The gift of our internationality sharpens our consciousness of universal needs and calls us to foster within ourselves and others a responsible concern for the people of the world.
(SSND General Directory) |
THE UNITED NATIONS CONNECTION
For recent news about SSND doings at the UN, please see our North American site and our international website.
October 24: United Nations Day (1945)
and
SSND Foundation (1833)
How fitting that the foundation of the United Nations and the foundation of the School Sisters of Notre Dame should share the same birthday. SSND and the UN share many goals and values. They are also linked more formally.
In 1993 the UN Department of Public Information (DPI) granted accreditation to SSND as a Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) associated with the DPI. We were granted special consultative status with the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) in 1998. This organ of the UN administers the humanitarian work of the organization. Our director of the SSND UN-NGO office works out of New York City.
What does this connection mean? What is an NGO? A non-governmental organization is any non-profit voluntary citizen's group that is organized on a local, national or international level. There are over 1,500 NGOs associated with the Department of Public Information.
The relationship between NGOs and the UN is one of mutual collaboration. The NGO brings information about the UN, its issues, events, documentation and publications to the attention of its members as well as to colleagues, students and other people in the community. This is done through newsletters, presentations, programs, videos etc.
NGOs also provide analysis and expertise, serve as early warning mechanisms and help monitor and implement international agreements. NGO relationships with offices and agencies of the United Nations differ depending upon their goals, their venue and their mandate. NGOs are a vital part of the United Nations, bringing to the UN the concerns of grassroot groups. The Charter of the UN begins with, “We the people of the United Nations ?”
SSND maintains a presence and participates at the UN, because “the world is the concrete situation in which we carry out Christ's mission.” And it is here, too, that “the church continues the presence and mission of Christ.” (SSND Constitution, prologue)
Our charism, vision and mission continue to animate us and connect us with the goals and purposes of the United Nations. In our struggle to create a more just and global community, we strive to foster our relationship with this world-wide assembly of nations, especially by:
• infusing the spirit of peace, tolerance, and interfaith collaboration
• promoting the economic and social advancement of persons, and
• developing friendly relations among nations based on the respect of human rights.
To find out more about the United Nations, go to its website: www.un.org.
Have you heard about the United Nations Millennium Development Goals? All 191 UN member states have committed themselves to meeting these goals by 2015. We invite you to reflect on these goals and how you can do your part to meet them and provide fullness of life for billions in our global community. How can we help transform our world?
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