General Assembly meeting to commemorate the Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade

The Commemorative meeting of the General Assembly, mandated by Resolution 62/122 is chaired by the President of the General Assembly. The Commemorative meeting will be held in person in the United Nations General Assembly Hall, United Nations Headquarters, New York. Dr. Lisa M. Coleman, senior vice president for global inclusion and strategic innovation at New York University (NYU) will deliver the keynote address.

The commemorative meeting will be live-streamed on UN Web TV at: http://webtv.un.org.

View the full calendar of events for the 2021 Commemoration of the International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade 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 the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, please visit facebook.com/NGOCoRIP.

Briefing to Civil Society on UNODC Strategy

UNODC has recently launched its new five-year strategy, covering 2021-25. Recognizing that a key to successful implementation of this Strategy will be the expanded use of partnerships with a broad range of stakeholders, the online meeting on February 25th will provide a briefing to Civil Society partners. The briefing will include a presentation of the Strategy by Jean-Luc Lemahieu, Director of the Division for Policy Analysis and Public Affairs (DPA), UNODC and Bo Mathiassen, Deputy Director of the Division for Policy Analysis and Public Affairs (DPA), UNODC. The presentation will be followed by a Question & Answer session for the civil society participants.

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 Disarmament, Peace, and Security, please visit ngocdps.wordpress.com. For more information on the NGO Committee on Financing for Development, please visit ngosonffd.org.

[CSocD59 Side Event] The Role of Digital Technologies to Stop Online Sexual Exploitation of Children

59th Session of the United Nations Commission for Social Development Virtual Side Event February 15, 2021 8:30AM EST – please register by February 13!

Priority Theme “Socially just transition towards sustainable development: the role of digital technologies on social development and well-being of all”

Event Title: The role of digital technologies to stop online sexual exploitation of children

Objectives:

1. To protect our youth from cyber exploitation, especially livestreamed sexual abuse.

2. To call on Member States to prioritize setting-up legally binding internet governance that will ensure respect of human rights, child protection, and equality for all.

3. To share creative and systemic good practices from the government, private technology industries and different stakeholders.

Speakers:

H.E. Enrique A. Manalo, Permanent Representative, Philippine Permanent Mission to the UN
Ambassador Per-Anders Sunesson, Deputy Director-General- Swedish Ministry for Health and Social Affairs, Former Ambassador at Large for Combating Trafficking in Persons, Swedish MFF
Abbie Gillgan, Policy Manager, Tackling Online Child Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (CSEA), United Kingdom Home Office Role of Digital Technologies: Stop Online Exploitation of Children
Richard Pursey, Executive Chairman & Co-Founder, SafeToNet Jaqueline Beauchere Global Digital Safety Advocate, Microsoft
Madeline and Jamie Gall, Youth Advocates
Marvie L. Misolas, MM Winifred Doherty, RGS, & Fred Sullivan, Co-Moderators

Register here!

Contact mmisolas@mksisters.org with questions.

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CoNGO Notes: For more information on the NGO Committee on Children’s Rights, please visit childrightsny.org. 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.

International Women’s Day

International Women’s Day is a time to reflect on progress made, to call for change and to celebrate acts of courage and determination by ordinary women, who have played an extraordinary role in the history of their countries and communities.

The world has made unprecedented advances, but no country has achieved gender equality.

Fifty years ago, we landed on the moon; in the last decade, we discovered new human ancestors and photographed a black hole for the first time.

In the meantime, legal restrictions have kept 2.7 billion women from accessing the same choice of jobs as men. Less than 25 per cent of parliamentarians were women, as of 2019. One in three women experience gender-based violence, still.

Let’s make 2021 count for women and girls everywhere.

The sixty-fifth session of the Commission on the Status of Women will take place from 15 to 26 March 2021. In light of the evolving COVID-19 situation, and taking into account the latest guidance from the United Nations Secretary-General and the World Health Organization (WHO), CSW65 will take place in a hybrid format with mostly virtual meetings.

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

Themes:

Priority theme: Women’s full and effective participation and decision-making in public life, as well as the elimination of violence, for achieving gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls;
Review theme: Women’s empowerment and the link to sustainable development (agreed conclusions of the sixtieth session)

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CoNGO Notes: For more information on the NGO Committee on the Status of Women-New York, 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.

2021 Shine the Light Human Trafficking Conference: Root Causes & Intersections on Human Trafficking

Dear Colleagues,

We invite you to our VIRTUAL 2021 Shine the Light Human Trafficking Conference: Root Causes and Intersections on Human Trafficking. The conference, which is free of charge, will be held over two afternoons, March 8 (12noon to 3:00 pm EST), and March 9 (12noon to 1:30 pm EST). We also are organizing a Call to Action Day on Trafficking for March 9.

Register at http://bit.ly/2021traffickingconference

Building on the success of our previous in-person Human Trafficking Conferences in 2018 and 2019, this year’s participants will hear from survivors, service providers and other experts. An additional advocacy panel will share easy and ongoing actions that can be taken to combat trafficking.

Our co-sponsors this year are the Columbian Center for Advocacy and Outreach, the Leadership Conference of Women Religious, the Sisters of Mercy of the Americas – Justice Team, the U.S. Coalition of Sisters Against Human Trafficking, and the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, Office of Migration and Refugee Services.

Monday, March 8, 12:00 – 3:00 pm EST & Tuesday, March 9, 12:00 – 1:30 pm EST

Advance registration required. Register online here or call 301-622-6838

On Day 1, we will begin with an overview of human trafficking that speaks to the various root causes. Panel presentations on both sex and labor trafficking with domestic and international components will follow. On Day 2, we will focus on advocacy campaigns and how all of us can make a difference. Additional details are available on our Conference webpage.

Conference attendees will have the opportunity to engage in Q&A with panelists both days.

Speakers confirmed to date include:

Sr. Norma Pimentel, MJ, Executive Director, Catholic Charities of the Rio Grande Valley; Sr. Winifred Doherty, RGS, United Nations Representative for the Congregation of Our Lady of Charity of the Good Shepherd; Diana Fimbres, Program Manager for Strategic Initiatives on Labor Trafficking, Polaris; Hilary Chester, PhD, Associate Director, Anti-Trafficking Program, United States Conference of Catholic Bishops; Lawrence Couch, Director, National Advocacy Center of the Sisters of the Good Shepherd; Sr. Ann Scholz, SSND, PhD, Associate Director for Social Mission Leadership Conference of Women Religious; Scott Wright, Director, Columban Center for Advocacy and Outreach; and current Members of Congress. As in previous conferences, trafficking survivors with their powerful stories will be pivotal contributors to the day.

We also encourage you to spread the word – share this invitation with your colleagues and networks and share this postcard on social media. If you would like further information, please reach out to Fran Eskin-Royer (associatedirector@gsadvocacy.org) or me (nacdirector@gsadvocacy.org). Thank you.

Sincerely,

Lawrence E. Couch, Director

National Advocacy Center of the Sisters of the Good Shepherd

301-622-6838 (o) | 240-463-0660 (c) | www.gsadvocacy.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 Children’s Rights, please visit childrightsny.org. For more information on the Alliance of NGOs on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice, please visit crimealliance.org.

[UN Observance] World Children’s Day 2020: A Day to Reimagine the Future

World Children’s Day was first established in 1954 as Universal Children’s Day and is celebrated on 20 November each year to promote international togetherness, awareness among children worldwide, and improving children’s welfare.

World Children’s Day offers each of us an inspirational entry-point to advocate, promote and celebrate children’s rights, translating into dialogues and actions that will build a better world for children. This year is extra special. It’s the 30th anniversary of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, time to celebrate and a time to demand action for child rights.

Explore UNICEF’s 2020 World Children’s Day Toolkit here to learn more and get involved.

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CoNGO Notes: For more information on the NGO Committee on the Rights of the Child, please email the co-chair at marjones@rr.nyc.com. 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 Education, Learning, and Literacy, please visit facebook.com/NGOCELLatUN.

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