YouSaid · the spoken record

Archbishop Dominique Mamberti

lines on the record: 37
first: 2007-09-24
most recent: 2010-09-24
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

“The best way of guaranteeing that the United Nations continues to carry out its historic mission of coordinating and keeping all States united around the common goals of peace, security and comprehensive human development for all will be to continuously focus on the dignity of all men and women and effectively respect it, beginning with the right to life — even of the weakest, such as unborn children and the terminally ill — and religious freedom.”
2010-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 65 (2010)
“Beyond criticism of the organizational limitations and lack of effectiveness of the United Nations, we see that there is a universally shared awareness of the need for the Organization, as well as a universal feeling of gratitude for its efforts. All of us understand that, by virtue of its numerous bodies, the Organization constitutes an essential forum for dialogue and understanding between nations.”
2010-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 65 (2010)
“The history of the development of human rights itself illustrates that respect for religious freedom is the cornerstone of the entire human rights architecture. When that freedom is lacking, absent too will be the recognition of the transcendent nature of every human person, which entails a dignity that existed before, and is superior to, the political and normative awareness and that creates an irrepressible framework of freedom and responsibility. If religious freedom falters, all human rights are at risk of becoming something that government grants — or, at best, the result of a balance of social forces, which are variable by nature, because they will have no foundation other than balance or agreement itself.”
2010-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 65 (2010)
“The Holy See is also attentively following the work of the Assembly’s Third Committee and of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights. This statement in the general debate is also an opportunity for me to express our support for the Office of the High Commissioner for Refugees and all specialized agencies and bodies working in the broad field of human and humanitarian rights. In that regard, the Holy See also believes that, although slow, the progress made in the discussions on the principle of the responsibility to protect is cause for hope. Nevertheless, resolute and effective attention is still lacking with regard to the problems of refugees, people who have been forcibly expelled and large-scale displacements.”
2010-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 65 (2010)
“It is precisely for that reason that Article 1 of the Charter links the promotion of human rights with the defence of peace, settlement of disputes and resolving international problems of an economic nature. Nations are not separate entities, independent of the peoples who comprise them. The fundamental national interest of all Governments should be the establishment and maintenance of the necessary conditions for the full development of the material and spiritual good of every inhabitant of their countries. The promotion of and respect for human rights are therefore the ultimate goal of dialogue and international affairs, as well as the indispensable conditions for genuine and fruitful dialogue among countries.”
2010-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 65 (2010)
“As my delegation has often observed with regard to the Millennium Goals, it is that behaviour, and not population growth and improving living conditions in less developed countries, that places a growing and unsustainable burden on resources and on the environment. The positive results achieved by the international community in the course of the Assembly’s previous session would not have been possible without dialogue among Governments, which are being joined with growing determination and effectiveness by civil society interlocutors. However, to be honest and effective, that dialogue must be genuinely dia-logos — an exchange of wisdom and wisdom shared. The dialogue must move quickly from an exchange of words and a search for balance among opposing interests towards a genuine sharing of wisdom for the common good.”
2010-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 65 (2010)
“The Holy See hopes that the next session of the Conference of the States Parties will take a political decision that will make the negotiations on a legally binding agreement more concrete. At the heart of that debate is the establishment of a development model based on a new energy system. 10-55396 22 Nevertheless, it is important to recall the ethical issues associated with this matter. It is not just about achieving a world less dependent on fossil fuels and more devoted to energy efficiency and alternative fuels, but about changing unbridled and irresponsible consumption behaviour.”
2010-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 65 (2010)
“Otherwise, we risk reaching the year 2015 not having achieved sufficient results, except — and this would be sad and paradoxical — in the areas of population control and promoting minority lifestyles, as introduced in certain paragraphs of the recently held summit. In that case, the Millennium Goals would become a veritable fraud vis-à-vis the comprehensive human development of peoples. With regard to the environment, which is the subject of Millennium Goal 7, the participation of more than 115 heads of State and Government at the Conference of the States Parties to the Framework Convention on Climate Change held in Copenhagen in December 2009 demonstrated the attention and importance attached to an issue as complex as the climate on the international agenda.”
2010-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 65 (2010)
“All Member States once again solemnly committed themselves to make every necessary effort to achieve the MDGs by 2015. The Holy See welcomes the reiterated will to uproot poverty, which it hopes will resolutely be brought to an end. However, it is important to underscore that we will not achieve the Goals without fulfilling two great moral imperatives. On the one hand, it is essential that rich and emerging countries fully honour their development assistance commitments and immediately establish and operationalize a financial and trading framework that on the whole favours the weakest countries. On the other hand, rich and poor alike should ensure an ethical political and economic change that guarantees good governance and eradicates all forms of corruption.”
2010-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 65 (2010)
“Dialogue and understanding among the various parties involved is also the only way to achieve reconciliation in Iraq and Myanmar, for example, as well as to resolve ethnic and cultural problems in Central Asia and the regions of the Caucasus and to calm recurring tensions in Africa, such as in the Sudan, just before decisive elections. There is a significant economic component to most of those conflicts. Substantially improving the living conditions of the Palestinian people and other peoples living under civil or regional wars will no doubt make a crucial contribution to transforming violent opposition into patient and peaceful dialogue. The High-level Plenary Meeting on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) took place here several days ago.”
2010-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 65 (2010)
“The recent terrible natural catastrophes in Pakistan add to the difficulties caused by conflicts that have beset that region. In addition to the humanitarian response, which must be generous, and other associated measures, there must also be a broader effort at mutual and deeper understanding of the causes of the hostilities. Moreover, genuine dialogue, trust and generosity in putting aside peripheral or short-term interests are the way to achieve a lasting solution to the conflict between the State of Israel and the Palestinians.”
2010-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 65 (2010)
“If we think that normative developments with regard to disarmament and the non-proliferation of weapons have shown signs of progress, there are reasons for concern with respect to the many obstacles to global security and peace. Above all, military spending in the world continues to be excessive and even to increase. The problem of the exercise of the legitimate right of States to the peaceful development of nuclear energy in accordance with effective international monitoring of non-proliferation remains relevant. The Holy See encourages all parties involved in settling various ongoing controversies, in particular those with respect to the Korean peninsula and the Persian Gulf region, as well as adjoining regions, to carry out an honest in-depth dialogue that would be able to harmoniously reconcile all rights of the nations concerned.”
2010-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 65 (2010)
“The important increase in requests for intervention in recent years shows the increased confidence in United Nations activities in 21 10-55396 cooperation with regional organizations, but it also highlights the importance of the growing role played by the United Nations and regional organizations in preventive diplomacy. Likewise, the action of the Peacebuilding Commission remains fundamental to rebuilding the social, legal and economic fabric that was destroyed by war and to avoiding the relapse into conflict. Initiatives to prevent conflicts, to peacefully resolve conflicts, to separate warring parties and to promote reconstruction deserve generous political and economic support from all States Members of the United Nations. Support from all would be an eloquent show of confidence in a destiny based on solidarity for humankind.”
2010-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 65 (2010)
“During the previous session of the General Assembly, the United Nations made an unprecedented contribution to international cooperation and peace in Haiti, where, during the earthquake of 12 January 2010, the head of the United Nations Mission, Ambassador Hédi Annabi, died, as did his assistant, Mr. Luiz Carlos da Costa, along with 82 other civil servants and members of the peacekeeping forces. On behalf of the Holy See, I would like to extend our sincere condolences to the Secretary-General and the national authorities of the States of the persons who died, as well as their families and colleagues. Their sacrifice should serve as an impetus for a new global commitment to maintaining peace. The Holy See has always recognized and appreciated actions carried out by United Nations peacekeeping forces.”
2010-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 65 (2010)
“That signing is a step forward in relations among the nuclear Powers, and the Holy See hopes that it will open new prospects and lead to substantial arms reductions in the future. Similarly, during this session of the General Assembly, a High-level Meeting was held, some days ago, on revitalizing disarmament negotiations, which was very useful for discussing ways to give new life to the Conference on Disarmament and to continue to build a consensus on the major obstacles to agreement on disarmament, in particular, the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty and the Fissile Material Cut- off Treaty. We must do everything possible to achieve a world free from nuclear weapons, and the Holy See supports all efforts along these lines.”
2010-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 65 (2010)
“Among these, an important sign of hope was a decision to convene, before 2012, a conference to establish a Middle East zone free of nuclear weapons and other weapons of mass destruction. Furthermore, also in the area of peace and disarmament, the first meeting, last July, in New York, of the Preparatory Committee for a Conference on the Arms Trade Treaty, which is set for 2012 is also worth mentioning. This meeting showed that the process, which has begun for the treaty, is shared by all States that are aware of the need to legally settle the issue of the arms trade for reasons of peace, humanitarian protection and social and economic development. In the context and spirit of successful international dialogue, we should also welcome the signing of the New START treaty between the United States and the Russian Federation.”
2010-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 65 (2010)
“This instrument, which the Holy See was among the first States to ratify, does represent an important result for multilateralism, based on constructive cooperation among Governments and civil society, as well as the connection between humanitarian law and human rights. Another important result was the positive conclusion last May of the eighth Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons with the publication of a consensus- based document that provides for different actions related to the three main pillars of the treaty: nuclear disarmament, the non-proliferation of nuclear weapons and the peaceful uses of nuclear energy.”
2010-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 65 (2010)
“There have been times when this dialogue has been, more than anything else, a clash of opposing and irreconcilable ideologies and positions. However, the United Nations has become irreplaceable in the life of the people of the world in the search for a better future for all the inhabitants of the planet. It is from the perspective of this productive international dialogue carried out through the discussions and deliberations that take place in this Hall that I would like to recall important developments related to international peace and security that took place during the sixty-fourth session of the Assembly. First of all, the Holy See welcomes the entry into force on 1 August of the Convention on Cluster Munitions.”
2010-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 65 (2010)
“The existence of the United Nations shows that humankind has found in the Organization a response to the terrifying tragedies of the two World Wars. Despite the imperfection of its structures and its way of functioning, the United Nations has sought to bring solutions to international problems in the economic, social, cultural and humanitarian fields, and has tried to fulfil the mandate given to it by its Charter, namely to be a centre for the coordination of the action of States with a view to the maintenance of peace and friendly relations among peoples. The dialogue among the representatives of States that is renewed every year in the plenary of the General Assembly, which remains open and lively in the other bodies and agencies of the United Nations family, has been the basic tool for fulfilling this mandate.”
2010-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 65 (2010)
“On behalf of the Holy See, I am pleased to warmly congratulate you, Mr. President, on your election as President of the General Assembly at its sixty-fifth session, and to offer our best wishes for the successful fulfilment of your mandate. In this new period of work for the General Assembly, the Holy See wishes to offer its genuine collaboration in tackling the numerous challenges faced by the international community. The 65 years of existence of the United Nations are a unique event in history in and of themselves, particularly when contrasted with the annihilation of hopes placed in the peace conferences 10-55396 20 of the beginning of the twentieth century, and later in the League of Nations.”
2010-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 65 (2010)
“A renewal that reaches into the deepest corners of the Organization is one in which all nations of the world will rightly take pride.”
2007-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 62 (2007)
“Faith in human dignity demands that the problem of migration be approached in the context of human rights, family rights and children’s rights. While it is essential to fight human trafficking and legitimate to curb illegal migration, no one can justify measures which put lives at risk or gravely offend human dignity and human rights. The Holy See welcomes the momentum created by the first meeting of the Global Forum on Migration and Development, held in Brussels in July, and looks forward to more progress in that regard. We must continue to ensure that peace and security and development and human rights are effectively combined and mutually reinforcing, in order to show the international community that the renovation of United Nations Headquarters is not only physical, but also a renewal of the Organization’s ideals and intentions.”
2007-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 62 (2007)
“Nevertheless, inequalities in the exercise of basic human rights unfortunately still persist in many places. That leads to a breakdown in the social fabric and results in women’s objectification and exploitation. The vindication of equality needs to be accompanied by the awareness that it goes hand in hand with and does not endanger, much less contradict, the recognition of both the difference and the complementarity between men and women. The Holy See looks forward to the commemorative high-level meeting on the follow-up to the outcome of the special session on children, scheduled for 11 and 12 December 2007. It will be an opportunity to refocus our commitments to children and to redouble our efforts to promote their rights, end violence against them and support the family.”
2007-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 62 (2007)
“Those rights are not based on the mere will of human beings, or in the reality of the State or in public powers, but rather are grounded in the objective requirements of the nature bestowed on man. The most important part of our work in that context is to ensure that the right to life is respected everywhere. That fundamental right must be protected from conception until natural death. Therefore, we must work to stop and reverse the culture of death embraced by some social and legal structures that try to make the suppression of life acceptable by disguising it as a medical or social service. In that sense, the abolition of the death penalty should also be seen as a consequence of full respect for the right to life. The legitimate quest for equality between men and women has achieved positive results.”
2007-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 62 (2007)
“Forty years ago, in his encyclical Populorum Progressio, Pope Paul VI stated that development is the new name for peace. The Holy See is concerned about the inability of rich countries to offer the poorest countries, especially those in Africa, financial and trade conditions capable of promoting their sustainable development. I salute the high-level event on climate change held here on 24 September. The Holy See wishes to underline once again the moral imperative incumbent upon each and every one of us in safeguarding the environment our fundamental common good. We are approaching the sixtieth anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, yet many have never heard of it or been given the benefits of its principles.”
2007-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 62 (2007)
“The creation two years ago of the Peacebuilding Commission was based upon the conviction that it is not enough to put an end to wars, but it is also necessary to help reconstruct individual lives and the social and institutional fabric. Now, the biggest test for the international community is to give the Peacebuilding Commission the mandate and the means to prove on the ground that it can successfully manage and support the difficult transition from war and misery to peace and development. Many of the problems that are attributed today almost exclusively to cultural and religious differences have their origin in economic and social injustice. Freedom from want, illness, hunger and ignorance is a necessary precondition for a serene dialogue of civilizations.”
2007-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 62 (2007)
“Renewed commitment is needed in ensuring that Lebanon will continue to be a free and independent country, a democratic, multicultural and multi- confessional society, equitable and respectful of all people and of the various trends present in its midst, like a common home open to others. This is particularly necessary in the present crucial period leading to an election of the new head of State. Finally, I cannot but make reference to what is happening in Myanmar, which these days occupies the attention and concerns of the General Assembly and of the whole international community. I wish to reiterate the appeal made yesterday by Pope Benedict XVI: through dialogue, good will and a spirit of humanity, may a solution to the crisis be found quickly for the good of the country and a better future for all its inhabitants.”
2007-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 62 (2007)
“In this context, we look forward to the day that peacekeeping efforts in Darfur will finally be fully operational. I wish to recall the contribution of the United Nations towards a just and final solution to the conflicts that for too long have caused bloodshed in the Middle East. There is need for renewed commitment on the part of all Member countries in the pacification and reconstruction of long-suffering Iraq, a reconstruction that is more moral and political than economic. There is a need for renewed commitment in the search for a solution through dialogue of the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians, one which is capable of recognizing the legitimate expectations of each side.”
2007-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 62 (2007)
“This Organization has expressed its willingness many times to devote more resources to conflict prevention, particularly in the area of mediation. In this regard, the Holy See has a particular interest in the efforts of the Department of Political Affairs to create a standing team of expert mediators as part of the Secretary-General’s goal to make more effective use of his good offices for conflict prevention. While the multiplication of peace operations could mean that there has been a failure to prevent conflict situations from erupting into full-scale armed conflicts, it is also a sign of the trust that the international community places in the mechanisms of the United Nations and in their cooperation with regional agencies.”
2007-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 62 (2007)
“Moreover, this Organization must take further steps on arms control in the field of conventional weapons, including small arms and light weapons. The Holy See associates itself with all appeals that underline the importance of adopting a common approach aimed at combating not only illegal traffic in such weapons but also other connected activities, such as terrorism, organized crime and trafficking in drugs and in precious raw materials. Another important area in which the Holy See urges serious and effective action on the part of the international community is that of cluster munitions. A rapid response to this problem is becoming an ethical imperative because of the high cost in human life, the majority of the victims being civilians, especially children.”
2007-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 62 (2007)
“It is important to help the Conference on Disarmament find a way out of the impasse in which it has been languishing for more than a decade, to relieve the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons from the severe strain to which it has been increasingly subjected lately, and to give new impetus to recognizing the value of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty. This year’s fiftieth anniversary of the entry into force of the Statute of the International Atomic Energy Agency is a most fitting occasion to reaffirm our commitment to a peaceful future through the non-proliferation of nuclear weapons, the reduction and definitive dismantling of existing nuclear weapons and the non-discriminatory, peaceful and safe use of nuclear technology.”
2007-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 62 (2007)
“If religious leaders and believers expect States and societies to respect them and acknowledge their religions to be true instruments of peace, they themselves must respect religious freedom; they must show that they pledge to promote peace and shun violence; they must demonstrate that religion is not and must not become a pretext for conflict; and they must declare without ambiguity that to promote violence or to wage war in the name of religion is a blatant contradiction. At the difficult crossroads at which humanity finds itself today, the use of force no longer represents a sustainable solution.”
2007-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 62 (2007)
“The Holy See welcomes the initiative to hold a High-level Dialogue on Interreligious and Intercultural Understanding and Cooperation for Peace, which will take place here on 5 October under the leadership of the General Assembly President. Indeed, dialogue among peoples of different cultures and religions is not an option; it is something that is indispensable for peace and for the renewal of international life. The Holy See hopes that the increased interest on the part of non-religious bodies and institutions will contribute to a greater respect for religious freedom everywhere. Today, the right to religious freedom continues to be disregarded, and even violated, in certain places. Such violations have become a pretext for various other forms of discrimination.”
2007-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 62 (2007)
“To forget or to accept partially and selectively that principle is what lies at the origin of conflict, environmental degradation and social and economic injustice. The terrorist attacks that marked the beginning of the twenty-first century have given rise to pessimistic visions of humanity based on a supposed clash of civilizations. At times, people respond by returning to extreme forms of nationalism, or by extending justification for the use of force, or by further relativizing values essentially tied to human dignity, in particular the universal right to life and to religious freedom. Nowadays, the binomial “culture and religion” is increasingly heard in this Hall.”
2007-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 62 (2007)
“In this way it is affirmed that there is such a thing as universal and transcendent truth about man and his innate dignity, which is not only prior to all political activity but determines it, so that no ideology of power can eliminate it. This innate dignity also determines the just measure of national interests, which may never be considered absolute, and in defence of which not only is it never right to harm the legitimate interests of other States, but there is an obligation at the same time to help promote the common good of all people. Respect for human dignity, therefore, is the deepest ethical foundation in the search for peace and in the building up of international relations corresponding to the authentic needs and hopes of all the peoples of the Earth.”
2007-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 62 (2007)
“Sixty-two years ago, the United Nations was established in order to save future generations from the scourge of war, to reaffirm faith in fundamental human rights and in the dignity and value of the human person, to ensure respect for international law and to promote social progress in universal freedom. Today, once more, we must reaffirm those values in order to deliver a forceful “no” to war and an equally forceful “yes” to human dignity. The Preamble of the Charter of the United Nations, in its reference to the fundamental rights and the dignity of the human person, uses the word “faith” and links it to dialogue and cooperation among nations.”
2007-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 62 (2007)
“Mr. President, the Holy See takes this opportunity to congratulate you on your election and looks forward to working with you. At the same time, it is my pleasure to greet the Secretary-General, His Excellency Mr. Ban Ki-moon, and wish him well at his first full session of the General Assembly. Less than a year ago, the General Assembly approved the project to renovate these United Nations Headquarters. Such material renovation seems an appropriate reminder for States of the need to be constantly renewed in the pursuit of the great objectives that inspired the creation of the Organization of the United Nations.”
2007-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 62 (2007)