Latest news with #GabrieleCaccia
Herald Malaysia
6 days ago
- Politics
- Herald Malaysia
Debt relief for developing nations a ‘moral responsibility'
Archbishop Gabriele Caccia, the Holy See's Permanent Observer to the United Nations in New York, addressed two UN panels on the implementation of the UN's Sustainable Development Goals. Jul 25, 2025 Archbishop Gabriele Caccia, Permanent Observer of the Holy See to the United Nations By Devin WatkinsArchbishop Gabriele Caccia, the Holy See's Permanent Observer to the United Nations in New York, addressed two UN panels on the implementation of the UN's Sustainable Development Goals. The Archbishop affirmed that the international community bears the 'moral and political responsibility' to help countries achieve sustainable development. He focused especially on small island developing states, African countries, and developing nations in a pair of speeches in New York on July 16. 'The persistent and widespread reality of poverty,' said Archbishop Caccia, 'continues to afflict millions of people, denying them material wellbeing and undermining their God-given dignity, while stifling their integral human development.' The Holy See, he added, believes firmly that the international community must remain focused on the goal of eradicating poverty, which he called both a 'moral imperative' and an economic exercise. Many developing countries struggle with the burden of repaying unbearable sovereign debts, he said, noting that 3.4 billion people live in nations that spend more on interest payments than on healthcare and education combined. 'Providing debt relief is not an act of generosity,' he said, 'but a necessary step towards creating the fiscal space countries need in order to invest in integral development.' Archbishop Caccia therefore called for 'immediate debt relief, including cancellation, and debt restructuring,' as well as access to grants to countries struggling with unsustainable debt levels. Focusing on small island developing states, he said their debt burdens remain one of the biggest obstacles to the world achieving the UN's 2030 Sustainable Development Goals. Around 40 percent of these countries are in debt distress, and bear a heavier burden from the ecological debt and environmental disasters that overwhelmingly affect developing nations. 'Debt relief alone is not a panacea,' said Archbishop Caccia. 'However, it has the potential to transform the development prospects of [small island developing states] by providing them with the fiscal space to invest in essential pillars, such as infrastructure, climate adaptation, health systems and education.' In conclusion, the Holy See's representative at the UN called for renewed urgency in dealing with the debt crisis facing developing nations. 'As Pope Leo XIV powerfully stated,' he said, 'the Jubilee, which is being celebrated this year by the Catholic Church, 'asks of us the restitution and redistribution of unjustly accumulated wealth, as the way to personal and civil reconciliation'.'--Vatican News
Herald Malaysia
16-07-2025
- Health
- Herald Malaysia
Holy See: Policies must support families, motherhood, equality
The Holy See's Permanent Observer to the United Nations, Archbishop Gabriele Caccia, calls for nations to implement policies that support and protect families, motherhood, and maternity, along with the promotion of equality between women and men. Jul 16, 2025 File photo of a mother and her child By Deborah Castellano Lubov"Policies that support and protect families, motherhood, and maternity, need to be implemented alongside the promotion of equality between women and men." The Holy See's Permanent Observer to the United Nations, Archbishop Gabriele Caccia, expressed this during the course of the High-Level Political Forum debates on the implementation of Sustainable Development Goal 3 (SDG 3) on ensure healthy lives and promoting well-being for all at all ages, on 14 July, and on Sustainable Development Goal 5 (SDG 5), on achieving gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls, on 15 July, at the UN in New York. SDG 3: Ensuring healthy lives and promoting well-being Archbishop Caccia reflected on the implementation of Sustainable Development Goal 3, highlighting how important it is to underscore that health is not merely the absence of illness, but "a holistic state of physical, psychological, social, spiritual and emotional wellbeing," and "a vital part of integral human development." Yet, he lamented, that progress towards the achievement of SDG 3 remains uneven. "Persistent obstacles, including fragile health systems, inadequate funding, and an increasing burden of non-communicable diseases continue to exacerbate existing health disparities." To overcome these challenges and realise health and well-being for all, he noted, comprehensive and integrated policies that recognise the interdependence of SDG3 with other Goals should be adopted. The Permanent Observer also insisted that achieving health and wellbeing for all, also calls for special attention to be paid to the most vulnerable, including the unborn, children, the elderly, persons with disabilities, migrants and those living in conflict-affected areas. In this context, he exhorted, "Ideological or economic agendas must never shape healthcare; it must remain person-centred." For this reason, the Archbishop reiterated, faith-based organisations, including Catholic health institutions play "a vital role," noting that strengthening partnerships with these institutions could help to keep healthcare person-centred. With regard to meaningfully contributing to healthcare, Archbishop Caccia recalled that the Catholic Church, which runs approximately a quarter of all health facilities worldwide, will continue to provide care to the poorest and those in the most remote areas. SDG 5: Achieving gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls The Permanent Observer also welcomed the discussion on Sustainable Development Goal 5, dedicated to achieving gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls, which was held the following day. "Gender equality," he stated, "is rooted in the equal God-given dignity of every man and woman, 'inalienably grounded in his or her very being, which prevails in and beyond every circumstance […]. This principle, which is fully recognizable even by reason alone,' he continued, 'underlines the primacy of the human person and the protection of human rights.'' Archbishop Caccia said that recognizing this equal dignity is a critical starting point for achieving SDG5. "However," he warned, "recognition alone is not enough," for "equality requires creating conditions that enable the integral development of women and girls, including access to quality education and healthcare, and decent work and participation in every sphere of life for women." Archbishop Caccia said that any meaningful discussion of SDG5 must address the systemic obstacles to the integral development of millions of women and girls, including poverty, violence and exclusion. "Addressing these injustices," he underscored, "is a moral imperative and a prerequisite for long-term development and progress." In this token, the Permanent Observer insisted, "the roles that women and men play within families and communities must be protected." "Policies that support and protect families, motherhood, and maternity," he reaffirmed, "need to be implemented alongside the promotion of equality between women and men," as he stressed that the dignity of every woman and girl "must be always at the centre of development efforts and approaches that reduce women to mere instruments of economic or political agendas are to be avoided." Finally, Archbishop Caccia said that in the final five years leading up to the realization of the 2030 Agenda, his Delegation "calls for a renewed commitment to the integral development of every woman and girl."--Vatican News
Herald Malaysia
03-07-2025
- Business
- Herald Malaysia
Archbishop Caccia: ‘Development should serve the well-being of all'
The Holy See's Permanent Observer to the United Nations, Archbishop Gabriele Caccia, speaks at the Conference on Financial Development in Seville, Spain, emphasizing the importance of fostering development on those most in need while upholding the dignity of every human being. Jul 03, 2025 Archbishop Caccia speaks at the Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development, in Seville, Spain By Grace LathropArchbishop Gabriele Caccia, Permanent Observer of the Holy See to the UN, stressed the importance of looking beyond just economic metrics or financial systems when discussing approaches for development after recent funding cuts to international aid. Speaking at the Conference on Financial Development in Seville, Spain, he called for world leaders to rethink priorities, act in solidarity, and fix global systems so that they uplift all people. The purpose of development In his speech, Archbishop Caccia addressed King Felipe VI of Spain, saying that in order to see results, development projects must be human-centered and deeply rooted in moral value. He also spoke on behalf of those suffering the most from recent funding cuts, saying development 'must not be at the service of economy, but have at its center and promote the God-given dignity of every human person.' For decades, global development has been measured through different economic indicators, he said, calling for a change in priority. He argued that 'development should serve the well-being of all, especially the poor and most in need, fostering justice, solidarity, and peace.' Archbishop Caccia said the Holy See believes that the world must shift from focusing on economic markets to integral human development in order to effectuate change. A broken system Archbishop Caccia explained that the current financial system does not properly serve those in need, saying it comes as 'a result of a series of decisions and priorities which frequently fail to serve the common good, consistently leave those in the most vulnerable situations struggling.' The Archbishop also raised the concern that current economic plans are going against long-standing Catholic traditions, like serving the poor and vulnerable. Results of development models are leading to a growing increase in inequality, rather than helping to overcome it, he said. Pope Leo XIV, noted Archbishop Caccia, has stated that 'every effort should be made to overcome global inequalities that are carving deep divides between continents.' Policy and development choices continue to drive divides between economic classes and as Archbishop Caccia mentioned, global financial systems are not neutral players. A call to action In his address, the Holy See's representative at the UN called for reform of the international financial systems, describing them as outdated and unable to affectively solve current world problems. The current system does not have the means to support countries to achieve further human development, and the Holy See is urging world leaders to make a change. Archbishop Caccia concluded by reminding global leaders that 'the time to act is now, not as isolated entities, but as one human family.'--CNA
