By Holy See Mission
Statement
of H.E. Archbishop Bernardito Auza
Permanent
Observer of the Holy See to the United Nations
69th Session of the
General Assembly
Third
Committee,
Agenda Item 27: Advancement of women
New
York, 14 October 2014
Madam Chair,
The advancement of women
throughout the world has been the central focus of common and continued efforts
and initiatives over many years now.
These endeavors have borne
fruits: the situation of women in general has largely improved, especially of
those who were in critical situations created by poverty and discrimination of
all sorts. The reduction of maternal and
infant mortality shows that mobilizing adequate resources saves many lives.
Such remarkable improvements call for further efforts in order to more effectively
tackle distressing situations that many women still face today due to lack of
education and healthcare, in particular where such formation and care could
prevent devastating consequences, as
in the cases of female genital mutilation and obstetric fistula.
There are still women who
endure violence and discrimination, and have no access to the administration of
justice and basic services:
women migrant workers, undocumented women, women unjustly imprisoned, women
seeking asylum, women refugees, women
who find themselves in dramatic situations and are exposed to all sorts of
abuses, and many others whose human
rights continue to be denied.
My delegation is particularly
alarmed over the impact of violence, including sexual violence, on women caught
in conflicts and wars in many countries and regions around the world, more
recently in the Middle East. The Holy See urges all States and the entire
international community to take every possible and necessary step in order to
make humanitarian aid accessible to all victims of violence and, in particular,
to protect women and children from abuses and human trafficking.
Madam Chair,
Reports show that, in many
parts of the world, women and children form the majority of the poor and are
affected by the burden of poverty in very specific ways. In many developing countries, for example,
women are the most affected by the lack of infrastructure for water and energy
supply. In urban areas, women are the
ones who suffer the most from violence. Poverty often creates or compounds an
unacceptable gap between men and women, boys and girls in terms of access to
basic services and education. In highly commending those countries where
significant progress has been achieved in these areas, the Holy See believes
that much is still to be done to effectively address the inequalities between
men and women, girls and boys.
But beyond inequalities, an
even greater and more urgent attention should be focused on the fight against
want, hunger and thirst, against lack of access to clean water and basic
healthcare services, to education and employment opportunities. Rescuing women
and girls from poverty is the key to their advancement and the best guarantee
to achieve equality for them.
Madam Chair,
My delegation believes that
the advancement of women should not be measured merely by the criterion of
equality with men. For instance, the fight in favor of advancement of women
should also be a fight for better conditions for mothers. It is in this sense that efforts to promote
the advancement of women should not be at the expense of other human rights.
Moreover, my delegation wishes
to highlight the important role that women play in poverty alleviation. Women migrant and domestic workers, women
living in rural areas or in slums have
been playing a critical
role in the success of small-scale economic activities and microfinance.
Assuring women equal access to resources, capital and technology is a most concrete way of recognizing
their enormous contribution to society and assuring their advancement.
Finally, every effort should
be exerted to better recognize women as protagonists in every aspect of
life. Invaluable contributions of women
across centuries must be recognized: intellectuals and artists, wives and
mothers, workers and entrepreneurs, educators and caregivers, civic and
political leaders, thinkers and spiritual leaders. We have women who have been
and are impressive examples of daily heroism, and who stand up to exercise their human rights and live in a dignified
way, in the midst and in spite of exclusion and violence, of mistreatment and
discrimination.
Madam Chair,
My delegation remains very
supportive of the efforts and initiatives that can protect the inherent dignity
of women, improve their conditions of living and promote the recognition and
full development of their talents and skills.
Thank you, Madam Chair.
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