climate displacement

61st Session of the Commission for Social Development

The 61st United Nations Commission for Social Development (CSocD61) will take place from 6 to 15 February 2023 in Conference Room 4 at the United Nations Headquarters in New York.

Priority Theme:

Creating full and productive employment and decent work for all as a way of overcoming inequalities to accelerate the recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic and the full implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development

Review of relevant UN plans and programmes of action pertaining to the situation of social groups:

(i) Outcome document of the high-level meeting of the General Assembly on the realization of the Millennium Development Goals and other internationally agreed development goals for persons with disabilities: the way forward, a disability-inclusive development agenda towards 2015 and beyond;

(ii) World Programme of Action for Youth;

(iii) Madrid International Plan of Action on Ageing, 2002;

(iv) Family issues, policies and programmes.

Full schedule of events, more info on NGO participation, and background documents available here.

Hosting Side Events:

Most CSocD61 side events will take place virtually. In person side events are ONLY open to Permanent Missions, intergovernmental organizations and United Nations system entities.

Each side event organizer is responsible for hosting and choosing their virtual event platform. All participants of the CSocD and users of the CSocD online platforms, and any contributions they make, must comply with the United Nations Code of Conduct.

General Instructions for Side Events

Deadline for submission of online application forms for side-events is 22 December 2022 for in person events and 6 January 2023 for virtual events (EDT – New York Time).

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CoNGO Notes: For more information on the NGO Committee on Social Development, please visit ngosocdev.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on Financing for Development, please visit ngosonffd.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on the Family/NY, please visit ngofamilyny.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on the Family/Vienna, please visit viennafamilycommittee.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on Migration, please visit ngo-migration.org.

Climate Action Day

In light of the 2022 UN Climate Change Conference, COP27, students and teachers from across the world will get together at a global online discussion to share ideas, solutions, and innovative projects for climate action. In an interactive session, youth leaders and innovators will present their ideas and recommendations. The online event will be an opportunity for schools to showcase their sustainability practices and environmental projects. It will also present the outcomes of the Climate Action Project, a six-week climate education initiative that has reached over 2.7 million people in 149 countries. Climate education for all!

Registration is open for all global classrooms. Watch live here on Thursday, November 3rd: youtube.com/takeactionglobal

View full event details here: climateactionday.net

Register here: bit.ly/cop27tag

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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 ngocsdvienna.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, please visit un-ngocrip.net. 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 Children’s Rights/NY, please visit childrightsny.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on Financing for Development, please visit ngosonffd.org. 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 Intergenerational Solidarity, please email the vice chair at susanneseperson@gmail.com. 

Gender and Environment Data Alliance [launch event]

Dear colleagues, 

Writing to share an updated invitation to the launch event of the Gender and Environment Data Alliance (GEDA) at our on the margins of the UN General Assembly and New York Climate Week! This 1 hour, 15 minute hybrid session will feature speakers from several of GEDA’s co-founding members, including UNFCCC, UNFPA, UN Women, Data2X, and the Women’s Environment and Development Organization (WEDO).
Governments, feminist organizations, and other interested attendees will be invited to contribute to the discussion and to collectively identify areas for further research and collaboration at the gender-environment data nexus. 
Kindly note that the event itself will be held in English, but the recording will be shared as a GEDA resource, with subtitles in Spanish and French. More details can be found in the concept note, available here
Co-Conveners: UNFCCC, UNFPA, UN Women, WEDO, and Data2X on behalf of GEDA
Details: Thursday, 22 September, 11am-12:15pm ET (Convert to your time zone here) UNFPA, 605 3rd Ave, between 39th and 40th Streets, Conference Room 5D
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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 Committee of Religious NGOs at the United Nations, please visit rngos.wordpress.com. For more information on the NGO Committee on Financing for Development, please visit ngosonffd.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on Human Rights, please email the co-chairs at bobbinassar@yahoo.com or bknotts@uua.org. 

Highlighting Interfaith Responses to Climate Anxiety

In 2021, within the United States alone, over 47 million people expressed living with a mental health condition, a 1.5 million increase from the previous year’s State of Mental Health Report. The confluence of crises – from conflict to economic instability to climate change – have spread a sense of fear, anxiety and loss of hope in many people’s lives. Faith based organizations have traditionally played a key role in maintaining a sense of community, hope, and trust, however, may require retooling to address the magnitude of the challenge at hand.

Additionally, in 2021’s Next Generation Climate Survey, 83% of Generation Z reported concern about their future, in relation to climate change. Simultaneously, their ability to impact policies related to climate actions is limited by their resources, time, expertise and existing commitments to their education, development and mental-wellbeing. This amalgamation of concern, paired with inability to see meaningful change on a systems level, has left many young individuals with a pervasive sense of hopelessness, despair, and dread: climate anxiety.

This panel brings together representatives from diverse faith groups, to be in conversation with mental health experts, to unpack the critical opportunity that faith leaders have in their communities to help individuals suffering from climate anxiety access mental health resources, address climate grief, cultivate healthy support structures to build resilience towards eco-dread.

Note: this event will not be livestreamed.

Location: Tzu Chi Center
229 E 60th St.
New York, NY 10022

Learn more at tzuchicenter.org/ClimateWeekNYC.

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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 Mental Health, please visit ngomentalhealth.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on Social Development, please visit ngosocdev.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on Intergenerational Solidarity, please email the vice chair at susanneseperson@gmail.com. For more information on the NGO Committee on Spirituality, Values, and Global Concerns/NY, please visit csvgc-ny.org.

Prayer Service for Children and Young People

Join ACT Alliance, Caritas Internationalis, The Episcopal Church, World Council of Churches and World Vision in prayer for children and young people and for world leaders to give them life in all its fullness, on 8am Eastern at the Church Center for the UN in NYC on Monday, Sept. 19, on the margins of the 77th session of the UN General Assembly.

The multiple and interconnected crisis and conflicts facing the world have serious and devastating psychological, physical and social impact on children and young people. Over 78 million are out of school; 120 million who are attending school are not achieving required proficiency; and overall 222 million children and young people are in need of educational support. Failing health systems have resulted in 25 million children missing out on one or more doses of critical vaccines. It is the largest drop in a generation, according to UNICEF and WHO. On top of this gap, children are facing severe acute malnutrition, which weakens their immunity; this together with missed vaccines, threatens their very lives. Hunger crisis and immunization gaps converge into a real crisis for the survival, development and protection of children and young people.

We call on world leaders gathering at the United Nations to rally around urgent actions to save entire generations of children and young people.

Learn more and register here: eventbrite.com/e/prayer-service-for-children-and-young-people-tickets-407996958887

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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 Children’s Rights/NY, please visit childrightsny.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on Intergenerational Solidarity, please email the vice chair at susanneseperson@gmail.com. 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 Education, Learning, and Literacy, please visit facebook.com/NGOCELLatUN

Holistic Climate Solutions Summit

From September 19-25, join Buddhist Tzu Chi Foundation’s “Holistic Climate Solutions Summit” for thought-provoking panels, interactive workshops, and dialogues exploring an alternative future that is within reach. Convened in alignment with Climate Week NYC and the UN General Assembly, we’ll present solutions-focused themes that model a better tomorrow, as well as those that showcase what’s possible when optimism and action converge with respect for all sentient beings and our planet.

View the full program here: tzuchicenter.org/programs/climate-week-nyc

In-person (RSVP required): Tzu Chi Center, 229 E 60th Street, New York, NY 10022

Virtual: tzuchicenter.org/programs/climate-week-nyc#live

Each day of the Summit will be dedicated to the following themes (and their respective sessions):

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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 the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, please visit facebook.com/NGOCoRIP. For more information on the NGO Committee on Financing for Development, please visit ngosonffd.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 Sustainable Development/NY, please visit ngocsd-ny.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on Intergenerational Solidarity, please email the vice chair at susanneseperson@gmail.com. 

NGO Committee on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples [monthly meeting]

Hello Dear Friends,

Please find below the Zoom link for the next regular monthly meeting of the NGO Committee on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, which will take place on September 15th from 1 pm to 3 pm. We look forward to seeing everyone and thank you for your support and dedication to the committee.

Join Zoom Meeting:https://fordham.zoom.us/j/82417133037Meeting ID: 824 1713 3037Join by SIP: 82417133037@zoomcrc.comJoin by H.323:

162.255.37.11 (US West)162.255.36.11 (US East)115.114.131.7 (India Mumbai)115.114.115.7 (India Hyderabad)213.19.144.110 (Amsterdam Netherlands)213.244.140.110 (Germany)103.122.166.55 (Australia Sydney)103.122.167.55 (Australia Melbourne)149.137.40.110 (Singapore)64.211.144.160 (Brazil)149.137.68.253 (Mexico)69.174.57.160 (Canada Toronto)65.39.152.160 (Canada Vancouver)207.226.132.110 (Japan Tokyo)149.137.24.110 (Japan Osaka)

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CoNGO Notes: The NGO Committee on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples is a Substantive Committee of the Conference of NGOs in Consultative Relationship with the United Nations.

GERI Summit: Gender Healed World 2050

Conference to Commemorate the 30th Anniversary of Gender Equity & Reconciliation International

Theme: Achieving Gender Equality in One Generation

Join us for this conference and meet inspiring leaders and organizations across the globe who are working to make the dream of gender equality a reality. Over the past 30 years, in hundreds of GERI programs on six continents, tens of thousands of people have ardently envisioned and aspired toward a Gender Healed World. This sustained visionary invocation in the hearts of people across the globe now calls for millions more to join in.

In the coming 30 years, it is time for this vision to become the new global reality—to actually create the Gender Healed World that we all yearn for. Please join us for this conference, and become part of the community of amazing people around the world who are working together to achieve this goal. Global gender harmony is not a fanciful vision; it is a longstanding dream that, together, we are making real.

Register here: whova.com/portal/registration/ghwag_202210

Keynote speakers:

Professor Pumla Gobodo-Madikizela, Truth and Reconciliation Commission of South Africa; Research Chair, Historical Trauma and Transformation, Stellenbosch University, on:

  • Intergenerational Trauma and Transformation

Jackson Katz, Ph.D., Co-Founder, Mentors in Violence Prevention; creator, Tough Guise: Violence, Media, & the Crisis in Masculinity, on:

  • Entrenched and Emerging Masculinities

Jean Kilbourne, Ed.D., Senior Scholar, Wellesley Centers for Women; creator, Killing Us Softly: Advertising’s Image of Women, on:

  • Media Influences and Images of Women

For information and pricing for the in-person conference at Omega Institute in New York, please write to Lora@grworld.org. Space is limited.

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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 Intergenerational Solidarity, please email the vice chair at susanneseperson@gmail.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 Mental Health, please visit ngomentalhealth.org

NGO CSW67 Forum

The sixty-seventh session of the Commission on the Status of Women will take place from 6 to 17 March 2023.

Representatives of Member States, UN entities, and ECOSOC-accredited non-governmental organizations (NGOs) from all regions of the world are invited to contribute to the session.

The format of the NGO CSW67 Forum will be hybrid (both virtual and in-person). Check NGO CSW/NY’s website periodically for more information about the NGO CSW67 Forum and UN CSW67.

CSW67 Priority Theme:

Innovation and technological change, and education in the digital age for achieving gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls

CSW67 Review Theme:

Challenges and opportunities in achieving gender equality and the empowerment of rural women and girls

For more information about the UN CSW67 session, visit UN Women’s website.

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CoNGO Notes: The NGO Committee on the Status of Women/NY is a Substantive Committee of the Conference of NGOs in Consultative Relationship with the United Nations. Likewise, 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 bknotts@uua.org or bobbinassar@yahoo.com. 

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