nuncio, Permanent Observer of the Holy See to the United NationsEconomic and
Social Council, Substantive session of 2005High-level
segmentAchieving the
internationally agreed development goals,including those
contained in the Millennium Declaration,as well as
implementing the outcomes of the major United Nations conferences and
summits:progress made,
challenges and opportunitiesNew York, 1
July 2005Mr. President,
The Holy See is pleased to
associate itself with those who support the accord reached in London recently by
the G8 finance ministers to cancel the debts of 18 heavily indebted poor
countries (HIPC). In these last decades, the Holy See has been among the most
outspoken advocates of this kind of step, as expressed by the late Pope John
Paul II, who often raised his voice in favour of debt cancellation for the
world’s poorest countries. For now, the London accord remains only a proposal.
The G8 leaders, meeting at Gleneagles on 6-8 July next, must now pay attention
to the demands of their own people and of civil society, and place before their
respective legislatures bills that will lead to the immediate fulfillment of the
accord’s promises.
In order to consolidate these
achievements and convert them into a kind of launch pad we have to put them in
perspective.
It cannot be ignored that, while
countries are quick to defend and promote whatever is perceived as in their own
interests, there is often a marked contrast with international financial
measures on behalf of the world’s poorest countries. It must also be
acknowledged that the actual sums involved here are modest compared with the
vast military expenditure throughout the world and the subsidies that the
industrialised countries pay to sectors in their own economies, when often those
very subsidies are responsible for severe distortions in the world’s poorest
countries.
The Secretary-General’s Report
In Larger Freedom and the draft declaration for the forthcoming UN summit of
heads of state in September 2005 both recall that the true guarantee of world
security is to be found in the development of the world’s poorest countries and
in that of the more marginalised sectors in each of those countries. In other
words, it is a question of working at both inequality within individual
countries and inequality between different States.
The debt remission measures which
one hopes to see effectively adopted by the multilateral financial institutions
are just the start of that path, first of all because the measure in question
needs to be extended to some 38 HIPC countries. Secondly, if debt remission
were implemented by diverting financial resources from other aid programmes and
if there were no significant increase in real ODA, the world would end up facing
a situation worse than before the measures adopted at Gleneagles.
The upcoming G8 meeting must show
the world the magnanimity and breadth of vision of its leaders, something which
could serve as a solid and effective basis for a broad consensus at the
forthcoming Millennium+5 summit in September.
This year will also see the sixth
ministerial conference of the WTO taking place in Hong Kong in December. Debt
remission and the increase in ODA necessarily must be complemented by the
creation of an international trade system that is at the very least friendly
towards the most indebted countries, in the terms delineated at Doha. The
obligations undertaken by countries which are either very poor or have grave
structural deficiencies, for their part, must become flexible enough to promote
at home an economic development which is fully responsive to local social
requirements. Thus, the most industrialised countries - along with emerging
economies and more recent industrial powers – should not hesitate in allowing,
even favouring, concessions and privileges for extremely poor countries.
Finally, when talking of
financing for development, one cannot fail to mention the lack of financing for
basic scientific research and for the industrial development of pharmaceutical
products to combat the major tropical diseases such as malaria, as well as the
lack of research in favour of agriculture in poorer regions. There would appear
to be no point in waiting for private financing to invest in such fields, since
these are problems which do not concern directly the public of the countries
where the resources exist. What is needed is a generous provision of public
monies in favour of the many existing initiatives, like the Global Fund for
example, to promote an intensive and broad participation of the world’s
scientific research institutes.
The multilateral political events
of the second half of this year, starting with this session of ECOSOC, could
become an international turning point, in which the financing of international
development converts itself into the highest international priority, if world
leaders were able to move their Governments and peoples. Thus all countries,
developed and poor ones alike, would be able to play their true part in the
achievement of the MDGs.
Thank you, Mr. President.
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