U.N. nuncio urges education, empowerment of women to fight poverty

Published: 2005-10-21

UNITED NATIONS (CNS) -- The papal representative to the United Nations called for education and empowerment of women to reverse the increasing "feminization of poverty." Archbishop Celestino Migliore, apostolic nuncio to the international body, spoke Oct. 13 before a U.N. committee considering follow-up actions to the 1995 Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing. "Despite some positive advancement in the condition of women in today's world, vulnerability remains a constant in women's lives," the archbishop said, citing violence against women, human trafficking, illiteracy and poverty. "More and more, we are made aware of the fact that investment in the education of girls is the fundamental key to the full advancement of women," Archbishop Migliore said. Equally important, he said, is attention to "increasing women's access to and control over productive resources and capital" through microcredit programs and other projects that empower women.

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