Statement of the Holy See at the Third Committee of the 81st session of the General Assembly, Agenda Item 24: Social Development

By H. E. Archbishop Christophe Z. EL KASSISApostolic Nuncio and Permanent Observer of the Holy See to the United Nations

New York, 6 October 2026

Mister Chair,

At the outset allow me to extend my congratulations to you and the Bureau on your election, and to wish you every success in guiding the work of this session.

My Delegation welcomes this discussion on social development, especially given that it is the first session following the Second World Summit for Social Development, held in Doha in November 2025.

Pope Leo XIV states that “development is truly human when it places people at the center instead of the accumulation of wealth.”[1] This principle lies at the core of sustainable development, particularly with regard to its social dimension. Every person should be provided with the conditions that respect their intrinsic God-given dignity and foster human flourishing. Poverty remains one of the greatest obstacles to achieving this goal. Therefore, eradicating poverty and ensuring effective social protection must remain central to advancing social development.

At the same time, however, the poor should not be regarded merely as passive recipients of assistance. Instead, they should be active participants and protagonists in the measures and programs designed to help them in their own lives. It is vital that everyone has access to quality education and healthcare, especially during childhood, as “to educate means to help people to ‘be’ more not merely to ‘have’ more.”[2]

Furthermore, as work enables people to develop personally, support their families and to contribute to their communities, opportunities must be available to all adults, particularly young adults entering the workforce.

Indeed, “when political projects and major economic decisions relegate the family to a marginal or secondary role, the authentic growth of the entire social body is compromised.”[3] The family, recognized as the natural and fundamental group unit of society,[4] is a “school of deeper humanity,”[5] where people of different generations learn and grow in ways that benefit not only the family but also society more broadly.[6] The family therefore “requires cultural, juridical, and economic support,” particularly in the face of rapid technological and social change.[7]

Mr. Chair,

To achieve the objectives of poverty eradication, full employment and decent work, and social integration, as set out in Copenhagen and reaffirmed in Doha, will require sustained cooperation, creativity and a renewed commitment to a political, economic, ethical and spiritual vision for social development based on human dignity.[8]

I thank you.

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[1]Pope Leo XIV, Encyclical Letter Magnifica Humanitas, 83.

[2]Pope Leo XIV, Address at the United Nations Organization for Education, Science and Culture (UNESCO), 25 September 2026.

[3]Pope Leo XIV, Encyclical Letter Magnifica Humanitas, 165.

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

[5] Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, Gaudium et Spes, 52.

[6] Cf. Ibid.

[7] Pope Leo XIV, Encyclical Letter Magnifica Humanitas, 166.

[8] Cf. Copenhagen Declaration on Social Development, paragraph 25, Report of the World Summit for Social Development. Copenhagen, 6–12 March 1995, (A/CONF.166/9); Doha Political Declaration of the “World Social Summit” under the title “the Second World Summit for Social Development”, A/RES/80/5 annex paragraph 16.