A/HRC/13/19 and ethnic discrimination. Finally, Ukraine pledged to guarantee all citizens, national groups and stateless persons on its territory equal political, economic, social and cultural rights. Response from the Holy See Holy See [Original: English] [23 November 2009] The Holy See provided its views on obstacles and challenges to the enhancement of international cooperation and dialogue in the United Nations human rights machinery and on possible proposals to overcome them. It quoted comments on the Universal Declaration of Human Rights by Pope Paul VI and by Pope Benedict XVI. It also elaborated on the obstacles and challenges to the realization of the Declaration. With reference to the obstacles and challenges, the Holy See recalled the gap between the “letter” and the “spirit” of human rights, by citing the painful reality of violations, wars, violence of every kind, genocides, mass deportations, the spread on a virtual worldwide dimension of ever new forms of slavery such as trafficking in human beings, child soldiers, the exploitation of workers, illegal drug trafficking, and prostitution; and also the inequality in the distribution of the world’s goods, poverty, hunger, injustice and widespread violations of the right to religious freedom. The Holy See stated that such a dichotomy was an ever-present symptom of the deeper dichotomy that was in man himself. To overcome these obstacles and challenges, the Holy See listed a number of relevant elements. It stated that human dignity was the cornerstone in understanding and protecting human rights and, as such, human rights were to be defended not only individually, but also as a whole. It also discussed the social nature of human beings and the concept of the common good, which is the sum total of social conditions which allowed people, either as groups or as individuals to reach their fulfilment more fully and easily. The Holy See explained the Catholic concept of subsidiarity which includes a theory of social pluralism, envisioning a civil society that does not totally depend on or derive from the State its authoritative actions and power. The Holy See expressed the view that excessive economic and social disparity between individuals and peoples was a source of scandal and militated against social justice, equity, human dignity, as well as social and international peace. The Holy See stated that solidarity and the notion of humanism which was integral in the human person were important principles to consider. It also suggested that the Human Rights Council must reinforce the mutual complementarity between rights and duties. The Holy See concluded that filling in the gap between the letter and the spirit of the United Nations human rights machinery was an ongoing process, which required that individuals as well as Governments and non-governmental actors strive always to keep the human person in proper focus. Finally, the Holy See reiterated the commitment of the Church in a twofold direction: in the proclamation of the Christian foundations of human rights, and in the denunciation of the violations of these rights. For greater effectiveness, this commitment was open to ecumenical cooperation, dialogue with other religions, contacts with other organizations, governmental and non-governmental, at the national and international levels. 10 GE.10-10005