Welcome to the UN/NGO page. An NGO (Non-Governmental Organization) is a local, national or international citizen’s group that does not work for profit and has no connection to any governmental agencies.
As NGOs at the United Nations, the IBVMs world-wide have an associative status with the Department of Information (DPI). This means that our community has the ability to raise humanitarian concerns to UN groups and to communicate to our sisters, families, friends, schools, and alumnae all around the world the issues and decisions occurring at the United Nations.

Watch this page for issues raised at the United Nations, particularly those that affect women and children around the world.  

New Appointment to United Nations Office

The US Province welcomes Anne Kelly, IBVM, from the Australian Province, our new NGO Representative at the United Nations.

Anne has a Master of Education and a Master of International Relations and much experience in social justice work. Anne has been working in Dili, Timor Leste, but had to return to Australia twice because of outbreaks of violence. In her time there, she taught literacy to women in rural villages, worked as Education Advisor for a local non-government organization, and taught English to the staff of several government organizations. Previously she worked with the Jesuit Refugee Service in Adjumani, Northern Uganda, as an advisor to secondary school principals dealing with teenage refugees fleeing the wars in Sudan, and as a researcher at the Refugee Review Tribunal in  Australia.

TRAFFICKING IN PERSONS

IBVM members and friends worldwide are among those calling attention to the issue of human trafficking in the context of the World Cup, taking place in South Africa from June 11. See the letter sent and the names of the signers that follow. Starwood-S.A_World_Cup_Letter-100420

Imelda Poole (English Province – Albania) collaborates with a number of networks that work against trafficking.  She went to a conference in the Netherlands in mid-January.  One aspect of the meeting was organizing the campaign against trafficking in union those in S. Africa hosting World Cup in July.  The UISG in Rome will facilitate training in February in South Africa.

Jean Okroi (USA Province) was involved in several different activities against trafficking in January.  Among them she was interviewed on national radio about Human Trafficking, where and how it exists, and what response individuals can make.

Sabrini Edwards (Mary Ward Social Centre - Darjeeling Region) targets human trafficking with attention to the high risk area that includes the border countries of Nepal, China, Bhutan and Bangladesh, and with a focus on prevention programs and education.  They seek to address the factors that may encourage people to trust traffickers, such as lack of job opportunities and the break up of the family unit.  MWSC works on four levels of intervention: awareness, law enforcement sensitization, networking with NGO’s and Community Based Organizations, case studies.  See the attached for an in-depth description of this work.

One way to engage in the issue of trafficking is through prayer.  The Rosary Meditations prepared by Unanima International might be particularly suitable for those whose primary ministry is prayer.

ENVIRONMENT / INTEGRITY OF CREATION

2010 marks the 10th anniversary of Earth Charter.  Events will take place around the world throughout the year.  Earth Day, April 22 has been suggested as a good day to organise and hold activities to promote and raise awareness about Earth Charter.  What can you do? 
http://www.earthcharterinaction.org/content/articles/363/1/Earth-Charter10-plans/Page1.html

FEMALE GENITAL MUTILATION 

We received a detailed report from Ephigenia Gachiri, IBVM (Eastern Africa).  There are many challenges to ending this practice in Africa and almost every country around the globe.  While the practice is more endemic in Africa, FGM continues irrespective of national boundaries and/or religious persuasions. There are now six teams of facilitators, three in each of two Kenyan dioceses.  Work with the Masai – men as well as women – is growing and there is a hope that later this year the elders, represented by chiefs, will declare FGM a harmful tradition.

In a Reuters news article (22 Jan 2010) it was reported that in Mauritania and Niger, genital cutters face fatwa and jail as part of a tentative trend to eliminate this practice in west Africa. However, as another NGO points out, it must also be understood that laws by themselves will not end the practice, it must be a choice and value of the people.  Ephigenia knows this well; education and alternate rites are helping to change attitudes.