Support the Historic UN Roadmap to End Poverty Beyond Growth

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“The dignity of every human person must be respected today, not tomorrow, and the extreme poverty of all those to whom this dignity is denied should constantly weigh upon our consciences.” – Pope Leo XIV, Dilexi Te.

On June 25, 2026, the global community faces a historic turning point. The UN Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights will officially present a landmark blueprint to the UN Human Rights Council: “Roadmap for Eradicating Poverty Beyond Growth.”

For decades, international systems have operated under a flawed assumption: that endless economic growth is the only way to lift people out of poverty. Yet, despite massive increases in global GDP, systemic inequality is widening while our planetary boundaries collapse.

Maryknoll missioners know from their lived experience that growth alone does not deliver prosperity or alleviate poverty. The planet cannot sustain unlimited expansion. Fairer distribution of resources and more just economic systems are at the heart of poverty reduction. Greater prosperity does not necessarily require greater production; societies can achieve higher levels of well-being with the same level of economic output, or even with less.

The UN report warns:

“In the name of competitiveness and growth, governments have also weakened labor protections, deregulated markets, and cut public services — deepening insecurity and inequality… The scarce resources we have should be used to prioritize the basic needs of people in poverty and to create what is of societal value rather than serve the frivolous desires of the ultra-rich.”

This new roadmap provides a concrete toolkit to build a “human rights economy” through:

  • Universal basic incomes to secure baseline survival.
  • Stronger care systems that value unpaid and community labor.
  • Public employment guarantees focused on ecological restoration.
  • Fair wealth redistribution to close the inequality gap.

As people of faith, we must demand an economic order that protects human dignity and creation over corporate profit.

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Photo: Courtesy of Zeno Hind, available on public domain via Unsplash.