social justice

Stand up for Rights of Older Persons

Violations of older persons’ human rights have been witnessed before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. Decades long implicit biases rooted in ageism have made older people invisible through lack of insightful policies that protect their rights. As the world’s population ages, the trends of human rights violations will undermine the fabric of society and its prosperity.

The United Nations Decade of Healthy Ageing (2021-2030) seeks to create an environment that enables older people to do what they value, where no one is left behind, left to languish, or be disregarded and patronized, be stopped from working or have access to basic health and care. In order to overcome the paucity of progress on drafting a legally binding document (a convention) on the human rights of older persons, the United States and Canada need to STAND UP as global leaders in the effort to Call for Action at the United Nations.

Register here!

This event is organized by the NGO Committee on Ageing-NY, the International Longevity Center of Canada, the International Federation on Ageing, the Global Alliance for the Rights of Older People, and the International Association of Gerontology and Geriatrics.

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CoNGO Notes: For more information on the NGO Committee on Ageing-NY, a Substantive Committee of the Committee of NGOs in Consultative Relationship with the United Nations, 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. For more information on the NGO Committee on Intergenerational Solidarity, please email the vice chair at susanneseperson@gmail.com.

International Day for People of African Descent

The International Day for People of African Descent will be celebrated for the first time on 31 August 2021. Through this Observance the United Nations aims to promote the extraordinary contributions of the African diaspora around the world and to eliminate all forms of discrimination against people of African descent.

International days reflect the values that society shares. All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights and have the potential to contribute constructively to the development and well-being of their societies. Any doctrine of racial superiority is scientifically false, morally condemnable, socially unjust, and dangerous and must be rejected, together with theories that attempt to determine the existence of separate human races.

The United Nations strongly condemns the continuing violent practices and excessive use of force by law enforcement agencies against Africans and people of African descent and condemns structural racism in criminal justice systems around the world. The Organization further acknowledges the Transatlantic Slave Trade as one of the darkest chapters in our human history and upholds human dignity and equality for the victims of slavery, the slave trade and colonialism, in particular people of African descent in the African diaspora.

Learn more about how and why the UN commemorates this observance at un.org/en/observances/african-descent-day.

For further information on the International Decade for “People of African Descent: recognition, justice and development” (2015-2024), please visit un.org/en/observances/decade-people-african-descent.

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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 Social Development, please visit ngosocdev.org. 

RE-JUST Towards a victim-centered criminal justice system: talking about trauma

The final conference of the RE-JUST project is a forum for discussion criminal justice systems and improving victims’ access to justice. Join our online event on 17th September to be inspired by knowledge and ideas from experienced professionals in the fields of law, criminology, and psychology.

We will first discuss structural issues for developing more victim-centered criminal justice systems, such as legislation, multidisciplinary cooperation, and how to provide victims with information on their rights. Then, we move on to understand how trauma can manifest in the criminal justice system and how criminal justice actors can in practice provide justice in a trauma-informed manner.

The event will be participated by a variety of speakers: Prosecutor General of Finland, Raija Toiviainen, President of Association Pro Refugiu, Silvia Antoaneta Berbec, Adjunct professor, and co-leader of a research group in legal psychology at Åbo Akademi University, Dr. Julia Korkman, Professor of procedural law at University of Turku, Johanna Niemi, and many more. View the full program here.

Register here. 

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CoNGO Notes: For more information on the Alliance of NGOs on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice , please visit crimealliance.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on Social Development, please visit ngosocdev.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on Human Rights, please email the co-chairs at bobbinassar@gmail.com or bknotts@uua.org. 

Restorative Justice, Intergenerational Healing, and Reconciliation

Join a Religions for Peace “Faithful Conversation”:

Restorative Justice, Intergenerational Healing, and Reconciliation

Religious and spiritual leaders in Canada and from across the globe share the profound sorrow and agony of indigenous communities as unmarked graves of indigenous children are found on the grounds of residential schools in Canada. Religious and spiritual leaders join Religions for Peace Honorary President Grand-Father Dominique Rankin, who himself is a victim and survivor of the physical and sexual abuse at a residential school, in a conversation to address how to advance peace with justice, heal the old wounds, and walk together the difficult path towards reconciliation. Register here!

Read the Religions for Peace World Council Statement here.

French-English interpretation will be available.

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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 the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, please visit facebook.com/NGOCoRIP. 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 Intergenerational Solidarity, please email the vice chair at susanneseperson@gmail.com. 

Reclaiming and Transforming Multilateralism: Towards a Peoples’ Multilateralism

Alongside the High-Level Political Forum 2021, ActionAid’s Youth Working Group will launch its popular education and advocacy series called “Reclaiming and Transforming Multilateralism: Towards a Peoples’ Multilateralism.” The report was authored by Diyana Yahaya, edited by Nancy Kachingwe, and commissioned by Katherine Robinson.

This series of primers are intended to raise awareness and increase participation amongst the youth movements and young human rights defenders, including young womxn and feminist activists, on the importance of multilateral spaces in safeguarding and expanding their rights, advancing social justice, defending democratic space, and fostering cooperation and solidarity between states as well as between peoples’. With a focus on global multilateral spaces and institutions, it explores the current state of multilateralism, attacks on and the corporate capture of multilateral spaces; and how we can reclaim and transform multilateralism in a way that puts human rights, environmental, social, and gender justice at its center.

Join this panel of feminists from across the Global South in reimagining a just future. Register here!

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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 Intergenerational Solidarity, please email the vice chair at susanne.seperson@gmail.com. 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. 

Nelson Mandela International Day

Nelson Mandela devoted his life to the service of humanity — as a human rights lawyer, a prisoner of conscience, an international peacemaker and the first democratically elected president of a free South Africa.

November 2009 – in recognition of the former South African President’s contribution to the culture of peace and freedom, UN General Assembly declares 18 July “Nelson Mandela International Day.” Resolution A/RES/64/13 recognizes Mandela’s values and his dedication to the service of humanity in: conflict resolution; race relations; promotion and protection of human rights; reconciliation; gender equality and the rights of children and other vulnerable groups; the fight against poverty; the promotion of social justice. The resolution acknowledges his contribution to the struggle for democracy internationally and the promotion of a culture of peace throughout the world.

Last year, coinciding with the date of the Nelson Mandela International Day, UN Secretary-General António Guterres delivered the 18th Nelson Mandela Annual Lecture. In his speech, “Tackling the Inequality Pandemic: A New Social Contract for a New Era,” the Secretary-General takes aim at the various layers of inequality that are being exposed and exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic.

For more information about Nelson Mandela and view UN materials on his life and message, check out nelsonmandela.org/content/page/annual-lecture or un.org/en/events/mandeladay.

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

Global Governance Innovation Network Launch

The Stimson Center, ACUNS, Plataforma CIPÓ, and Leiden University are pleased to announce the launch of a new Global Governance Innovation Network (GGIN). At this ACUNS Annual meeting plenary session, participants will be informed about how they can engage GGIN activities and advance its core mission of bringing together scholars and policymakers to examine and offer solutions to major global governance problems.

The Stimson Center’s Global Governance, Justice and Security program is pleased to announce its participation at the Academic Council on the United Nations System (ACUNS) Annual Meeting 2021, Toward a Fit for Future UN System (24-26 June).

Please register: stimson.org/event/global-governance-innovation-network-launch

Welcome Remarks & GGIN Overview

  • Lise Howard, President, ACUNS, and Professor of Government and Foreign Service, Georgetown University
  • Richard Ponzio, Senior Fellow and Director, Global Governance, Justice & Security Program, Stimson Center

Featured Speakers

  • Ibrahim Gambari, Chief of Staff to Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari; Founding Chairman, Savannah Centre for Diplomacy, Democracy, and Development; and former UN Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs and Foreign Minister of Nigeria
  • Marie McAuliffe, Head, Migration Research Division, International Organization for Migration
  • Thomas G. Weiss, Presidential Professor, The Graduate Center, City University of New York, and former President and Executive-Director of ACUNS
  • Joris Larik, Assistant Professor of Comparative, EU, and International Law, Leiden University and Senior Advisor, the Stimson Center

Moderated by

  • Adriana Erthal Abdenur, Co-Founder and Executive-Director, Plataforma CIPÓ

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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 Disarmament, Peace, and Security, please visit ngocdps.wordpress.com. 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 ngocsd-ny.org.

Beyond UN75: A Roadmap for Inclusive, Networked & Effective Global Governance

The Stimson Center will launch its latest report, “Beyond UN75: A Roadmap for Inclusive, Networked & Effective Global Governance.” The report considers the new kinds of tools, networks, and institutions, combined with enlightened global leadership, required to take forward the twelve commitments at the heart of the UN75 Declaration.

The Stimson Center’s Global Governance, Justice and Security program is pleased to announce its participation at the Academic Council on the United Nations System (ACUNS) Annual Meeting 2021, Toward a Fit for Future UN System (24-26 June). Please register for the conference and join the Stimson Center for this session.

Register here!

Panel Chair

  • Sultan Barakat, Director, Centre for Conflict and Humanitarian Studies, Doha Institute of Graduate Studies

Featured Speakers

  • Richard Ponzio, Senior Fellow and Director, Global Governance, Justice & Governance Program, Stimson Center
  • Joris Larik, Assistant Professor of Comparative, EU, and International Law, Leiden University and Senior Advisor, Stimson Center
  • Cristina Petcu, Research Analyst, Global Governance, Justice & Governance Program, Stimson Center
  • Banou Arjomand, Research Assistant, Global Governance, Justice & Governance Program, Stimson Center

Discussant

  • Mónica Serrano, Research-Professor of International Relations, El Colegio de México

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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 NGO Committee on Social Development, please visit ngosocdev.org.

The MenEngage Ubuntu Symposium

Dear Friends,

We are pleased to announce that the Closing Event of the MenEngage Ubuntu Symposium will take place on Tuesday 22 June. As with the Opening Event back in November, the event will take place live from Kigali, Rwanda and online from across the globe.

Register here http://bit.ly/UbuntuCloseEvent

Time: 2:00pm (Kigali), 5:30pm (New Delhi), 10:00pm (Sydney), 9:00am (Montevideo), 8:00am (Washington DC)
Click here to see when the event starts in your timezone

Where: It will take place online – and live from Kigali, Rwanda

The MenEngage Ubuntu Symposium continues to be the most ambitious collective activity to have been embarked on as a global alliance for transforming patriarchal masculinities and engaging men and boys for gender equality, social justice and climate justice. Members and partners of MenEngage Alliance have been hosting Ubuntu Symposium sessions over an 8-month period since November 2020.By being part of this ongoing effort, many of you have contributed to an unprecedented level of discussion, reflection, knowledge building and renewed commitment to action across MenEngage Alliance and beyond.

The closing ceremony will be a celebration of the unity, diversity, expertise and learning you all have contributed during these 8 months as participants, session organizers, facilitators, and speakers. It will be a unique opportunity to reflect on the symposium’s goals and the Ubuntu Symposium journey we have been on together.

The event will set out pathways for the future of our shared work – to make it more accountable, more intersectional, transformative, political and impactful for gender, social and climate justice.

Registration for the Closing Ceremony is currently open and free to members and non-members of MenEngage Alliance. Please note, the start and end times shown above are preliminary and may be subject to change.

If you have any questions or need clarifications, please don’t hesitate to contact: symposium@menengage.org

Thank you,
UN Women

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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. 

Combating Corruption: The Relevance & Capacities of Faith-Based Organizations

Special Session of the United Nations General Assembly Against Corruption (UNGASS)

Side meeting: “Combating Corruption: The Relevance and Capacities of Faith-Based Organizations”

Representatives from diverse faith traditions, along with UN officials with direct experience in combating and proposing solutions to corruption—trafficking, public corruption, organized crime—will discuss the role of FBOs in corruption prevention and intervention efforts to improve ethics, justice, rule of law, good governance, and sustainable development.

Moderator: Dr. Thomas G. Walsh, Chairman, Universal Peace Federation; Co-Chair, Coalition of Faith-Based Organizations, USA

Panelists:

  • Amb. Thomas Stelzer, Dean, International Anti-Corruption Center, Vienna
  • Mrs. Livia Krings, Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice Officer in the Corruption and Economic Crime Branch of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), Austria
  • Dr. Liberato “Levi” Bautista, President of The Conference of Non-Governmental Organizations (CoNGO) in Consultative Relationship with the United Nations and Main Representative to the UN for the United Methodist Church-General Board of Church and Society
  • Imam Sheikh Mohammad Ismail, The Muslim Chaplain, The University of Sheffield, The Octagon Centre, Sheffield, UK
  • Bishop Munib Younan, Former President, Lutheran World Federation; Honorary President, Religions for Peace, State of Palestine

Question and Answer:

For Q&A, please email questions to coalitionfbo@gmail.com Thank you!

This webinar is sponsored by:

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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 Drugs & Crime-NY, please visit nyngoc.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on Financing for Development, please visit ngosonffd.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on Freedom of Religion or Belief, please visit unforb.org.

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