Category Archives: Commission for Social Development

Empowering People for Social Change

Giving the poorest and most vulnerable the voice and tools they need to lift themselves out of poverty is key to bolstering efforts towards meeting global development goals, according to United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s latest report on promoting people’s empowerment, the theme for the fifty-first session of the Commission on Social Development, taking place at United Nations Headquarters from 6 to 15 February, and for its Civil Society Forum tomorrow.   Read more …

Promoting empowerment of people will be at the core when the Commission for Social Development convenes for its 51st session. “Empowering individuals and social groups requires a comprehensive set of policies and institutions. From education and health care to economic and social policy, activities that seek to empower people are expected to increase opportunities and improve people’s quality of life”, said Ms. Larysa Belskaya, Vice-Chair of the Commission’s Bureau.   Read more…

 

UN Commission for Social Development February 6 – 15, 2013

 

 “Promoting empowerment of people in achieving    poverty eradication, social integration and full employment and decent work for all.”  Read more here …

Responses to Consultation on Participation in Decision Making

Participation

Executive Summary – Responses to consultation on Participation

The compiled responses have been submitted to the office of Ms. Magdalena Sepulveda Carmona, (Chile), Special Rapporteur on Extreme Poverty and Human Rights.  There were 35 responses from Good Shepherd. The Special Rapporteur will use this information to inform her annual report of June 2013.  If you wish to see the document it is on the UN website page  under NGO Sub-Committee to Stop Trafficking in Persons.

I had the document translated into Spanish Consulta con ONG   and French  La consultation de l’ONG  Thank you for contributing to this important work.

The content of this consultation will be shared on Wednesday March 6, 2013 at a side event on the opening day of the Commission for Social Development:  Grass Root Voices do have Choices

Good Shepherd Statement to the Commission for Social Development

States have opportunities for real leadership in facilitating a global paradigm shift through the incorporation of the guiding principles on extreme poverty and human rights into national laws, policies and programmes and the implementation of ILO recommendation 202 on national floors of social protection. These are giant steps towards creating an empowering environment and achieving poverty eradication, social integration and full employment and decent work for all. We support the Commission towards this end.   Read the full Good Shepherd Statement to the Commission for Social Development - available in the 6 languages of the United Nations.  ngocsocd2012

Good Shepherd Economic and Social Policy 2013

See website for the Commission

Read Statement for the Commission for Social Development C SocD 2013 NGO Written Statement Final

Read Statement for the Commission on the Status of Women  CSW 57 Submitted Statement for distribution Nov 2012

Post 2015 Position Paper in English, Spanish and French

English   Undated Position on Post-2015 Global Development Agenda September 2012 (2)

Spanish Español de Position on Post-2015 Global Development Agenda 20 September 2012

French Quelques points sur le développement mondial-2015 Septembre 2012

Embrace the World

Read the latest edition of Embrace_the_World_October_2012  from the desk of Yolanda Sanchez.   Congratulations Yolanda! French and Spanish are available …

Embrasser le Monde Entier octobre 2012

Abrazo al Mundo octubre 2012

Final Draft of the guiding principles on extreme poverty and human rights, submitted by the Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights, Magdalena Sepúlveda Carmona

The Final Draft of the guiding principles on extreme poverty and human rights, submitted by the special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights, Magdalena Sepulveda Carmona is available in all six languages of the United Nations.  French, Spanish and English uploaded here for your convenience.

http://www.un.org/ga/search/view_doc.asp?symbol=A/HRC/21/39&Lang=F
http://www.un.org/ga/search/view_doc.asp?symbol=A/HRC/21/39&Lang=S
http://www.un.org/ga/search/view_doc.asp?symbol=A/HRC/21/39&Lang=E

Ms. Magdalena Sepúlveda Carmona, Special Rapporteur on Extreme Poverty and Human Rights made a statement at the 21st Session of the Human Rights Council on 12 September 2012. Link to the full statement is attached here.  English only
http://www.ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/Pages/                                            DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=12503&LangID=E

Some quotations from the statement made by Ms. Magdalena Sepúlveda Carmona on September 12, 2012
“The Guiding Principles aim to be a tool to guide the design and implementation of social policies and poverty eradication efforts, in a manner that respects, protects and fulfills the human rights of persons living in extreme poverty.
These Principles do not create new obligations in regard to human rights. They simply represent a concise guide on how to fulfill existing obligations in the design, implementation and evaluation of public policies to overcome poverty.
It is important to record the long history of these Guiding Principles. They date back to 2001, when the Commission on Human Rights, recognising the necessity of formulating principles on the application of human rights norms in the context of the fight against extreme poverty … The document is relevant for all countries, at all stages of development.”

The GSIJP Office has been contributing to this process since 2001. Good Shepherd Sisters responded to the consultations and submitted very valuable information in 2011. The following units contributed: Colombia (4), Mexico (2) New York (2), France and Central America. Hedwig and Mags in the Geneva Office attended meetings when requested and kept us updated.

A good history of the process is annexed at the end of the document – but in English only. One of the first processes I was engaged in was reviewing an initial draft document with other members of the NGO Sub-Committee for Poverty Eradication. A note I have to this day reads, ‘we must find words to substitute for ‘the poor’. The term agreed was ‘persons living in poverty’. This term is used 120 times in the final draft. We struggled with ‘Poverty as a human condition’ and suggested alternative language ‘Poverty is a dehumanizing condition’ but this did not find its way into the document – see paragraph No 2 a term used by the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights in 2001. Another phrase that stand out for me as innovative at the time was to eliminate ‘the accumulation of wealth and poverty’. The phrase ‘eliminate the accumulation of wealth’ is not found in the final draft.

  • The final draft has 108 paragraphs, 30 pages
  • 14 specific rights are elaborated. (Paragraphs 62 – 90).
  • If you want to discuss poverty read the preface Paragraphs 1-10.
  • The Objectives of the Guiding Principles on extreme poverty and human rights are outlined in paragraphs 11 -13.
  • There are 8 foundational principles.
  • There are three references to implementation of the social protection – see paragraphs 30, 54 and 86 (b).
  • It is imperative at national level that you bring this document to your local government representatives and government ministers.

“Extreme poverty is not inevitable means that the tools for ending it are within reach. A human rights approach provides a framework for the long-term eradication of extreme poverty based on the recognition of persons living in extreme poverty as rights holders and agents of change.”  Paragraph 6.

United in Global Sharing … building the future we want

The Good Shepherd International Foundation is an Italian non profit organization established in 2008 to support the missions of the Good Shepherd Sisters in the developing world.  The Foundation is based in Rome and works in partnership with the Good Shepherd Mission Development Corp. in USA and with the Good Shepherd partners in Africa, Asia and Latin America.

Goals include :
■Ensure economic and social justice for women and children who suffer from
■Violence, abuse and exploitation worldwide.
■Cancel the shame of human trafficking, a modern form of slavery.
■Eradicate poverty through a fair and sustainable development.
■Build a world of peace.     Read more at http://www.fondazionebuonpastore.org/

 

The United Nations Agenda has all these issues in focus – Human Rights, – CEDAW   http://www2.ohchr.org/english/bodies/cedaw/sessions.htm ;   Sustainable Development: Outcome of Rio+20 Conference  ’The Future we Want’  http://www.uncsd2012.org/thefuturewewant.html (6 languages of the UN)  Empowerment, Poverty Eradication, Full Employment and Decent Work,  and Social Integration – Theme of the Commission for Social Development February 2013  http://social.un.org/index/CommissionforSocialDevelopment/Sessions/2013.aspx

The Elimination of Violence Against Women and Girls is the theme of the Commission on the Status of Women, March 2013   http://www.un.org/womenwatch/daw/csw/57sess.htm  ; Urging the implementation of the Social Protection Floor at national level following Recommendation 202 from the International Labour Confernece in June 2012  http://www.ilocarib.org.tt/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1895:new-ilo-recommendation-on-social-protection-floors&catid=117:news-room&Itemid=1035  Following the issue of Human Trafficking through Article 6 of CEDAW, and UNODC http://www.unodc.org/unodc/en/human-trafficking/index.html?ref=menuside  and at national level.

A lot is happening -  There are new hopes, desires for new committments, new concepts as we move forward.

A good document to read is Realizing the future we want for all (1) Report to the Secretary General from the UN System Task Team on the Post 2015 UN Development Agenda.  http://www.undp.org/content/undp/en/home/librarypage/poverty-reduction/realizing-the-future-we-want/    A vision for the future that rests on the core values of human rights, equality and sustainability.  Four key dimensions of a more holistic approach: (1) inclusive social development; (2) inclusive economic development; (3) environmental sustainability; and (4) peace and security. See a diagram for this on page 24.

Become aware of phrases like ‘post 2015 development agenda’.  What does it mean?   Sustainable Development Goals?  What are these?     Paragraph 92 of ‘Realizing the Future We Want for All’  reads

“92. Implementation of a post-2015 development agenda will depend, critically, on effective governance capacities at national, local and municipal levels, including political commitment and leadership; and on the legal and economic empowerment of people, especially those most excluded, and of their civil society organizations, to participate effectively in national and local decisionmaking.  As such, governance is an essential issue within all four of the dimensions  outlined above. ”

   Follow the Special Rapporteur on Extreme Poverty and Human Rights – Ms. Magdalena Sepulveda  Carmona.    http://www.ohchr.org/EN/Issues/Poverty/Pages/SRExtremePovertyIndex.aspx                                                             Read her book  HumanRightsApproachToSocialProtection (1)   

New – United Nations Social Development Network

Want to be up to date on Social Development issues – Empowerment, Poverty Eradication – follow here – http://unsdn.org  Make this a favourite.    Read about people’s empowerment and development model from Bangladesh. http://unsdn.org/?p=1136&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+unsdn+%28UNSDN%29

Webcast of Civil Society Forum January 31, 2012 The Social Protection Floor – Brigiding the Gap to Poverty Eradication is now available

A webcast recording of the proceeding of the whole day are uploaded here. Learn more about the Social Protection Floor Initiative and the views of Civil Society. The webcast is in two parts – the morning sessiona and fternoon session.  The programme for the day is presented here for your convenience.

Civil Society Forum
Commission for Social Development
The Social Protection Floor Initiative – Bridging the Gap to Poverty Eradication 

Tuesday, January 31, 2012, 10.00 a.m. - 4.30 p.m.

United Nations HQ, NLB-Conference Room 3

The Civil Society Forum has been planned by the NGO Committee for Social Development in joint sponsorship by United Nations DESA’s Division for Social Policy and Development & Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung.  This Forum has been organized to prepare civil society participants to participate during the 50th Session of the Commission for Social Development (Feb 1-10, 2012 at UNHQ in New York) and the UN Conference on Sustainable Development (June 20-22, 2012 in Rio de Janeiro).  Speakers will present the Social Protection Floor Initiative (SPFI) as an essential and universal solution to break the cycle of poverty and reduce inequality and social exclusion while accelerating action toward achievement of Millennium Development Goals, 2015.

Upon completion of this Forum, participants will be able to:

  • Describe SPFI as a universal framework for achieving equity and sustainable change.
  • Discuss the importance of developing innovative strategies for providing social protection floor to high-risk populations.
  • Identify the positive experiences and challenges of providing the Social Protection Floor Initiative

10:00-11:00 Opening Session     http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GZPp4WnIkd4&feature=youtu.be  

Welcome:

Ms. Winifred Doherty, Congregation of Our Lady of Charity of the Good Shepherd; Chair NGO Committee Social Development; Co-Chair, Working Group on Girls.

10:00-10:15 Ceremony “Million Signature Campaign Delivery” -  NGO Committee for Social Development

Guest Recipient of Signatures: H.E. Mr. Miloš Koterec, Sixty-eighth President of the Economic and Social Council, Permanent Representative, Permanent Mission of Slovakia to the United Nations

Special Presentations:                 

H.E. Mr. Miloš Koterec, Sixty-eighth President of the Economic and Social Council, Permanent Representative, Permanent Mission of Slovakia to the United Nations

H.E. Mr. Ambassador Jorge Valero, Chair of Bureau; Chairman of the 50th Commission for Social Development; Permanent Representative, Permanent Mission of Venezuela to the UN 

Mr. Jomo Kwame Sundaram, Assistant Secretary-General for Economic Development, UN-DESA

Ms. Daniela Bas, Director, Division for Social Policy & Development

Mr. Werner Puschra, Director of the New York Office of Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung

11:00-1:00 Keynote Panel

 ”The Social Protection Floor Initiative– Bridging the Gap to Poverty Eradication”      

Moderator:    Ms. Eva-Maria Hanfstaengl, Director, Social Justice in Global Development

Invited Speakers:

Mr. Michael Cichon, Director, Social Security Department, International Labour Organization

Ms. Isabel Ortiz, Associate Director, United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF)

Ms. Braema Mathiaparanam, Regional President for SE Asia and the Pacific, International Council on Social Welfare; Chairperson/Coordinator, Singapore Working Group for an ASEAN Human Rights Mechanism

Ms. Laila Iskander Kamel, Chairperson, Community and Institutional Development Consulting, Egypt

The afternoon panel -

2:30-4:15 “From Passion to Action”   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cWLRxr2EDTU&feature=youtu.be 

This interactive session will offer attendees an opportunity to discuss relevant UN plans and programs of action pertaining to the situation of social groups: persons with disabilities, youth, ageing and the family as one anticipates maximizing the impact of the SPFI in their own organizations. Universal access to basic social protection and social services is necessary to break the cycle of poverty and reduce inequality and social exclusion. “The Global Social Crisis: Report on the World Social Situation 2011” UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs’ Publication, 2011 notes, “The Social Protection Floor Initiative is affordable; its benefits need to be weighed against the potentially high human, social and economic costs of not investing in social protection.” 

Moderator:    Ms.Eva-Maria Hanfstaengl, Director, Social Justice in Global Development

Speakers:

Ms. Braema Mathiaparanam, Regional President for SE Asia and the Pacific, International Council on Social Welfare

Ms. Griselda Martínez Morales, Congregations of St. Joseph

Ms. Sylvia Beales, Strategic Alliances HelpAge International

Ms. Marwa Sharafeldine, Board Member of Musawah International Movement for the Reform of Muslim Family Law

Mr. Baquer Namazi, Independent CSO Activist Coordinating the Pro-Poor CSO Initiative; Founding Member of Iran Local Development NGO Resource Center

4:15 – 4:30       Closing Remarks by Ms. Winifred Doherty  Congregation of Our Lady of Charity of the Good Shepherd; Chair NGO Committee Social Development; Co-Chair, Working Group on Girls.

Have you signed the Social Protection Floor Initiative -  if not now is a good moment to do so English  http://www.gopetition.com/petitions/signature-campaign-social-protection-floor/signatures.html  Add your name to the list.         Spanish http://www.gopetition.com/petitions/en-apoyo-del-piso-de-protecci%C3%B3n-social.html
French   http://www.gopetition.com/petitions/appuyer-le-socle-de-protection-sociale.html    Portuguese  http://www.ngosocdev.net/index.php/anexo-protecaon-social/