UN Secretary General Calls for True Sustainability in Global Economic and Political Relations

July 6th, 2009

The United Nations Conference on the World Financial and Economic Crisis and its Impact on Development was held in New York on June 24-26. In his visionary opening remarks, H.E. Miguel D’Escoto Brockmann, President of The United Nations General Assembly, called for an economic system based on solidarity and a “…globalized policy and ethics based on the many cultural experiences and traditions of our peoples.”

Recognizing the importance of Mother Earth to our very survival, President D’Escoto cited the urgent need for “respect, veneration and a sense of responsibility and care for our common home.” His remarks reflect an understanding of humanity in relation to nature common among indigenous peoples which, in turn, implies radical changes to the prevailing global economic system.

He concluded with these words of the Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI:

“I invoke upon all of the Conference participants, as well as those responsible for public life and the fate of the planet, the spirit of wisdom and human solidarity, so that the current crisis may become an opportunity, capable of favouring greater attention to the dignity of every human being and the promotion of an equal distribution of decisional power and resources, with particular attention to the unfortunately ever-growing number of poor”.

Read the full text of his statement. (Download PDF)

Available in Spanish

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