At the General Debate of the
Sixtieth Session of the Commission for Social Development
dedicated to the theme
"Inclusive and Resilient Recovery from COVID-19
for Sustainable Livelihoods, Well-Being and Dignity for All:
Eradicating Poverty and Hunger in All Its Forms and Dimensions
to Achieve the 2030 Agenda"
Madam Chair,
The Holy See is pleased to participate in this 60thSession of the Commission for Social Development.
As the priority theme of this year’s session highlights, the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development recognizes that “eradicating poverty in all its forms and dimensions, including extreme poverty, is the greatest global challenge and an indispensable requirement for sustainable development.”[1] As we move ever further into the Decade for Action, two realities should give us pause: first, that too little progress has been made toward achieving sustainable development; and second, that the COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted efforts to achieve many of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), especially SDG1 and SDG2.[2]
Even before the pandemic, the number of those living under the poverty line was unacceptably high. This has dramatically increased due to the impact of COVID-19 on people’s jobs and livelihoods.[3] In 2021, 137 million full-time jobs were lost globally.[4]This has disproportionately impacted the poorest and those in vulnerable situations, who have experiencedmuch greater employment deficits.
Moreover, in many countries around the world, job loss and increased unemployment have resulted in a decline in incomes, which has led to a change in the profile of the poor and where they live. The “new poor,” defined as “those who were expected to be non-poor in 2020 prior to the COVID-19 outbreak,”[5]are increasingly urban and, overall, have a higher level of education.
Nevertheless, the vast majority of the poor still live in rural areas. Overall, rural populations were less prepared to mitigate the economic effects of the pandemic. Theyoften rely on a single source of income and, since they are more likely to be employed in the informal economy they may be excluded from social protections, including unemployment benefits. As a result, many rural households have turned to precarious coping strategies, including selling their productive assets such as farming equipment and livestock, to mitigate the impacts of the pandemic on their immediate needs. This then places them at an even greater risk of being trapped in long-term poverty.
Madam Chair,
Poverty is not just a matter of financial resources. It appears in a variety of forms, including non-monetary deprivations such as a lack of basic resources, including housing, electricity, safe drinking water and sanitation, as well as lack of access to healthcare and education.
Lack of access to education is particularly concerning. Education is “the primary vehicle of integral human development”[6] and provides the necessary tools for the spiritual, moral, and social growth of the person. Education creates the conditions needed to break the vicious cycle of poverty and lack of opportunity, thus making it possible for the poor “to shape his or her own future.”[7]
School closures have hit the poorest and children in vulnerable situations and their families the hardest. Millions of children who were already in vulnerable situations became victims of social conditions that forced them into child labor and other forms of exploitation, preventing their return to school.[8] Moreover, the disruption of school meal programs, often the only reliable source of daily meals for many children in the poorest regions of the world, has contributed to an increase in food insecurity and malnutrition.
More broadly speaking, food insecurity and malnutrition have grown alarmingly since the onset of the pandemic in 2020. This is not due simply to food scarcity. Rather, it is the result of inequitable distribution of food and unaffordable access to healthy diets. Disrupted global and national food supply chains have led to a significant rise in food prices, which, consequently, made safe, sufficient, and nutritious food out of reach for those families who have struggled to support themselves due to a decrease in their income. Solutions to food insecurity and malnutrition are far more complex than simply increasing food production alone. To ensure that every person has access to his or her daily bread, it is essential to guarantee that the distribution of food is equitable and that healthy diets are accessible and affordable for all.
Madam Chair,
Poverty, in all its forms and dimensions, and hunger offend human dignity.The remedy should be sought in an ethical approach that puts the human personand human dignity at the center of development. Policies and programs should stimulate employment, ensure investments in basic public services for the good of all, and assist the family – the fundamental unit of society – by providing it with adequate and efficient means of support, not only for bringing up children but for looking after the elderly, those with disabilities, and those in vulnerable situations.
In this regard, urgent actions are needed in three areas.
First, in the fight against poverty and hunger, creating decent work and income-generating opportunities and ensuring sustainable livelihoods for all should remain a priority. Moreover, it is essential to build nationally appropriate social protection systems that are adequate, comprehensive, and sustainable, including nationally defined social protection floors that guarantee at least a basic level of social security for all workers, irrespective of their employment arrangements.
Second, addressing the many forms of non-income deprivations that millions of people face every day is indispensable. Investments in quality education, especially childhood education, contribute significantly to breaking cycles of poverty. Moreover, maternity and child benefits, and affordable and accessible childcare should be promoted and expanded as they offer crucial support to the family, especially to families in vulnerable situations.
Third, ensuring access to safe, sufficient, and nutritious food for all throughout the year, requires that the design and delivery of social protection measures take into consideration food security and nutrition dimensions. As most of the world’s poor are employed in the agricultural sector, there is a need to support agricultural development and strengthen the resilience and adaptability of small-scale producers and family farmers.
In conclusion, efforts to eradicate poverty and hunger must adopt a multidimensional approach that addresses the “varied and excessive forms of moral and social disorder that are generating ever new forms of poverty.”[9] A renewed ethics of the common good is necessary. It should form the basis for policy-making capable of both tackling the structural inequalities behind our deeply divided and increasingly fragile world and ensuring that development efforts incorporate the needs of the poor and those in vulnerable situations in the design, implementation, and monitoring of COVID-19 recovery plans.
Thank you, Madam Chair.
[1]A/RES/70/1.
[2]Cf. E/CN.5/2022/3, Report of the United Nations Secretary-General on “Inclusive and resilient recovery from COVID-19 for sustainable livelihoods, well-being and dignity for all: eradicating poverty and hunger in all its forms and dimensions to achieve the 2030 Agenda.”
[3]Cf. International Labour Organization (ILO), “ILO Monitor: COVID-19 and the world of work.
Eighth edition – updated estimates and analysis,” October 2021.
[4]Cf. International Labour Organization (ILO), “ILO Monitor: COVID-19 and the world of work.
Eighth edition – updated estimates and analysis,” October 2021.
[5]World Bank, “Profiles of the new poor due to the COVID-19 pandemic” 2020.
[6]Pope Francis, Address to the Members of the Diplomatic Corps accredited to the Holy See, 10 January 2022.
[7]Pope Francis, Encyclical Letter, Fratelli tutti, 109.
[8]Cf. E/CN.5/2022/3.
[9]Pope Francis, Message on the Fifth World Day of the Poor, 14 November 2021.