SOVEREIGN ORDER OF MALTA
Oct. 13th, 2021
With these shared values and principles, the Sovereign Order of Malta has been carrying out its medical, social, and humanitarian mission for over nine hundred years without any distinction of nationality, race, religion or gender. The Order of Malta echoes the Secretary-General’s call to action for human rights to advance and to uphold all them for all people everywhere. In this regard, I want to stress the value of the contribution of faith-based institutions. Very often, during violation of human rights, the most reliable first responders for local communities are often these types of organizations.
To this end, the Order of Malta has recently drafted the Compact ‘Religions in Action’, which includes guidelines for the role that religious communities and institutions of the three main monotheistic religions can play to inspire respect for human rights, to help resolve crisis situations, and to help mitigate the effects on the communities involved. This Compact was officially launched in the multilateral context of the G-20 Interfaith Forum, held in September 2021 in Bologna under the G-20 Italian Presidency.
In a world where intolerance, discrimination, extremism, and fanatism, are increasingly widespread, we also want to bring attention to other forms of exclusion such as disability, marginalization, loneliness, and rare diseases, all these made more urgent and alarming by the Covid-19 pandemic. We have a long-standing work relationship and commitment to all parties and stakeholders in the defense of human rights through the work of our worldwide relief agency, Malteser International. This commitment is based on the Order’s centuries old vocation to serve and care for society’s most vulnerable, helping them lead a life in dignity.
