60th Regular Session of the Human Rights Council Item 3: Interactive Dialogue with the Special Rapporteur on the Right to Development

Mr. President,

The Holy See takes note of the Report of the Special Rapporteur on the Right to Development[1], in which he points out that achieving this right requires equality for women and girls. Such equality is rooted in the dignity of every man and woman, which is “inalienably grounded in his or her very being, which prevails in and beyond every circumstance”.[2] This God-given dignity must always be at the heart of all development efforts, if we are to “build a world in which everyone can lead an authentically human life in truth, justice and peace”, as Pope Leo XIV said.[3]

Undoubtedly, development must be integral, taking into account every dimension of the human person – both spiritual and material – and the inherent dignity of each individual at every stage of life. 

When women and girls are able to fulfil their potential, the benefits extend far beyond the individual: families are strengthened, social cohesion is reinforced, and the common good is advanced. However, this requires a serious commitment to creating equal conditions, including providing them with access to education, quality healthcare, decent work, participation in every sphere of life, measures to alleviate poverty, and freedom from violence and discrimination.

Mr. President,

Thirty years after the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, one truth bears repeating: “Women play a critical role in the family. The family is the basic unit of society and as such should be strengthened”.[4] This requires policies that support both motherhood and family life, as well as the principle of shared responsibility between women and men.

Sadly, the Report states that “to realize social development women should enjoy autonomy over decisions concerning [...] abortion”. This implies that social development is linked to the denial of the right to life to the child in the womb. This creates a paradox: “Precisely in an age when the inviolable rights of the person are solemnly proclaimed and the value of life is publicly affirmed, the very right to life is being denied”[5].

It is true that women in many parts of the world face difficult, or even tragic, situations involving suffering, violence, loneliness, a total lack of economic prospects, and depression and anxiety about the future[6]. We should be honest and admit that it is by addressing these dramatic human situations that we can reach social development and the good of the world’s women and not by proposing false solutions, such as denying another person’s inviolable right to life, which is always a failure of law, of justice and ultimately of the entire society.

Thank you, Mr. President.