Shelters for people affected by climate change and floods in landlocked Chad

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Holy See calls for solidarity and climate action to support ‘developing states’

At a UN work session, the Holy See calls for new policies to support the economies of landlocked and small island developing states.

By Phoebe Martel

For the Holy See, sustainable development and international cooperation are pivotal in ensuring the world’s most vulnerable populations have access to a safe and prosperous future.

At a meeting of the United Nations General Assembly’s Economic and Financial Committee in New York on Oct. 21, [PM1] Archbishop Gabriele Caccia called upon the international community to implement decisive poverty eradication efforts.

Archbishop Caccia is the Permanent Observer to the Holy See to the United Nations in New York, and the work session he spoke at centred on “accelerated implementation” of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals.

In his speech, he highlighted the importance of debt relief, climate policy and trade equity measures in safeguarding the well-being of developing countries.

According to the Archbishop, many developing countries “struggle with extreme poverty, climate change, inadequate infrastructure and limited access to essential services such as education and healthcare.”

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For island nations in particular, climate change-related natural disasters and rising sea levels have disproportionate impacts on already high poverty rates and fragile, tourism-dependent economies. Holy See-sponsored measures such as the Antigua and Barbuda Agenda for Small Island Developing States (SIDS) aim to help these countries build sustainable infrastructure and increase food security.

Caccia also urged the General Assembly to help integrate landlocked developing countries (LLDCs) into global markets through equitable trade practices. The UN classifies countries like Afghanistan, Chad, North Macedonia as LLDCs, characterized by their lack of access to coastal ports.

The Holy See observer concluded his speech by reminding his audience of how debt relief in LLDCs, SIDS and other developing nations can go a long way in allowing these governments to invest in their citizens.

Regarding debt relief measures, Pope Francis has stated that “it is not right to demand or expect payment when a country’s people cannot even access basic necessities.”