Mons. Caccia before the UN: development cannot be measured only in economic terms

Archbishop Gabrielle Caccia, permanent observer of the Holy See before the United Nations Organization (UN) in New York, questioned during his speech at a conference of the “2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development” the way in which the development of countries is measured.

With the aim of reflecting the level of development of a country, the World Bank Classify the economies of the world into four entrance groups: high, medium high, medium low and low. The classifications are updated every year on July 1 and are based on the Gross National Income (INB) per capita of the previous year.

Among medium -income countries are, among others, Albania, Angola, Algeria, Cameroon, China, Colombia, Pakistan, Maldives, Nepal, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Ukraine, Tanzania or Tunisia.

For Mons. Caccia, one of the main problems lies in the way in which development is measured. In his opinion, trusting only economic data means “neglecting many fundamental dimensions of human progress.”

In this regard, he explained that this approach not only offers a “partial vision of reality”, but also limits the access of other countries to financing, as well as international cooperation, preventing them from satisfying their “real development needs.”

Therefore, the Vatican representative before the UN insisted on the urgency of using different indicators that reflect not only economic aspects, but also the social and environmental development.

For the Vatican authority, the apparent economic prosperity of many countries “hides deep inequalities and fragilities, linked to phenomena such as conflicts, economic instability, climate change and increasingly frequent and violent natural catastrophes,” he denounced.

According to Mons. Caccia, the next IV International Conference on Development Financing, which will be held in Seville (Spain) on June 30, is an opportunity to review the development evaluation criteria and “propose innovative support tools” that allow “to free the potential of these countries.”

In his speech, collected by Vatican NewsMons. Caccia also highlighted the importance of investment and promoting a growth model “that is truly sustainable for the whole human family.”