Statement by the Permanent Observer Mission of the Holy See to the United Nations

UNGA 78 – Second Committee

General Debate

“Building a sustainable recovery for all”

New York, 4 October 2023

Mr. Chair,

I would like to congratulate you and the Bureau on your election and assure you of the Holy See’s constructive engagement during the work of this session.

When the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development was adopted, Pope Francis described it as “an important sign of hope.”[1] Alas, the events of recent years have called into question the achievability of the Agenda, and the bold aim of making sustainable development a reality by the end of this decade seems to be slipping away from us. We cannot allow this to happen.

In the General Debate and at the many meetings during the High-Level Week, we heard much about what needs to be done. The risk is—as Pope Francis has highlighted—that we become “content with the bureaucratic exercise of drawing up long lists of good proposals – goals, objectives and statistics.”[2] It is a necessary step, but it is not enough. 

The international community should take now the action needed to get back on track with the SDGs and scale up efforts and accelerate progress to “shift the world on to a sustainable and resilient path.”[3] This means, first and foremost, taking concrete actions to address the greatest challenges of our time, in particular poverty and hunger while combatting the pervasive “throwaway culture,”[4] in the name of which “persons are no longer seen as a paramount value to be cared for and respected, especially when poor or disabled,” and are discarded as “‘not yet useful’ – like the unborn, or ‘no longer needed’ – like the elderly.”[5]

Progress on the sustainable and resilient path we embarked on in 2015 also requires forward-looking measures that see beyond immediate benefits and focus on “the kind of world we are leaving to future generations,”[6] “its general direction, its meaning and its values.”[7]

In this regard, the implementation of the 2030 Agenda is not simply a matter of mobilizing more resources in an attempt to overcome the many technical challenges that the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals entails. Instead, it is, first and foremost, a matter of committing to and delivering on a new model of development that has the human person at its center, is geared towards the common good, and is grounded in ethical principles of justice, solidarity, and shared responsibility. This model builds on the unique mandate of this Committee within the UN system, namely, to meet “the basic needs of all and [extend] to all the opportunity to fulfil their aspirations for a better life.”[8] This very idea is expressed by the concept of sustainability, which, indeed, lies at the center of this Committee’s agenda.

Mr. Chair,

The Holy See would like to highlight a few key aspects of the social, economic, and environmental dimensions of sustainable development which, if promoted by this Committee and the international community more broadly, could contribute to building a sustainable future for all.

Firstly, social development cannot be achieved without adequate support and protection for the family, which is “the natural and fundamental group unit of society.”[9]The family is frequently the only source of support for millions of people, especially for those who are regarded by society as a burden or unwanted. Thus, investing in family-oriented policies is the first step in making the social fabric of our communities more resilient.

Secondly, from an economic perspective, there is need to rebuild a sustainable future for all based on economic models that not only foster growth but, first and foremost, promote integral human development. The greatest resource of any economy is its people. Economic development cannot be reduced simply to economic gain, nor can it be achieved without adequate promotion of human labor, fair wages and working conditions, and respect for workers’ rights. This requires addressing the many forms of injustice that persist in today’s economic systems, supported by reductive anthropological visions and economic goals in the name of which human beings are consistently exploited, discarded, trafficked, and even killed.

Thirdly, from the environmental viewpoint, a model of development centered on the human person necessarily entails a particular concern for our planet, our “common home,”[10] created and entrusted by God to human care. The 2030 Agenda emphasizes that “the future of humanity and of our planet lies […] in the hands of today’s generation who will pass the torch to future generations.”[11] As we ask ourselves what kind of world we want to leave to those who come after us,[12] we do well to recognize, in the words of Pope Francis, that “we can no longer speak of sustainable development apart from intergenerational solidarity.”[13] Indeed, the restoration of a harmonious relationship with nature is a crucial challenge that calls us to act with urgency to safeguard the future.

Mr. Chair,

Sustainable development is not a goal achieved once and for all; rather it is an ongoing process that requires a long-term vision and sustained effort. It is the special responsibility of this Committee to ensure that our vision remains focused, and that the international community perseveres in its efforts to promote a future in which the inherent dignity of every person is respected, the needs of the poor and those in vulnerable situations are met, and a harmonious relationship with the environment is restored.

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

[1] Pope Francis, Address to the seventieth session of United Nations General Assembly, 25 September 2015.

[2] Ibid.

[3] A/RES/70/1, preamble.

[4] Pope Francis, Encyclical Letter, Fratelli Tutti, 18.

[5] Ibid.

[6] Pope Francis, Encyclical Letter, Laudato si’, 159.

[7] Ibi, 160.

[8] A/42/427, Report of the World Conference on Environment and Development. 

[9] Universal Declaration of Human Rights, art. 16(3).

[10] Pope Francis, Encyclical Letter Laudato Si’, 1.

[11] A/RES/70/1.

[12] Cf. Pope Francis, Encyclical Letter Laudato Si’, 162.

[13] Pope Francis, Encyclical Letter Laudato Si’, 160.