The Commission for Social Development will take place in New York February 1 – 10, 2012.  The priority theme is Poverty Eradication.  Each year NGO’s are invited to submit a written statement to the Commission.  Our statement has just been published in the 6 languages of the United Nations.   “Poverty is not the result of scarcity, but of inequality, especially gender inequality. We see the increased “feminization of poverty” bringing with it greater risks of human trafficking and the lack of, or poor access to, food, sanitation, water, health and education. The burden of chronic poverty is a burden borne primarily by women and girls. It is more than recognition that increasing numbers of women and girls are living in poverty — it is a social problem of gendered relations, patriarchy and discrimination. It is embedded in unjust structures and witnessed in inequality of access to public services, barriers to education, lack of specialized health care, labour market inequalities, wage discrimination, legal and cultural constraints in public and private life, denial of property rights and land tenure policies — all directed towards women and girls.”  To read the full statement click on the link below.          E/CN.5/2012/NGO/15    Posted: 09 Dec 2011 05:30 AM PST      STATEMENT SUBMITTED BY THE CONGREGATION OF OUR LADY OF CHARITY OF THE GOOD SHEPHERD     [ Arabic | Chinese | English | French | Russian | Spanish ]http://www.un.org/ga/search/view_doc.asp?symbol=E%2FCN.5%2F2012%2FNGO%2F15&Lang=E&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+LatestUnDocuments-EconomicSocialCouncilDocuments+%28Latest+UN+documents+-+Economic+%26+Social+Council+documents%29