On October 4, the Permanent Observer Mission of the Holy See to the UN, gave an intervention during the Second Committee General Debate of the Seventy-First Session of the United Nations General Assembly.   

In its statement, the Holy See praised the accomplishments of the international community over the past 18 months in working together to address global challenges, but noted that at the same time breakdowns of trust, inequalities among and within countries, and violent conflicts have all increased, provoking the worst humanitarian crisis in 70 years. A human-centered approach, grounded in the right life and the capacities of the human person, is necessary to address present challenges. Human persons are part of the solution, not obstacles to development. Integral human development involves ensuring lodging, labor, land, religious freedom, the right to education and other civil rights. It also involves equitable mechanisms for global trade and multilateral financial assistance. It includes fraternity and solidarity. The Holy See said that it hoped that the upcoming Habitat III Conference in Quito later in October would provide the occasion to incorporate this vision of integral development in housing and urban planning.

The statement can be found here.