Economic Progress Doesn't Guarantee Justice for All, Says Vatican

U.N. Reminded of Plight of the Vulnerable

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NEW YORK, OCT. 10, 2004 (Zenit.org).- In the era of globalization, economic progress of itself does not guarantee a just development for the most vulnerable, the Holy See said at the United Nations.

Archbishop Celestino Migliore, the Holy See’s permanent observer to the United Nations, made that point when addressing the Committee of the U.N. General Assembly studying questions linked to “Social Development Including Questions Relating to the World Social Situation and to Youth, Aging, Disabled Persons and the Family.”

“In the United Nations, we often hear about development in general, but perhaps more should be made of social development specifically,” the archbishop said last Tuesday.

“Once we reflect on the objectives of this noble organization, we come to realize that human beings are at the center of all that we do. Their social development is in line with and has a vital role in establishing peace and security,” he said.

“In the course of time, some forces of globalization have aggravated the insecurities associated with poverty and vulnerability. The youth, the aging, disabled persons, indigenous peoples, migrants, women and the family have all been sidelined to varying degrees and have become more prone to poverty,” the archbishop lamented.

“Economic progress does not suffice in itself, but should be accompanied by sociopolitical progress which will assure that a part of the general benefits have a social purpose,” the Holy See representative said.

“In this sense,” he added, “policy frameworks and developmental plans, both national and international, should create an enabling environment which in turn will lead to social integration, access to basic social services, education and primary health care, sustenance of the family, the promotion and protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms, so that all become owners of their own development.”

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