10 October 2025

Mr. Chair,

My Delegation welcomes today’s debate as an opportunity to recognize and address the unique and persistent vulnerabilities that put countries in special situations at greater risk of lagging behind in the pursuit of sustainable development. At stake are both the achievement of integral development for all and the principle that every country must be treated with equal respect and as an equal partner in the international community, regardless of its size, geographical position or economic weight.

The Least Developed Countries

The Least Developed Countries (LDCs) continue to face systemic barriers to development that trap millions in poverty. Therefore, eradicating poverty must remain the core of the support for LDCs. Lifting people out of poverty not only has an impact on sustainable development but also upholds the God-given dignity of every person and ensures the true flourishing of every individual. As Pope Leo XIV reminds us, “helping the poor is a matter of justice before a question of charity.”[1]

Landlocked Developing Countries

Landlocked Developing Countries (LLDCs), although they are diverse in terms of their cultural and economic contexts, face the common challenge of geographic isolation, which puts them at a structural disadvantage in terms of trade and global markets.

My Delegation emphasizes the importance of trade being based on the principle of the universal destination of goods, whereby every person and all peoples have the necessary conditions for integral development, so that everyone can contribute to making a more humane world.[2] However, this principle cannot be fully realized until LLDCs have the necessary support, including through infrastructure investment, transit agreements and technology transfer, to enable them to participate fairly in the global economy.

Small Island Developing States

Small Island Developing States (SIDS) are “a special case for sustainable development given their unique vulnerabilities.”[3] Their inherent vulnerabilities, including their small size, isolation and economic dependence, make them particularly susceptible to external shocks. Furthermore, rising sea levels and extreme weather events threaten the very existence of SIDS.

The Antigua and Barbuda Agenda for SIDS (ABAS) provides an important blueprint for ensuring a long-term prosperity of all SIDS.  In this regard, ABAS should be is implemented and supported with adequate financing.

Support for Countries in Special Situations

Mr. Chair,

My Delegation recognizes that the most pressing and unifying concern for countries in special situations is the unsustainable debt burden. It is widely acknowledged that high debt burdens limit investment in long-term development and erode the capacity of governments to provide for the most basic needs of their people, and this is true for LDCs, LLDCs and SIDS alike.

Debt relief, including debt cancellation, is therefore not a marginal issue, but a central prerequisite for achieving sustainable development in these countries. As such, in this Year of Jubilee for the Catholic Church, the Holy See recognizes that debt relief is not only an economic policy choice, but a above all a moral imperative.

Mr. Chair,

The global financial system must be directed towards the goal of attaining the common good of the human family. Therefore, meaningful action on debt cannot be separated from the way international institutions are organized. “In international agencies it is necessary that the interests of the whole human family be equally represented. It is necessary moreover that in evaluating the consequences of their decisions, these agencies always give sufficient consideration to peoples and countries which have little weight in the international market, but which are burdened by the most acute and desperate needs and are thus more dependent on support for their development”.[4]

The basic goal is to guide economic processes by ensuring that the God-given dignity of human being and his or her integral development as a person are respected, in the context of the common good.[5]
           
 

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[1] Pope Leo XIV, Message for the 9th World Day of the Poor, 2025.

[2] Cfr. Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church, 172.

[3] A/RES/78/317.

[4] Ibid. 371.

[5] Cfr. Ibid. 372.