BIENVENIDOS WELCOME BIENVENUE
Inspired by the example of their founders, Louise de Marillac and Vincent de Paul, the Daughters of Charity and the Congregation of the Mission (the Vincentians) are committed to the full, integral development of the human person. Of particular concern are those who are forced to live in situations of extreme poverty, especially women and children.Together with other humanitarian and religious NGOs at the United Nations, we work for the realization of a more just society where people can live lives free from fear and want; and are free to build for themselves sustainable human communities. In this, the Daughters of Charity and the Congregation of the Mission find ourselves in harmony with the peace, human rights and development goals of the United Nations.
The Future We Want for All
Over the next few years, the United Nations and its agencies will be involved in the formulation of new set of development goals. These goals will constitute the UN development agenda for years to come. As the world approaches 2015, these goals will come into sharper focus. Alone the way, there will continue to be starategic entry points where NGOs and other civil society actors can help infulence the content and the direction of these goals, which will deeply affect the people with whom we work.
Visioning the future we want for all has already begun with this report to the Secretary General. The is no better way to prepare ourselves to be change agents with those we serve than to understand this simple and useful document. Over the next few months we will highlight selected sections of this report.
Summary
The central challenge of the post-2015 UN development agenda is to ensure that globalization becomes a positive force for all the worlds’ peoples of present and future generations. Globalization
offers great opportunities, but its benefits are at present very unevenly shared. The continuous striving for improvements in material welfare is threatening to surpass the limits of the natural resource base unless there is a radical shift towards more sustainable patterns of consumption and production and resource use. Persistent inequalities and struggles over scarce resources are among key determinants of situations of conflict, hunger, insecurity and violence, which in turn are key factors that hold back human development and efforts to achieve sustainable development.
Business as usual thus cannot be an option and transformative change is needed. As the challenges are highly interdependent, a new, more holistic approach is needed to address them.
Visioning the future we want for all has already begun with this report to the Secretary General. The is no better way to prepare ourselves to be change agents with those we serve than to understand this simple and useful document. Over the next few months we will highlight selected sections of this report.
Summary
The central challenge of the post-2015 UN development agenda is to ensure that globalization becomes a positive force for all the worlds’ peoples of present and future generations. Globalization
offers great opportunities, but its benefits are at present very unevenly shared. The continuous striving for improvements in material welfare is threatening to surpass the limits of the natural resource base unless there is a radical shift towards more sustainable patterns of consumption and production and resource use. Persistent inequalities and struggles over scarce resources are among key determinants of situations of conflict, hunger, insecurity and violence, which in turn are key factors that hold back human development and efforts to achieve sustainable development.
Business as usual thus cannot be an option and transformative change is needed. As the challenges are highly interdependent, a new, more holistic approach is needed to address them.
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Explore the Issue of Safe
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Commission on the Status of Women: March 4-15, 2013
The 57th meetings of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) has for its priority theme: Elimination and prevention of all forms of violence against women and girls. Thousands of women from around the world gather to monitor the negotiations of member states and to share their own experiences with the goal of accelerating the implementation of existing commitments and evaluating progress.
It continues to be of grave concern that worldwide over 70% of women experience violence, physical and/or sexual at some point in their lifetime.
Globally 603 million women live in countries where domestic violence is not yet considered a crime. More than 60 million girls are child brides, forced to marry before the age of 18 and more than 3 million girls are facing female genital mutilation. All forms of violence impede the ability of women and girls to reach their potentials in life and ultimately limit their life chances and optimal development
Gender-based violence is an epidemic. Women in all social, economic, ethnic and religious groups are
affected.. The international community is strongly committed to changing the plight of women wherever discrimination and violence persists.
Experts in gender-based violence agree that a holistic, comprehensive approach to prevention of violence against women and girls must involve the entire community. Only in an inclusive society where relationships and institutions are respectful of all individuals and free from violence, discrimination, and inequality will women and girls have the opportunity to live full and productive lives.
International Woman’s Day, March 8th, is celebrated each year during the Commission
on the Status of Women. This year, acclaimed singers and musicians, women and men from China to Costa Rica, came together to spread a message of unity and solidarity: We are "One Woman"; a song was launched on 8 March 2013. As part of the effort to end violence against women, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon initiated the UNiTE campaign which calls on all governments, civil society, women’s organizations, men and boys, young people, the private sector, the media and the entire UN system to join forces in addressing this global pandemic.
Join the conversation at UN Women.
"There is one universal truth, applicable to all countries, cultures and communities: violence against women is never acceptable, never excusable, never tolerable." Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon
It continues to be of grave concern that worldwide over 70% of women experience violence, physical and/or sexual at some point in their lifetime.
Globally 603 million women live in countries where domestic violence is not yet considered a crime. More than 60 million girls are child brides, forced to marry before the age of 18 and more than 3 million girls are facing female genital mutilation. All forms of violence impede the ability of women and girls to reach their potentials in life and ultimately limit their life chances and optimal development
Gender-based violence is an epidemic. Women in all social, economic, ethnic and religious groups are
affected.. The international community is strongly committed to changing the plight of women wherever discrimination and violence persists.
Experts in gender-based violence agree that a holistic, comprehensive approach to prevention of violence against women and girls must involve the entire community. Only in an inclusive society where relationships and institutions are respectful of all individuals and free from violence, discrimination, and inequality will women and girls have the opportunity to live full and productive lives.
International Woman’s Day, March 8th, is celebrated each year during the Commission
on the Status of Women. This year, acclaimed singers and musicians, women and men from China to Costa Rica, came together to spread a message of unity and solidarity: We are "One Woman"; a song was launched on 8 March 2013. As part of the effort to end violence against women, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon initiated the UNiTE campaign which calls on all governments, civil society, women’s organizations, men and boys, young people, the private sector, the media and the entire UN system to join forces in addressing this global pandemic.
Join the conversation at UN Women.
"There is one universal truth, applicable to all countries, cultures and communities: violence against women is never acceptable, never excusable, never tolerable." Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon
Commission on Social Development and the Civil Society Forum, February, 2013
The United Nations Commission on Social Development began its annual 10-day session at UN headquarters in New York in February with a call to give the poorest and most vulnerable populations the tools they need to lift themselves out of poverty.
According to Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s report for the Commission,“Promoting empowerment of people in achieving poverty eradication, social integration and full employment and decent work for all”
nearly 80 per cent of the world’s population is without adequate access to social protection, leaving those living in poverty feeling powerless to improve their position.
The report also states that although more than 600 million people have overcome poverty since 1990, 1 billion people will still be struggling to reach that goal by the 2015 deadline year for attaining the
anti-poverty targets known as the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). Special attention must be given to the situation of young people across the globe who are neither employed or looking for work, nor in school or training programs.
Speaking at the Commission’s opening meeting, the President of the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), Néstor Osorio, said that without adequate policies and mechanisms, social tensions increase and erode social cohesion, which is essential for promoting development.
Mr. Osorio also underlined the potential of information and communications technology to empower people in rural areas or disadvantaged communities by giving them access to knowledge, and
noted that this would be one of the aspects explored during panel discussions.
To better understand how to promote empowerment and integrate it into the development agenda, participants at the Commission’s session will hear from experts leading discussions on this topic, as well as focusing on the elderly, youth, and people with disabilities.
The session will also include more than 30 side events and consideration of five resolutions as well as recommendations by the Civil Society Forum on promoting the empowerment of people to achieve social development goals.
Each year before the Commission for Social Development, the NGO Committee for Social Development organizes a Civil Society Forum based on the theme to be addressed by the Commission. This year's Forum theme is "Civil society: Promoting empowerment of people to achieve the goals of social development." Both the Commission and the NGO forum provide an opportunity for members of civil
society, the UN Secretariat and Member States to explore effective policies and practices to eliminate poverty, reduce inequality, and achieve social integration and decent work for all. The Civil Society Declaration affirmed by NGO representatives attending the forum was presented at the opening session of
the Commission for Social Development by the Chairperson of the NGO Committee for Social Development. For more details go to http://www.un.org/news
According to Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s report for the Commission,“Promoting empowerment of people in achieving poverty eradication, social integration and full employment and decent work for all”
nearly 80 per cent of the world’s population is without adequate access to social protection, leaving those living in poverty feeling powerless to improve their position.
The report also states that although more than 600 million people have overcome poverty since 1990, 1 billion people will still be struggling to reach that goal by the 2015 deadline year for attaining the
anti-poverty targets known as the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). Special attention must be given to the situation of young people across the globe who are neither employed or looking for work, nor in school or training programs.
Speaking at the Commission’s opening meeting, the President of the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), Néstor Osorio, said that without adequate policies and mechanisms, social tensions increase and erode social cohesion, which is essential for promoting development.
Mr. Osorio also underlined the potential of information and communications technology to empower people in rural areas or disadvantaged communities by giving them access to knowledge, and
noted that this would be one of the aspects explored during panel discussions.
To better understand how to promote empowerment and integrate it into the development agenda, participants at the Commission’s session will hear from experts leading discussions on this topic, as well as focusing on the elderly, youth, and people with disabilities.
The session will also include more than 30 side events and consideration of five resolutions as well as recommendations by the Civil Society Forum on promoting the empowerment of people to achieve social development goals.
Each year before the Commission for Social Development, the NGO Committee for Social Development organizes a Civil Society Forum based on the theme to be addressed by the Commission. This year's Forum theme is "Civil society: Promoting empowerment of people to achieve the goals of social development." Both the Commission and the NGO forum provide an opportunity for members of civil
society, the UN Secretariat and Member States to explore effective policies and practices to eliminate poverty, reduce inequality, and achieve social integration and decent work for all. The Civil Society Declaration affirmed by NGO representatives attending the forum was presented at the opening session of
the Commission for Social Development by the Chairperson of the NGO Committee for Social Development. For more details go to http://www.un.org/news
Food Security: the Cost of Wasting Food
22 January 2013 – Consumers, food retailers and governments can take simple actions to dramatically reduce some 1.3 million tons of food waste every year, according to a new campaign launched by the United Nations and its partners.
Launched by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and partners, the campaign – ‘Think, Eat, Save. Reduce Your Foodprint’ – seeks to accelerate action to eliminate wasteful practices and help countries share successful initiatives on these issues. It specifically targets food wasted by consumers, retailers and the hospitality industry. “In a world of seven billion people, set to grow to nine billion by 2050, wasting food makes no sense – economically, environmentally and ethically,” said UNEP’s Executive Director, Achim Steiner. “To bring about the vision of a truly sustainable world, we need a transformation in the way we produce and consume our natural resources.” About one-third of all food produced globally, worth around $1 trillion, gets lost or wasted in food production and consumption systems, according to FAO. Food loss occurs mostly at the production stages – harvesting, processing and distribution – while food waste typically takes place at the retailer and consumer end of the food supply chain. Roughly 95 per cent of food loss and waste in developing countries are unintentional losses at early stages of the food supply chain due to limitations in harvesting techniques, storage, packaging and marketing systems. In the developed world, however, food waste occurs because consumers are quick to throw away food due to over-buying, inappropriate storage, and preparing meals that are too large, while food manufacturers are retailers produce waste because of inefficient practices, confusion over date labels and quality standards that emphasize appearance. |
World Food Day - October 12, 2012
“Agricultural cooperatives – key to feeding the world” is the theme chosen by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), for the 2012 World Food Day observances. It has been chosen to highlight the role of cooperatives in improving food security and contributing to the eradication of hunger and correlates with the United Nations designation of 2012 as “International Year of Cooperatives.”
In 2010, the Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food, Olivier De Schutter, addressed the links between the right to food, the security of land tenure, the access to land in rural areas, and the competition between food and energy crops that exists in some countries.
In 2011, the theme of World Food Day, “Food Prices—From Crisis to Stability”-- correlated with the global food price crisis. It sought to focus attention on the causes of the fluctuations in food prices and their threat to food security especially in the developing countries of the world. According to the World Bank, rising food costs in 2010-2011 pushed nearly 70 million people into extreme poverty. The Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food in his 2011 report, noted that even more distressing than the limited supply of food, is the 25 billion people living in poverty—small farmers, agricultural workers, the urban poor and indigenous people - who lack purchasing power.
The FAO aims to improve agricultural productivity at all levels, enhance the lives of rural population, raise levels of nutrition across the globe, and contribute to the growth of the world economy. Agricultural Cooperatives are one means of achieving these goals while directly addressing the concerns highlighted in the themes of the past several years.
An agricultural cooperative, sometimes known as a farmers’ co-op, is an association in which farmers pool their resources in certain areas of activity, such as supply, marketing, and credit in order to achieve a better outcome. Supply cooperatives provide their members with inputs for agricultural production, including seeds, fertilizers, fuel, and machinery services. Some supply cooperatives also operate machinery pools that provide mechanical field services (e.g., plowing, harvesting) to their members. Marketing cooperatives are established by farmers to undertake preparation, packaging, distribution, and marketing of farm products, including both crops and livestock. Farmers also widely rely on credit cooperatives as a source of financing for both working capital and investments. To provide a source of credit, farmers can group together funds that can be loaned out to members. This allows farmers to have a more direct access to critical farm inputs, such as seeds and implements. The loans for these inputs are repaid when the farmer sends produce to the marketing cooperative.
The primary objective of a cooperative is to meet the needs of its members in an efficient and economical way by reducing the cost of services, improving the quality of products and developing the best use of the members’ resources. While the economic benefits are a strong driver in forming cooperatives, it is not the sole consideration. Equally important for the farmers is that they retain the governance of the association, thereby ensuring they have ultimate ownership and control. This ensures that the profit reimbursement, usually through the dividend payout is shared only among the members of the cooperative.
Agricultural cooperatives, as tools for sustainable development in poor countries, support small scale farmers in multiple ways. Members own and govern the cooperative, their resources are productive and the benefits are shared equitably. Fresh, nutritious food is grown locally, is less expensive and more easily available. This contributes to the eradication of hunger locally but also enables smallholder farmers to participate in the national and global economy.
World Food Day has been celebrated on October 16—the anniversary of FAO’s founding in 1945, every year since 1981. It was established to raise awareness and understanding of the approaches to ending hunger, malnutrition and poverty and the problems involved in the supply and distribution of food.
In 2010, the Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food, Olivier De Schutter, addressed the links between the right to food, the security of land tenure, the access to land in rural areas, and the competition between food and energy crops that exists in some countries.
In 2011, the theme of World Food Day, “Food Prices—From Crisis to Stability”-- correlated with the global food price crisis. It sought to focus attention on the causes of the fluctuations in food prices and their threat to food security especially in the developing countries of the world. According to the World Bank, rising food costs in 2010-2011 pushed nearly 70 million people into extreme poverty. The Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food in his 2011 report, noted that even more distressing than the limited supply of food, is the 25 billion people living in poverty—small farmers, agricultural workers, the urban poor and indigenous people - who lack purchasing power.
The FAO aims to improve agricultural productivity at all levels, enhance the lives of rural population, raise levels of nutrition across the globe, and contribute to the growth of the world economy. Agricultural Cooperatives are one means of achieving these goals while directly addressing the concerns highlighted in the themes of the past several years.
An agricultural cooperative, sometimes known as a farmers’ co-op, is an association in which farmers pool their resources in certain areas of activity, such as supply, marketing, and credit in order to achieve a better outcome. Supply cooperatives provide their members with inputs for agricultural production, including seeds, fertilizers, fuel, and machinery services. Some supply cooperatives also operate machinery pools that provide mechanical field services (e.g., plowing, harvesting) to their members. Marketing cooperatives are established by farmers to undertake preparation, packaging, distribution, and marketing of farm products, including both crops and livestock. Farmers also widely rely on credit cooperatives as a source of financing for both working capital and investments. To provide a source of credit, farmers can group together funds that can be loaned out to members. This allows farmers to have a more direct access to critical farm inputs, such as seeds and implements. The loans for these inputs are repaid when the farmer sends produce to the marketing cooperative.
The primary objective of a cooperative is to meet the needs of its members in an efficient and economical way by reducing the cost of services, improving the quality of products and developing the best use of the members’ resources. While the economic benefits are a strong driver in forming cooperatives, it is not the sole consideration. Equally important for the farmers is that they retain the governance of the association, thereby ensuring they have ultimate ownership and control. This ensures that the profit reimbursement, usually through the dividend payout is shared only among the members of the cooperative.
Agricultural cooperatives, as tools for sustainable development in poor countries, support small scale farmers in multiple ways. Members own and govern the cooperative, their resources are productive and the benefits are shared equitably. Fresh, nutritious food is grown locally, is less expensive and more easily available. This contributes to the eradication of hunger locally but also enables smallholder farmers to participate in the national and global economy.
World Food Day has been celebrated on October 16—the anniversary of FAO’s founding in 1945, every year since 1981. It was established to raise awareness and understanding of the approaches to ending hunger, malnutrition and poverty and the problems involved in the supply and distribution of food.
What is Social Protection Floor Campaign?
Knowing that more than 1.4 billion people still struggle to live on less than $1.25 a day, it is obvious that much more needs to be done to eradicate the scourge of extreme poverty. At present, 80% of the global population does not enjoy social guarantees that enable them to live a life of dignity and enjoy their basic human rights. Ensuring a social protection floor for these people is one of the fastest ways to achieve the Millennium Development Goals, invest in social justice and sustainable economic development. The concept of a social protection floor is very clear. No one should live below a certain income level and everyone should be able to access at least basic health services, primary education, housing, water, sanitation, food security and adequate nutrition. Social transfers, in cash or in kind, that provides income security as well as food security must be guaranteed. The United Nations Social Protection Floor Initiative (SPFI)promotes universal access to essential social transfers and services. Social protection measures act as cushions for individuals and families against economic shocks and other life contingencies, thus enhancing their capacity to manage and overcome the challenges that affect their well-being. Poverty is not a condition particular to a fixed group of individuals, but rather one that everyone is at risk of experiencing at some point in the life cycle. The right to social security calls for a progressive move towards universal social protection so as to ensure the basic well-being of all citizens everywhere, all the time. The SPFI is a policy that must be tailored to the needs of each country and which builds on the country’s existing social protection mechanisms. It aims to make it possible for every citizen to enjoy the human rights expressed in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. It sets minimum standards of access to essential services. When people stand on a solid floor, they are able to live with dignity and invest in their own skills and development, gradually moving to higher levels of well-being. The NGO Social Development committee is sponsoring an Online Signature Campaign in support of this initiative which already enjoys considerable support from various UN entities as well as representatives from many countries. The goal of the campaign is to collect large numbers of signatures of individuals and well as organizations from as many countries as possible. The petition with all its signatures will be presented to member states as evidence of civil society’s support for the Social Protection Floor being implements in all countries. |
'Water for Life' Beyond 2015
In 2005, the UN launched the Decade “Water for Life, 2005-2015.” What has become evident in the reviews of the Millennium Development Goals and in the current preparations for Rio+20 is that the focus on water and sanitation must continue to be a central focus in trying to bring about sustainable development for all people. It is slated to become one of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) that will focus local, national and international resources towards creating a “Future We Want.”
Water is essential for life. No living being on planet Earth can survive without it. It is a prerequisite for human health and well-being as well as for the preservation of the environment. However, four of every ten people in the world do not have access to even a simple pit latrine; and nearly two in ten have no source of safe drinking water. According to the World Health Organization, each and every day some 3,900 children die because of dirty water or poor hygiene; diseases transmitted through water or human excrement are the second-leading cause of death among children worldwide, after respiratory diseases. Water scarcity, poor water quality, and inadequate sanitation negatively impact food security, livelihood choices, and educational opportunities for poor families across the world. Read More http://www.un.org/spanish/waterforlifedecade/ http://www.un.org/french/waterforlifedecade/ Conferences, Meetings and Events
United Nations observances are established by the General Assembly or some designated UN agency. They are used (1) to help achieve the purposes of the UN Charter and (2) to promote awareness of and action upon, important political, social, cultural, humanitarian or human rights issues. They provide a useful means for the promotion of international and national action and stimulate interest in United Nations activities and programmes.
The complete calendar of United Nations observances is available here. Individual days will be highlighted in the month in which they occur. For a detailed UN Calendar of Meetings and Conferences, click here. |
