By Holy See Mission
Statement byH.E. Archbishop Celestino
MigliorePermanent Observer of the
Holy See to the United Nationson Agenda item 60:Follow-up to the Outcome
of the millennium SummitNew
York, 9 October 2003Mr.
President,
Since this is the first
time my delegation is taking the floor under your presidency, allow me
to join
the previous speakers in congratulating you and the other members of the
Bureau.
Mr. President, when Heads
of State and Governments at the 2000 Millennium Summit committed
themselves to
reaching measurable targets by 2015, they were thinking of it not only
as
inspirational but also as technically viable.
With twelve years
remaining before that target year, my delegation reaffirms its
commitment to the
millennium goals, believes in their technical viability as effective
tools of
political mobilization in favor of the marginalized, and unites itself
with the
Secretary General's call for "taking a hard look at the existing
architecture of
multilateral institutions."
Mr. President, the
struggle for the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) is a struggle for
the
globalization of ethics, equity, inclusion, human security,
sustainability and
development. Such goods can be delivered by market forces only if
attention is
paid to the preservation and enhancement of human, community and
environmental
resources. The efficiency of the international trade and financial
systems
should be measured by their effective contribution to the achievement of
the
MDGs. Thus, the challenge is to find the effective framework of rules
and
institutions for stronger governance - local, national, regional and
global - to
ensure that globalization works for the good of people and not just for
profit.
The international
community should refashion the established ideas about political
equality,
social justice and liberty and re-design these into a coherent political
project
robust enough for a world where power is exercised on a transnational
scale and
where risks are shared by peoples across the world.
When we speak about the
MDGs we are addressing our immediate future and, thus, we are talking
about
children. Children are the most precious treasure deserving of the
utmost love
and respect, and they are given to each generation as a challenge to its
wisdom
and humanity. The well-being of the world's children depends greatly on
the
measures taken by States to support and help families fulfill their
natural
life-giving and formative functions.
It is interesting to note
that in 1946, when the General Assembly created the UNICEF, this acronym
used to
be understood as the UN International Emergency Fund. Despite the
change
in meaning the same sense can be applied now to situations where
children are
not welcomed, where their rights are tampered and their plight
abandoned. It is
a real emergency that must be addressed quickly if we want to
preserve
society.
In this regard, my
delegation reaffirms the centrality of education. But it should be a
knowledge
not only of information but knowledge with direction. While global media
networks and satellite communications can promote transnational cultural
diversity, it should also endeavour to safeguard people's cultural
identity.
National, along with indigenous culture, should flourish alongside
foreign
cultures.
The feminization of
poverty and some historical forms of marginalization of women have
deprived the
human race of untold resources. A heartening answer to such problems is
the
gradual increase of women's participation in the formal labor market.
Yet,
women's hours spent in unpaid work remain high, and most national labor
laws do
not recognize the vital importance of work or care at home.
With the elusive
conditions for peace, my delegation is profoundly concerned about
security and
terrorism. An unwanted effect of technological progress and economic
globalization has been the dramatic increase of human traffic, specially
women
and children, spawning drug related crimes, triggering weapons trade to
feed
street crime as well as civil strife. In areas affected by economic
stagnation,
structural adjustment programmes have led to the dismantling of state
services.
Chronic environmental
degradation is becoming today's silent emergency. The irrational
exploitation of
natural resources is resulting in less biodiversity and fewer forests.
Unfortunately, most of the costs are borne by the poor, while the
world's rich
benefit the most.
This leaves without saying
that, guided by these MDGs, each society needs to find its own
arrangements
based on its history and conditions. All societies need to devise a
better
solution and to make a strong commitment to preserve time and resources
for care
and the societal bonds that nourish human development. The risk of
marginalization does not have to be a reason for despair. It should be a
call
for more community action, that is, focusing on group access, not just
individual ownership; winning peace, not just wars; attending to
forgotten
health emergencies and not only to deadly pandemics; assuring national
developments through fair trade and financial autonomy, and not just by
donor
short-term aid and debt relief.
My delegation appreciates,
above all, that in putting flesh to the MDGs, tireless efforts are being
exerted
by the UN system in guiding governments, assisted by civil societies, to
set up
mechanisms to make ethical standards and human rights binding for
nations,
corporations and individuals. In that manner, multilateral agreements
help to
establish global markets that are consistent with human development.
Mr. President, the Holy
See understands that the MDGs, noted for their preferential focus for
the poor,
are not a transitory target-driven goal but a permanent task and
commitment.
These goals are technically viable if every human being, who is the
stakeholder
and center of these goals, is also put at the center of the economic
thinking
and of the "architecture" of all international organizations, including
those
dealing with finances and trade.
Thank you, Mr. President.
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