The Holy See delegate to the United Nations, Archbishop Francis
Chullikatt has called on nations to “invest in children” as part of the
solution to poverty eradication.
In a speech Saturday at the United Nations, Archbishop Chullikatt
stated that “the deepest needs of the human person” go far beyond food,
water and shelter. Authentic social development hinges on respect for
the dignity of each human person, Radio Vatican reports.
Speaking before the U.N. Commission on Social Development, he drew
attention to declining population growth in the West as a factor in
nations struggling to provide social services.
In contrast, “human
history teaches us that if there is sufficient investment in children
they will grow up to contribute far in excess of what they have
consumed, thereby raising the standard of living for all.”
He criticized measuring development only in economic terms, insisting
that the “eradication of poverty cannot be based only on measurable
economic outcome. Rather, authentic development requires fostering the
development of each human being and of the whole human being”.
He reminded delegates that the Copenhagen Summit of 1995 agreed by consensus that people are at the center of development.