Redefining Leadership, Re-Envisioning Faith and Reconstructing Humanitarianism

Dear Religions for Peace Leaders,

We are so pleased that many of you have already registered for the UN Commission on the Status of Women (UN CSW 65). If you have not already registered on the NGO/CSW platform, please be informed that the event will be live-streamed on 25 March at 9AM ET from our Facebook page.

Kindly be sure to select our event, “Redefining Leadership, Re-Envisioning Faith, and Reconstructing Humanitarianism” on 25 March here. To join the webinar, please select the button “Join Meeting,” which will appear exactly at 9:00 am ET.

Program Agenda

Moment of Silence

PART I: WELCOME AND OPENING REMARKS

Prof. Azza Karam, Secretary General, Religions for Peace

PART II: A CONVERSATION ON WOMEN IN PUBLIC LIFE: REDEFINING LEADERSHIP

Moderated by Prof. Azza Karam, Secretary General, Religions for Peace

Dr. Mary McAleese, Former President, Republic of Ireland; Advisor to the Religions for Peace Secretary General
H.E. Sima Samar, Former Minister of Women’s Affairs; Member, Religions for Peace Standing Commission on Advancing Gender Equality, Afghanistan
Mr. Humberto Carolo, Executive Director, White Ribbon Campaign Canada, MenEngage Network, Religions for Peace Standing Commission on Advancing Gender Equality, Canada
Hon. Ela Gandhi, Trustee, Gandhi Development Trust and Religions for Peace Co-President, South Africa
Rabbi Rick Jacobs, President, Union for Reform Judaism and Religions for Peace Honorary President, United States

PART III: A CONVERSATION ON RE-ENVISIONING FAITH AND RECONSTRUCTING HUMANITARIANISM

Moderated by Grand-Mother Marie-Josée Rankin-Tardif, President, Kina8at Together; Elder from the Anicinape (Algonquin) Tradition, Canada

Rev. Clement Joseph, Secretary General of the Social Mission of Haitian Churches; Secretary General, Religions for Peace-Haiti, Haiti
Rt. Rev. Francisco Duque-Gomez, Anglican Bishop and leader of Religions for PeaceColombia, Colombia
Ms. Nageeba Hassan Tegulwa, Board Member, Women of Faith Uganda, Executive Member, African Women of Faith Network; Board Member, ACRL; Member, IWCC, Uganda
Ms. Fatima Hallal, Junior Researcher, Hartford Seminary-Interreligious Relations; Member, International Youth Committee, Lebanon

PART IV: Q&A

PART V: CLOSING REMARKS

Prof. Azza Karam, Secretary General, Religions for Peace

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to reach out to Mr. Pietro Bartoli at pbartoli@rfp.org or Ms. Lexie Ruth Mitchell at lrmitchell@rfp.org.

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CoNGO Notes: For more information on the Committee of Religious NGOs at the United Nations, please visit rngos.wordpress.com. For more information on the NGO Committee on Freedom of Religion or Belief, please visit unforb.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on the Status of Women-NY, please visit ngocsw.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on the Status of Women-Vienna, please visit ngocswvienna.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on the Status of Women-Geneva, please visit ngocsw-geneva.ch.

International Day for the Right to the Truth Concerning Gross Human Rights Violations

Each year, on 24 March, the International Day for the Right to the Truth Concerning Gross Human Rights Violations and for the Dignity of Victims is observed.

This annual observance pays tribute to the memory of Monsignor Óscar Arnulfo Romero, who was murdered on 24 March 1980. Monsignor Romero was actively engaged in denouncing violations of the human rights of the most vulnerable individuals in El Salvador.

The right to the truth is often invoked in the context of gross violations of human rights and grave breaches of humanitarian law. The relatives of victims of summary executions, enforced disappearance, missing persons, abducted children, torture, require to know what happened to them. The right to the truth implies knowing the full and complete truth as to the events that transpired, their specific circumstances, and who participated in them, including knowing the circumstances in which the violations took place, as well as the reasons for them.

To learn more about how and why we honor the International Day for the Right to the Truth Concerning Gross Human Rights Violations and for the Dignity of Victims, visit un.org/en/observances/right-to-truth-day.

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CoNGO Notes: For more information on the NGO Committee on Human Rights, please email the co-chairs at bknotts@uua.org or bobbinassar@gmail.com. For more information on the NGO Committee on Disarmament, Peace, and Security, please visit ngocdps.wordpress.com.

Policy and systems reforms to Building Back Better and Achieve SDGs Decade of Action in favor of older persons inclusion and rights

The NGO Committee on Ageing calls your attention to an event hosted by SGA-Africa, UNDESA Programme on Ageing, AUC and UN ECA:

Policy and systems reforms to Building Back Better and Achieve SDGs Decade of Action in favor of older persons inclusion and rights

Meeting access: https://zoom.us/j/91818009876?pwd=L2tqMzRzU3R1T2N2YThlL0dNMURGUT09

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic, like previous crises, continue to exacerbate already existing vulnerabilities, inequalities, and exclusion particularly for population groups that are not sufficiently integrated in public policies and systems like older persons. Older people population group continue to be most affected by the crisis. Building forward better strategies, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and Agenda 2063 frameworks provides a foundation to significantly transform and strengthen policies and institutional systems at national and regional levels to achieve wellbeing and dignity of older persons to reverse historical trend.

Rational: Reforms of policies and systems to support building forward better and SDGs’ acceleration actions by African governments and development partners must integrate older persons. The perennial lack of reflecting the implication of ageing and older persons rights in policies and supporting systems promotes exclusion, ageism, and discrimination of older persons. SGA-Africa, UNDESA Programme on Ageing, AUC and UN ECA will be hosting a dialogue forum to share and agree on strategies to ensure building forward better and implementation of SDGs’ Decade for Action comprehensively includes older persons. Policy and system reforms that includes older persons capacities and vulnerability will go a long way to achieve wellbeing of people across their life course.

Objectives: The side event seeks to: identify and priorities policy and systems reforms needed to integrate older persons in SDGs and Agenda 2063 implementation and reporting; share and strategies on ways in which policy makers and CSOs must evolve and prioritize to build forward better on issues of ageing and older persons; and increase political support for ageing development and its relevance in the success of SDGs and Agenda 2063 framework.

Program:

Welcome remarks, overview of SGA-Africa and objective of the meeting Roseline Kihumba, Co-chair of SGA-Africa

Opening remarks:

Ms. Masumi Ono, Chief of Social Inclusion and Participation Branch, Division for Inclusive Social Development, United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs

Mr. Gideon Rutaremwa, Population Affairs Officer, Gender Poverty and Social Policy Division, Economic Commission for Africa

Progress, learning, challenges and priority in advancing integration of older persons in agenda 2063 and Covid-19 response and recovery programmes – Dr. Jane Marie Ongolo, Head of Division, Social Welfare, Vulnerable Groups, Drug Control and Crime Prevention

Covid-19 responses and impact on the human rights of older persons: integrating human rights and intersecting realities in building forward better – Dr. Claudia Mahler, Independent Expert on the rights of older people, Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights

Experience sharing of what is working and gaps in integration of older people in SDGs, regional development agendas, Covid-19 response, and recovery strategies:

National and sub-national – Priscilla Gavi, HelpAge Zimbabwe

Global and continental level – Susan Sumer, IPEA

Discussions on way forward – Roseline Kihumba, SGA-Africa Co-chair

Closing Remarks: Dr. Ogugua Osi-Ogbu

For more information about the side event, please contact, SGA-Africa Co-Chair, Roseline Kihumba (Ms.), International & Regional Policies Coordinator, HelpAge International-Africa Regional Office, Email: roseline.kihumba@helpage.org.

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CoNGO Notes: For more information on the NGO Committee on Ageing-NY, please visit ngocoa-ny.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on Ageing-Vienna, please visit ngoageingvie.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on Ageing-Geneva, please visit ageingcommitteegeneva.org.

International Day of Happiness

The General Assembly of the United Nations in its resolution 66/281 of 12 July 2012 proclaimed 20 March the International Day of Happiness, recognizing the relevance of happiness and well-being as universal goals and aspirations in the lives of human beings around the world and the importance of their recognition in public policy objectives. It also recognized the need for a more inclusive, equitable and balanced approach to economic growth that promotes sustainable development, poverty eradication, happiness and the well-being of all peoples.

The resolution was initiated by Bhutan, a country which recognized the value of national happiness over national income since the early 1970s and famously adopted the goal of Gross National Happiness over Gross National Product. It also hosted a High Level Meeting on “Happiness and Well-Being: Defining a New Economic Paradigm” during the sixty-sixth session of the General Assembly.

To learn more and stay apprised of planned events, please visit un.org/en/observances/happiness-day.

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CoNGO Notes: For more information on the NGO Committee on Mental Health, please visit ngomentalhealth.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on Spirituality, Values, and Global Concerns-NY, please visit csvgc-ny.org.

dignity