Sign the Faith in the Ocean Declaration
The Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns joined an international multi-faith declaration on our spiritual charge to care for and protect our oceans. The declaration will be presented to the United…
In our often divided world, one place where all of humankind is invited to come together to work for the common good is the United Nations. Despite its limitations, the UN system is our most effective tool for uniting with others in order to create and implement policies that secure a life of dignity for all of God’s children.
Article 71 of the Charter of the United Nations reads: “The Economic and Social Council [ECOSOC] may make suitable arrangements for consultation with non-governmental organizations which are concerned with matters within its competence.”
Based on this article, two of the Maryknoll branches (the Maryknoll Sisters and the Maryknoll Fathers and Brothers) have Consultative Status with ECOSOC, and the Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns carries out the work of implementing this status. Our work with the UN aims to influence its agenda and is done by:
Maryknoll missioners serve as NGO representatives to the United Nations in New York where they bring the Maryknoll mission experience to important conversations with policymakers and civil society members from around the world.
The UN member states adopted the 17 Sustainable Development Goals in 2015, as part of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development which set out a 15-year plan to achieve the goals. The SDGs focus global efforts on lifting people out of extreme poverty, while also addressing the challenges of ensuring more equitable development and environmental sustainability, especially the key goal of curbing the dangers of human-induced climate change. Today, progress is being made in many places, but, overall, action to meet the goals is not yet advancing at the speed or scale required. At the core of the 2020-2030 decade is the need for action to tackle growing poverty, empower women and girls, and address the climate emergency.
Maryknoll representatives to the UN work to promote peace, social justice and the integrity of creation by organizing their UN participation around the following topics:
The Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns joined an international multi-faith declaration on our spiritual charge to care for and protect our oceans. The declaration will be presented to the United…
For the second time in eight years, President Trump submitted the notification for the United States to leave the international accord that aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and adapt to climate change.
In the spirit of Jubilee, join Pope Francis in the call to Turn Debt into Hope and urge global decision makers to prioritize people and planet over profit. The leaders…
The UN Climate Change Conference COP29 in Baku, Azerbaijan, will be remembered as the moment climate advocates stayed strong in the face of weak commitments from wealthy, polluting nations. The following article was published in the January – February 2025 issue of NewsNotes. The global association of 198 member states that gathered in Baku, Azerbaijan…
Sara Kennel, climate advocacy intern, shares the outcomes of the UN conference on biodiversity. The following article was published in the January – February 2025 issue of NewsNotes. In the very last hours of the 16th bi-annual UN Biodiversity Conference (COP16) in Cali, Colombia, a celebration ensued with enthusiastically raised hands, tears, hugs, and chants…
Scientists agree that dramatic action must be taken in phasing out fossil fuels to prevent global catastrophe. The National Oceans and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) latest numbers on the year 2024…
The Maryknoll delegation to the UN conferences on climate and biodiversity relate their experiences, share what they learned, and answer questions. The United Nations met in November of 2024 for two important Conference of the Parties (COP’s): the conference on Biodiversity in Cali, Colombia, and the conference on Climate Change in Baku, Azerbaijan. Maryknoll Office…
Join us on Tuesday, December 3 at 3pm ET for a webinar with the Maryknoll delegation to the United Nations conferences on biodiversity and climate change. The United Nations met…
Read, print, or share this handy two-pager, which tells of the Who? What? When? Where? and Why? of the 2024 UN Biodiversity Conference COP16, with stories from Maryknoll mission and our hopes and ambitions.
Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns joined over a hundred civil society and faith based organizations in a letter to President Biden in support of restoration of United States funding of the United Nations Works Agency for Palestine Refugees. Read the letter as a PDF. September 23, 2024 Dear Mr. President: We, the undersigned 104 civil…
Hosting a record-breaking 23,000 attendees, the conference was filled with representatives seeking solutions. While we await the outcome, we review what is at stake. The following article was published in the November-December 2024 issue of NewsNotes. Parties to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity descended on Cali, Colombia, from October 21 to November 1 to…
Sara Kennel, climate action intern, represented the Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns at Climate Week NYC 2024 from September 22-29. The following article was published in the November-December 2024 issue of NewsNotes. Climate Group, an international non-profit focused on driving climate action, organized the annual event—Climate Week NYC—again this year, on September 22-29. Climate Group…
Sign up below for a one-hour time slot during the 24-hour vigil for World AIDS Day. World AIDS Day is held on December 1 each year. It is an opportunity to…
This Saturday, September 21, 2024, we celebrate as the International Day of Peace. We know the world is deeply in need of peace. In the United States, we have seen…
Progress made, but significant hurdles still remain, toward protections for the sea bed against exploitation by Deep-Sea Mining.
An update on the Sustainable Development Goals shows not enough progress made on the improvement targets.
We know these are dark days, with too many people turning to violence. In the United States, many are feeling scared after the assassination attempt on former U.S. President Donald…
Maryknoll missioners joined Indigenous people at the UN calling for greater attention to their self-determination, needs of Indigenous youth, and financing opportunities.