Medical Mission Sisters at the UN

Dear Readers,                                                                                                                                                                  Orange the World: 2019 theme for the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women (Nov 25) is  ‘Generation Equality Stands Against Rape”. As before, this year’s International Day marked  the launch of 16 days of activism, concluding on 10 December, which is International Human Rights Day.

During the official commemoration of the  International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, 26-year-old  Anja Jusic from Bosnia, President of the Forgotten Children of War Association, spoke about her advocacy to end the stigma of survivors of sexual violence in conflict and their children.  She was born out  of rape during the Bosnia war and  said “ “I used to ask myself,  “Who my father is, what is my genetics”.  Her story moved everyone in the hall and gave her a standing ovation . Studies shows that there were 20,000 children born out of rape during the 100 days of genocide in Rwanda alone. Rape …

Dear Readers,

October is the month of UN Day Celebration and the continuation of General Assembly started in Sept.  

Oct 11. International Day of the Girl 

The International Day of the Girl is October 11 and the 2019 theme was: “GirlForce: Unscripted and Unstoppable,” to emphasize the past work in the adoption of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, as well as future work in girls’ health, education and safety.  The girls literally occupied the UN Conference room and spoke with clarity and conviction. Link for more info: http://bit.ly/GirlOct2019

Oct 17. Symposium on Women and Girls Experiencing Homelessness 

The CSocD Priority Theme of 2020 will be “affordable housing and social protection systems for all to address homelessness.” It is pertinent to understand the definition of homelessness and identify the most vulnerable groups, such as women and girls. Leilani Farha, the UN Special Rapporteur on Adequate Housing, spoke about a framework …

Dear Readers,

September was the busiest month at the UN with the 74 UN General Assembly high-level week, from 21 to 27 September, and other events. World leaders gathered at the UN creating very high security and traffic jam in NYC. 

Secretary General had asked leaders to announce concrete plans of action that can boost global ambition. “If we want our planet to remain the same – healthy and able to support prosperity and opportunity for all – we will have to completely transform our world.” Heads of States and Government are using their 15 minutes at the podium not only to underscore modern challenges and garner action to curb global ills facing today’s and tomorrow’s world but also accusing one another which has become a trend recently.  

International day of Peace: Every year celebrated on Sept 21 and the theme for 2019: Climate Action for Peace and …

The highlight of August was the 68 United Nation’s Department of Global Communications annual Conference called the UN Civil Society Conference held in Salt Lake City -Utah from August 26-28, 2019. Inclusive and sustainable cities and communities (SDG. 11)  was the focus of this conference, noting that cities are well placed to help combat the global climate emergency and point the way towards sustainable, low-emission development. There were 4000 participants from over 100 Countries. Salt Lake City (SLC) has been preparing for the conference for over a year, led by Mayor Jackie Biskupski, who declared that cities and local communities have never before played such an important role in the health and well-being of the world. SLC became the first city (besides NY) in the US to host a UN conference since 1945.

Partnerships with civil society and youth are essential to achieving the goals of key UN-backed international agreements, …

Dear Readers,

In May the Religious at the UN (RUN) had one day retreat highlighting the Eco spirituality and our ministry at the UN. 

Each year on 5 Junethe world celebrates the World Environment Daywhich is also the birthdate of UN Environment Program. This year the main celebrations is in China and the theme is #BeatAirPollution. Clean air is a human right, and a necessary pre-condition for addressing climate change as well as achieving many Sustainable Development Goals. Air pollution does not only damage human health, it also hampers the economy in many ways.

listen to this 15-year-old Alexandria Villasenor speak at the event.   http://bit.ly/2R3OAM0.

Breathe Life, a campaign by the Climate and Clean Air Coalition, the World Health Organization and UN Environment, is running initiatives in 55 cities, as well as numerous countries and regions, benefiting over 153 million citizens. For example, campaign …