Vatican City: The Holy See has reiterated its call for global action to protect families, champion motherhood, and promote genuine equality between men and women. Speaking at the United Nations High Level Political Forum, Archbishop Gabriele Caccia, the Holy See’s Permanent Observer, emphasized the urgent need for people-centered policies that place families and human dignity at the heart of development strategies.
Addressing delegates during discussions on Sustainable Development Goal 3 (health and well-being) and SDG 5 (gender equality), Archbishop Caccia underscored that health is far more than just the absence of illness. He described it as a state of complete physical, mental, social, emotional, and spiritual wellness. However, he warned that despite efforts, progress on global health remains uneven hampered by fragile healthcare systems, chronic underfunding, and rising rates of non-communicable diseases.
To move forward, he said, countries must adopt integrated approaches that see healthcare not as a commodity or ideological battleground, but as a universal human necessity. Caccia stressed the need to prioritize care for the most vulnerable, including unborn children, the elderly, migrants, the disabled, and people in conflict zones.
He also highlighted the crucial role of Catholic and faith-based health institutions, which currently operate nearly one-quarter of the world's health facilities, in delivering care with compassion, dignity, and equity especially in underserved and remote regions.
Turning to SDG 5, Archbishop Caccia affirmed the Holy See’s unwavering support for empowering women and girls through education, healthcare access, employment, and full social participation. He said true equality is rooted not in ideology but in the inherent, God-given dignity of every man and woman.
Equality, however, must go beyond words and take shape through structural reforms that confront poverty, violence, exclusion, and systemic barriers faced by women worldwide. He warned against development models that reduce women to tools of economic productivity, arguing that dignity and integral human development must be the driving forces behind global gender policies.
Caccia strongly emphasized that family life, motherhood, and maternity require active protection. Policies must not only support gender equality but also affirm and safeguard the vital social roles women and men play in families. “Families are not obstacles to development they are the foundation,” he noted.
He concluded by urging nations to recommit themselves during the final stretch toward achieving the 2030 Agenda. The Holy See, he said, calls for a renewed global dedication to the comprehensive growth of every woman and girl ensuring that no one is left behind in the pursuit of peace, justice, and inclusive development.