29th Congregational Chapter Direction Statement   ‘We work zealously with women and children, especially those who are ….oppressed by abject poverty.  We support projects for economic justice, confront unjust systems…”

Here is an opportunity for you to express your views based on your vast experience of working with women living in abject poverty.  In doing so you are influencing policy and confronting unjust structures. 

From 11 January to 12 February 2010 the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Department for Economic and Social Affairs (UN/DESA) will jointly organize an e-discussion on Women and Poverty. The e-discussion aims to provide critical policy messages and an action agenda to the Commission on the Status of Women’s 15 year review of the implementation of the Beijing Platform for Action (1 to 12 March 2010); ECOSOC Annual Ministerial Review (28 June – 3 July 2010); and the High-level Plenary Meeting of the sixty-fifth session of the UN General Assembly, focused on the Millennium Development Goals (September 2010).  Go to this website, scroll to the bottom of the page and sign up for the discussion.  In replying in the box Organization please enter Congregation of Our Lady of Charity of the Good Shepherd.   This is our organizational name at the United Nations.   http://www.un.org/ecosoc/newfunct/amredis2010.shtml   

Here is a quote from the facilitators note:  “Please help us bring new thinking and new ideas to the policy debate about poverty reduction, gender equality and women’s empowerment, drawing on experience with implementing the Bejing Platform for Action and the Millennium Development Goals. Share your innovative ideas, research and good practice examples with policy-makers, researchers, and practitioners around the world, and help make a difference in the fight for gender equality and eradication of poverty.”