On 27 September, the Holy See Foreign Minister, Archbishop Mamberti, addressed the UN General Assembly in a wide ranging speech on current international issues or, as he put it – reminding us diplomats why we engage in international diplomacy – “the principal questions that concern humanity in the search for a better future for all”.
David Cameron’s speech to the UNGA last week also posed the question why we engage in international affairs, focusing principally on events in the Middle East. And I was struck by how much there was in Archbishop Mamberti’s speech with which the United Kingdom can find common cause. A few examples:
– the responsibility of “the Family of Nations” to support countries and peoples in need, such as in the current humanitarian crisis in the Horn of Africa, and of the world’s major donors to respect their Gleneagles development commitments. British Development Secretary Andrew Mitchell also spoke eloquently in New York this week of the need for the international community to take urgent and concrete action now in Somalia.
– respect for religious freedom as a cornerstone of human rights, and still a major challenge in many countries. Archbishop Mamberti noted in particular that simple tolerance was not enough; that believers of all faiths should be allowed in any country to live in security and enjoy full citizenship rights.
– greater understanding of our responsibilities towards the environment, and recognition that man – and especially the most disadvantaged – must be at the heart of sustainable development strategies as we look forward to next year’s Rio+20 Conference.
– the vital importance of securing in 2012 an effective and implementable Arms Trade Treaty, as “a test of political will” of the international community to assume its moral and juridicial responsibilities.
As I have said before, the United Kingdom and the Holy See will not agree on every international issue. But we certainly do on the fundamental questions. And that provides us with a basis for work across a wide and shared global agenda.