Holy See diplomat assesses draft of UN’s new development agenda

June 24, 2015

Archbishop Bernardito Auza, apostolic nuncio and permanent observer of the Holy See to the United Nations, has issued a statement on the “zero draft,” a document that, once finalized, will guide the UN’s development agenda from 2015 to 2030.

The Holy See’s delegation “is confident that we shall come up with a new development agenda that will ambitiously seek to achieve sustainable development and a dignified life for all,” Archbishop Auza said. “Through this new agenda, the global community must boldly address the biggest challenges before it, such as extreme poverty, the growing exclusion of the weak and vulnerable, and the progressive degradation of ‘our common home,’ the environment.”

“My delegation is of the opinion that this new agenda should place the human person at its center, not only as the primary beneficiary of sustainable development, but also as its agent and its steward, working in solidarity with those in the greatest need for the common good of society and the environment,” he added.

Archbishop Auza praised the zero draft for being “well arranged and inclusive of the viewpoints from all perspectives and stakeholders.” At the same time, he criticized the document’s verbosity and added, “We would oppose the imposition of targets and indicators on countries and peoples whose laws and values are contrary to them.”

 

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Further information:

• Statement by H.E. Archbishop Bernardito Auza (Holy See Mission)
• Zero draft: Outcome document to adopt Post-2015 Development Agenda (United Nations)