YouSaid · the spoken record

Archbishop Celestino Migliore

lines on the record: 24
first: 2008-09-24
most recent: 2009-09-24
sittings or episodes: 2
sources: un-general-debate

Every line below is reproduced as it was said and linked to the record it came from. Nothing here is summarised or generated. Directory · Search · Corrections

“In closing, I would like to say that in these changing times the international community — “we, the peoples” — has the unique chance and responsibility to ensure full implementation of the United Nations Charter and thus greater peace and understanding among nations.”
2009-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 64 (2009)
“Once more, the Holy See urges the parties concerned to make every effort to find a prompt solution in view of the good of the people of Honduras. This session of the General Assembly began with the special Summit on Climate Change, and in December there will be the Copenhagen Climate Conference. The protection of the environment continues to be at the forefront of multilateral activities, because it involves, in consistent form, the destiny of all the nations and the future of every individual man and woman. Recognition of the double truths of interdependence and personal dignity also requires that environmental issues are taken as a moral imperative and translated into legal rules, capable of protecting our planet and ensuring future generations a healthy and safe environment.”
2009-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 64 (2009)
“Moreover, the work of peacekeepers have stabilized and ended innumerable local conflicts and have made related reconstruction possible. Nevertheless, it is well known that the number of conflicts that the United Nations has not been able to resolve remains high and that many of them have become occasions of serious crimes against humanity. That is why the acceptance of the principle of the responsibility to protect and of the underlying truths that guide responsible sovereignty can be the catalyst for the reform of the mechanisms, procedures and representativeness of the Security Council. 09-53165 44 In this context, my delegation would like to recall here the Honduran people, who continue to suffer frustration and hardship from the already too long political upheaval.”
2009-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 64 (2009)
“The recognition of the core objective and indispensability of the dignity of every man and woman ensures that Governments always undertake with every means at their disposal to prevent and combat crimes of genocide, ethnic cleansing and any other crimes against humanity. Thus, by recognizing their interconnected responsibility to protect States will realize the importance of accepting the collaboration of the international community as a means of fulfilling their role of providing responsible sovereignty. The mechanisms of the United Nations for addressing common security and the prevention of conflicts were developed in response to the threat of total war and nuclear destruction in the second half of the last century, and for this reason alone they deserve perennial historical remembrance.”
2009-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 64 (2009)
“Rights always exist inseparably from responsibilities and duties. This applies to individual men and women and, by analogy, to States, whose true progress and affirmation depends on their capacity to establish and maintain responsible relations with other States and to express a shared responsibility for world problems. The implementation of the principle of the responsibility to protect, as formulated at the 2005 World Summit and approved by the unanimous consensus of all United Nations Member States, becomes a touchstone of the two enunciated principles of truth in international relations and of global governance.”
2009-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 64 (2009)
“In that regard, it is both cynical and unfortunate that frequent attempts continue to be made to export such a mentality to developing countries, as if it were a form of cultural progress or advancement. Yet such a practice is by its nature not one of reciprocity but imposition, and to predicate the decision to give development aid on the acceptance of such policies constitutes an abuse of power. Every human being has the right to good governance, that is, the right to participate in all social actions, at the national and international level, whether directly or indirectly, as a guarantee for all persons a free and dignified life. At the same time, it is an essential part of that dignity that everyone takes responsibility for his actions and actively respects the dignity of others.”
2009-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 64 (2009)
“The need to have an organization capable of responding to the obstacles and increasing complexity of the relations between peoples and nations thus becomes paramount. As we consider the nature of development and the role of donor and recipient countries, we must always remember that true development necessarily involves an integral respect for human life, which cannot be disconnected from the development of peoples. Unfortunately, in some parts of the world today, development aid seems to be tied rather to the recipient countries’ willingness to adopt programmes that discourage demographic growth by methods and practices disrespectful of human rights and dignity.”
2009-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 64 (2009)
“As he notes in his encyclical “Charity in Truth”, in the face of the unrelenting growth of global interdependence there is a strongly felt need, even in the midst of a global recession, for an urgent reform of the United Nations, and likewise of economic institutions and international finance, so that the concept of the family of nations can acquire real teeth. Such reform is urgent in order to find innovative ways of implementing the principles of the responsibility to protect and of giving poorer nations an effective voice in shared decision-making. Admittedly, building the United Nations as a true centre for harmonizing the actions of nations in the attainment of those common ends is an extremely difficult task. The more the interdependence of peoples increases, the more the necessity of the United Nations becomes evident.”
2009-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 64 (2009)
“Evident in the various Group of Eight, Group of 20, regional and international meetings, held in parallel with the work of the preceding General Assembly, was the necessity to give legitimacy to the political commitments assumed and to confront them with the thoughts and needs of the entire international community so that the solutions devised would reflect the points of view and the 43 09-53165 expectations of the populations of all continents. That is why efficacious modes must be found to connect the decisions of the various groupings of countries to those of the United Nations, where every nation, with its political and economic weight, can legitimately explain itself in a situation of equality with others. It is in that context of truth and sincerity that the recent appeal of Pope Benedict XVI can be seen in perspective.”
2009-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 64 (2009)
“The more solid and profound contribution that the General Assembly must make to the solution of international problems lies in promoting the principles contained in the Preamble and in Article 1 of the Charter of this Organization in a manner that such high human and spiritual values serve to renovate the international order from within, where the real crisis lies. A first element of truth is found precisely in the phrase “We the peoples of the United Nations”. The theme of peace and development, in fact, coincides with that of the relational inclusion of all peoples in the unique community of the human family that is constructed in solidarity.”
2009-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 64 (2009)
“The various world crises that have intertwined in the past months bring to the discussion presuppositions of thought and principles of individual, social and international behaviour that extend well beyond the financial or economic fields. The idea of producing resources and assets — which is the economy — and strategically managing them — which is politics — without seeking together with the same actions to carry out also the good — which is ethics — has been proven to be a naive or cynical and fatal delusion.”
2009-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 64 (2009)
“It is only fitting that this year delegations have been asked to focus on the theme “Effective responses to global crises: strengthening multilateralism and dialogue among civilizations for international peace, security and development”. In view of a political and cultural dialogue oriented towards the harmonious evolving of the world economy and of international relations, we would do well to revisit the Preamble of the Charter of the United Nations, where it affirms that “We the peoples of the United Nations determined … to reaffirm faith in fundamental human rights, in the dignity and worth of the human person, in the equal rights of men and women and of nations large and small”.”
2009-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 64 (2009)
“As you, Sir, assume the presidency of the General Assembly at this sixty-fourth session, my delegation wishes you all the best in your endeavours and looks forward to working with you to address the many challenges facing the global community. Every year, anticipation surrounds the General Assembly in the hope that Governments will be able to find points of agreement on the persisting problems that afflict humankind and to adopt a common direction for resolving them in a peaceful manner for the well-being of all. Understandably, the deliberations of the preceding session of the General Assembly were dominated by preoccupation with the world financial and economic crisis.”
2009-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 64 (2009)
“As we embark on this session of the General Assembly, we strive to fashion an Organization that reflects our highest and best intentions and carefully places the needs of all people, regardless of their economic and political standing, at the centre of our decisions and responsibility.”
2008-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 63 (2008)
“That inconsistency calls into question whether we truly place humans at the centre of decision-making. The global community must come together to reverse that contradiction and engage in a political discourse that recognizes the centrality of humans in all aspects of political and technological development. The same principles that lead us to oppose unchecked technology and policies that destroy the environment should also guide us in our prudent use of technologies and the creation of policies that directly impact the lives of individuals. Short of that, we will succumb to an inconsistency that penalizes the individual and human society and risks paving the way towards the imposition of laws by the more powerful and the creation of a new mass of losers.”
2008-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 63 (2008)
“Indiscriminate deforestation, the dumping of radioactive waste and invasive and devastating acts on nature are often more expedient and technically possible, but because they provoke our conscience, as well as our responsibility towards creation, we decide to invoke the principle that even though it is possible it should not be legally licit. However, when passing from the ecological field to that of humans, we have a tendency to affirm the opposite principle — that all which is technically possible should be legally licit and consequently pursued. Whether regarding the production of arms for war, biotechnological engineering, the taking of human life, reproductive technology or the structure of the family itself, we have the tendency to advocate that all which is technologically possible should also be legally licit.”
2008-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 63 (2008)
“The challenge of climate change and the various solutions proposed and put into action have led us to call attention to a preoccupation and inconsistency existing today in the realm of international and national law — that all that is technically possible must be legally licit. In adopting ever more stringent norms to protect the environment and nature, it is often rightly affirmed that not all environmental activity should be allowed and sanctioned by law just because it is technically possible and economically profitable.”
2008-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 63 (2008)
“It is not only the credibility of the Organization and our global leaders that is at stake, but rather and more importantly the ability of the human community to provide food and security and to protect basic human rights so that all peoples have the opportunity to live with freedom from fear and want, thus realizing their inherent dignity. One area in which our best intentions require urgent action is climate change. My delegation commends Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon for his leadership in recognizing the urgency of tackling that issue, and we commend States and civil society for making the necessary political and personal sacrifices to ensure a better future.”
2008-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 63 (2008)
“The various agencies and bodies of the United Nations also reaffirm the importance of the responsibility to protect in their ability to work in close proximity and solidarity with affected populations and to put detection, implementation and monitoring mechanisms into place. It is incumbent not only upon States, but also upon the United Nations to ensure that the responsibility to protect serves as the underlying measure and motivation of all its work. While many continue to question and debate the real causes and medium- and long-term consequences of the various financial, humanitarian and food crises around the world, the United Nations and its membership have the responsibility to provide direction, coherence and resolution.”
2008-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 63 (2008)
“Likewise, they reassert that good governance 08-53141 50 should no longer be measured simply within the context of a State’s rights or sovereignty, but rather by its ability to care for those who entrust it with the grave moral responsibility to lead. We the peoples who formed the United Nations conceived the responsibility to protect as the core basis for the United Nations. The founding leaders believed that the responsibility to protect would consist not primarily of the use of force in order to restore peace and human rights, but rather in States coming together to detect and denounce early symptoms of every kind of crisis, mobilizing Governments, civil society and public opinion to find the causes and to offer solutions.”
2008-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 63 (2008)
“The responsibility to protect has been invoked by some as an essential aspect of the exercise of sovereignty at the national and international levels, while others have relaunched the concept of the exercise of responsible sovereignty. For his part, Pope Benedict XVI, in his address to the General Assembly last April, also recognized that, from the very ancient philosophical discourses on governance to the more modern development of the nation State, the responsibility to protect has served and must continue to serve as the principle shared by all nations in governing their populations and regulating relations between peoples. Those statements reassert the historical and moral basis for States to govern.”
2008-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 63 (2008)
“When speaking within these walls of the responsibility to protect, the common understanding of the term is found in the 2005 World Summit Outcome Document, which refers to the responsibility of the international community to intervene in situations where individual Governments are not able or willing to assure the protection of their own citizens. In the past, the language of protection was too often a pretext for expansion and aggression. In spite of the many advances in international law, that same understanding and practice tragically continues today. However, during the past year, in this same Hall there has been growing consensus and greater inclusion of this expression as a vital component of responsible leadership.”
2008-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 63 (2008)
“This year has been dominated by a number of challenges and crises: natural and man-made calamities, staggering economies, financial turmoil, rising food and fuel prices, the impact of climate change, local wars and tensions. We have been called to this Hall once again to identify the common causes and denominators underlying those diverse crises and to craft adequate long-term solutions. One of the clear facts, recognized by all, is that every crisis presents a mixture of natural factors and elements of human responsibility. However, they are all too often compounded by the tardy responses, failures or reluctance of leaders to exercise their responsibility to protect their populations.”
2008-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 63 (2008)
“As the last speaker on your list, Mr. President, I think I can congratulate you on this important debate, and quote the Latin saying, dulce est in fundo, which you know very well — sweetness comes at the end. As you assume the presidency of the General Assembly at its sixty-third session, my delegation wishes you all the best in your endeavours and looks forward to working with you in order to address the many challenges facing the global community. This general debate is an occasion for those responsible for the national life of every country to come together to take the pulse of the world situation. By its nature and structure, the United Nations normally creates neither events nor trends, but rather serves as a sounding board where events and trends are submitted for debate and a coherent, consensual and timely response.”
2008-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 63 (2008)