On July 14, Archbishop Gabriele Caccia, the Vatican’s permanent observer to the United Nations, issued a statement highlighting the inconsistent implementation of health and well-being programs, particularly those aimed at protecting the unborn.

“Achieving health and wellbeing for all also calls for special attention to be paid to the most vulnerable members of the human family, including the unborn, children, the elderly, persons with disabilities, migrants and those living in conflict-affected areas,” the archbishop stated.

“This is a right for all, not a privilege for the few, rooted in the fundamental truth that every human life is sacred and worthy of care from conception to natural death.”

Caccia made the comments regarding the UN’s Sustainable Development Goal 3, which outlines steps needed to work towards global “health and wellbeing.” Goal 3 specifically discusses access to essential healthcare in poorer regions of the world. The goal emphasizes the protection of the “vulnerable population groups and individuals residing in regions burdened by high disease prevalence.”

The archbishop welcomed the focus on prioritizing vulnerable communities, but he also drew attention to the many groups frequently overlooked in discussions of individual well-being.

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“There must be a commitment to health and wellbeing by protecting and serving those most at risk of being forgotten,” he said.

Caccia made a clear distinction between individual health and the broader concept of well-being—both spiritual and physical—especially for those in need.

“In this regard, it is important to underscore that health is not merely the absence of illness, but a holistic state of physical, psychological, social, spiritual and emotional wellbeing,” he said.

While the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals have had some positive impact, much of the program’s outreach, especially to expectant mothers, has been ineffective. The UN reports that 146 of 200 countries are on track to meet lower mortality rates. However, approximately 800 women die every day from complications related to childbirth.

To address this disparity, Caccia called for stronger partnerships between the United Nations and Catholic health institutions, which play a vital role in global health care. Instead of dehumanizing suffering populations and seeing them as merely statistics, Caccia asserted that “ideological or economic agendas must never shape healthcare.”

“Strengthening partnerships with these (Catholic) institutions could therefore help to keep healthcare person-centred,” said Caccia.

“The Catholic Church, which runs approximately a quarter of all health facilities worldwide, will continue to provide care to the poorest and those in the most remote areas.”