Statement by
H.E. Archbishop Celestino
Migliore
Permanent Observer of the
Holy See to the United Nations
on Agenda item 60:
Follow-up to the Outcome
of the millennium Summit
New
York, 9 October 2003
Mr.
President,
Since this is the first
time my delegation is taking the floor under your presidency, allow me to join
the previous speakers in congratulating you and the other members of the Bureau.
Mr. President, when Heads
of State and Governments at the 2000 Millennium Summit committed themselves to
reaching measurable targets by 2015, they were thinking of it not only as
inspirational but also as technically viable.
With twelve years
remaining before that target year, my delegation reaffirms its commitment to the
millennium goals, believes in their technical viability as effective tools of
political mobilization in favor of the marginalized, and unites itself with the
Secretary General's call for "taking a hard look at the existing architecture of
multilateral institutions."
Mr. President, the
struggle for the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) is a struggle for the
globalization of ethics, equity, inclusion, human security, sustainability and
development. Such goods can be delivered by market forces only if attention is
paid to the preservation and enhancement of human, community and environmental
resources. The efficiency of the international trade and financial systems
should be measured by their effective contribution to the achievement of the
MDGs. Thus, the challenge is to find the effective framework of rules and
institutions for stronger governance - local, national, regional and global - to
ensure that globalization works for the good of people and not just for profit.
The international
community should refashion the established ideas about political equality,
social justice and liberty and re-design these into a coherent political project
robust enough for a world where power is exercised on a transnational scale and
where risks are shared by peoples across the world.
When we speak about the
MDGs we are addressing our immediate future and, thus, we are talking about
children. Children are the most precious treasure deserving of the utmost love
and respect, and they are given to each generation as a challenge to its wisdom
and humanity. The well-being of the world's children depends greatly on the
measures taken by States to support and help families fulfill their natural
life-giving and formative functions.
It is interesting to note
that in 1946, when the General Assembly created the UNICEF, this acronym used to
be understood as the UN International Emergency Fund. Despite the change
in meaning the same sense can be applied now to situations where children are
not welcomed, where their rights are tampered and their plight abandoned. It is
a real emergency that must be addressed quickly if we want to preserve
society.
In this regard, my
delegation reaffirms the centrality of education. But it should be a knowledge
not only of information but knowledge with direction. While global media
networks and satellite communications can promote transnational cultural
diversity, it should also endeavour to safeguard people's cultural identity.
National, along with indigenous culture, should flourish alongside foreign
cultures.
The feminization of
poverty and some historical forms of marginalization of women have deprived the
human race of untold resources. A heartening answer to such problems is the
gradual increase of women's participation in the formal labor market. Yet,
women's hours spent in unpaid work remain high, and most national labor laws do
not recognize the vital importance of work or care at home.
With the elusive
conditions for peace, my delegation is profoundly concerned about security and
terrorism. An unwanted effect of technological progress and economic
globalization has been the dramatic increase of human traffic, specially women
and children, spawning drug related crimes, triggering weapons trade to feed
street crime as well as civil strife. In areas affected by economic stagnation,
structural adjustment programmes have led to the dismantling of state services.
Chronic environmental
degradation is becoming today's silent emergency. The irrational exploitation of
natural resources is resulting in less biodiversity and fewer forests.
Unfortunately, most of the costs are borne by the poor, while the world's rich
benefit the most.
This leaves without saying
that, guided by these MDGs, each society needs to find its own arrangements
based on its history and conditions. All societies need to devise a better
solution and to make a strong commitment to preserve time and resources for care
and the societal bonds that nourish human development. The risk of
marginalization does not have to be a reason for despair. It should be a call
for more community action, that is, focusing on group access, not just
individual ownership; winning peace, not just wars; attending to forgotten
health emergencies and not only to deadly pandemics; assuring national
developments through fair trade and financial autonomy, and not just by donor
short-term aid and debt relief.
My delegation appreciates,
above all, that in putting flesh to the MDGs, tireless efforts are being exerted
by the UN system in guiding governments, assisted by civil societies, to set up
mechanisms to make ethical standards and human rights binding for nations,
corporations and individuals. In that manner, multilateral agreements help to
establish global markets that are consistent with human development.
Mr. President, the Holy
See understands that the MDGs, noted for their preferential focus for the poor,
are not a transitory target-driven goal but a permanent task and commitment.
These goals are technically viable if every human being, who is the stakeholder
and center of these goals, is also put at the center of the economic thinking
and of the "architecture" of all international organizations, including those
dealing with finances and trade.
Thank you, Mr. President.
