Monica Affonso, IBVM General Council and Achana Gomes IBVM, India  | General Assembly  | Attentive listening at UN presentations.  | Security Council  | Mass with the RSCJs  | Peacekeeping duties and our guide  | |
April 13 - 15, 2005
We arrived in New York on Wednesday, April 13, twelve of us, fresh from the KORDES Vocation Workshop. The next day we queued up amid tight UN security to attend the DPI/NGO Briefing on Water: Gender Perspectives, given by June Zeitlin, member of the Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD) and Executive Director of the Women’s Environment and Development Organization (WEDO); Marcia Brewster, of the Interagency Gender and Water Task Force; and Ethne Davey, Water Program Manager, Department of Water Affairs and Forestry, South Africa. A point they emphasized was that women need to be empowered concerning water rights since they and their children suffer most from impure and irregular water supply. Friday was a full day too! During the guided tour of UN Headquarters we were able to enter the General Assembly Hall and the chambers of the Security Council, the Trusteeship Council and the Economic and Social Council. In the afternoon, at the NGO Office on 80th Street, Cecile and Evanne gave a variety of presentations in which they explained the operating mode of the UN, the part NGOs can play, and the different kinds of NGOs (those in association with the Department of Public Information (DPI) and those in consultative status with the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC). These were practical and thought provoking presentations! We then engaged in conversation about how to take the experience home and encourage RSCJ and IBVM in the Provinces to link with the NGO Office in New York. We ended the day with Mass and supper where we had an opportunity to interact with RSCJ from the New York Area. Each and every one of us enjoyed the visit and learned a lot. I gained a better understanding of the UN. It can often appear to be nothing more than a talking-shop. The Security Council passes resolutions that seem to be ignored by governments and the only effective UN role, to me, seemed to be the peace-keeping role. But I have changed my point of view as a result of this experience. The UN performs the valuable role of bringing countries together to talk even while they are at each other’s throats. It helps tell the world about injustices and does its best to bring security and peace. It is not perfect but it is the best we have. It is a powerful tool to raise issues, encourage the countries of the world to accept their responsibilities and urge them to work together to make a better world. Una Coogan, IBVM
England |
