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)