(Vatican Radio) Early Thursday morning Pope Francis tweeted a reminder to his millions
of followers as they faced into another day, not to forget those in need. He wrote
: “At this time of crisis it is important not to become closed in on oneself, but
rather to be open and attentive towards others”.
This is also the message
at the heart of an intervention made by the Pope’s representative to the United Nations
in New York, Indian Archbishop Francis Chullikatt. Addressing the Commission on Population
and Development currently in session, he asked that nations make a greater effort
“strengthening bonds of friendship and brotherhood within the human family”, above
all by helping immigrants integrate better.
Citing the current economic
crisis that is affecting developed and developing economies, the Indian Archbishop
said many of the millions of men women and children leave their country of origin
because of “situations of unsustainable socioeconomic insecurity and poverty”.
Describing the current state of migration a “social phenomenon of epoch-making proportions”,
the Vatican representative noted the need to “promote family reunification, integration
of migrants, recognition of the qualifications of skilled migrant workers, new approaches
to assist elderly migrants, cost reductions of sending remittances, as well as protection
of female domestic workers and migrants in irregular situations, especially women
and children vulnerable to sexual and labour exploitation, abuse and human trafficking”.
Below the full text of the Statement by Archbishop Francis A. Chullikatt,
Apostolic Nuncio Permanent Observer of the Holy See to the United Nations in the Commission
on Population and Development, 46th Session United Nations
Headquarters, New York, 24 April 2013 Mr. Chairman,
My delegation congratulates
you and the bureau on your election and looks forward to working with you during this
session to address the urgent needs of our fellow brothers and sisters in situations
of insecurity and poverty due to migration.
The globalised economy, by putting
human beings increasingly in contact with each other across borders, has contributed
to creating and strengthening bonds of friendship and brotherhood within the human
family. At the same time, increasing social and economic inequalities have been a
source of division in the world and among our peoples. Situations of unsustainable
socioeconomic insecurity and poverty have forced more and more individuals, families
and entire communities to pursue their destinies in foreign lands and have driven
them to leave their homes and families in the hopes of a more secure future in different
countries and communities. In addition, millions every year are constrained to abandon
their lands and the lands of their ancestors out of threat of war, humanitarian crisis,
civil unrest and famine in order to survive. “Whether due to a search for better
living conditions or a flight from persecution, war, violence, hunger or natural disasters,
[migration] has led to an unprecedented mingling of peoples, with new problems
and challenges.”[1]
The current state of migration presents
a “social phenomenon of epoch-making proportions”[2] where families are
forcibly divided, children are rendered vulnerable, labourers face abuse without recourse
to remedies, and migrants are incarcerated without due respect for their human rights
and dignity. Women migrants, in particular, face threats of sexual abuse and trafficking
as if they were mere commodities. Accordingly, my delegation is pleased that, in his
Report,[3] the Secretary-General has highlighted the need to promote family
reunification, integration of migrants, recognition of the qualifications of skilled
migrant workers, new approaches to assist elderly migrants, cost reductions of sending
remittances, as well as protection of female domestic workers and migrants in irregular
situations, especially women and children vulnerable to sexual and labour exploitation,
abuse and human trafficking.
Solutions to the predicament that migration provokes
for millions of our brothers and sisters ought to be far-reaching and sustainable
if they are not to exacerbate an already tragic situation for many. Whereas States
are possessed of a right to protect the integrity of their territorial borders, the
frank reality of migration necessitates the measure of this right against the right
of all people to migrate and pursue a standard of life befitting their human dignity.
Where this right cannot be realised, necessity ordains that each one of us would seek
it elsewhere and thus countries of destination have a moral duty to treat each migrant
with respect for their human rights and dignity. Controlling borders therefore requires
treating migrants with justice and mercy rather than as dangerous criminals or unwanted
elements of the society. It also requires extending due protection of the law and
respecting the universal rights of migrants, regardless of their migratory status,
especially their right to life, development, education, clothing, food, shelter and
basic health care.
Mr. Chairman,
A first step towards solution must
be the frank recognition of the presence among us of migrants, and an acknowledgement
of their humanity. It is not a reality that can be washed away. The presence of migrants
among us confronts us with the ancient question, “Who is my neighbour?”[4],
and invites receiving countries to evaluate their hospitality in terms of their commitment
to brotherhood enshrined in the very first article of the Universal Declaration of
Human rights.
Migrants count among “the simple, the humble, the poor, the
forgotten,” that Pope Francis pleaded for in his recent Palm Sunday Homily[5]:
“those who do not matter in the eyes of the world”. Their human dignity requires that
we accord to them their fundamental rights, including their right to migrate. Migrants
are human persons, fathers and mothers, sons and daughters, members of the human family,
struggling with the challenges we all face, oftentimes under infinitely harsher circumstances.
This should augur for the establishment of a stronger sense of solidarity between
peoples and amongst nations which requires collaboration between countries of origin
and destination and the adoption of adequate international norms so as to protect
the rights of migrants and members of their families.
Mr. Chairman,
Migrants’
courageous pursuit of development for the good of their families naturally predisposes
them to serve as an inspiration for their host communities. Their presence, courage
and willingness to work can be a boon for both receiving and sending economies, and
an enrichment of the common good through the cultures and values they bear. They are
a source of immense social and economic potential which must be nurtured or risk being
squandered. The Secretary-General reports an increase by some 60 million of the number
of international migrants during the past 20 years, most of whom migrate from developing
to developed countries – suggesting that migrant families are providing vital human
resources in these rapidly ageing regions of the world where fertility rates are often
well below replacement levels. Thus, migration brings host countries many benefits
– and these ought honestly to be acknowledged and accorded the appropriate legal recognition.
Ultimately, the only appropriate response to the ongoing phenomenon of migration
must be the development of the sending countries whose encounter with the globalised
economy has not rendered them able to meet the legitimate aspirations of their people.
Development of the poorer countries is the real and urgent challenge we have as a
human family, calling for our active and concrete engagement. Redoubling border controls
or tightening visa restrictions only serves to bolster migrants’ resolution and risk-taking,
aggravating a sense of civic alienation to the point where it could threaten to undermine
stability and the common good. Such an approach functions to harness a force of great
potential good to precisely the opposite ends.
Further, we cannot fail
to recognize the impact that the enactment of draconian population control policies
have wreaked on countries whose populations can no longer sustain themselves,
nor the destructive impact that the forced promotion of harmful notions, such as reproductive
rights, has had on migrant families, trivialising marriage and the family and denying
the very right to life for the unborn. Such a promotion of population control as
a way to development has also led States to use forced abortion and sterilization
as a means for controlling or mitigating the demographic and racial impact of migrants
on their countries. States, on the contrary, have the duty to bolster the family,
“the fundamental group unit of society”[6], so as to provide support for
the institution where the relations of tomorrow must be cultivated.
Mr. Chairman
My
delegation will continue to advocate for and provide economic, social, political,
cultural, ethical, and religious resources for migrants regardless of their legal
status and hopes that through this session we may find the political, legal and economic
will necessary to make a lasting difference for those migrants and refugees longing
for a better life.