sanitation

2022 International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples: The Role of Indigenous Women in the Preservation and Transmission of Traditional Knowledge

The International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples is celebrated globally on 9 August. It marks the date of the inaugural session of the Working Group on Indigenous Populations in 1982. The Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA) is organizing a virtual commemoration of the International Day from 9 am to 11am (EST) on Tuesday, 9 August 2022, focusing on this year’s theme: “The Role of Indigenous Women in the Preservation and Transmission of Traditional Knowledge. ” Indigenous Peoples, Member States, UN entities, civil society, and the public are all invited.

Background:

Indigenous women are the backbone of indigenous peoples’ communities and play a crucial role in the preservation and transmission of traditional ancestral knowledge. They have an integral collective and community role as carers of natural resources and keepers of scientific knowledge. Many indigenous women are also taking the lead in the defence of lands and territories and advocating for indigenous peoples’ collective rights worldwide.

The significance of indigenous peoples’ traditional knowledge is widely acknowledged: “Long before the development of modern science, which is quite young, indigenous peoples have developed their ways of knowing how to survive and also of ideas about meanings, purposes and values.” As noted by the Special Rapporteur on Indigenous Peoples, the term “scientific knowledge” is also used to underscore that traditional knowledge is contemporary and dynamic, and of equal value to other kinds of knowledge.

International consultations jointly facilitated by UNESCO and the Internal Council of Science (ICSU) states that “Traditional knowledge is a cumulative body of knowledge, know-how, practices and representations maintained and developed by peoples with extended histories of interaction with the natural environment. These sophisticated sets of understandings, interpretations and meanings are part and parcel of a cultural complex that encompasses language, naming and classification systems, resource use practices, ritual, spirituality and worldviews.”

However, despite the crucial role that indigenous women play in their communities as breadwinners, caretakers, knowledge keepers, leaders and human rights defenders, they often suffer from intersecting levels of discrimination on the basis of gender, class, ethnicity and socioeconomic status. Their right to self-determination, self-governance and control of resources and ancestral lands have been violated over centuries.

Small but significant progress has been made by indigenous women in decision-making processes in some communities. They are leaders at local and national levels, and stand at the frontlines of defending their lands, their cultures, and their communities. The reality, however, remains that indigenous women are widely under-represented, disproportionately negatively affected by decisions made on their behalf, and are too frequently the victims of multiple expressions of discrimination and violence.

The Committee of the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) highlighted some of the major issues encountered by indigenous women, particularly noting the high levels of poverty; low levels of education and illiteracy; limitations in access to health, basic sanitation, credit and employment; limited participation in political life; and the prevalence of domestic and sexual violence.

Format:

The virtual commemoration will include an interactive dialogue segment with invited speakers, moderated by Ms. Rosemary Lane, Acting Chief of the Indigenous Peoples Development Branch – Secretariat of the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues. Speakers will share their expertise and experience from their indigenous communities in preserving, reviving, retaining, and transmitting the traditional ancestral knowledge in various fields of communal activities, including but not limited to effective and sustainable climate solutions, use of natural resources, protection of biodiversity, ensuring food security, promoting native languages and culture, and managing indigenous science and medicine. Questions to be discussed include:

  • What is the unique position of indigenous women in the preservation and transmission of traditional knowledge?
  • What are some of the brightest examples of indigenous women-led processes in solving contemporary global issues through the effective application of traditional scientific knowledge?
  • How are indigenous languages crucial to the development, preservation, and transmission of indigenous cultural and knowledge systems? How are women leading the way in maintaining indigenous languages?
  • What was the effect of applying indigenous scientific knowledge and medicine in alleviating the consequences of the COVID-19 epidemiologic crisis?

Panel Speakers:

Archana Soreng (Kharia) – Member of UN Secretary-General’s Youth Advisory Group on Climate Change

Aili Keskitalo (Sámi)  – Former President of the Sámi Parliament of Norway

Zakiyatou Oualet Halatine (Touareg) – Former Minister of Tourism & Handicrafts, Mali

Hannah McGlade (Noongar) – Member of the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues

Commentary on Panel Discussion by His Excellency Ambassador Diego Pary Rodriguez(Quechua), Permanent Representative of Bolivia to the United Nations

 

More information about International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples 2022 available here: un.org/development/desa/indigenouspeoples/international-day-of-the-worlds-indigenous-peoples-2022.html

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CoNGO Notes: 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 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 Language and Languages, please email the co-chairs at fmhult@umbc.edu or tonkin@hartford.edu. 

NGO CSW/NY monthly meeting

Join the NGO Committee on the Status of Women-NY for our December Monthly Meeting! This month, we’ll be exploring the intersection of human rights and climate change.At the beginning of the meeting, we will provide updates on NGO CSW/NY and the NGO CSW66 Forum.Date: Thursday, 16 December 2021Time: 1 – 3 pm EST Find your timezone here.

Register here: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZMpdeitpjwrGt2kwX-PL-O5LEnMa8n3XUH9?mc_cid=b7da83fba2&mc_eid=918abc9424

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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-Vienna, please visit ngocswvienna.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on the Status of Women-Geneva, please visit ngocsw-geneva.ch.

Episcopal Church events at COP26

Dear UN faith-based and civil society partners in climate action at COP26,

We hope this finds you doing well as COP26 approaches. Please find yourselves warmly invited to join our Episcopal Church events at COP26 on October 28th, November 6th and November 12th. And of course, we will be in touch with you ahead of and during COP26, and beyond.

Our Episcopal Church Presiding Bishop’s delegation to COP26 also would like to share with you this letter sent today to member states, their National Focal Points, the UNFCCC Secretariat and other UN partners, in the hopes that it will help you in our collective advocacy ahead of COP26.

We invite you to share your feedback and news of your own climate action at COP26, so we can advance together and learn from each other.

Peace,

Lynnaia Main |  OFFICER, EPISCOPAL CHURCH REPRESENTATIVE TO THE UNITED NATIONS  | Mission | The Episcopal Church

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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 Financing for Development, please visit ngosonffd.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on Sustainable Development- Vienna, please visit  congocsd.wordpress.com. For more information on the NGO Committee on Sustainable Development-NY, please visit ngocsd-ny.org.

Deepening Inequalities Exacerbated by the COVID-19 Pandemic and their Implications for the Realization of Human Rights

HRC48 Panel Discussion on Inequalities Exacerbated by COVID-19

Join us at the 48th Session of the Human Rights Council for the panel discussion on Deepening Inequalities Exacerbated by the COVID-19 Pandemic and their Implications for the Realization of Human Rights on 28 September, 2021.

We invite you to consult the Human Rights Council Extranet webpage to view the full program agenda.

The panel discussion will be webcast live at http://webtv.un.org

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CoNGO Notes: For more information on the NGO Committee on Human Rights, please email the co-chairs at bobbinassar@gmail.com or bknotts@uua.org. For more information on the NGO Committee for Rare Diseases, please visit ngocommitteerarediseases.org.

Re-imagining The Future We Need: Community voices for a healthy, green and just recovery

NGO Major Group Side Event

This side event at the UN’s High Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF) 2021 will hear directly from community voices from different parts of the world on action steps needed for a sustainable and resilient recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. A priority of this session is to ensure the lived experiences of those who are most severely affected by the pandemic are directly included in national assessments of the inter-connected challenges faced by us all; and in setting priorities for a fairer and more sustainable future.

Register here: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_OI59RbzfQuWbXXLRG4PJwA

Agenda

Opening keynote: One planet, one health: healthy people, healthy nature and healthy planet: Ambassador Christian Frutiger, Assistant Director General, Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation, Federal Department of Foreign Affairs, Switzerland

Panel includes:

  • Fatimatou Sall, President, Association of young water and sanitation professionals of Senegal
  • Naeem Abbas, Advocacy Manager, The Brooke, Pakistan
  • Sanjoy Hazarika, International Director, Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative (CHRI)
  • Ingrid Rostad, Co-chair of the MG Facilitating Committee at UNEP

Q&A with participants and inputs from NGO Major Group regional partners to share specific experiences from regional and national contexts

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CoNGO Notes: For more information on the NGO Major Group, please visit ngomg.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on Human Rights, please email the co-chairs at bobbinassar@gmail.com or bknotts@uua.org. 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-NY, please visit ngocsd-ny.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on Sustainable Development-Vienna, please visit ngocsdvienna.org.

Universal Access to Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene Draws Closer to Epic Goal Despite Global Pandemic

50 Years and Billions Spent: New Reporting Shows Universal Access to Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene Draws Closer to Epic Goal Despite Global Pandemic

Join a special session with Ambassador Mark Green featuring groundbreaking reporting on one of the most stubborn challenges in human history—universal access to water, sanitation and hygiene.

Register here: https://engage.wilsoncenter.org/a/50-years-and-billions-spent?_ga=2.257362504.2142016265.1620277195-242578209.1620277195

Over the last half century a global galaxy of projects, programs, banks, philanthropies, government departments, idea centers, utilities, service companies, research groups, and consultancies devoted itself to one objective—providing every person on Earth clean water, sanitation, and hygiene. In 2020, many of the sector’s leaders worried that the COVID-19 pandemic would sidetrack investment and slow progress. But while the signs of a potential catastrophe were apparent, the actual effects of the pandemic in delivering water and sanitation to people who needed it were not nearly as dire as anticipated.

Decades of frontline experience provided the WASH sector keen understanding of the various components of their ecosystem—finance, governance, installation, management, operations, oversight—and how each influenced the other. In essence, the WASH community developed a set of approaches that simplified the complexity of what they were after. Achieving universal access to clean water and hygiene is reachable by 2030. Universal access to sanitation could come by mid-century.

Program

Opening Remarks:

  • Ambassador Mark Green – President, Director, & CEO, Wilson Center

Framing Remarks:

  • Maura Barry – Senior Deputy Assistant Administrator, Bureau for Resilience and Food Security and interim Global Water Coordinator, U.S. Agency for International Development

Reporting Presentation:

  • Keith Schneider – Senior Editor and Chief Correspondent, Circle of Blue

Panelists:

  • Sheila Kibuthu – Communications Director, Sanergy
  • Joel Kolker – Program Manager, Global Water Security and Sanitation Partnership, World Bank
  • Duncan McNicholl – Director and Co-founder, Uptime
  • Tanvi Nagpal – Director, International Development Program, School for Advanced International Studies, Johns Hopkins University
  • Keith Schneider – Senior Editor and Chief Correspondent, Circle of Blue

Closing Remarks:

  • Peter Laugharn – President and Chief Executive Officer, Conrad N. Hilton Foundation

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CoNGO Notes: 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@gmail.com or bknotts@uua.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on Sustainable Development-Vienna, please visit ngocsdvienna.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on Sustainable Development-NY, please visit 

Decreased Access to Safe Water in Asia: Challenges to Human Security

The Christian Conference of Asia (CCA) will organise a webinar on ‘Decreased Access to Safe Water in Asia: Challenges to Human Security’ in conjunction with the World Water Day–2021.

Scheduled to be held on 22 March 2021 from 12 PM to 2 PM (Bangkok time), the webinar will highlight the importance of access to water as a human right and its challenges to human security and will focus on the problems related to the right to safe and clean water and challenges to human security.

The panelists of the webinar will include representatives of UN agencies, NGOs working in the field of water, sanitation, and hygiene issues, as well as church and ecumenical organisations.

Those who are interested in participating in the webinar, kindly register using the link below:
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZwrdO6qpjwpGdTg_D6dlkhiGiUzSqPJBhnp

For more details, please refer to the Background Information note here.

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

World Water Day

World Water Day, held on 22 March every year since 1993, focuses on the importance of freshwater.

World Water Day celebrates water and raises awareness of the 2.2 billion people living without access to safe water. It is about taking action to tackle the global water crisis. A core focus of World Water Day is to support the achievement of Sustainable Development Goal 6: water and sanitation for all by 2030.

View the 2021 World Water Day toolkit and explore this year’s slated events here. All are welcome to participate!

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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 facebook.com/NGOCoRIP. 

Families Coping with COVID: Challenges and Opportunities in Child Welfare

Families Coping with COVID: Challenges & Opportunities in Child Welfare
Please RSVP by 6pm EST Wednesday, Nov. 18th, via this form.
Families around the world are struggling with the added pressures of the COVID-19 health crisis due to the effects of job losses, changes in schooling, and affected family members, especially those which are vulnerable. For families involved in child welfare proceedings, there is an additional risk of prolonging family separation between children and parents who are capable but may need additional support. We are pleased to host Prof. Jane Spinak of Columbia University School of Law , who examines this in “Child Welfare and COVID-19: An Unexpected Opportunity for Systemic Change,” in Law in the Time of COVID-19. Prof Spinak will discuss the impact of covid on child welfare systems and ways in which it may spur reforms which will benefit children and families.
Note: If you were not able to attend our October members meeting, or would like to revisit the excellent remarks of our speakers, the recording is available on our YouTube  channel.
NGO Committee on the Family New York
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CoNGO Notes: For more information on the NGO Committee on the Family, visit www.ngofamilyny.org. For information on the NGO Committee on the Rights of the Child, please email the co-chair at marjones@nyc.rr.com. For more information on the NGO Committee on Education, Learning, and Literacy, please visit facebook.com/NGOCELLatUN.

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