Vatican at UN calls for nuclear-free world
Archbishop Paul Gallagher, the Holy See's Sechetary for Relations with States, addressing the UN General Assembly in New York.- AP |
General Assembly, urging governments to do more to prevent
wars, protect human dignity and work for a nuclear-free world.
Archbishop Paul Gallagher’s speech was delivered on Monday
in New York during the 72nd session of the UN General Assembly,
addressing the theme ‘Focusing on People: Striving for Peace and a Decent Life
on a Sustainable Planet’.
The Holy See’s foreign minister spoke of the right
to life and freedom of religion as the pillars of peace and
development, from which all other rights flow.
He described the UN’s 2030 Agenda for Sustainable
Development and the Paris Agreement on Climate Change as two positive signs of
hope, but said that nations must do more to implement the legal and political
commitments enshrined in those agreements.
Step back from military escalation
Regarding the urgent need to prevent violence and conflict,
Archbishop Gallagher said: “All countries should take a decisive and urgent
step back from the present escalation of military preparations. The largest
countries and those who have a stronger tradition of respecting human rights,”
he added, “should be the first to perform generous actions of pacification”.
Protect civilians in conflict
Speaking of the Vatican’s concern for conflicts across
Africa and the Middle East, as well as the violence in Venezuela, the foreign
minister said civilians must be protected during warfare and the rights of migrants
and refugees fleeing conflict must be respected.
Combat human trafficking
Referring to the forthcoming UN Global Compact on migration,
Archbishop Gallagher urged nations to work together in opening “safe, orderly
and regular pathways” for migrants, while combatting the great evils of people
trafficking and the trade in human organs.
Abolish nuclear weapons
Finally Archbishop Gallagher condemned the proliferation of
weapons, calling for much stricter arms control and reiterating in particular
Pope Francis’ urgent appeal for “the prohibition and abolition of nuclear
weapons”.
Below please find the full speech by Archbishop Paul
Gallagher, Secretary for Relations with States, to the Seventy-second Session
of the United Nations General Assembly: “Focusing on People: Striving for Peace
and a Decent Life on a Sustainable Planet”
Mr. President,
On behalf of His Holiness Pope Francis, I am pleased to
congratulate Your Excellency on your election as President of this august
Assembly and to commend you on the choice of the topic for this General Debate:
“Focusing on People: Striving for peace and a decent life on a sustainable
planet.”
It is a congenial topic for the Holy See. Pope Francis never
tires of insisting on people first, especially those who suffer, those who are
excluded, marginalized and left behind. The Catholic Church expresses the
meaning of focusing on people in these words: “The joys and the hopes, the
griefs and the anxieties of the men [and women] of this age, especially those
who are poor or in any way afflicted… are the joys and hopes, the griefs and
anxieties of the followers of Christ,” because “indeed, nothing genuinely human
fails to raise an echo in their hearts.”[1]
Focusing on people means not only protecting them from
heinous crimes but also placing them ahead of all national and geopolitical
interests and fulfilling all the international political commitments undertaken
along the history of the United Nations that relate to social and economic
development, starting with those contained in the Charter of the United Nations
(Charter of the United Nations, paragraph 4 of the Preamble, article 1.3 and
chapter IX).
Mr. President,
Putting people always first means protecting, at every stage
and in every circumstance, the dignity of the person, and its human rights and
fundamental freedoms, and in a specific way, the rights to life and to freedom
of religion from which all other rights flow and which are therefore the common
foundation of the pillars of peace and security and integral human development.
These two human rights are indivisible from those other rights and fundamental
freedoms relating to a dignified spiritual, material and intellectual life for
each citizen and for their families – among others, the right to food, the
right to water, the right for housing, the right to a safe environment and the
right to work.[2]
With the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the
Paris Agreement on Climate Change, the international community committed itself
to effective measures to eradicate the root causes of various evils and
indignities that many people in the world today are facing. Moments before this
Assembly adopted the Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development, Pope Francis
defined the Agenda as an “important sign of hope.”[3]
One of the fundamental reasons of this hope is that world
leaders agreed on “a plan of action for people, planet and prosperity,”
“determined to end poverty and hunger, in all their forms and dimensions,” and
to ensure “that all human beings can fulfil their potential in dignity and
equality and in a healthy environment.”[4] Their common resolve to “leave no
one behind” articulates the core of this focus on people.
Regarding political commitments, Pope Francis has also
warned this Organization and the international community against falling into
what could be called “declarationist nominalism”. We must, for that reason,
guard against “assuaged consciences” and “feeling good,” simply because the
2030 Agenda and other important international accords have been adopted. On the
contrary, we must not rest until the legal commitments have been truly
accomplished and the political promises have been fulfilled in the lives of
people. This requires taking a hard and honest look at the principal challenges
that peoples of the world are facing today and will face tomorrow. With this in
mind, responsible compliance with the Climate Framework Convention and its
Paris Agreement, as well as the implementation of the Addis Ababa Action Agenda
and of the 2030 Agenda could be a way of focusing all countries and
international organizations on working together for peace, leaving aside the
dangerous game of exchanging threats.
From this perspective, the Holy See sees the forthcoming
“reform and fine-tuning of the UN Development System”[5] as an additional
opportunity to place people and their needs at the centre of our action. In
doing so, as Pope Francis reminded us here two years ago, we have to “allow
them to be dignified agents of their own destiny.”[6]
Mr. President,
Christian Churches, in particular the Orthodox and the
Catholic Churches, celebrate together on 1 September the World Day of Prayer
for the Care of Creation, to heighten public awareness of their shared
responsibility to take care of our common home and to contribute to reversing
environmental degradation. To mark the World Day of Prayer this year, Pope
Francis and the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew released a Joint Message
affirming that: “The earth was entrusted to us as a sublime gift and legacy,
for which all of us share responsibility... Our human dignity and welfare are
deeply connected to our care for the whole of creation.”[7]
This call for responsible stewardship finds particular
urgency before the deteriorating conditions of our common home and an often
purely utilitarian worldview concerning the things that surround us. Any harm
done to the environment is harm done to humanity, of today and tomorrow. Thus,
the misuse and destruction of the environment are also accompanied by a
relentless process of exclusion, as the deterioration of the planet affects,
first and foremost, the many billions imprisoned in poverty and in conditions
of environmental stress across the globe. This dramatic reality of exclusion
and inequality must lead all of us to take stock of our shared and individual
responsibilities. The pressing call and challenge to care for creation invite
all of humanity to work without hesitation toward sustainable and integral
development.
Improving climate conditions and the natural environment is
possible only if we accept the need to change the way we perceive the world and
if we change the way we relate to it. Although our common home is falling into
serious disrepair, we can reverse the trend of environmental degradation.
Indeed, as Pope Francis underlined in his Encyclical Laudato Si’, while we are
capable of the worst, we are also capable of the best, rising above ourselves,
choosing again what is good, and making a new start.[8]
Mr. President,
The duty to prevent wars and violent conflicts is an
essential component of the Responsibility to Protect. Thus, the Holy See
appreciates the Secretary General’s explicit and strong emphasis on preventive
diplomacy and concurs with his assessment that the “most serious shortcoming”
of “the entire international community is the frequent inability to prevent
crises.”[9] Prevention requires, first of all, restoring faith in the capacity
of humankind for dialogue. An environment of trust is urgently needed. All
countries should take a decisive and urgent step back from the present
escalation of military preparations. The largest countries and those who have a
stronger tradition of respecting human rights should be the first to perform
generous actions of pacification. All the diplomatic and political means of
mediation should be engaged to avoid the unspeakable.
Mr. President,
Allow me to recall the appeal of Pope Pius XII to all
nations on the eve of the Second World War: “the way of justice is promoted by
the strength of reason and not with the force of arms… The danger is imminent,
but there is still time… nothing is lost with peace. With war, everything is
lost. May people come back to understand each other and take up again
negotiations. By negotiating with good will and with respect for mutual rights,
they will realize that sincere and active negotiations never precludes an
honourable success.”[10]
In such a context, I would like to recall that a dozen years
have passed since the historical gathering of world leaders in this Hall for
the 2005 World Summit. Focusing on people, the heads of state and government of
the members of this Organization reached consensus on the responsibility to
protect populations from genocide, war crimes, ethnic cleansing and crimes
against humanity.[11] There is no doubt that a collective political consensus
is necessary, but a reflection on articles 2.7 and 39 of the Charter of the
United Nations is also needed.
The Holy See thus supports all those initiatives that will facilitate
the observance of obligations under the Responsibility to Protect, but it would
like to remind the international community, once again, that without a legal
framework and a fair respect of the international rule of law, the application
of the Principle is not feasible.
The war in Yemen is causing a humanitarian catastrophe of
apocalyptic proportions. The tragedy from the war in Syria continues to grow
every day. Involved players should sit at the UN negotiating table with the
sole pre-condition of respecting human rights law and principles and allowing
humanitarian access and assistance. At the same time, States, especially those
who at some time in recent history have been directly or indirectly involved in
the conflict, must undertake all means to reach a ceasefire, a first step
towards peace.
The Holy See is particularly concerned for the political
divisions and instability in Venezuela with its humanitarian crisis. Also, the
complex political and diplomatic tensions in the Arabian Peninsula and the
violence, together with the various humanitarian situations, in the Middle East
must be adequately addressed by the international community. All must strive
for an end to violence and reach “a solution which can enable Palestinians and
Israelis alike to live at last in peace within clearly established and
internationally recognized borders, thus implementing the ‘two state
solution’”. Furthermore, there is a need to promote a genuine public awareness
of certain ongoing situations of conflict with a view to reaching a negotiated
and peaceful solution, especially in Ukraine, South Sudan and Central African
Republic, among others.[12] The ongoing violence and intense political tension
in the Democratic Republic of the Congo necessitate an urgent and efficient
commitment from all parties to find a solution to the constitutional crisis.
Along the same lines, as Pope Francis has stated, there is
“another kind of conflict which is not always so open, yet is silently killing
millions of people. Another kind of war experienced by many of our societies as
a result of the narcotics trade”.[13] The drug trade has joined other forms of
corruption and has “penetrated to different levels of social, political,
military, artistic and religious life, and, in many cases, has given rise to a
parallel structure which threatens the credibility of our institutions”.[14]
In the same vein, the Holy See is concerned with the
challenges of fighting corruption and terrorism and with promoting stable peace
and a sustainable development in many countries of the world. The Holy See also
wishes to stress again that terrorism can only be countered by more cohesive
and coherent measures at the international level. As terror knows no border,
the international community must act as a whole.[15]
Mr. President,
The full protection of people is only possible with a
durable peace. However, the protection of civilian populations must be assured
also during warfare. The recent and gangrening conflicts both weaken, as well
as reveal the shortcomings, of the international order, and they cause
inexplicable suffering, massive displacements, blatant violations of universal
human rights and fundamental freedoms and extreme poverty. There is no worse
manmade crisis than violent conflicts. They drive people forcibly to migrate or
become refugees. They engender mass atrocities and crimes against humanity.
Indeed, as Pope Francis told this Assembly, “War is the negation of all
rights.”[16] The lamentable situation of the hundreds of millions of migrants
and refugees fleeing from wars, persecutions, natural disasters and extreme
poverty, especially in Nigeria, Myanmar, Somalia, and some countries of the
Sub-Saharan region, among others, is a great responsibility for all without
exception.
Our common humanity impels us all, as Pope Francis has
proposed, to welcome, to protect, to promote and to integrate those who flee
from such adverse conditions.[17] These four actions are based on the
proposition that migrants, in spite of many real or imagined challenges, are a
good for society, and on the principle of solidarity with those in need. In
particular, they express our shared responsibility toward the victims of
genocide, war crimes, ethnic cleansing and crimes against humanity that the
international community has failed to prevent or stop, in blatant neglect of
the principles of international law.
The Holy See will vigorously work to have these four
concepts enshrined and reflected in the future Global Compact on safe, orderly
and regular migrations, and the Global Compact for refugees. The Holy See
believes that these UN-led processes offer a unique opportunity to respond
together to challenges through international cooperation and shared
responsibility. The Holy See urges the international community to overcome the current
political impasse and to go beyond the negative sentiments that we face in
opening safe, orderly and regular pathways for migration. In order to achieve
the desired outcome, the contribution of political communities, civil societies
and all stakeholders is indispensable, each according to their own
responsibilities.
While some migrants may be motivated by the legitimate
desire of improving their already acceptable situation, most would likely
choose not to migrate if they enjoyed peace and economic security in their home
countries. It is a basic human right to live in one’s own country, but that
right is effective only if the root causes that force people to migrate — such
as wars and conflicts, mass atrocities and persecutions, and dire economic and
environmental hardships — are given adequate solutions. Indeed, if basic
necessary conditions are met, people will not feel forced to leave their homes,
making migration manageable and voluntary. Thus, the focus in negotiating the
Compacts should not be limited to stopping migrants in their tracks or
confining refugees in camps, but instead, it should address the causes that
deprive them of living with dignity and that force them to make
life-threatening journeys. This should be our goal. And this should be a key
part of the Global Compact for Migration.
Mr. President,
Another great challenge facing the international community
is trafficking in persons. At the root of this and other contemporary forms of
slavery are wars and conflicts, extreme poverty, underdevelopment and
exclusion, lack of education, lack of employment opportunities and
environmental catastrophes. But we ought to recognize that on the demand side
of such criminal trafficking there is also a crass selfishness, which reaches
unimaginable levels of moral irresponsibility in the case of the trafficking of
children, organs, tissues and embryos and in the so-called transplant tourism.
Such execrable trade is exacerbated by corruption on the part of public
officers and common people willing to do anything for financial gain. Indeed,
the migration and refugee crises are facilitating an increase in trafficking in
persons and other contemporary forms of slavery.
The Holy See and the Catholic Church have long spoken out
against the evil of trafficking in persons and through the dedicated work of so
many individuals and institutions, they have sought to fight its root causes,
to care for the victims, to raise awareness about it, and to work with anyone
and everyone to try to eliminate it. Pope Francis calls trafficking in persons
an “open wound on the body of contemporary society”[18] and an “atrocious
scourge that is present throughout the world on a broad scale.”[19]
At the heart of this evil, however, is the utter loss of
respect for human dignity and the total indifference to the sufferings of
fellow human beings. Modern slavery happens when “people are treated as
objects,” which leads to their being “deceived, raped, often sold and resold
for various purposes, and in the end either killed or left devastated in mind
and body, only to be finally thrown away or abandoned.”[20] Refocusing on
people, putting people first in the overall work of this Organization ought
unhesitatingly to support the fight against trafficking in persons and other
contemporary forms of slavery.
Pope Francis calls on all, in particular the competent
authorities, to address such a heinous crime through effective juridical
instruments, to punish those who profit from it, to assist the healing and the
reintegration of its victims, and to eradicate its root causes. Our response
must be commensurate to this great evil of our time.
Mr. President,
The world is awash with all types of weapons, from nuclear
weapons to small arms and light weapons. The arms trade, both licit and
illicit, keeps on growing. The proliferation of arms, including weapons of mass
destruction, among terrorist groups and other non-state actors has become a
real danger.
These trends are deeply worrying, but more disturbing still
is the deep chasm that separates commitments from actions in the field of
disarmament and arms control. While everyone condemns the grave effects of arms
proliferation, nothing has substantially changed on the ground, because, as
Pope Francis observed, “We say the words ‘No more war!’ but at the same time we
manufacture weapons and sell them…to those who are at war with one
another.”[21]
This must change. The proliferation of weapons simply
aggravates situations of conflict and results in unimaginable human suffering
and material costs, profoundly undermining development, human rights and the
search for lasting peace. Without greater international and regional
cooperation, especially among weapons-producing States, to control and limit
strictly the production and movement of weapons, a world free of wars and
violent conflicts will surely remain an illusion.
When Pope Francis addressed this Assembly two years ago
today, he drew attention to the “urgent need to work for a world free of
nuclear weapons, in full application of the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), in
letter and spirit, with the goal of a complete prohibition of these
weapons.”[22] In his 2017 World Day of Peace Message, Pope Francis once again
made a plea for disarmament and for “the prohibition and abolition of nuclear
weapons.”[23] Unfortunately, the proliferation of nuclear weapons increases
international tensions, as is witnessed in the Korean Peninsula. As history
demonstrates, regional and bilateral treaties of non-proliferation of nuclear
weapons have been effective in establishing whole regions free of these arms.
In this sense, it seems all the more urgent to invest in building those
circumstances that would facilitate the creation of new bilateral and regional
treaties.
The Holy See has signed the Treaty on the Prohibition of
Nuclear Weapons and has already deposited its ratification, because it believes
that it is an important contribution in the overall effort toward complete
nuclear non-proliferation and disarmament, an advance toward the fulfilment of
the commitment of the States Parties to the NPT “to pursue negotiations in good
faith on effective measures relating to cessation of the nuclear arms race at
an early date and to nuclear disarmament,” and a step toward negotiating a
“general and complete disarmament under strict and effective international
control.”[24]
While much remains to be done for the Treaty on the
Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons truly to make a difference and achieve its full
promise, the Holy See believes that it is one more blow on the anvil toward the
fulfilment of the prophecy of Isaiah: “They shall beat their swords into
plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks; One nation shall not raise the
sword against another, nor shall they train for war again.”[25]
Thank you, Mr. President.
1. Second Vatican Council, Gaudium et spes, Opening
paragraph.
2. Cfr., Pope Francis, Address during Meeting with Members
of the United Nations General Assembly, UN Headquarters, 25 September 2015.
3. Ibid.
4. United Nations, Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development,
Preamble.
5. Antonio Guterres, Secretary General designate, Remarks to
the General Assembly on taking the oath of office, 12 December 2016.
6. Pope Francis, Address during Meeting with Members of the
United Nations General Assembly, UN Headquarters, 25 September 2015.
7. Joint Message of Pope Francis and Ecumenical Patriarch
Bartholomew on the World Day of Prayer for Creation, Vatican and Fanar, 1st
September 2017. Cfr. also Pope Francis, Encyclical Letter Laudato Si’ n. 261;
Pope Francis, Letter for the Establishment of the World Day of Prayer for
Creation, 6 August 2015.
8. Cfr., Laudato Si’, nn. 13, 58 & 205.
9. Antonio Guterres, Secretary General designate, Remarks to
the General Assembly on taking the oath of office, 12 December 2016.
10. Pope Pius XII, Address to Leaders and Peoples in the
Imminent Danger of War, 24 August 1939.
11. 2005 Outcome Document 138-139.
12. Pope Francis, Address to the Members of the Diplomatic
Corps Accredited to the Holy See, 12 January 2015.
13. Pope Francis, Address during Meeting with Members of the
United Nations General Assembly, UN Headquarters, 25 September 2015.
14. Ibid.
15. Cfr., Permanent of Mission of the Holy See to the United
Nations in New York. Statement at the Sixth Committee of the General Assembly,
Item 108, 5 October 2016.
16. Pope Francis, Address during Meeting with Members of the
United Nations General Assembly, UN Headquarters, 25 September 2015.
17. Pope Francis, Address to Participants in the International
Forum on “Migration and Peace”, 21 February 2017.
18. Pope Francis, Address to Participants in the
International Conference on Combating Human Trafficking, 10 April 2014.
19. Pope Francis, Address during the Ceremony for the
Signing of the Faith Leaders’ Universal Declaration Against Slavery, 2 December
2014.
20. Pope Francis, Address to the New Ambassadors Accredited
to the Holy See, 12 December 2013.
21. Pope Francis, Interview with the Belgian Catholic
weekly, “Tertio”, 7 December 2016.
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