On October 3, Archbishop Bernardito Auza, Permanent Observer of the Holy See to the UN, gave an intervention during the Third Committee deliberations of the Seventy-third Session of the General Assembly on Agenda Item 28 dedicated to “Social Development.”
 
In his statement, Archbishop Auza lauded the significant reduction in global poverty over the past 30 years but noted the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development’s goal of eradicating “poverty in all its forms” remains very far away. He said that income inequality, and the gap between rich and poor, remains a defining socio-economic challenge. The causes of poverty and inequality are often reduced to economic development, he stated, whereas they need to be met with a firmer sense of collective responsibility, solidarity, and integral human development. He brought attention to the affirmation of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights that the family is the bedrock of society and said that governments must therefore help families to support and care for themselves. Vulnerable families make vulnerable societies. He also underlined the importance of investing in youth and of caring for those with disabilities and old age.
 
The statement can be found here.