The Holy See at the United Nations: for globalisation in search of mutual benefits

Vatican City, 7 November 2014 (VIS) – “The central challenge in the post-2015 development agenda is to ensure that globalisation benefits everyone. ... We need to strengthen multilateralism to help achieve this goal and manage the different risks and interlinked challenges associated with globalisation”, said Archbishop Bernardito Auza, Holy See Permanent Observer at the United Nations in New York, speaking at the 69th Session of the United Nations General Assembly on 27 October, on the theme “Globalisation and Interdependence”.

The prelate spoke about the great benefits globalisation can bring, as well as the widening inequalities. “When globalisation brings people together as equal partners, it creates mutually beneficial results, a win-win partnership for all. If not, globalisation breeds greater inequalities and marginalization, exploitation and injustice. Indeed, as with most human endeavours, globalisation works for good or ill, depending on the underlying ethic and policies driving the process”.

The nuncio went on to mention two related issues, culture and the phenomenon of migration. “Culture is a prime vehicle to express and share our common humanity”, he said. “It is critically important if authentic human flourishing is the ultimate goal of economic activity and development and … given all these benefits and values of culture, we should not reduce it to the logic of market exchange. ... A community’s culture is their gift to the global common good, for it is an expression of their humanity, and through culture we can enter into a real dialogue because it speaks to our common humanity”.

On migration, the archbishop emphasised that “it affects everyone, not only because of the extent of the phenomenon, but also because of the social, economic, political, cultural and religious problems it raises”, adding that “the Holy See would like to highlight the particularly troubling cases of human trafficking and contemporary forms of slavery spawned by migration. … These modern forms of slavery are the opposite of a globalisation driven by the culture of encounter and the values of solidarity and justice”.

“It is necessary always to see the human face of migration, to see the migrant as a fellow human being, endowed with the same human dignity and rights as ourselves. It is only then that we can respond to the globalisation of migration with the globalisation of solidarity and cooperation. Moreover, solidarity with migrants is not enough, if it is not accompanied by efforts towards bringing peace in conflict-ridden regions and a more equitable economic world order. If globalisation has shrunk the world into a village, we may as well become good neighbours”, he concluded.