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Dignity of every human being, man or woman, is the foundation of universal human rights, Francesca Di Giovanni tells a virtual UN General Assembly
File photo of Francesca Di Giovanni (Vatican photo service).
By La Croix International staff | Vatican City
Addressing the challenges women face today must involve everyone, with women leading the effort in harmony with men, said a Vatican official during a virtual general assembly to commemorate the 1995 women's conference in Beijing.
"The Holy See actively contributed to the conference and remains a steadfast promoter of the dignity of women, based fundamentally on the recognition that the dignity of every human being, man or woman, is the foundation of the concept of universal human rights," said laywoman Francesca Di Giovanni, 66, undersecretary for multilateral relations in the Vatican's ministry of foreign affairs.
Pope Francis on January 15 appointed Giovanni to that post. Giovanni, a native of Palermo (Sicily), has a law degree and has been working at the Vatican Secretariat of State since 1993.
Giovanni, on October 1, gave a pre-recorded intervention from the Vatican during the virtual UN General Assembly meeting to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the women's conference in Beijing.
Statements from UN Member States and Permanent Observers are all being delivered via pre-recorded message because of COVID-19 restrictions.
Over the past 25 years the world has witnessed many great advances for women, but also many new forms of poverty and exploitation as well as threats to their life and dignity, Giovanni said.
She focused on four key areas: lifting women out of poverty; education; health care; and the dehumanization and violence many women endure.
"Women and girls continue to suffer from the widespread hedonistic and commercial culture that reduces them to sex objects and their bodies to consumer products, as happens in pornography, surrogacy and human trafficking, Giovanni said.
She also pointed out how in some places, certain aspects of women's sexual and reproductive health have been overemphasized, to the detriment of women's capacity for motherhood.
"Addressing the challenges women face today must involve everyone, with women leading the effort in synergy with men. Women have special gifts that can reverse the throwaway culture and remedy its effects. Every step forward for women is therefore a big step forward for authentic culture and for humanity," Giovanni said.
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres also warned of a pushback against gender equality and women's rights.
"COVID-19 has emphasized and exploited the continued denial of women's rights. Women and girls are bearing the brunt of the massive social and economic impact of the pandemic," Guterres said from the General Assembly Hall.
"Now is the time to push back against the pushback ... Women's full human rights and freedoms are fundamental to peace and prosperity on a healthy planet," he said.
At the 1995 Beijing conference, 189 countries agreed to prioritize "full and equal participation of women in political, civil, economic, social and cultural life at the national, regional and international levels, and the eradication of all forms of discrimination on the grounds of sex."
During that conference, the then-US First Lady Hillary Clinton declared that "women''s rights are human rights."
Click here to read the full text of Francesca Di Giovanni's statement.
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