By Holy See Mission
Statement of His Eminence Cardinal Peter K.A. TurksonPresident of the
Pontifical Council for Justice and PeaceHead of the Delegation of the Holy
SeeSummit of Heads of State and Governmenton the Millennium
Development GoalsNew York, 20 September 2010
Mr. President,
I have the honour to convey the cordial greetings of His Holiness Pope
Benedict XVI to the Heads of State and Government assembled here during these
days to work together towards a world free of the plague of extreme poverty and
to ensure that all children, women and men in every country of the world have
the conditions necessary to live their lives in freedom and dignity.
His Holiness, as a sign of the universality of the message of the Catholic
Church, desires to collaborate with men and women from all over the world, both
developed and developing countries, both Christian and non-Christian cultures.
So it was that Pope Benedict XVI appointed me, a son of Africa and of the
Church, to be his assistant for the questions concerning justice and peace among
peoples. In so doing, he affirms that Christianity forms part of the African
culture, rich in fundamental human values that contribute in a specific way to a
“human” management of global affairs, notwithstanding material setbacks suffered
in the 20th and early 21st centuries.
In the year 2000, with the unanimous endorsement of the Millennium
Declaration, all Heads of State at the United Nations acknowledged that the
international struggle against poverty could not be limited to the management of
the great economic variables, such as finances and foreign debts, commerce and
development aid. Rather, the Family of Nations appreciated the more
specifically “human” aspects of development, such as eradicating hunger,
promoting education, providing health care and social services, ensuring equal
opportunities for work, and advocating responsible stewardship of the
environment.
Efforts to reach the Millennium Goals have involved the entire international
community at global, regional and national levels, in spite of armed conflicts,
financial crises, commercial differences, natural catastrophes, and a myriad of
other human and social problems. Progress has been made in various ways towards
halving the number of people living under the absolute poverty line,
particularly in the area of primary education and equal educational
opportunities for men and women. Encouraging signs are also noted in the area of
access to basic sanitation and to safe drinking water.
However, achievements are mainly concentrated in the so-called “emerging”
economies, which have succeeded in reaching an extraordinary degree of
development in the past decade. Unfortunately, less than half of the countries
suffering from child malnutrition will be able to eradicate this affliction
before 2015. Despite rapid economic growth and improvement of the social
indicators in many countries of Sub-Saharan Africa, this region as a whole
continues to face the greatest number of problems in the struggle against
poverty. As if that were not enough, even in middle and high-income countries,
there are important concentrations of poverty.
Therefore, much still needs to be done to maintain and strengthen political mobilization, through continued economic and
financial solidarity, in order to guarantee the availability of resources. In
this regard, the Holy See emphasizes the importance of strengthening a global
partnership for development which is a necessary condition for the achievement
of all other goals, and supports the full and integral compliance of the
Monterrey Consensus and the Doha Declaration of Financing for Development.
Furthermore, in addition to providing the financial means to redress the
problems associated with the international financial system, hard work is still
needed to eradicate the debts of poor countries and to prevent the recurrence of
certain situations of international usury that have marked the last decades of
the 20th century. We need constant low-cost cash flows for the less
developed countries, specifically destined to create structures for sustainable
local productivity and stable high-level employment. Developed countries and
emerging economies should also generously keep their markets open, without excessive demands for trade reciprocity, in order to
help poor countries grow towards the economic independence necessary to promote
their socio-economic development. A constant sharing of knowledge in the areas
of science and technology has to be offered to poorer countries so that they can
generate, on a local level, the capacities necessary to solve effectively, by
themselves, their health-care problems and their need to diversify agricultural
and industrial production.
Notwithstanding the international financial crisis, an essential part of a
deeper and lasting solution, is the reinforcement of ODA (Official Development
Assistance) pledges, so that the commitment to allocate 0.7% of the GDP to this
kind of aid may be quickly applied, while ensuring that these sums do in fact
reach the poorest countries. Promotion of this effort will require a renewed
understanding that will enable us to expand our vision from the donor/recipient
paradigm to see each other for who we are: brothers and sisters, with equal
dignity, and opportunity to access the same markets and networks.
The campaign for development carried out by international agencies has
revealed that success is not so much economic assistance but rather creativity
and resourcefulness, commitment and countless sacrifices of “small actors.” For
example, there are local governments and municipal authorities, the myriad of
subjects who make up civil society — large and small NGOs, international and
national trade unions, cooperatives, consumer associations, advocacy groups— as
well as a plethora of "Faith-based Organizations." Such local ownership
constitutes a new phenomenon, which has succeeded, almost spontaneously, in
combining the most modern technology with so-called "appropriate" and
"intermediate technology" thus giving life to the expression "small is
beautiful." Indeed, this reality was predicted many years ago by economists
such as Ernest Friedrich Schumacher, and strongly inspired by the Encyclicals
Rerum Novarum of Pope Leo XIII and Mater et Magister of John XXIII
(cf. also Pope Benedict XVI, Encyclical Caritas in Veritate, n. 72).
The struggle for development has therefore stressed the importance of
actively mobilizing all subjects of civil society; and in this way, has
proven to be, beyond a doubt, the centrality of the human person, as the
subject primarily responsible for development (Caritas in Veritate,
no. 47). Real men and women who have formed partnership and alliances to bring
the north and the south together are showing that it is possible to unite the
immense possibilities of intelligence and human will in the service of
integral human development. There is a vast amount of experience, from
Africa and from other poor regions, to demonstrate that positive change is
possible. This involvement, at the ground level, where local communities become
key actors in their own development, is something indispensable for the true
effectiveness of international aid and for better international financial and
commercial structures, which nevertheless continue to be necessary.
Mr. President,
Although, local civil societies seem increasingly conscious of their role as
actors in their own development, unfortunately, most of the obstacles
encountered are imputable to bad governance and irresponsible State conduct on
regional and international levels. Therefore, to overcome definitively the
obstacles that impede development, the positive experiences of civil society
must become values that guide political action.
Countless innocent victims, whole populations, have been left in the wake of
the international financial crisis. The unethical and irresponsible conduct of
large private financial operators, together with the lack of foresight and
control by Governments and the international community, have all played a role.
Excessive nationalism and corporate self-interest as well as old and new
ideologies, fomenting wars and conflicts, are all obstacles to development.
Illicit trafficking of persons, drugs and precious raw materials linked to the
situation of war and extreme poverty, on the one hand, and the lack of scruples
of certain economic and social contractors from more developed regions, on the
other hand, continue to be serious impediments to development. The reality of
tax evasion, money laundering and the so-called “tax havens” set up to drain the
coffers of Governments in poor countries by diverting limited resources away
from development, remains a problem. The financial crisis, which has finally
given rise to protectionist trade, has become yet another obstacle to the
development of poor countries.
All Governments, both of developed and developing countries, must accept
their responsibility to fight corruption against reckless and sometimes immoral
behavior in the areas of business and finances, as well as irresponsibility and
tax evasion, in order to guarantee the “rule of law” and to promote the human
aspects of development such as education, job security and basic health care for
all. Likewise, all countries, especially richer or more powerful ones, must act
in accordance with responsible international solidarity. Today more than ever,
it is difficult for national measures not to have international consequences
that may at times weigh heavily on countries that are distant and unknown to the
immediate beneficiaries of such measures. In addition, within their own
territories, Governments —the donors as well as the recipients— should not
interfere with or hinder the particular character and autonomy of religious and
civil organizations involved in the areas described above. Rather, they should
respectfully encourage such organizations as well as promote and financially
support them as much as possible. The generosity and commitment of religious and
civil organizations should inspire governments and international organizations
to make proportional efforts.
For all these reasons, population policies which violate human dignity do not
help the MDGs to attain their sublime objectives; still less do they alleviate
poverty. I know the poverty of deprivation and exclusion, as an African. I have
encountered really poor and destitute people in my life and ministry as a
religious leader, and I would like to ask the International Community,
especially the developed countries, not to underestimate the resourcefulness of
the poor, and not to find them burdensome. Ensure to poor countries the
effective mainframe of Goal 8, and they will assume the shared responsibility
and national ownership of achieving the other goals. MDGs should be used to
fight poverty and not to eliminate the poor!
The inherent and equal dignity, the individuality, and the transcendence of
each human being must be the foundation of each and every policy on
development. Morally responsible openness to life represents a rich social
and economic resource (Caritas in Veritate, 44). Reverence for human
life, from conception until natural death, and respect for the capacity of men
and women to live upstanding moral lives, affirms their personal transcendence,
even if they live in poverty. Controlling one’s passions and overcoming
hedonistic impulses, constitute the starting point for building a harmonious
society. Such respect is also the necessary and essential condition for
sustainable economic development and integral human development. Hence, the
Holy See reaffirms its conviction that great benefits will accrue to all men and
women now living in poverty, only if the MDGs are understood and pursued in
harmony with objective moral standards and human nature (cf. Caritas in
Veritate, nos. 44, 68- 70 and 75).
In this regard, on the much debated issue of maternal health, the Holy See,
respectfully and fervently invites the Countries participating in this HLM, to
provide quality resources for the health care needs of mothers and their babies,
including the unborn. Moreover, repeated references in the Outcome Document to
“sexual and reproductive health” and “family planning” raise deep concerns.
These are controversial terms, often interpreted as including access to abortion
and methods of family planning that are not in accordance with the natural law,
known by right reason.
Mr. President,
In his latest Encyclical Letter Caritas in Veritate, Pope Benedict XVI
explained that the vision of development as a vocation brings with it the
central place of charity within that development. Indeed, the causes of
underdevelopment are not primarily of the material order. In the pursuit of
development, in a globalizing world, only “the deep thought and reflection of
wise men in search of a new humanism...will enable modern man to find himself
anew” (Populorum
Progressio, 51). While reason, by itself, is capable of grasping the
equality between men and women, and of creating the means to give some stability
to their civic coexistence, it cannot establish fraternity; since authentic
fraternity originates in a transcendent vocation from God (cf. Caritas in
Veritate, no. 19).
The Family of Nations has committed itself to fighting material poverty.
This is a key and noble goal to pursue; but in this effort let us never forget
that material poverty has partners—relational, emotional, and spiritual
poverty. The human person must be at the centre of concern in our quest for
development. If everyone’s political, religious and economic rights and
freedoms are respected, we will shift the paradigm from merely trying to manage
poverty to creating wealth; from viewing the person as a burden to seeing the
person as part of the solution. The fundamental mission of the Holy See is
above all spiritual, and this mission encompasses a solicitude for all people
and all of creation. For this reason, the Holy See feels obliged to be present
in the life of the nations and carry out its commitment, in partnership with the
international community and the civil society, to promote justice and solidarity
among peoples. It is with this conviction that the Holy See desires to
collaborate with this Summit in the quest of an era of peace, social justice and
authentic human integral development.
Thank you, Mr. President.
Copyright © 2015-2030 The Permanent Observer Mission of the Holy See to the United Nations