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CONCLUDING MEETING OF ND THE 32 OSCE ECONOMIC AND ENVIRONMENTAL FORUM
“Strengthening security and stability in the OSCE area through anticipating technologies and science-based diplomacy”
Prague 10-11 September 2026
The Delegation of the Holy See joins the other Delegations in thanking the Swiss OSCE Chairmanship and the Office of the Co-ordinator of OSCE Economic and Environmental Activities for their efforts in organising this concluding meeting of the 32nd OSCE Economic and Environmental Forum. When the Participating States signed the Helsinki Final Act in 1975, they expressed their conviction that “scientific and technical co-operation constitutes an important contribution for the strengthening of security and co-operation among them”1. At the time, however, they could hardly have imagined the pace and scale of the technological transformations that would reshape the world in the decades to come. Fifty years later, we are witnessing epochal transformations in scientific and technological development. The Holy See views these advances, in principle, as a positive development for humanity. At the same time, however, we must remain mindful that unrestricted technological development can carry with it “the tendency to let the logic of efficiency, control and profit alone shape personal, social and economic decisions.”2 In this regard, amid the rapid pace of technological progress, the God-given dignity of the human person must remain at the centre of all our considerations and decisions. As Pope Leo observed in his latest Encyclical Magnifica Humanitas, “The use of AI is never a purely technical matter: when it enters processes that affect people’s lives, it touches on rights, opportunities, status and freedom. Important
1 Helsinki Final Act, 4 Science and Technology. 2 Pope Leo XIV, Magnifica Humanitas, 92. and sensitive decisions […] risk being fully delegated to automated systems that do not know “compassion, mercy, forgiveness, and above all, the hope that people are able to change,” and can therefore give rise to new forms of exclusion”3. In order for the common good to be truly served, it is important that broad- based ethical frameworks be developed to guide technological progress. Such frameworks should take into account wider principles of social justice and the common good. “Otherwise, those who control AI will impose their own moral vision, which will become the invisible infrastructure of these systems” 4. In this regard, our common efforts to promote security and stability throughout the OSCE area should continue to recognise that science and technology must always remain at the service of humanity. Failure to do so would jeopardise our very humanity. The Delegation of the Holy See looks forward to constructive discussions during the upcoming sessions.
Thank you, Mr Moderator.
3 Cf. Ibid, 102. 4 Ibid, 107.