ZENIT, Daily dispatch
The World Seen From Rome
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VATICAN DOSSIER
* Vatican: Catholic Schools Key for Countries in Conflict
* Benedict XVI Saddened by Ukraine Explosion
WORLD FEATURES
* Stem Cell Breakthrough Hailed by Catholic Think Tank
* Holy See Urges U.N. to Coordinate Disaster Response
* Cardinal: Paul VI Knew Terrorism Could Become Widespread
* Getting a Designer Baby Take Several Tries, Says Bioethicist
* The People Are With Bhutto, Says Bishop
NEWS BRIEFS
* Juneau Bishop Named to Montana
LITURGY
* Gospel Acclamation, Before and After
DOCUMENTS
* Holy See on a Humanitarian Response to Disasters
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VATICAN DOSSIER
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Vatican: Catholic Schools Key for Countries in Conflict
Education Congregation Releases Document
VATICAN CITY, NOV. 20, 2007 (Zenit.org).- Catholic schools are playing a key role around the world, even to the extent of helping to resolve conflicts and aiding in interreligious dialogue, says a Vatican official.
Cardinal Zenon Grocholewski and Monsignor Angelo Vincenzo Zani, respectively prefect and undersecretary of the Congregation for Catholic Education, presented today in the Vatican a 26-page document published by that dicastery titled "Educating Together in Catholic Schools: A Shared Mission Between Consecrated Persons and the Lay Faithful." The document will be made available in English, French, Spanish and Italian.
Cardinal Grocholewski said that "a profound malady is affecting the educational world, especially in the West."
Professors "feel a lack of motivation and have to witness the frustration of their educational duties," he said. "Among the worrying signs are the increase of violence in schools and among adolescents, and the difficulties faced by families which, it is good to recall, have the prime responsibility for the education of their children" and must play "an active part in the school community."
Monsignor Zani provided a number of statistics showing how Catholic schools have helped in areas plagued by conflict.
"In the world today," he said, "there are some 250,000 Catholic educational institutes frequented by slightly fewer than 42 million pupils, distributed over the continents as follows: 10 million in Africa, 12 million in the Americas, 10 million in Asia, 9 million in Europe, and 800,000 in Oceania. Teachers in Catholic schools number around 3.5 million."
Responding
Monsignor Zani said Catholic schools operate even where religious liberty is not guaranteed, and they have "an amazing capacity to respond to emergencies and to formative needs."
The undersecretary referred to Lebanon, where "the program of Catholic schools has as its principal aim that of leading young people to dialogue and collaboration between Muslims and Christians," and of Bosnia where, "in the midst of the Balkans war, the Archdiocese of Sarajevo founded three schools called 'Schools for Europe,' [...] to welcome Serbs, Croats and Muslims."
"Special mention must be made," he continued, "of countries in Central and Eastern Europe. There the collapse of communism unblocked a situation that had persisted for many years, enabling a rediscovery of the value of the individual and of freedom, also in the formative process. In many of those countries educational laws have been greatly revised and now also include recognition and economic support for Catholic schools."
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Benedict XVI Saddened by Ukraine Explosion
VATICAN CITY, NOV. 20, 2007 (Zenit.org).- Benedict XVI expressed his condolences after a methane explosion in a coal mine in Donetsk, Ukraine, where the death toll is already at 88.The Pope sent a telegram through his secretary of state, Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, to Ukraine's President Viktor Yushchenko.
He wrote: "Having learned of the disaster in the Zasyadko mine in eastern Ukraine, the Supreme Pontiff wishes to express his heartfelt condolences to the families of the victims, as well as to the government authorities and to the entire nation. While giving assurances of his fervent prayers for the souls of the deceased, he calls upon the Lord of heaven to grant consolation to the injured and to those suffering from the dramatic loss of their loved ones."
Today was declared a day of mourning across Ukraine. The Sunday explosion is the deadliest the country has ever suffered.
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WORLD FEATURES
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Stem Cell Breakthrough Hailed by Catholic Think Tank
Method Considered Better Than Cloning, Scientifically and Morally
THORNWOOD, New York, NOV. 20, 2007 2007 (Zenit.org).- One cannot exaggerate the moral and scientific importance of a breakthrough that allows for research on stem-cell related cures to go forward without destroying human embryos, says the director of a Catholic think tank.
Father Thomas Berg, executive director of the Westchester Institute, and member of the ethics committee of New York's Empire State Stem Cell Board, said this about two newly-released scientific papers published today that report how scientists generated pluripotent stem cells from human skin cells. The method thus avoids the ethical concerns raised by embryo-destructive research.
Both studies used "direct reprogramming" of adult human cells to generate stem cells known as induced pluripotent state cells (iPSCs). These iPSCs have the properties of human embryonic stem cells. Scientists hope cells like these will eventually be able to treat diseases like diabetes and Parkinson's.
And the cells were "patient-matched," meaning they genetically match the donor. If these types of cells are to be eventually transplanted into the donors, there should be less chance of the body rejecting them.
Father Berg explained: "This tremendous advance puts respect for embryonic human life and potentially life-saving biomedical research on the same plane.
"Ever since the debate of embryo-destructive stem cell research began in earnest, we've known that the best answer to the ethical impasse would be one that allows the search for stem-cell related cures to go foreword without harming or destroying embryonic human life in the process. We now have that solution."
Superior advances
Markus Grompe, professor of molecular and medical genetics at Oregon Health and Science University, said: "Not only are iPSCs as good as embryonic stem cells, they are actually superior in one critical aspect: They are patient-specific and hence will not be rejected by the immune system of the person from which they derived.
"The ability to generate ESCs [embryonic stem cells] matched to a particular person was the main reason for efforts to clone human embryos."
Maureen Condic, associate professor of neurobiology and anatomy at the University of Utah, told ZENIT the breakthrough means the cells can be used for medical research into human genetic diseases, starting now. "Unlike human cloning, which has thus far not been accomplished and remains only a theoretical possibility, iPSCs have been generated by two independent laboratories, making patient-specific pluripotent stem cells a reality today.
"Moreover, unlike cloning, no eggs are needed for the iPS [induced pluripotent state] procedure and no human embryos are produced or destroyed, thus resolving major ethical and practical difficulties associated with the cloning procedure.
"Thus, on both ethical and practical grounds, direct programming is superior to cloning as a means of obtaining patient-specific pluripotent stem cells."
Real potential
Condic continued: "IPSCs can be used immediately for human drug testing in the laboratory and for important medical research into human genetic diseases by studying iPS lines derived from patients with such conditions. These kinds of applications will certainly be under way in the very near future, if they are not already in the works."
"There are legitimate concerns regarding the safety of iPSCs for use in human patients," Condic continued, "due to the use of viral vectors that integrate into the DNA of the reprogrammed cell and the nature of the genes used to accomplish reprogramming. However, current techniques exist that should enable the production of iPSCs without the use of such vectors. It would not be unreasonable to expect this to be accomplished within one year."
"Importantly, because direct reprogramming is so scientifically fascinating, so technically simple and so completely unrestricted for federal funding, many laboratories are likely to take up this approach immediately, greatly accelerating the refinement of this technique and enormously enhancing our understanding of the basic biology of stem cells," Condic added.
Changed landscape
Father Berg explained: "This reprogramming-advance changes the entire landscape of stem cell research from one of controversy and unfulfilled promises for treatment, to a morally uncompromised field that may very well accelerate the development of patient-matched therapies.
"We should all be deeply grateful to these scientists who -- whether they happened to agree or not -- nonetheless took seriously the ethical objections many people have to embryo-destructive research."
"They have now shown us a way forward that we can all live with," Father Berg concluded. "That's a huge win-win, especially for those who can now hopefully benefit from therapies garnered through a technology which is exceedingly more efficient than cloning."
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Holy See Urges U.N. to Coordinate Disaster Response
Says International Community Needs to Offer Long-Term Aid
NEW YORK, NOV. 20, 2007 (Zenit.org).- The Holy See is encouraging the United Nations to help coordinate assistance programs that offer relief after natural or man-made disasters, like the cyclone that recently pounded Bangladesh.
Archbishop Celestino Migliore, permanent observer of the Holy See to the United Nations, made this appeal Monday when he addressed the U.N. General Assembly on the topic of humanitarian and disaster relief assistance.
The archbishop first noted the devastation caused by conflicts and war, noting that last year, the high number of natural disasters was accompanied by "many and extremely costly man-made ones."
"Armed conflicts have devastated societies in many places, taken lives, ruined economies, set back development and frustrated efforts to restore peace," he said. "Given the terrible consequences of armed conflicts, we must once again recall that in the most unfortunate case of war, all parties involved must comply fully with the rules and principles of international law and international humanitarian law related to the protection of humanitarian personnel, such as allowing full unimpeded access by humanitarian personnel to all people in need of assistance."
Getting prepared
Archbishop Migliore lauded the efforts made by governments to prepare for natural disasters, and thus reduce the negative effects they cause.
"By increasing the knowledge and capacity of local actors to respond effectively to emergency situations, countries can reduce the long-term cost and consequences of a disaster," the prelate said. "Local civic and faith-based organizations are highly effective in this regard, and thus must be fully engaged, supported and, when necessary, duly protected."
Archbishop Migliore urged the United Nations to use its "position within the international community" to coordinate humanitarian responses to disasters.
"For this response to be effective," he explained, "this organization needs the full cooperation of the states directly concerned, especially in ensuring that the latter fully comply with their obligations under international law and international humanitarian law, and that they fulfill their responsibility to protect their own people."
The Holy See representative continued: "Moreover, as humanitarian agencies grow in number and variety, the United Nations could enhance collaboration among them and harness their complementary capacities, while respecting their differences and the specific aims and principles of each organization.
"Long-term and sustainable post-disaster recovery continues to be a challenge and a necessity. While individual governments are responsible for developing long-term recovery strategies, collaboration with local agencies is important, in particular with those that have acquired concrete knowledge of the situation and have long-term deployment of resources in the region. This could cushion the unintended harmful effects, especially on the more vulnerable sectors of society, of the transition from emergency humanitarian assistance to the recovery phase."
Long-term aid
Finally, the prelate called for sustained support from the international community in ensuring long-term recovering from disasters.
"An outpouring of goodwill and international solidarity most often follow live reports and images of humanitarian disasters, but as attention and resources move to other priorities, it quickly weakens or even disappears," he lamented.
"This could be very costly, especially in post-conflict situations in which the probability of a relapse to violence is very high, or in places where a truly catastrophic natural disaster wiped out the economic base of entire communities," the archbishop said. "A steady commitment is necessary if a sustainable and long-term recovery system of peoples and regions affected is to be achieved. We therefore welcome initiatives to highlight the often forgotten humanitarian situations and under-funded humanitarian efforts throughout the world."
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Cardinal: Paul VI Knew Terrorism Could Become Widespread
Vatican Council to Study "Populorum Progressio"
VATICAN CITY, NOV. 20, 2007 (Zenit.org).- Pope Paul VI knew 40 years ago that the situation of world poverty had to be healed or international terrorism would become an issue, says the president of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace.
Cardinal Renato Martino explained this in an interview with L'Osservatore Romano on the occasion of that dicastery's general assembly, under way through Wednesday. The assembly is dedicated to study Paul VI's encyclical "Populorum Progressio," released 40 years ago.
The second world congress of ecclesial organizations that work for justice and peace, scheduled for Thursday to Sunday, will also consider the encyclical.
Cardinal Martino affirmed that the encyclical's discussion of "development as the new name for peace" indicates how important it is today.
"Paul VI knew that if the mire of economic, social and political underdevelopment was not healed, the indignation of the poor would grow to the point of provoking conflicts and international terrorism," the cardinal said in Sunday's edition of the semi-official Vatican newspaper.
The cardinal said "Populorum Progressio" is surprisingly current, noting "its truly prophetic capacity of speaking to humanity also in our 21st century."
Constantly proposing the themes of this encyclical, "with urgency and constancy," is a task of the Holy See and the Church today, the prelate emphasized.
Cardinal Martino said Paul VI wrote "in the years given to the reawakening of men and peoples until then enslaved in colonies."
He added, "The West could no longer keep making itself as the lord of destinies."
The cardinal explained that nations and groups began to associate themselves with developing nations, "even if not in a disinterested way." And "precisely the manner of that insertion pushed Paul VI to intervene and affirm that the Church could not remain separated 'from the joys and hopes, the sorrows and pains of man.'"
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Getting a Designer Baby Take Several Tries, Says Bioethicist
Alerts Parents Seeking Embryo Who Could Aid Ill Sibling
VALENCIA, Spain, NOV. 20, 2007 (Zenit.org).- Embryos created to save the life of a sick or dying sibling only come into existence after many failed attempts, warned a bioethics expert.
The 6th National Bioethics Congress was held last week at the Catholic University of Valencia San Vicente Mártir. Justo Aznar, director of the Science of Life Institute at that university, explained the conclusions of the congress to the AVAN news agency.
When parents seek to create a child who could donate blood or bone marrow to a sibling, "There are many ethical problems that undoubtedly rise," he said. "One of the most striking is the objective number of human embryos destroyed to obtain one of these children."
He affirmed that "it is very rare that a suitable embryo is obtained on the first attempt. Many times, a matching pair requires four, five or six attempts. And many times they don't obtain one."
Aznar said that the first "design baby" came only after 32 failed "attempts," that is, 32 embryos were destroyed.
In general, he added, "the efficiency of the technique is between 1% and 3%, which means that to obtain one, two or three useful design babies to treat a sick sibling, you have to destroy 100 human embryos."
Aznar explained that "without a doubt, this establishes important ethical problems and above all, it is something parents should know before beginning the process of producing a child by design."
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The People Are With Bhutto, Says Bishop
Comments on Unrest in Pakistan
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, NOV. 20, 2007, (Zenit.org).- Although Pakistan's Supreme Court dismissed challenges to President Pervez Musharraf's re-election, the bishop of Islamabad says the masses are with opposition leader Benazir Bhutto.
On Monday a bench of 10 new judges, hand-picked by Musharraf in recent days, struck down five challenges to the president's re-election, and will rule Thursday on a sixth and final petition.
Addressing the crisis and asked whether he thinks there remains any hope of restoring an independent voice within the court, Bishop Anthony Theodore Lobo said "the new judges are subservient so their judgment is a foregone conclusion; they'll support everything the government wants."
He added that "the old Supreme Court judges were independent -- but they have been removed."
Opposition
The Supreme Court decision comes a day after Musharraf announced he would ask for a parliamentary election for Jan. 8.
Bhutto, the opposition leader and former prime minister, announced that she is not yet sure whether to participate in the polls as she doubts the election will be fair. She added that she will no longer participate in negotiations with Musharraf due to a complete lack of trust.
In retaliation, Musharraf criticized the former prime minister and said she fears the polls because she is corrupt and unpopular.
Bishop Lobo disagreed; he noted that "Benazir has come to the forefront -- all the headlines in the newspapers are [...] showing Benazir."
Asked to elaborate about Bhutto's role in the general opposition to Musharraf's rule, Bishop Lobo said, "The masses are with Bhutto."
Unrest
Musharraf declared emergency rule on Nov. 3 and promptly purged the Supreme Court of judges he feared would ultimately annul his re-election.
Although he has since vowed to quit as army chief and become a civilian president, Musharraf remains under fire from Western allies for having set back democracy in the country.
As civil society activists today kept up their calls for a return to democracy and for the constitution to be reinstated, ongoing sectarian violence across the country continued to claim lives -- with over 80 people dying in a single clash near the Afghan border.
In the face of the emergency, Bishop Lobo explained that all sides believe by imposing their will they are doing what's best for the good of the nation.
However some analysts are arguing that ethnic nationalist and religious divisions are growing to the point where the country may soon fracture.
When asked how the Catholic community is coping with the extreme conditions, Bishop Lobo said, "We are not the targets; it is a battle between the democrats and the autocrats."
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NEWS BRIEFS
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Juneau Bishop Named to Montana
GREAT FALLS, Montana, NOV. 20, 2007 (Zenit.org).- Bishop Michael Warfel of Juneau, Alaska, has been appointed to lead the Diocese of Great Falls-Billings.
Bishop Warfel, 59, succeeds Bishop Anthony Milone, who resigned for reasons of health in July. Archbishop Pietro Sambi, apostolic nuncio to the United States, announced the appointment today.
Michael Warfel was born in 1948, in Elkhart, Indiana. In 1972, following military service in Vietnam and Korea, he began seminary studies. He was ordained a priest of the Archdiocese of Anchorage, Alaska, in 1980. He was named to lead the Diocese of Juneau and ordained a bishop in 1996.
The Great Falls-Billings Diocese comprises the eastern part of the state of Montana. About 13% of the population of 391,360 people is Catholic.
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LITURGY
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Gospel Acclamation, Before and After
And More on Readings on a Feast of the Lord
ROME, NOV. 20, 2007 (Zenit.org).- Answered by Legionary of Christ Father Edward McNamara, professor of liturgy at the Regina Apostolorum university.
Q: Is it appropriate to sing the "Gospel Acclamation" before and after the reading of the Gospel? -- A.B., Scarborough, Ontario
A: The general practice regarding the Gospel acclamation is described in the General Instruction of the Roman Missal:
"62. After the reading that immediately precedes the Gospel, the Alleluia or another chant indicated by the rubrics is sung, as required by the liturgical season. An acclamation of this kind constitutes a rite or act in itself, by which the assembly of the faithful welcomes and greets the Lord who is about to speak to them in the Gospel and professes their faith by means of the chant. It is sung by all while standing and is led by the choir or a cantor, being repeated if this is appropriate. The verse, however, is sung either by the choir or by the cantor.
"a. The Alleluia is sung in every season other than Lent. The verses are taken from the Lectionary or the Graduale.
"b. During Lent, in place of the Alleluia, the verse before the Gospel is sung, as indicated in the Lectionary. It is also permissible to sing another psalm or tract, as found in the Graduale.
"63. When there is only one reading before the Gospel,
"a. During a season when the Alleluia is to be said, either the Alleluia Psalm or the responsorial Psalm followed by the Alleluia with its verse may be used;
"b. During the season when the Alleluia is not to be said, either the psalm and the verse before the Gospel or the psalm alone may be used;
"c. The Alleluia or verse before the Gospel may be omitted if they are not sung."
There is no mention of the repetition of the acclamation after the Gospel for ordinary Masses in which the Gospel is immediately followed by the homily, prayer of the faithful or procession of the gifts.
When a bishop celebrates, however, the Book of the Gospels is sometimes brought to him after being read, as indicated in GIRM, No, 175: "When the deacon is assisting the Bishop, he carries the book to him to be kissed, or else kisses it himself, saying quietly, 'Per evangelica dicta' (May the words of the gospel). In more solemn celebrations, as the occasion suggests, a Bishop may impart a blessing to the people with the Book of the Gospels."
The brief procession carrying the Book of the Gospels from the ambo to the bishop's cathedra would be the only likely situation in which the Gospel acclamation would be repeated.
There is no official document or rubric in the universal books that specifically suggests this repetition, and certainly nothing that would require it. But there is some precedence from papal Masses on special occasions.
For example, when Pope John Paul II celebrated the vigil Mass of Pentecost that concluded Rome's diocesan Synod in 1993, the alleluia was repeated while the Book of the Gospels was brought to him. The alleluia was also repeated after the Gospel on the occasion of Benedict XVI's solemn inaugural Mass. It is also repeated on a more regular basis for some Masses such as Corpus Christi.
Sometimes, rather than repeating the alleluia, another antiphon is sung after the Gospel. When John Paul II celebrated 25 years as Pope in 2003 the choir sang a polyphonic Latin antiphon. An acclamation was sung in Greek when Benedict XVI celebrated the Mass concluding the 2005 Synod of Bishops; the Eucharistic celebration also coincided with the canonization of four saints.
Therefore we can conclude that while repeating the Gospel acclamation or singing some other acclamation after the Gospel should not be considered a regular practice, it may be done on more solemn occasions, such as at a Mass celebrated by a bishop to accompany the procession with the Book of the Gospels.
* * *
Follow-up: Readings on a Feast of the Lord
With regard to the number of liturgical readings on a feast day (see Nov. 6) some readers asked about All Souls' Day, Nov. 2.
This celebration is a class of its own. It is not a feast as such, since it intercedes for, rather than celebrates, the faithful departed. The Mass has liturgical precedence over Sunday. But unlike a solemnity or feast of the Lord, this precedence does not extend to the Liturgy of the Hours. Whenever the commemoration falls on a Sunday, the Glory and Creed are omitted.
All Souls' Day has three readings even when it falls on a weekday. Some lectionaries provide only one set of readings, indicating that the readings for the other two Masses that a priest may celebrate that day are to taken from the ritual for funeral Masses. Other lectionaries, such as the Italian, helpfully offer three possible schemes of readings, each one with three readings.
In my earlier reply I had mentioned that the Dedication of the Lateran Basilica was considered a feast of the Lord. Several readers replied that the dedication of any church is a feast of the Lord, arguing that the preface of the dedication of a church is placed before the prefaces of Our Lady.
I beg to differ on this point. I do not believe that the location of these prefaces, and the similar fact that the common of a dedication of a church is located before the common of Our Lady in both missal and breviary, necessarily means that it becomes a feast of the Lord. Rather, the dedication of a church is a particular class of celebration.
In the universal calendar, only the Dedication of the Lateran Basilica is classed as a feast. The celebrations of the dedication of the other Roman basilicas are classed as optional memorials.
In all other cases, the anniversary of the dedication of a church is considered as a proper solemnity within the church in question. As such, it has precedence over Sundays of ordinary time and even over feasts of the Lord, but not over other solemnities found in the general calendar.
The anniversary of the dedication of a cathedral is a solemnity in the cathedral itself, but is usually celebrated as a feast in the other churches of the diocese.
One reader asked about the annual calendar provided by the Web site of the U.S. bishops' conference. The reader stated that it "explicitly specifies that two readings are to be used for feasts of the Lord on weekdays. Are the U.S. bishops following some norm you overlooked, or are they in error? What is the appropriate liturgical document to resolve this question?"
I think that the calendar in question, which is a base text used as a resource for the formation of diocesan or regional versions rather than an exhaustive repository of all the norms, merely indicates the biblical references of the three readings found in the lectionary. The calendar does not explicitly address the question of whether all three are to be used.
However, because of its widespread use I do think that it would be wise to add to this calendar a note similar to the one found in the guidelines used in Rome. When a feast of the Lord falls on a weekday it simply says: "Prima lettura a scelta," which means that either of the two first readings may be chosen.
* * *
Readers may send questions to liturgy@zenit.org. Please put the word "Liturgy" in the subject field. The text should include your initials, your city and your state, province or country. Father McNamara can only answer a small selection of the great number of questions that arrive.
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DOCUMENTS
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Holy See on a Humanitarian Response to Disasters
"A Steady Commitment Is Necessary"
NEW YORK, NOV. 20, 2007 (Zenit.org).- Here is the address Archbishop Celestino Migliore, permanent observer of the Holy See to the United Nations, gave Monday to the plenary session of the U.N. General Assembly on the topic of humanitarian and disaster relief assistance.
* * *
Mr President,
At the very outset, I wish to convey sincere condolences to the people and government of Bangladesh in the wake of the terrible cyclone that left thousands dead and millions with properties and means of livelihood in ruins. Appreciation goes to all those who have immediately responded to the humanitarian emergency.
The utter destruction we have just seen in Bangladesh illustrates the many devastating effects of natural and man-made disasters that peoples all over the world are confronted with year after year. Men and women working for international, national and local humanitarian organizations, many of which are faith-based, risk their lives and future to aid the victims of such catastrophes. It is for the safety of these humanitarian workers and for the welfare of the suffering people they assist that we must work for a truly effective, coordinated, and humane disaster response system.
Last year, the high rate of natural disasters around the world was sadly accompanied by many and extremely costly man-made ones. Armed conflicts have devastated societies in many places, taken lives, ruined economies, set back development and frustrated efforts to restore peace. Given the terrible consequences of armed conflicts, we must once again recall that in the most unfortunate case of war, all parties involved must comply fully with the rules and principles of international law and international humanitarian law related to the protection of humanitarian personnel, such as allowing full unimpeded access by humanitarian personnel to all people in need of assistance. Likewise, they are under obligation to guarantee civilians and all victims of armed conflicts safe and unhampered access to humanitarian aid.
Mr President,
Member States have increasingly focused on the need to prevent and reduce the risks associated with disasters. The adoption of the Hyogo Framework for Action demonstrated the commitment by countries to place preparedness and prevention on par with response and recovery. This policy is particularly relevant at the national and local level. By increasing the knowledge and capacity of local actors to respond effectively to emergency situations, countries can reduce the long-term cost and consequences of a disaster. Local civic and faith-based organizations are highly effective in this regard, and thus must be fully engaged, supported and, when necessary, duly protected.
The United Nations' position within the international community puts it in a key position to coordinate humanitarian response to disasters. For this response to be effective, this Organization needs the full cooperation of the States directly concerned, especially in ensuring that the latter fully comply with their obligations under international law and international humanitarian law, and that they fulfill their responsibility to protect their own people.
Moreover, as humanitarian agencies grow in number and variety, the United Nations could enhance collaboration among them and harness their complementary capacities, while respecting their differences and the specific aims and principles of each organization. We note with interest the work done by the Inter-Agency Standing Committee in this regard.
Long-term and sustainable post-disaster recovery continues to be a challenge and a necessity. While individual governments are responsible for developing long-term recovery strategies, collaboration with local agencies is important, in particular with those which have acquired concrete knowledge of the situation and have long-term deployment of resources in the region. This could cushion the unintended harmful effects, especially on the more vulnerable sectors of society, of the transition from emergency humanitarian assistance to the recovery phase.
Finally, long-term recovery requires the continued interest and support of the international community. An outpouring of goodwill and international solidarity most often follow live reports and images of humanitarian disasters, but as attention and resources move to other priorities, it quickly weakens or even disappears. This could be very costly, especially in post-conflict situations in which the probability of a relapse to violence is very high, or in places where a truly catastrophic natural disaster wiped out the economic base of entire communities. A steady commitment is necessary if sustainable and long-term recovery system of peoples and regions affected is to be achieved. We therefore welcome initiatives to highlight the often forgotten humanitarian situations and underfunded humanitarian efforts throughout the world.
Thank you, Mr President.
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