By Kelly Litt, Dominican Volunteer Many participants from all over the globe gathered in New York for the 59th Commission on the Status of Women. Numerous events have been hosted by Member States and NGOs to discuss issues relating to women and girls such as migration, violence, education, human trafficking, and gender equality. On Friday, […]
This year marks the 20th anniversary of the Fourth World Conference on Women, held in Beijing in September 1995. At that time, representatives of 189 governments set forth a series of commitments enshrined in the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action. This document is considered to be the most progressive articulation for the advancement of […]
By Kelly Litt, Dominican Volunteer Nelson Mandela once said, “To deny any person their human rights is to challenge their very humanity.” We are once again faced with this challenge, as Jan. 11 marks the National Human Trafficking Awareness Day in the United States and as Pope Francis similarly named Feb. 8 as the International […]
The International Day to End Violence Against Women was celebrated at the United Nations on Nov. 25. Each year, the 16 days following this event are designated as days of activism against gender violence. This year’s theme, “Orange Your Neighborhood,” was given vivid testimony as the Empire State Building was lit in orange in an […]
I recently had the opportunity to meet with our new delegate to the UN in Geneva, our brother, Mike Deeb. Mike visited New York in an effort to understand the workings of the UN here, and to explore ways in which we can work together for the Dominican Family. Our conversations were fruitful, and gave […]
By Kelly Litt, Dominican Volunteer On Sunday, Sept. 21, 2014, history was made as more than 400,000 people marched through the streets of New York City to call for action and justice on climate change. This being the largest climate march in history was meant to make a loud statement to those gathering for the […]
By Kelly Litt, Dominican Volunteer The 65th Annual UN Department of Public Information (DPI)/NGO Conference took place last month at the UN Headquarters in New York. At this conference, civil society gathered to help shape and influence the new vision for sustainable development in the post-2015 development agenda. This conference hosted by the UN Department […]
By Margaret Mayce, OP I am currently reading a book entitled “Spiritual Ecology: The Cry of the Earth,” a collection of essays edited by Llewellyn Vaughan-Lee. In the contribution offered by Chief Oren Lyons of the Onondaga Nation, the chief reflects on the wisdom his people received a long, long time ago in prophecies—namely, that […]
“The City of Detroit is facing a major water crisis as a result of decades of policies that have put corporate business and profit ahead of the public good and human rights. Social programs and investments in essential infrastructure have been slashed. According to the Detroit News, the City of Detroit’s water department runs a […]
By Abby McCrary, Dominican Volunteer Olivier de Schutter recently concluded his second and final term as the UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food. Special rapporteur positions are given their mandate by the UN Council on Human Rights as impartial observers who “examine, monitor, advise, and publicly report” on the human rights dimensions of […]
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