Monthly Archives: July 2012

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

A very good video on the distinction between human struggling and human trafficking

I think you will find this video interesting   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dfJti4W8LsE&feature=player_embedded   The interview was done in Sri Lanka and is very informative re: the situation there.   There is also reference to the Trafficking in Person Report – TIP Report from the US State Department which was published in June of this year.  By visiting this link you can find the report and easily check the status of your own country.     http://www.state.gov/j/tip/rls/tiprpt/2012/

Join the Discussion at CSW 57

Read more http://www.unwomen.org/2012/07/an-invitation-join-the-discussion-at-csw-57/

To involve key stakeholders in its preparation – particularly civil society and women’s groups, policy makers and other experts – UN Women will use a two-week online discussion (23 July – 3 August) on the critical gaps and challenges facing women and girls in the priority area: the elimination and prevention of all forms of violence against women and girls.

Within this, the two key areas of focus are primary prevention (stopping violence before it starts) and multisectoral services and responses to victims/survivors.

The first week’s discussion (23 – 27 July) will focus on primary prevention. The second week (30 July – 3 August) will be on support services and responses, across sectors. You must REGISTER to take part in the discusison.

TO REGISTER, please send an email to csw57.onlinediscussion@unwomen.org with your name, position, the name of your organization, and the country. As Subject, please write: Registering for online discussion. Within one or two days you will receive an email with login and registration instructions.

The online discussion will be in English.

Consultation: The Human Rights Approach to Participation of Persons Living in Poverty in Decisions that Effect their Lives

This is an invitation to you to contribute to a consultation that Magdalena Sepulveda Carmona, the Special Rapporteur on Extreme Poverty and Human Right is doing. The topic is ‘THE HUMAN RIGHTS APPROACH TO PARTICIPATION OF PERSONS LIVING IN POVERTY IN DECISIONS THAT AFFECT THEIR LIVES’. The deadline for submission of your contribution is December 14, 2012. The report of the consultation will be presented to the Human Rights Council in June 2013.

Questions to guide your thinking or animate groups:

What are the obstacles that people living in poverty face to their meaningful and effective participation?

Have you any ideas about how to increase the participation of people living in poverty? What would be key principles to facilitate participation?

Are you working with groups of girls, children, women or communities that are living in poverty? Why not hold discussion groups around meaningful participation – obstacles to participation and how participation can be achieved? Write up the results of the discussion. Have you an already existing good practice facilitating people living in poverty to participate in decision making in your programs? Do you empower people living in poverty to approach local/regional or national government to represent their own issues? Does your government invite people living in poverty to the decision-making table?

The text is only in English but it suggest that you use http://translate.google.com/  for an unofficial translation of this message into another language.

Please submit contributions in French, Spanish or English to the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights through srextremepoverty@ohchr.org  at your earliest convenience and no later than 14th December 2012 Please submit a copy to the GSIJP Office to winifreddohertyrgs@gmail.com

If you need any help please contact me.

Visit the website to learn more:   http://www.ohchr.org/EN/Issues/Poverty/Pages/ParticipationOfPersonsLivingInPoverty.aspx

UN International Day for the Eradication of Poverty 2012

The International Day for the Eradication of Poverty will be celebrated on Wednesday October 17, 2012. The 2012 Commemoration will focus on the theme “Ending the violence of Extreme Poverty: Promoting empowernment and building peace”. A concept note has been prepared http://is.gd/H5knrn  ‘Good Shepherd has been promoting poverty eradication through advocating for the implementation of the Social Protection Floor Initiative (SPFI).  Social protection floors are nationally defined sets of basic social security guarantees which secure protection aimed at preventing or alleviating poverty, vulnerability and social exclusion.  This initiative has gained in momentum over the past few months. The International Labour Conference adopted on 14 June 2012 the Recommendation no. 202 concerning national floors for social protection by a vote of 452 to 0, with 1 abstention. Text ILO SPF Recommendation 202 final wcms_183326 English  wcms_183327 French  wcms_183322 Spanish   and wcms_184035 Italian 

Paragraph 156 of the Outcome Document of the Rio+20 Conference on Sustainable Development supports the implementation of the Social Protection floor Initiative and reads  “We stress the need to provide social protection to all members of society, fostering growth, resilience, social justice and cohesion, including those who are not employed in the formal economy. In this regard, we strongly encourage national and local initiatives aimed at providing social protection floors for all citizens. We support global dialogue on best practices for social protection programmes that takes into account the three dimensions of sustainable development and, in this regard, we note ILO Recommendation 202 concerning national floors of social protection.”

A book entitled ‘The Human Rights Approach to Social Protection’ was also published in June  by the Special Rapporteur on Extreme Poverty and Human Rights, Ms. Magdalena Sepulveda Carmona and Carly Nyst.  HumanRightsApproachToSocialProtection

In the Good Shepherd Direction Statement 2009 we stated that we ‘Work zealously with women and children, especially those who are trafficked, forced to migrate and oppressed by abject poverty.  We support projects for economic justice, confront unjust systems and take a “corporate stance” when appropriate.  In our position paper on Economic Justice we state ‘along with fulfilling the works of mercy by service to those in conditions of poverty, the eradication of poverty is also a moral and ethical responsibility of all. It is imperative to be active in effective advocacy and lobbying strategies to address poverty and to change dominant structures and systems that threaten future generations with the same vulnerabilities.’   What can you do now?

  • Prepare for and celebrate the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty on October 17,
  • Advocate and lobby for the implementation of a rights based social protection floor at local and national level.

There are two concrete and specific actions you can can organize and collaborate with others to change dominant structures and systems.  Further specific actions towards the achievement of these goals include:

Protesting Backpage’s Facilitation of Sex Trafficking June 20, 2012

The Coalition Against Trafficking in Women (CATW) in partnership with Prostitution Research & Education (PRE) held a second protest in front of the NYC office of Village Voice Media Holdings, LLC (VVM), owner of Backpage on June 20, 2012.  This protest, co-sponsored by more than 100, and counting, leading human rights organizations and prominent individuals, including InterVarsity’s New York City Urban Project, The Women’s Media Center, Jane Fonda, Robin Morgan, Gloria Steinem, Alicia Keys, Ambassador Mark Lagon, Aaron Cohen, Frederick Douglass Family Foundation, Temple Committee Against Human Trafficking, Aboriginal Women’s Action Network, Geebo.com, and A Call to Men, will bring attention to Backpage’s ongoing facilitation of and profiting from sex trafficking.    “VVM mainstreams online pimping by providing a vehicle for sex traffickers to reach buyers of human beings for prostituted sex,” says Norma Ramos, Executive Director of CATW.  Recently, corporations including T-Mobile, Starbucks, Barnes & Noble, and Macy’s have pulled their advertisements from VVM in protest.   Backpage generates an estimated $2 million per month largely by functioning as a virtual red light district in the U.S. and in 14 other countries.    The protestors held VVM accountable for its role in facilitating the rank exploitation of others and called upon VVM to engage in corporate responsibility by ceasing to host prostitution ads.  Good Shepherd Sisters were among the protestors and speakers. 

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A Safe and Just Space for Humanity

The Sisters of Notre Dame have a very clear picture of this on their website and other links to follow.    http://rio-20-snd.com/2012/06/15/a-safe-and-just-space-for-humanity/

“Humanity’s challenge in the 21st century is to eradicate poverty and achieve prosperity for all within the means of the planet’s limited natural resources. In the run-up to Rio+20, this discussion paper presents a visual framework – shaped like a doughnut – which brings planetary boundaries together with social boundaries, creating a safe and just space between the two, in which humanity can thrive. Moving into this space demands far greater equity – within and between countries – in the use of natural resources, and far greater efficiency in transforming those resources to meet human needs. More information”   http://oxfamblogs.org/doughnut/  If you scroll down there is a 4 minute video explaining the dounut.  Well worth looking at!