RSCJ at the UN

Voices from the Field

On Friday February 5, 2016, the Society of the Sacred Heart held its first side event during an ECOSOC Commission session entitled Social Transformation through Popular Education: Voices from the Field. It was a mixture of workshop and panel discussion, and an exciting step on our new journey of contributing to the United Nations from our lived experience in the provinces, in areas of our expertise: education.

Bringing Popular Education to the United Nations

Deciding upon the topic of our first written intervention to the Commission for Social Development at the United Nations was not a difficult one. Knowing that the theme of the session in February 2016 will be “Rethinking and strengthening social development in the contemporary world,” the popular education process, which is characterized by equity, respect, solidarity and the common good, seemed a good starting point...

DPI/NGO Conference 2014

From 27-29 August 2014, the NGO community at the United Nations gathered at UN Headquarters in New York for the 65th DPI/NGO Conference. It was nice to be back in New York after six years of being “on the road” due to renovations of UN Headquarters. This year’s conference had as title: 2015 and Beyond, Our Action Agenda.

New status granted

The long wait is over. After three years of review by the Committee on NGOs and lobby on our part, we finally received the desired letter from the United Nations confirming that our new status as an NGO (non-governmental organization) has been granted. The letter, signed by the Officer-in-Charge of the NGO Branch, begins: ...

Report of the DPI/NGO Conference 2008 in Paris, France

At the beginning of September 2008, I was fortunate to be able to take part, with José Basaula, Maria Teresa Devoto, Isabelle Lagneau and Cecile Meijer, in the session which takes place every year in New York for NGO’s accredited to the United Nations. As the building in New York is being renovated, the DPI/NGO Conferences will be held for several years outside the US. The headquarters of UNESCO in Paris was a good choice since we celebrate this year the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, signed in Paris in 1948.

Photo by Cecile Meijer rscj

Frequently asked Questions about our Presence at the UN

NGO stands for ‘non-governmental organization’. The United Nations (UN) describes an NGO as a “not-for-profit, voluntary citizens’ group, which is organized on a local, national or international level to address issues in support of the public good.” The Society of the Sacred Heart fits this description because it is made up of ordinary women with a common interest and conviction that education holds the key to systemic change in the world. We are not part of a government or business and work at the local, national and international level.

Our Educational Spirituality and Mission: Justice - Its Heart and Foundation

Five RSCJ and 15 IBVMs came to New York to attend the annual DPI/NGO Conference at the United Nations (September 7-9, 2005), with orientation by Evanne Hunter and Cecile Meijer beforehand, and debriefing and reflection immediately following. These full and busy days were followed by a four day workshop for the JPIC (Justice, Peace and Integrity of Creation) Coordinators of all IBVM provinces, to which the RSCJ were invited. The workshop was facilitated by two members of an Irish NGO, “80:20”.

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