Swords into Plowshares

Sudan in Transition

Thursday 2 June 2011

11:00 am- 1:30 pm

at

Presbyterian Ministry at the United Nations

777 UN Plaza, 7th Floor

New York, NY 10017

 

11:00 – Noon

Briefing - Humanitarian concerns and hopes for South Sudan and insight on the new mandate as well as the Security Council trip to Sudan in May.

• Ms. Aida Mengistu (confirmed)- Desk Officer for Sudan, Africa II Section, Coordination & Response Division,Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA)
• Ms. Lacey Stone(confirmed), NGO Officer, U.S. Fund for UNICEF

 

12:15 – 1:30

Conversation- The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) in ministry in Sudan.

• The Rev. Roger Dermody- Deputy Executive Director for Mission, General Assembly Council for Mission, Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)

 

Lunch will be provided.

Please R.S.V.P. to 216-697-4568 or [email protected]

 

 

The Presbyterian Ministry at the United Nations equips and inspires Presbyterians for global discipleship following Jesus and advocates for peace and justiceguided by policies of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)’s General Assembly. 

 

United Nations Human Rights Council voting on Friday

The election of fifteen members of the Human Rights Council of the United Nations will be held on Friday, 20 May 2011, at 10 a.m. in the General Assembly Hall. Here, you see information from the United Nations General Assembly regarding the election of the Human Rights Council:

In accordance with paragraph 7 of General Assembly resolution 60/251 the Council shall consist of 47 Member States, which shall be elected directly and individually by secret ballot by the majority of the members of the General Assembly.

The membership shall be based on equitable geographical distribution, and seats shall be distributed as follows among regional groups:

• Group of African States (13)
• Group of Asian States (13)
• Group of Eastern European States (6)
• Group of Latin American and Caribbean States (8)
• Group of Western European and other States (7)

The members of the Council shall serve for a period of three years and shall not be eligible for immediate re-election after two consecutive terms.

Member States who have chosen to announce their candidacies in writing are listed below. Voluntary pledges that Member States have chosen to provide in support of their respective candidacies, in accordance with paragraph 8 of General Assembly resolution 60/251, are issued as General Assembly documents in all official languages.

More information about the list of candidates as well as the list of retiring members is available here.

So what does this mean to Presbyterians?  The Human Rights Council is the main body within the United Nations system set to ensure that member states of the United Nations support human rights around the world.  One such human right is the freedom of religion or belief.

The General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) affirms that religious freedom is a universal human right. This affirmation is expressed through our deep commitment to religious freedom around the world in our policies and programs. We are particularly concerned for people of any faith who find themselves as a religious minority in any country.

Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) policy identifies responsibilities and actions that governments should take and actions that governments should avoid as well as commitments of the church itself. These include:

• Governments have responsibility to promote and protect religious freedom and should:
  • Give specific protections concerning religious freedom in their official policies, constitution and practices;
  • Give full cooperation to the UN in the performance of its responsibilities for protecting human rights;
• And should not:
  • Co-opt, manipulate, or constrain religious practice by any persons, groups, or religious bodies except as may properly be necessary for the protection of human rights for all;
  • Limit or deny religious participation in public life; or
  • Discriminate either for or against any religious tradition or organization.

• The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), as a national church, has committed to:
  • Advocate for the religious freedom of any persons, groups, and religious bodies such as is consistent with the human rights for all;
  • Advocate that no official U.S. government relationship or diplomatic status be accorded any religious group or organization;
  • Urge the U.S. government to accord a key role to the United Nations in issues of religious freedom abroad even as it recognizes that a U.S. government role, based upon U.S. policies, is appropriate;
  • Give deference to partner churches’ determination of how to address issues of religious freedom in their own contexts and advocate, when consistent with General Assembly policies, as appropriate;
  • Be aware of the role of media and educate its members about general stereotypes and particular complexities in situations of curtailed religious freedom abroad.

The Presbyterian Ministry at the United Nations works within the United Nations system and with United Nations member states working to protect religious freedom throughout the world.

 

Habitat for Elgin - Water for the World

A group from the Agape House Center for Christian Ministry at the University of Illinois at Chicago went to Elgin to work on a Habitat for Humanity house on March 23, 2011.

On that same day, they collected money for the UNICEF Tap Project which provides clean and accessible water to  children around the world. Providing clean water helps achieve Millennium Development Goal 4: Reduce by two thirds, between 1990 and 2015, the under-five mortality rate

Good work!

Photo courtesy of Agape House.

 

 

Ecumenical Advocacy Days

Ecumenical Advocacy Days is meeting in Washington, DC this weekend and the Presbyterian Ministry at the United Nations is excited to be joining our Presbyterian Church (USA) partners and the Office of Public Witness to be advocating for a just and compassionate world.

The theme of Advocacy Days this year is development, security and economic justice, what does gender have to do with it?

The Presbyterian Church USA has the largest number of members attending this year's conference.  The conference has been an excellent opportunity to meet Presbyterians and ecumenical advocacy partners. 

Tonight, we will celebrate the 65th anniversary of the Office of Public Witness with a boat cruise on the historice Potomac River. 

State of Food and Agriculture: 2010

This week, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) released its 2010-2011 State of Food and Agriculture Report.  I had the opportunity to attend the release of this report in New York at the United Nations, hosted by His Excellency Ambassador Abulkalam Abdul Momen, the Permanent Representative of Bangladesh who is Vice President of the United Nations Economic and Social Council.  Amb. Momem with representatives from FAO, United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and UN Women explored the latest and most comprehensive report Women in Agriculture: Closing the gender gap for development. 

Key messages from this report include:

• Women comprise, on average, 43 percent of the agricultural labour force in developing countries.
• Women in agriculture and rural areas have less access than men to productive resources and opportunities.
• Female farmers produce less than male farmers, but not because they are less-efficient farmers.
• Closing the gender gap in agriculture would generate significant gains for the agriculture sector and for society.
• Production gains of this magnitude could reduce the number of hungry people in the world by 12-17 percent.
• These potential productivity gains are just the first round of social benefits that would come from closing the gender gap.
• Policy interventions can help close the gender gap in agriculture and rural labour markets.

The report comes in a time of volatility in global food prices and global economic development. One panelist suggested that increasing the production level of women farmers to that of their male counterparts would result in a decrease in the number of undernourished people by 100 to 150 million.  The panelists noted that the effects of reducing the gender inequity tie into action steps towards achieving the Millennium Development Goals, such as the eradication of extreme poverty and hunger, promoting gender equality and women’s empowerment, and reducing childhood mortality.

The report comes as organizers for the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) begin preparations for next year’s Commission with the focus on rural women. The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), through the Presbyterian Hunger Program provides educational, mission and action programs for Presbyterians passionate about living out God's call to do justice, love mercy and walk humbly. 

Share a drink of clean water

Participate in the UNICEF Tap Project

Providing clean water helps achieve Millennium Development Goal 4: Reduce by two thirds, between 1990 and 2015, the under-five mortality rate

About the UNICEF Tap Project

Share a drink of water through the UNICEF Tap Project

Check out participating restaurants

Find ways to help

In 2007, the UNICEF Tap Project was born in New York City based on a simple concept: restaurants would ask their patrons to donate $1 or more for the tap water they usually enjoy for free, and all funds raised would support UNICEF’s efforts to bring clean and accessible water to millions of children around the world.

Since its inception in 2007, the UNICEF Tap Project has raised almost $2.5 million in the U.S. and has helped provide clean water for millions of children globally. Now in its fifth year, the award-winning UNICEF Tap Project, a nationwide campaign sponsored by the U.S. Fund for UNICEF, will return during World Water Week, March 20–26. The first program of its kind, the UNICEF Tap Project has become a dynamic movement that affords everyone the opportunity to help provide the world’s children with safe, clean water.

Through numerous fundraising and volunteer activities, the UNICEF Tap Project celebrates the clean water we enjoy on a daily basis by encouraging celebrity, restaurant, volunteer, corporate, and government supporters to give this vital resource to children in developing countries. The concept is basic and compelling: “When You Take Water, Give Water.”

2011 UNICEF Tap Project Funds will specifically target Togo, the Central African Republic and Vietnam.

Providing clean water helps achieve Millennium Development Goal 4: Reduce by two thirds, between 1990 and 2015, the under-five mortality rate

About the UNICEF Tap Project

Spend $1 (or more) on tap water at the restaurant of your choice and help bring water to children around the world. That's the simple idea behind the UNICEF Tap Project.

In 2007, the UNICEF Tap Project was born in New York City based on a simple concept: restaurants would ask their patrons to donate $1 or more for the tap water they usually enjoy for free, and all funds raised would support UNICEF’s efforts to bring clean and accessible water to millions of children around the world.

Since its inception in 2007, the UNICEF Tap Project has raised almost $2.5 million in the U.S. and has helped provide clean water for millions of children globally. Now in its fifth year, the  UNICEF Tap Project will return during World Water Week, March 20–26. The UNICEF Tap Project affords everyone the opportunity to help provide the world’s children with safe, clean water.

Through numerous fundraising and volunteer activities, the UNICEF Tap Project celebrates the clean water we enjoy on a daily basis by encouraging celebrity, restaurant, volunteer, corporate, and government supporters to give this vital resource to children in developing countries. The concept is basic and compelling: “When You Take Water, Give Water.”

2011 UNICEF Tap Project Funds will specifically target Togo, the Central African Republic and Vietnam.

Cooper House 2011 Winter Break Alternate Mission Trip

A group from the Cooper House Presbyterian Campus Ministry at Virginia Tech visited the offices of the Presbyterian Ministry at the United Nations on January 11. The visit was part of their 2011 Winter Break Alternate Mission Trip. Six students and Acting Campus Minister Jan McGilliard made up the group.

Our conversation focused on why the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) has a ministry at the United Nations and what that ministry does.

The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) were also discussed. Together we explored ways that individuals and groups can help support the achievement of the MDGs.

The Virginia Tech group was the first Presbyterian group to hear about the UNICEF Tap Project that seeks to provide the world’s children access to safe, clean water.

Nearly 900 million people worldwide lack access to safe, clean water – and nearly half of those people are children. Waterborne illnesses are the second highest cause of preventable childhood deaths in the world. Millennium Development Goal 4 focuses on child health.

The group plans to learn more about the Tap Project and how they might get involved with it and with other ways to help the nations of the world meet the MDGs.

After the conversation, the group went across the street to tour the United Nations building. They then returned to the Church Center for the United Nations to visit the office of Global Action on Aging.

It was a blessing to have them include the Presbyterian Ministry at the United Nations as part of their New York experience.

Contact the Presbyterian Ministry at the United Nations to schedule a visit or a seminar on a topic of your choice.

Support the Presbyerian Ministry at the United Nations.

The photo is by Ricky Velez-Negron.

 

See 'The Changing Face of HIV/AIDS'

“The Changing Face of HIV/AIDS” is a new DVD/video by the Presbyterian AIDS Network (PAN).

In the United States, the face of HIV and AIDS has changed dramatically in the 30 years since the start of the pandemic.  Communities are living with increased rates of infection and more and more Americans are affected by HIV.

This video in six 3- minute segments explores “The Changing Face of HIV/AIDS,” telling the story of ministries of compassion, support and advocacy as the church and our communities respond. The segment, “What People of Faith Need to Know about HIV/AIDS” offers a basic primer for the church living in an HIV Positive world.  By discussing the facts about HIV and AIDS, the video empowers the viewer to make faithful decisions and the church to take faithful actions, as well as helping to reduce the stigma attached to this devastating illness.

The Presbyterian AIDS Network (PAN), a Network of the Presbyterian Health, Education & Welfare Association (PHEWA), is available to assist a congregation in becoming an HIV and AIDS Competent Church.

View or download “The Changing Face of HIV/AIDS.”

The DVD will very soon be available to be ordered through the Presbyterian Distribution Service at no cost (phone (800) 524-2612).

Just in time for World AIDS Day (December 1), and far beyond!

Find worship resources for World AIDS Day.

Read a World AIDS Day reflection by Amanda Craft, Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) mission co-workter in Guatemala.