by Beatriz García Pereña, intern of UNESCO Chair in Bioethics and Human Rights
On September 30, interns from the UNESCO Chair in Bioethics and Human Rights participated in the seminar “The Economy at the Service of Integral Development – Acting Together to Leave No One Behind”, jointly promoted by the Permanent Mission of the Holy See to the United Nations Agencies in Rome and the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD).
Rome served as the setting for this gathering, held at IFAD headquarters, where diplomatic representatives, non-governmental organizations, civil society actors, students, and UN officials came together to engage in dialogue on the devastating impact of poverty and inequality around the world.
The various sessions of speakers, moderated by IFAD’s Secretary, Dr. Claudia Ten Have, contributed to a dialogue between IFAD’s mission, aimed at sustaining and supporting local rural economies to combat hunger and poverty, and the vision of integral ecology proposed in the encyclical Laudato si’. The encyclical’s approach, emphasizing the care for our common home, recognizes the complex system of interconnections among the environment, society, cultures, institutions, and the economy.
The day began by highlighting the current challenges related to food insecurity, poverty, growing inequalities, and violence. The opening discussion adopted an economic perspective, addressing issues such as the impact of inflation on food security and the development of rural economies. This was followed by a reflection on poverty awareness, which affects both the dignity and hope of individuals, and which demands a holistic vision of reality. In this context, the importance of placing the human person at the center was underscored, ensuring that the economy remains at the service of humanity, and not the other way around.
Another key point was the need to foster an authentic integral human development, linked to the promotion of a subsidiary economy and the relevance of family farming. Within this framework, the seminar identified four fundamental pillars of such development: economic, social, cultural, and spiritual. The discussion also addressed growing distrust toward global institutions and the spread of misinformation, emphasizing the urgency of listening to people in order to restore legitimacy and confidence in those institutions. Furthermore, it was stressed that the education of new generations is essential to ensuring resilience, not only in the present, but especially for the future.
The second panel focused on case studies, engaging participants through precise and impactful questions and statements. The discussion revealed a lack of investment at the grassroots level—employment, education, youth, and rural development—as a major obstacle to overcoming poverty. Participants also denounced the short-term vision of many programs and the inadequacy of governmental action. Finally, the need to adopt a holistic approach and to formulate problems in concrete terms was reiterated, so as to avoid falling into abstract or undefined programs.
The dialogue was further enriched by a Q&A session following the two panels, which allowed the audience to delve deeper into the topics presented. This exchange fostered direct interaction between the speakers and representatives of civil society and various organizations, all seeking to reach common ground and propose practical solutions.
In the final part of the seminar, Monsignor Fernando Chica Arellano, Permanent Observer of the Holy See to the three UN agencies for food and agriculture based in Rome (FAO, WFP, and IFAD), took the floor. He concluded the seminar by describing integral development as a moralimperative, as it involves the full realization of the human person. He also called for the urgent need to guarantee secure economic and food accessibility, guided by a logic of solidarity and hope in response to the fragility and needs of today’s world.
In this context, Monsignor recalled the words of Pope Leo XIV, pronounced on September 12, 2025, during the World Meeting on Human Fraternity:
“We need a broad ‘human alliance,’ founded not on power but on care; not on profit but on giving; not on suspicion but on trust. Care, generosity, and trust are not virtues for leisure: they are the pillars of an economy that does not kill, but rather intensifies and broadens participation in life.”
In light of this message, Monsignor Chica Arellano emphasized the importance of an economy truly at the service of all people, one oriented toward the common good and conceived as a necessary path to authentic human well-being.
This vision requires embracing and putting into practice the principle of fraternity, encapsulated in the expression “Leave No One Behind.” Monsignor highlighted that this principle enables individuals to develop their own life projects and express their unique gifts, integrating and transcending the principle of solidarity.
Within this framework, the words of Pope Leo XIV are particularly relevant:
“Fraternity is the most authentic name of closeness. It means rediscovering the face of the other. And in the face of the poor, the refugee, even the adversary, recognizing the Mystery: for believers, the very image of God.”
Building on this call to fraternity, Monsignor stressed the need to build a shared future of hope, reminding that “if it is not together, it does not work.” Hope, he added, must be the driving force that inspires our lives, and it is essential to work with hope in order to create constructive relationships directed toward the common good.
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