foreign policy

COP15 Faith Briefing

Dear colleagues,

With the CBD COP15 only a few weeks away, Bhumi Global is delighted to invite you to a briefing session on Tuesday 22nd November from 9:30am – 11am ET where we will review and discuss:

Updated multi-faith priorities for the Global Biodiversity Framework
Events planned by the COP15 multi-faith coordination group
How to apply for a side event at the multi-faith pavilion within the Action Zone
Multi-faith communications strategy for COP15

Join Zoom Meeting:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/5288392946?pwd=NEJpbUl3UHZhdWNnOWtNeEh5aXlYdz09

Meeting ID: 528 839 2946
Passcode: Bhumi

One tap mobile
+16469313860,,5288392946#,,,,*742521# US
+13017158592,,5288392946#,,,,*742521# US (Washington DC)

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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 Spirituality, Values, and Global Concerns-NY, please visit csvgc-ny.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on Sustainable Development/NY, please visit ngocsd-ny.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on Sustainable Development/Vienna, please visit ngocsdvienna.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on Financing for Development, please visit ngosonffd.org.

Parliamentary action to ensure equal participation and sustainability in disarmament initiatives

Dear colleagues,

PNND cordially invites you to “Women’s Leadership, Gender Perspective and Gender Approaches in Disarmament Action,” an online event on effective policies and parliamentary action to ensure inclusivity and sustainability in disarmament initiatives.

This is the sixth in a series of international parliamentary events in follow-up to the publication of Assuring our Common Future: a parliamentary handbook on disarmament for security and sustainable development.

Session A: Timed for Asia/Pacific: 7:00 – 8:30 CET. Register here!
Session B: Timed for the Americas/Europe/Africa: 16.00 – 17:30 CET. Register here!

The UN Secretary-General’s report, Securing our Common Future, recommends that in order to sustainably rid societies of the weight of armed violence, disarmament and arms control processes should include all relevant stakeholders and impacted parties. This includes empowering women and ensuring their equal and meaningful participation.

Following in the footsteps of UN Security Council Resolution 1325 on “Women, Peace and Security”, which recognizes the importance of including a gender perspective in peace-related efforts, parliaments should seek to identify and address the barriers that limit the participation of women in peace and disarmament-related matters.

Gender approaches to disarmament and security also address the different and disproportionate impact of weapons proliferation and armed conflicts on women, and incorporate a full range of perspectives and frameworks for security, including national/military, human and common security. These contribute to international processes and parliamentary practices that can make peace and disarmament efforts more inclusive, effective and sustainable.

The event will draw from relevant sections of Assuring our Common Future, including the section on ensuring the participation of women in peace and disarmament.

Objectives of the event:

1.   Increase awareness of the value of gender perspectives and approaches in disarmament processes;
2.   Enhance knowledge of Resolution 1325 (Women, Peace and Security) and good practices for its implementation;
3.   Share examples of effective policies and parliamentary practices that better include women and gender approaches in disarmament-related efforts.

Languages:

The event will take place as an online webinar. Session A in English. Session B with simultaneous translation in English, French and Spanish.

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

President of the General Assembly Town Hall meeting with Civil Society Organizations

Dear civil society colleagues,

You are kindly invited to join the President of the General Assembly for a Town Hall meeting with Civil Society in the Trusteeship Council Chamber (UN Headquarters, NY) on 2 December 2022, from 10:00 am to 12:00 pm. The meeting will also be webcast live on UN WebTV.

Background and Objective

In his vision statement, His Excellency Csaba KŐRÖSI, President of the seventy-seventh session of the General Assembly stated “It is my intention to hold impact-oriented consultations with civil society organizations, youth representatives, science-based knowledge centres and representatives of business communities, key finance institutions and faith-based organizations. I hope to be able to encourage them to bring their contributions to the General Assembly while keeping in mind the interlinked nature of the risk factors we face and the integrated character of the solutions we need.”

The PGA has further asserted that a more effective and responsive United Nations will require engagement with an array of relevant stakeholders, including civil society, businesses, philanthropic organizations, academia, the scientific community, and other partners on the key issues under discussion in the General Assembly. While Member States remain the decision-makers of the United Nations, all stakeholders must assume their role as decision-shapers.

In this light, the PGA will convene a Town Hall with civil society representatives to discuss his priorities for the seventy-seventh session, with a particular aim to hear proposals for solutions directly from civil society representatives. This Town Hall is supported by the Department of Global Communications, with additional support by the Department of Economic and Social Affairs and the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights.

Format

The moderated event will consist of an opening statement by the President of the General Assembly followed by five short keynote statements from civil society representatives that will address the following topics:

Solutions through solidarity: The pandemic has demonstrated how solidarity within societies and among countries has an impact on social and economic stability and security. In times of crisis, focusing on the needs of the poorest and most vulnerable is more important than ever. Civil society is on the ground. What does sustainable solidarity look like?
Solutions through sustainability: We must get back on track to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030. Next year’s SDG Summit at the UN will be a key opportunity to take stock of gaps and recommit to the achievement of the SDGs. Best practices that can be replicated are needed. Civil society will play a key role in this endeavor.
Solutions though science: Our efforts to tackle global challenges such as climate change, biodiversity loss, the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic and the digital revolution have provided us with convincing proof of the role science can play in shaping decisions on complex issues. This transformative agenda must be based on scientific evidence and the political wisdom of negotiators.
Solutions from youth: It would be difficult to fix present crises and prevent new ones while adhering to the same mentality and logic that led to their onset. Youth already have a voice, but they need to be heard, particularly as every negotiating process affects them and future generations. In September, the General Assembly decided to establish a UN Youth Office to promote meaningful, inclusive and effective engagement of youth and youth-led organizations in the work of the UN.
Solutions through partnership: In times of interlocking crises, no country —without exception— can effectively address global challenges alone. Similarly, the complexities of these problems make it so that governments alone, even when working together, are unable to sustainably implement solutions without partnerships that reach beyond the State. Civil society participants are critical partners in highlighting best practices and lessons learned so that partnerships become the international default when addressing common threats.

The floor will then be opened for discussion and for questions from civil society representatives.

Logistics

Civil Society Organizations in consultative status with ECOSOC, formally associated with the Department of Global Communications, and other stakeholders are invited to attend the meeting in the Trusteeship Council Chamber in person.

All in-person participants are required to register in advance here.

For in-person events at the UN headquarters, the use of masks is strongly encouraged. By registering to attend in-person, all participants attest that their COVID-19 vaccination record is up to date to access the UN Headquarters complex in New York, based on the guidelines provided by local health authorities.

Please note: Civil Society Representatives are reminded to carry proof of COVID-19 vaccination while on UN premises in New York and must be prepared to show them if requested to do so by UN personnel.

To register an interest in delivering a keynote statement, please fill in the online form here no later than 14 November. CSO representatives will be selected by taking into account geographical and gender balance, as well as thematic diversity.

Due to time limitations, it will not be possible to accommodate all requests for interventions. A limited number of speakers will be contacted by the Secretariat. We appreciate your understanding. The time for interventions will be limited to 4 minutes for each speaker.

To ensure a wider participation from all geographical regions, CSO representatives will also have the opportunity to submit pre-recorded questions, a selection of which will be presented during the questions and answers segment of the event. Please register your interest in submitting a pre-recorded question here no later than 14 November.

Provisional Programme

Introductory remarks by moderator
Opening statement by the President of the General Assembly
Remarks by keynote speakers from Civil Society Organizations
Discussions, questions and answers with the PGA
Closing statement by the President of the General Assembly

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CoNGO Notes: For more information on the NGO Committee on Education, Learning, and Literacy, please visit facebook.com/NGOCELLatUN. For more information on the NGO Committee on Sustainable Development/NY, please visit ngocsd-ny.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on Sustainable Development/Vienna, please visit ngocsdvienna.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on Language and Languages, please email the co-chairs at tonkin@hartford.edu or fmhult@umbc.edu. For more information on the NGO Committee on Disarmament, Peace, and Security, please visit ngocdps.wordpress.com. For more information on the NGO Committee on Intergenerational Solidarity, please email the chair at susanneseperson@gmail.com.

Women, Life, Freedom: Global Implications of the Women-Led Uprising in Iran

The women’s uprising in Iran has captivated the world. The death of Massa Amini in government custody in September sparked protests all over Iran. What started out as a spontaneous women’s resistance has grown and evolved into a sustained cross-sectoral movement calling not only for reform of repressive policies in relation to women, but for structural changes in society.

Join us for an event addressing the situation in Iran and its global implications. We will have a panel discussion consisting of Iranian women who will offer an analysis of the uprising in Iran, followed by another panel of women active in the women’s movements across different regions who will discuss the global implications of this women-led uprising. The event will showcase how feminists from around the world are working together to build global solidarity in their advocacy for structural change. A dedicated conversation will be held with UN Women senior leadership as part of the event to discuss and present key feminist asks from the NGO CSWs in the Regions and other global women’s movements. Finally, we will discuss concrete steps for building global solidarity for feminist advocacy purposes.

This event is presented by the NGO CSWs in the Regions and sponsored by The New York Women’s Foundation and Iranian American Women’s Foundation, in partnership with UN Women.

Register here!

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

UNESCO-UNFCCC COP27 webinar #7: Climate Change Education

From April to September, UNESCO-UNFCCC hosted the first six webinars of eight for the Webinar Series, Climate Change Education for Social Transformation: On the Road to COP27, which is dedicated to the goal of greening every education policy and curriculum to be climate ready. Taking place on the last Tuesday of every month, each episode will explore the critical role of climate change education, and how to harness its transformative power, in leading up to COP27.

The seventh session, Getting Ready to Scale Up Climate Change Education at COP27, takes place on Tuesday, 25 October 2022 from 10:00 – 11:00 CET, and reviews the gaps, challenges, and opportunities in promoting climate change education for social transformation in education and sustainable development policies and curriculums. The discussion will present concrete strategies to promote the greening of every education policy and curriculum, particularly around COP27.

Register here!

The session will be in English with interpretation in French. The forthcoming Session 8 (November), next and last in the series, will focus on: “Post-COP27 climate change education: Where do we go from here?”

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CoNGO Notes: For more information on the NGO Committee on Education, Learning, and Literacy, please visit facebook.com/NGOCELLatUN. For more information on the NGO Committee on Social Development, please visit ngosocdev.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on Sustainable Development/NY, please visit ngocsd-ny.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on Sustainable Development/Vienna, please visit ngocsdvienna.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on Financing for Development, please visit ngosonffd.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on Children’s Rights/NY, please visit childrightsny.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, please visit facebook.com/NGOCoRIP.

UNOG Media Seminar on Peace in the Middle East

Dear Representatives of Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) accredited at the United Nations Office at Geneva (UNOG),

The United Nations Information Service in Geneva has the honour to invite you to the forthcoming 2022 United Nations International Media Seminar on Peace in the Middle East. This annual seminar will be held in room XXVI at the United Nations Office at Geneva, Switzerland, on 3 and 4 November 2022, in cooperation with the Permanent Mission of Switzerland to the United Nations Office at Geneva.

Over two days, participants will discuss a range of issues, such as how to protect journalists covering the conflict, how political news are eclipsing the coverage of economic challenges, and which are the opportunities and challenges for young journalists in the region. For over two decades, the media seminar has created a platform to enhance dialogue and understanding between Palestinian and Israeli media practitioners and to foster and encourage their contribution in support of peace efforts.

Participants will include His Excellency Mr. Riyad Mansour, Permanent Observer of the State of Palestine to the United Nations in New York, and His Excellency Mr. Cheikh Niang, Permanent Representative of Senegal to the United Nations in New York and Chair of the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People, as well as several respected journalists, academics and UN representatives.

Ms. Melissa Fleming, United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Global Communications and Ms. Tatiana Valovaya, Director-General of the United Nations Office at Geneva, will open the seminar, together with His Excellency Ambassador Wolfgang Amadeus Brülhart, Swiss Envoy for the Middle East and North Africa.

Registration for this event is now open under this link https://indico.un.org/event/1002079/.

With best regards,

NGO Liaison Unit

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CoNGO Notes: For more information on the NGO Committee on Disarmament, Peace, and Security, please visit ngocdps.wordpress.com. 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 Language and Languages, please email the co-chairs at tonkin@hartford.edu or fmhult@umbc.edu. For more information on the NGO Committee on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, please visit facebook.com/NGOCoRIP.

Ending impunity for severe housing rights violations – should domicide be recognized as an international crime?

Virtual side event – 77th session of the UN General Assembly 27 October 2022, 13:15-14:30 EST

Massive violations of the right to adequate housing continue in unprecedented fashion during and after violent conflict. The attacking, bombing and shelling of civilian targets and the destruction of entire cities and villages – displacing millions into homelessness – have continued unabated despite the development of modern human rights and humanitarian law. While international law outlaws all forms of arbitrary destruction of housing, arbitrary displacement, forced evictions and other serious and large-scale violations of the right to adequate housing, there is an alarming continuity of gross violations of the right to adequate housing in times of conflict. Those severe human rights violations have been largely met with impunity.

In his report to the General Assembly of the United Nations, the Special Rapporteur on the right to adequate housing, Mr. Balakrishnan Rajagopal (A/77/190) argues to recognize systematic or widespread violations of the right to adequate housing as domicide, a crime against humanity of its own standing. The Special Rapporteur urges the international community to enhance its efforts to prevent and respond to such egregious human rights violations. Gross violations of the right to adequate housing should be investigated and prosecuted with similar effort as any other systematic or widespread human rights violation irrespectively where they take place. Similarly, Mr. Rajagopal suggested to ban the use explosive weapons with wide-area effects in populated areas through a binding international treaty.

This side event provides will discuss his recommendations to prevent domicide and explore opportunities for ending impunity of severe housing rights violations.

Register here!

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CoNGO Notes: For more information on the NGO Committee on the Family, please visit ngofamilyny.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on Social Development, please visit ngosocdev.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on Disarmament, Peace, and Security, please visit ngocdps.wordpress.com. For more information on the NGO Committee on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, please visit facebook.com/NGOCoRIP.

SDG Action Zone 2022

Over the course of three days during the UN General Assembly, the SDG Action Zone brings together the highest levels of UN leadership, activists, government officials, business leaders, changemakers and disruptors in a virtual collaborative space – to highlight the ecosystem-wide solutions, plans, and investments needed to positively impact people’s lives and the future of our planet.

With the fierce urgency of the now, we have no choice but to all step up to the most ambitious of global agendas. By amplifying voices, convening thought leaders, connecting changemakers, and calling on all participants to leverage their own sphere of influence, the SDG Action Zone provides everyone with the opportunity to cultivate the community and momentum needed to transform this moment of global upheaval into one of movement-building for people and the planet

September 21-23, 2022
8:00 AM – 12:00 PM (EST)

Learn more, view the full programme, and register here: sdgactionzone.org

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CoNGO Notes: For more information on the NGO Committee on Sustainable Development/NY, please visit ngocsd-ny.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on Sustainable Development/Vienna, please visit csr-sustainability.com. For more information on the NGO Committee on Financing for Development, please visit ngosonffd.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on Disarmament, Peace, and Security, please visit ngocdps.wordpress.com. For more information on the NGO Committee on Social Development, please visit ngosocdev.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on Language and Languages, please email the co-chairs at fmhult@umbc.edu or tonkin@hartford.edu. For more information on the NGO Committee on Education, Learning, and Literacy, please visit facebook.com/NGOCELLatUN.

Updates on the Human Rights Crisis in the Philippines under Marcos, Jr.

What does a second Marcos regime mean for human rights and social justice in the Philippines? Join us as we hear the latest updates on human rights through testimony of church leaders in the Philippines and advocates in the U.S.

Our Philippines-based speaker will share their firsthand experiences enduring surveillance and trumped-up charges, as well as to the general condition of the Filipino people under oppression and the role of progressive movements on the ground. A community member of a local grassroots organization will also share experiences of the curtailment of freedom of speech and the far reaches of the Philippine government’s repression on dissenters abroad.

RSVP at tinyurl.com/PHSideEvent. For more information, contact nychrp@gmail.com.

Please note we’ll be in the 10th Floor Meeting Room of the Church Center for the United Nations, 777 United Nations Plaza, New York, NY 10017.

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CoNGO Notes: For more information on the NGO Committee on Human Rights, please email the co-chairs at bobbinassar@yahoo.org or bknotts@uua.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on Disarmament, Peace, and Security, please visit ngocdps.wordpress.com. For more information on the NGO Committee on Social Development, please visit ngosocdev.org. For more information on the Committee of Religious NGOs at the United Nations, please visit rngos.wordpress.com.

[deadline] Call for submissions to CoNGO consultation on resolution 1996/31

Attention dear NGO partners:

The Committee on Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) will hold consultations with organizations in consultative status with ECOSOC to discuss questions of interest to the Committee or to the organizations relating to the relationship between the NGOs and the United Nations in line with paragraph 61 (a) of ECOSOC resolution 1996/31. The consultations will take the form of written submissions and an interactive hearing which will be held in New York on 9 December 2022 from 10:00am – 1:00pm.

As part of the consultation process, all NGOs in consultative status with ECOSOC are invited to submit their contributions and views on four key questions in the Concept Note ahead of the hearing via these instructions.

Instructions for submission of of Written Inputs:

Use the name of your organization as the document’s name.
The written submission should address the four questions outlined in the Concept Note.
Your submission to each question should not exceed 500 words.
To submit your written inputs, Log in to your NGO profile and under the “Correspondence tab” click on “New Message.” Attach the document to the email, and use “2022 Consultations with NGOs in consultative status-Written Submissions” as the email title/subject, and “Event/Meeting” as the category.
Please note that we are not able to accept other formats such as PDF, jpeg, etc.
Press “send.” Please note that your submission is final; you will not be able to edit your statement submission or send multiple versions.
Kindly ensure that your written submission is finalized prior to sending the document.

Instructions on registering for participation at the Interactive Hearing will be made available in the coming weeks.

Your contribution is important! We appreciate your participation and commitment to NGO access at the UN.

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