59th Session of the Human Rights Council Item 3: Interactive Dialogue with the Special Rapporteur on Extreme Poverty and Human Rights

Mister President,

The Holy See emphasises the interconnectedness of climate change, poverty and social protection, a point also made in the Report of the Special Rapporteur on Extreme Poverty and Human Rights.

Around 2.7 billion people living at or below the poverty line[1] are currently at risk of major climate-change related disruptions. It is therefore urgent to address the disproportionate impact of this crisis on the poorest, who are the least responsible for it. The poor, particularly in the least developed countries (LDCs), have a very low carbon footprint. Meanwhile, the richest one percent of the world’s population emits, in just ten days, as much greenhouse gas as the poorest 50% does over a thousand days.[2] This ecological debt[3] must be acknowledged and repaid.

It is deeply concerning that fewer than 9% of people in the 20 countries most vulnerable to climate change are covered by social protection systems.[4] This lack of access further compounds the vulnerability of the poor, leaving them without support and with limited means to recover.

Pope Leo XIV encourages the “development of policies aimed at combatting forms of poverty both old and new, as well as implementing new initiatives to support and assist the poorest of the poor. Labor, education, housing and health are the foundations of a security that will never be attained by the use of arms.”[5]

Mr. President,

The plight of the poor requires an integral response rooted in solidarity and justice. This approach addresses the urgent need to combat poverty while upholding the inherent, God-given dignity of those most in need.

Thank you.