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NEWS BRIEFS
Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur at the UN
Vol. 8, No. 3

(Cliquez ici pour la traduction française)
November 2010
by Sr. Jean Stoner SNDdeN

‘I live my life in widening circles that reach out across the world.’
Rainer Maria Rilke

(Click on the panels below to read more about each of the topics.)

GENERAL ASSEMBLY: FOCUS AREAS

The United Nations Year begins formally each September with the convening of the General Assembly. The 192 member countries are currently working in six major committees on resolutions to be considered at their plenary session in December. As NGOs we are not allowed to participate in General Assembly committee meetings, but we can monitor them to see what's developing and how those living in poverty may be affected.

General Assembly Committee focus areas:
1st disarmament & international security
2nd economic & financial
3rd social, humanitarian, & cultural
4th political subjects &decolonization
5th UN administration & budget
6th international legal matters

For more information: http://www.un.org/en/ga/maincommittees/index.shtml

WIDEN THE CIRCLE: PARTICIPATE IN UN COMMISSIONS

Following the General Assembly process from September to December, various Commissions meet during the period of February to May to address specific issues as ‘standing committees’ of the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC). As accredited NGOs we can participate in Commissions, so the NGOs work together to give the Commissions our feedback, share best practices, advocate for specific movement forward, and delineate lines of policy for UN member-states (i.e., governments).

Through the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur NGO Office you can be registered for UN Commissions as NGO participants. There is no fee to attend these meetings in New York City, but participants are responsible for their transportation and room and board. Some funds are available to assist Sisters from Latin America and Africa. For meeting details, see the SNDatUN message dated September 26 and entitled “Invitation to UN Commission Meetings in 2011” which describes the themes of each of the Commissions for the coming year.

UN Commissions in 2011:
February 9 - 18: Commission on Social Development (CSocD) (note date change)
February 22 - March 4: Commission on the Status of Women (CSW)
May 2 - 14: Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD)
May 16 - 27: Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (PFII)

WIDEN THE CIRCLE: BRING GIRLS TO THE UN

For the UN Commission on the Status of Women, February 22 – March 4, 2011, we NGOs hope to again bring girls from the Global South to the United Nations to speak for themselves as did Peruvian student Vanessa de los Milagros Juarez Arevalo who attended in 2007 with her teacher Marleny Bardales Raymundo, SND. If you know of a young woman who would be a good candidate for the 2011 meeting, please contact Sr. Jean Stoner at SNDatUN@SNDdeN.org.

IN WHAT WIDENING CIRCLES ARE YOU LIVING YOUR LIFE THESE DAYS?

Millennium Development Goals

Sister Jean Stoner represents the congregation as an accredited non-governmental organisation at the United Nations. She works primarily in the area of poverty eradication, development issues, social development and how to finance development.