In the above-mentioned fora, the Holy See Mission communicates the centuries' experience of the Catholic Church to humanity, and places this experience at the disposal of the United Nations and other Agencies to assist them in the realization of peace, justice, human dignity and humanitarian cooperation and assistance.
The experience and activity of the Holy See is directed towards attaining freedom for every believer and seeks to increase the protection of the rights of every person, rights which are grounded and shaped by the transcendent nature of the person, which permit men and women to pursue their journey of faith and their search for God in this world.
In its activities at the United Nations and other Specialized Agencies, the Holy See Mission works to advance freedom of religion and respect for the sanctity of all human life - from conception to natural death - and thus all aspects of authentic human development including, for example, marriage and family, the primary role of parents, adequate employment, solidarity with the poor and suffering, ending violence against women and children, poverty eradication, food, basic healthcare and education.
Areas of Work
Human Rights, Health and Migration
The Permanent Observer Mission of the Holy See to the United Nations Office and Specialised Agencies in Geneva was established by Pope Paul vI on February 1st 1967. The Holy See plays an active role in the Human Rights Council and is a party to the Convention on the Rights of the Child, the Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, and the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination. The Holy See has been a member of the Executive Committee of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) since 1951. It became a Member State of the International Organization for Migration (IOM) in 2011. The Holy See has been a regular observer of the work of the World Health Organization (WHO) since 1953 and was granted Permanent Observer Status at the WHO in 2021. The Holy See is party to the International Health Regulations (2005). The Holy See also participates as an Observer to the UNAIDS Office in Geneva.
Disarmament
The Holy See is party to the Geneva Conventions of 12 August 1949, the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW), the Convention on Prohibitions or Restrictions on the Use of Certain Conventional Weapons Which May Be Deemed to Be Excessively Injurious or to Have Indiscriminate Effects (CCW) and its Protocols, the Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production and Stockpiling of Bacteriological (Biological) and Toxin Weapons and on their Destruction (BWC), the Convention on Cluster Munitions (CCM), the Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Anti-Personnel Mines and on their Destruction (APLC). The Holy See also participates as a non-Member State in the Conference on Disarmament and follows the activity of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).
Intellectual Property, Trade and Development
The Holy See is a Member State of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) since 1974. It has been a Member of the United Nations Trade and Development (UNTAD, formerly UNCTAD) since 1964. The Holy See became an Observer to the World Trade Organization (WTO) on July 16, 1997 and formalized its status as a non-Member State Observer to the WHO on May 31, 2021. The Holy See also participates as an Observer to the International Labor Organization (ILO).
The Holy See also participates as an Observer to the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and follows the work of the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) and the Universal Postal Union (UPU), of which the Vatican City State is a Member.