YouSaid · the spoken record

Pietro Parolin

lines on the record: 37
first: 2021-09-24
most recent: 2022-09-24
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 the area of child abuse, is equally significant. Public opinion and lawmakers are finally coming to realize this.” This is the logic of the appeal of Pope Francis to work together for peace, “not a peace based on the balance of weapons, [or] on mutual fear,” but rather one born of encounter and dialogue. For this, “it is necessary to pass from the strategies of political, economic and military power to a plan for global peace: no to a world divided among conflicting powers; yes to a world united among peoples and civilizations that respect each other”.”
2022-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 77 (2022)
“On this issue, I am pleased to note that the Holy See, acting in the name and on behalf of the Vatican City State, recently deposited its instruments of accession both to United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and to the Paris Agreement on Climate Change, to contribute to the efforts of all States to work together to respond effectively to challenges posed by climate change. The digital environment also demands greater attention, given the increasingly important role that information and communication technologies play in our daily lives. Pope Francis points out that “the potential of digital technology is enormous, yet the possible negative impact of its abuse in the area of human trafficking, the planning of terrorist activities, the spread of hatred and extremism, the manipulation of information and ...”
2022-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 77 (2022)
“In that regard, when the international community gathers at the twenty-seventh Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change in Sharm El Sheikh, it is to be hoped that there will be the political will to take more decisive and transformative decisions to protect the environment by accelerating global climate action through stronger mitigation measures, scaled-up adaptation efforts and enhanced flows of appropriate finance.”
2022-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 77 (2022)
“In that regard, implementing the vision and objectives of both the Global Compact for Safe, Regular and Orderly Migration, as well as the Global Compact on Refugees, remains among the best ways to encourage international cooperation and burden-sharing. States must continue to make every effort to generate the necessary conditions for people to live in peace, security and dignity in their countries of origin. Our common home continues to be gravely affected by the adverse impacts of climate change. Indeed, we have grown so used to hearing of extreme weather events, and yet those phenomena are clear signs of our failure to address climate change. Moreover, multilateral environmental agreements have already laid out obligations for States parties that would prove effective in tackling the threat posed by climate change.”
2022-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 77 (2022)
“Additionally, the war has also exposed the vulnerability of short-sighted energy policies that rely exclusively on the single source of fossil fuel, rather than developing clean and sustainable alternatives. It is the poorest among us who suffer the most. Addressing these crises requires urgent and concerted action. Furthermore, the war in Ukraine not only undermines the nuclear non-proliferation regime, but also presents us with the danger of nuclear devastation, through either escalation or accident. Any threat of nuclear weapons use is repugnant and merits unequivocal condemnation. In the meantime, Europe’s largest refugee crisis since the Second World War only adds to the millions of refugees throughout Africa, the Middle East and Asia. Mixed migration is a global phenomenon that needs to be addressed accordingly.”
2022-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 77 (2022)
“It is time to bring an end to armament hypocrisy — speaking of peace and living off weapons. Instead of squandering vast sums on military equipment, it would be far wiser to invest in avoiding war, rather than preparing for it. The war in Ukraine has exacerbated already concerning global trends, including rising food and fuel prices and increased displacement. The conflict has also brought renewed attention to nuclear security and the risk of nuclear escalation. With the onset of conflict, a key source of staple grains and cooking oil for countries that rely on food imports was interrupted, placing millions more at risk of food insecurity and starvation.”
2022-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 77 (2022)
“At present, however, violence continues to scar our world; the devastation that war wreaks directly upon the populations of conflict zones is compounded by the indirect impact on countless other people far from the frontline. As Pope Francis has pointed out, “war diverts attention and resources, but these are the objectives that demand the utmost commitment: the fight against hunger, health, and education”. World hunger, food insecurity and malnutrition in all its forms are alarmingly on the rise. The number of people suffering hunger in the world rose to as many as 828 million in 2021. However, expenditure on arms, today at obscene levels, only serves to increase food insecurity, restrict access to health care and deprive generations of their rightful education.”
2022-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 77 (2022)
“It must extend beyond the General Assembly, to the reform of those organs with effective executive capability, such as the Security Council. The landmark resolution 76/262, requiring that the use of veto power be explained before the General Assembly, was a welcome step in that direction. The members of the Security Council, most especially the permanent members, have a crucial responsibility for the maintenance of peace and order in the world. When there is no shared vision or political will for peaceful coexistence, they become themselves the perpetrators of grave injustices. Only when the representatives of nations gathered here are able to place the common good above their own partisan interests will the legal framework of the United Nations system truly be the pledge of a secure and happy future.”
2022-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 77 (2022)
“In that regard, there appears to be little desire on the part of specific States to recover consensus and authentic dialogue. Indeed, today it would appear that only the powerful and the well-funded prevail, reinventing human rights as they see fit. Instead, the fundamental human rights recognized in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights are firmly rooted in universal values, such that the right to life, freedom of thought, conscience, religion, opinion and expression, and that the institution of the family are protected. The Holy See reaffirms that human rights remain universal, objective and firmly rooted in the God-given dignity of the human person. It is imperative that broad agreement and genuine consensus be found again soon within the Organization if it is to restore its international credibility as a true family of nations.”
2022-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 77 (2022)
“This process takes place against the backdrop of a crisis of credibility arising not only from its apparent impotence in times of crisis, but also from the promotion of agenda in many forums that frequently shift the focus to matters that, by their divisive nature, do not strictly belong to the aims of the Organization. Pope Francis has called this “ideological colonization”. Unfortunately, key decisions are now frequently made without a genuine process of negotiation in which all countries have a say. This is at odds with the true nature of multilateral diplomacy. Unfortunately, international cooperation is hindered by the flagrant imposition of contentious policies that do not enjoy agreement, particularly in the area of human rights.”
2022-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 77 (2022)
“When Pope Saint Paul VI visited this Hall, his heartfelt plea for no more war was broadcast around the world. Decades later, the hard-fought progress in reducing the prevalence of armed conflict globally has been called into question. This reversal deeply concerns the Holy See. Pope Francis has recognized that “we never learn” and that “unfortunately, the old story of competition between the greater Powers” continue, seeking to extend economic, ideological and military influence. And yet, the Holy See strongly believes in multilateralism and the irreplaceable role of the United Nations. For that reason, Pope Francis speaks repeatedly in support of the Organization, encouraging a process of renewal. The General Assembly has been working on the revitalization of various aspects of its work for some time.”
2022-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 77 (2022)
“At the same time, alongside the greater interconnection of problems, we are seeing a growing fragmentation of solutions that only fuels further tensions and divisions, as well as a generalized feeling of uncertainty and instability. We need to recover our sense of shared identity as a single human family. If we do not focus on what unites us, seeking to promote the common good, there will only be growing isolation, marked by a reciprocal rejection and refusal that endangers multilateralism. Indeed, here, at the United Nations, we are called to work together to restore, as Pope Francis has requested, that “diplomatic style that has characterized international relations from the end of the Second World War”, making sure it is best able to implement its foundational charter and respond to the challenges faced by humankind.”
2022-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 77 (2022)
“I am pleased to extend to you, Sir, and to the representatives of nations gathered here the warm greetings of Pope Francis. It is good to be together again in person. Last year, I spoke of the dark clouds hanging over humankind; while some of those have lifted, other, darker clouds have gathered. Armed conflicts currently afflict our world to an extent not seen since 1945. In addition to the misery caused by violence and cruelty and the anxiety arising from the threat of nuclear escalation, our world continues to face the challenges of climate change, mixed migration and the ongoing coronavirus disease pandemic, while food insecurity and water scarcity now affect large portions of the global population. No one can deny that the great challenges of our time are all global.”
2022-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 77 (2022)
“Peace does not demand winners or losers, but rather brothers and sisters who, for all the misunderstandings and hurts of the past, are journeying from conflict to unity.”18 That is the way of hope, which all of us should walk in this Organization. Thank you, Mr. President.”
2021-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 76 (2021)
“Pope Francis, Address to the Diplomatic Community Accredited to the Holy See, 7 January 2019 17 Pope Francis, Meeting with the Representatives of the Ecumenical Council of Churches and some Jewish communities in Hungary, 12 September 2021 Visiting the birthplace of Abraham, to whom Jews, Christians and Muslims all look as their father in faith, the Pope recalled the image of a storm-tossed sea to describe what is involved in building a culture of peace. “It demands,” he said, “especially amid the tempest, that we row together,” and that no one “be concerned simply for his own affairs.” He continued, “There will be no peace as long as we see others as them and not us. There will be no peace as long as our alliances are against others, for alliances of some against others only increase divisions.”
2021-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 76 (2021)
“Rather, he wants individuals and communities to be bridges of fellowship with all.”17 Let us see in the eyes of migrants and refugees that they are full of suffering and hope. Let us work together to give them a future to blossom in peace. In March, while the effects of the pandemic were still being very much felt, Pope Francis went to Iraq to encourage the Iraqi people in striving to give the world an example of resilience through hope. 15 Pope Francis, Fratelli Tutti, 177, 179 16 Cf.”
2021-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 76 (2021)
“To help the world build resilience through hope, the United Nations must lead by example, and the States, entities, and personnel that comprise the Organization all have a key role to play in helping set that example. The Holy See is vigorously committed to playing its part. Conclusion In conclusion, Mr. President, to recover, rebuild, respond, respect and revitalize involves a rediscovery of resilience through firmly grounded hope. Many are the signs of hope, even in our weary societies. To be builders of peace in our societies means to find these seeds and shoots of fraternity. “The God of the covenant asks us not to yield to separatism or partisan interests. He does not want us to ally ourselves with some at the expense of others.”
2021-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 76 (2021)
“Revitalizing the United Nations must include examining whether the structure conceived in 1945 remains adequate for 2021 and beyond, as well as recognizing that from those States to which more is given, more is to be expected, especially with regard to responsibility for the common good. In addition to the structural aspects of revitalization, greater attention must be given to promote and safeguard the mandates of UN entities and fora. The Holy See views with concern the push of some to break down the helpful division of labour among Committees, commissions, meetings and processes, turning all into bodies that focus on a limited number of disputed issues. Furthermore, the principle of consensus must be safeguarded. One common step in the right direction is preferable to many steps in different directions.”
2021-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 76 (2021)
“The structural deficiencies that exist cannot be remedied either by sluggish solutions or fast fixes but require a commitment to what Pope Francis terms a “healthy politics.”15 The need for a healthy politics, based on the pursuit of the common good and universal truth, is particularly important at the Security Council, whose members are called to become the foremost artisans of peace throughout the world, constantly recommitting themselves to place international peace and rule of law above national interests or partisan ideologies.16 Far too often, the latter inevitably leads to gridlock, while the poorest and most vulnerable, who look to the Council for signs of hope, continue to suffer, pushed into greater despair.”
2021-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 76 (2021)
“President, To foster the resilience necessary to help the world emerge better from the various crises we face, the United Nations must constantly be renewed through 11 Pope Francis, Address to the Diplomatic Corps Accredited to the Holy See, 8 February 2021 12 Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Article 16.3. 13 Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher, Statement at the 46th Session of the Human Rights Council, 23 February 2021. 14 Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Articles 3, 18 and 19 returning with greater fidelity and resolve to the core principles and purposes enshrined in its Charter. True revitalization means not just making structures and mechanisms more efficient but ensuring that this institution lives up to its true and commonly agreed upon aims, rather than becoming a tool of the powerful.”
2021-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 76 (2021)
“In an age in which many universal human rights continue to be violated with impunity, these attempts in fact confuse, divert from implementing the human rights conventions, and impede the attention and energy that the promotion and protection of fundamental human rights and dignity deserve. We need to build resilience through hope and consensus in this noble institution, while defending human rights and fundamental freedoms, including the right to life, to freedom of thought, conscience and religion, and to freedom of opinion and expression, and not to undermine them.14 Revitalizing the United Nations Mr.”
2021-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 76 (2021)
“In many cases, “new rights” not only contradict the values they are supposed to support but are imposed despite the absence of any objective foundation or international consensus.13 The Holy See believes that while depriving human rights of their original universal dimension, these new partial interpretations sadly become the ideological benchmark of spurious “progress” and another ground for polarization and division. Sadly, we are facing this in the constant pursuit of introducing controversial new agendas that drive UN processes contrary to the bodies’ given mandates.”
2021-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 76 (2021)
“Innocent children are deemed problematic, discarded by society even before they are born or have the chance to bring their own, unique contribution into the world. The family, which the Universal Declaration of Human Rights recognizes as the “natural and fundamental group unit of society,”12 is misrepresented. This is evident also in novel interpretations of existing human rights, separated from their underlying universal values.”
2021-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 76 (2021)
“Women and girls, persons from different indigenous, racial, ethnic, and linguistic backgrounds experience violence and oppression or are reduced to second-class citizens. Far too often humanitarian law is taken as a recommendation rather than an obligation by both State and non-State actors alike. Refugees, migrants and internally displaced persons are increasingly left in limbo or even left to drown, unwelcome and unable to find a new home to raise their family in dignity, peace and security. Religious believers endure harassment, persecution, death and even genocide on account of their faith. The elderly and persons with disabilities are cast aside, especially when they are frail or considered burdensome.”
2021-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 76 (2021)
“President, 10 26th Session of the Conference of Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Pope Francis considers one of the most serious causes for concern in today’s world to be the “crisis of human relationships” flowing from a way of life dominated by selfishness and by the culture of waste, where human values and the related transcendent dignity of the person are often trampled.11 This “anthropological crisis” is not a philosophical or academic dispute, but a crisis with enormous practical consequences for human rights. Our societies today are the theatre of many injustices where human beings are maltreated, exploited, ignored, killed, or left to languish in humanitarian emergencies.”
2021-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 76 (2021)
“Humanitarian and security issues require us to end the nuclear arms race and to undertake effective measures toward nuclear disarmament, non-proliferation and prohibition. The entry into force last January of the Treaty for the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) is a major step forward. It is the firm hope of the Holy See that this will also spur progress in the implementation of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), scheduled to hold its Review Conference next January. Mr.”
2021-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 76 (2021)
“The recent aggravated humanitarian situation in Afghanistan and the ongoing political tensions in Syria and Lebanon, as well as in other places, are a stark reminder of the impact that conflicts press upon peoples and nations. The Holy See calls upon States to heed the call of the Secretary-General and Pope Francis for a global ceasefire and a shared humanitarian responsibility. The damage to our fellow human beings and our planet is a special cause of concern with regard to nuclear arms and biological and chemical weapons. The threat of nuclear weapons, possessed under the guise of nuclear deterrence, creates an ethos of fear based on mutual annihilation, and poisons relationships between peoples, obstructs dialogue, and undermines hope.”
2021-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 76 (2021)
“Human creativity and innovation in improving efficiency and decreasing the costs of clean energy are making environmentally conscious choices by governments and individuals easier. Such innovations, while spurring similar entrepreneurial creativity, also inspire hope. Respecting the rights of people Mr. President, Hope all too frequently is denied and remains elusive to so many women and men, boys and girls because of another man-made threat to our common existence, namely war, conflict and the possession and use of weapons of mass destruction. The scourge of war brings death and destruction, harms the environment, devastates communities and so often entraps regions and countries in a downward spiral. Sadly, we continue to witness the terrible impact of crises and conflicts across the globe.”
2021-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 76 (2021)
“We are compelled to strengthen our ambition, since we are presently experiencing the effects of decades of inaction in terms of the extreme flooding, drought, wildfires, melting glaciers, receding shorelines, malnutrition and respiratory diseases that rising temperatures are precipitating. It is far past time to act. The tragic natural disasters that have struck our brothers and sisters in Haiti, a people already suffering from political and humanitarian challenges, is a clear call to the international community to work together in solidarity for a durable and sustainable development of which the people of Haiti may be the principal protagonists. Recent attention toward the environment has spawned great advances in technology, allowing us to provide for our needs sustainably.”
2021-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 76 (2021)
“We must unleash the promise and hope they embody, for their good and the good of the entire human community.9 5 Pope Francis, Address to the General Assembly of the United Nations, 25 September 2020 6 Pope Francis, Address to the Members of the “Banco Farmaceutico” Foundation, 19 September 2020 7 Security Council Resolution 2565 (2021) 8 Pope Francis, Address to the Diplomatic Corps Accredited to the Holy See, 8 February 2021 9 Pope Francis, Fratelli Tutti, 228 Responding to the Needs of the Planet Mr. President, The upcoming COP 2610 in Glasgow is an important opportunity for resilience, as the international community has the chance to commit anew to the protection of our common home.”
2021-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 76 (2021)
“Making sustainable development a reality by 2030, which two years ago appeared to be an uphill struggle with no certainty of success, has now become such a daunting challenge that tremendous efforts will be needed. To rebuild sustainably, we must rethink the relationship between individuals and the economy and ensure that both economic models and development programs remain at the service of men and women, particularly those on the margins of society, rather than exploit both people and natural resources.8 Sustainable development, if truly at the service of the human person, must also incorporate the poor, their gifts and creativity as agents of their own integral development.”
2021-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 76 (2021)
“Resilience calls for an examination of the fragility and shortfalls of our economic systems, which have left many behind as a result of the severe economic downturn and made the poor even more vulnerable. Finally, resilience involves perseverance in the fight against corruption, since the harm of corruption has become particularly exposed among the political and distribution failures of the pandemic. Rebuilding sustainably Mr. President, The pandemic has negatively impacted development programs and activities, as well the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Five years of progress on the 17 sustainable development goals was halted, and in some cases reversed, by the virus and its consequences.”
2021-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 76 (2021)
“We must work together to remedy the situation of those who are on the “pharmaceutical margins,”6 and to alleviate the needless suffering and death that they and so many others have and continue to endure. This is particularly the case with regard to vaccines, which must be available to everyone, especially in conflict areas and humanitarian settings.7 Resilience requires a renewed examination of how health care systems have largely been overwhelmed by the pandemic and left so many without sufficient care or any care at all. Even today many have no access to testing, basic care, or vaccines or even to the energy infrastructure that would make such care possible.”
2021-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 76 (2021)
“2 See Pope Francis, General Audience, 27 September 2017 3 Charles Peguy, The Portal of the Mystery of Hope 4 Pope Francis, General Audience, 15 October 2014 Pope Francis declared last year in his address to the General Assembly that “we never emerge from a crisis just as we were. We come out either better or worse.”5 To emerge better from the COVID-19 pandemic, we need to build on a renewed sense of fraternal solidarity. The pandemic has taught us how interconnected our world is, how every State has its own vulnerabilities and that no State is capable of resolving the crisis on its own. Resilience demands that the international community put into action the commitments expressed during the Special Session of the General Assembly on COVID-19 last December.”
2021-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 76 (2021)
“As new crises arise and others persist, we need hope to persevere in addressing them. Hope keeps us motivated when problems and disagreements seem unsolvable. It facilitates forgiveness. It keeps us conscious that through reconciliation there can be a better future. It fosters resilience and inspires us to put in hard work even when we may not be able to see results achieved in our lifetime. For Christians, hope is the most divine gift that can exist in the heart of mankind.2 It sees and loves what will be, in time and in eternity.3 Hope “is expectation, fervent expectation, impassioned by the ultimate and definitive fulfilment of a mystery, the mystery of God’s love.”4 Recovering from COVID-19 Mr. President, 1 Pope Francis, Encyclical Letter Fratelli Tutti, 3 0, 54, 55, 196.”
2021-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 76 (2021)
“Such actions reveal, he indicated, that the medicine the world needs is not “isolation and withdrawal into one’s own interests,” but rather fraternal closeness and hope grounded in the “reserves of goodness present in human hearts.”1 The theme of this General Debate, “Building Resilience Through Hope,” focuses our attention on the crucial importance of hope in human affairs. Hope is different than optimism, which is an expectation that things will turn out well, or the idea that somehow history will inevitably develop on an upward trajectory. Instead, we know that our achievements are not unassailable: the maintenance of peace, the protection and promotion of human rights, the advance of integral human development, and the care for our common home, should never be taken for granted, but must be sought and secured by every generation.”
2021-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 76 (2021)
“Mr. President, I am pleased to extend to you and all of the representatives of nations the warm greetings of Pope Francis. In his Encyclical Letter Fratelli Tutti on fraternity and social friendship, Pope Francis surveyed the many challenges facing the international community, such as war and conflict, mistreatment and violence, hunger and poverty, inequality and marginalization, individualism and mistrust, extremism and polarization, attacks on human dignity, the COVID-19 pandemic and threats to the environment, among other “dark clouds.” To confront such difficulties effectively, we must approach them with “renewed hope” based on the “abundant seeds of goodness in our human family,” like those heroically sown in response to the medical, social, economic and spiritual dimensions of the pandemic.”
2021-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 76 (2021)