2018 Theme: Building Sustainable and Resilient Cities
This year, the United Nations has selected the theme Building Sustainable and Resilient Cities; because cities need support to become resilient and develop their capacity to absorb the impact of hazards, protect and preserve human life and limit damage to and destruction of public and private assets while continuing to provide infrastructure and services after a crisis.

​PGJ Will be represented at the World Cities Day event today. 

Christopher Martin recently published his research on addressing multigenerational poverty using microfinancing efforts in Uganda and the impact of student engagement on addressing these issues.  Please enjoy the article below: 

10/25: Who Rules the World? #GirlsRule Briefing @ UNHQ
10/31: World Cities Day Event
11/1: Working Group on Girls Monthly Meeting
11/1-11/7: Parliament of World Religions (Kathleen Nolan, OP & Janet Kinney CSJ)**
**if you are attending this, please contact Sr. Janet!
11/7: RUN Monthly Meeting

Executive Director, Sr. Janet Kinney and Sr. Susan McCarthy, RDC - Board member of PGJ are on the Bus  October 21st - 27th!

You can find updates on the Partnership for Global Justice Facebook Page as well as on Twitter! 

Thursday Oct. 18th: Orientation for Funding for Sustainable Development
Tuesday Oct. 23rd: Spirit of UN Awards
Thursday Oct. 25th: Girls Rule Briefing @ UNHQ

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By Janet Kinney, CSJ

Today was another early day for the 9 sisters and NETWORK staff who are traveling on the Bus this week. Each day begins with contemplative prayer in Simone’s room, where the sisters sit in quiet and listen to the stirrings within our hearts, recalling the people we met the prior day. After a period of extended quiet, we lift their intentions, mingled with our own and then one by one, share the fruits of our contemplation. Part of the program the prior evening was an illustrative example acted out by the sisters of how the tax cuts impact real people. One sister shared in this morning’s prayer about a conversation with a woman who came up to her afterwards and said “I am the Nicky you spoke about. I live in HUD housing and I am so fearful that if cuts are made to the social net programs I use and need, I will lose my apartment.” As the sister gazed into her face she saw a middle age woman of pallid complexion, simply dressed who was doing the best she can, day by day, yet living on the edge and carrying all the uncertainty that this stark reality brings to her life.

We ended our prayer, gathered our suitcases and stepped onto the bus, fortified by our faith, called to be bearers of hope to those we will meet this day. Leaving Seneca Falls a little after 8 am, our first two stops will be lobby visits with Representative Tenney (New Hartford) and Representative Faso’s (Kingston) offices. Sister Betsy will share these experiences in her blog for today.

As evening dusk begins to fall, we arrive in Morristown, New Jersey. Our hosts are the parishioners of Church of the Redeemer. We are greeted warmly by Reverend Cynthia Black, and introduced to Mayor Tim Dougherty. We shared a meal with the parishioners in the parish hall where we were told that they serve over 70,000 meals to individuals and families in need in their community. Rev. Black shared that their church was founded by the Abolitionists; they are also a “Green Faith sanctuary.”

After dinner, we moved to the church for the program.

Simone gives a brief introduction to the trip, but the real purpose of this evening’s program is a live podcast interview with Jesuitical, which is sponsored by America magazine. Zac Davis and Ashley McKinless moderated the conversation with Simone and Richelle Friedman, another ‘NOTB.’ Simone and Richelle shared moving stories from the road trip and explained why the Republican tax plan is so devastating to over 60% of the country’s population and encouraging all to get out the Vote for the midterms. After the podcast concludes, all gathered are invited to sign pledge cards and move outside to sign the bus. It is a beautiful moonlit night – Rev. Black “signed the bus” with a Church of the Redeemer bumper stick with this slogan ‘supporting the separation of church and hate since 1852.’ Clearly all we heard and experienced of these parishioners embodied these words.

​After the podcast, all participants moved outside to sign We are provided hospitality by the Filipini sisters at their Filipini Villa Walsh, a 100 + acre campus which includes a an all girls academy, grades 7-12. Sister Ascenza and Sister Alice greet us and after showing us our rooms, we gather briefly to give gratitude for the people we have met and the graces we have received.

​I am humbled by these experiences, and enriched by the desire of so many good people in this country who truly want to be a caring community for others, in contrast to the negative rhetoric and policies that are being implemented by the current administration. This trip is all about bringing hope to those who are discouraged by all that they are seeing happening in our country. I am richly blessed for these days shared with my sisters and those we have met on the road to Mar a Largo.

Sr. Janet and Faith attended the UN event celebrating the International Day of the Girl Child on October 11th. There were phenomenal speakers and performers representing girls from all over the country and all over the world. 

Thursday 10/11: NGO Committee on Migration
Wednesday 10/17:  Committee on Social Development
Thursday 10/18: Orientation for Funding for Sustainable Development

In the info graphic below, you can find the Special Report released by the IPCC. 

10/3/18 - RUN Meeting 
             - Financing for Sustainable Development 
10/4/18 - Working Group on Girls
10/5/18- Fordham Law Symposium: 100 Years of Women
10/9/18- The Committee to Stop Trafficking in Persons
10/10/18 - NGO Mining Group
Upcoming Events: 
​10/11/18 - NGO Committee on Migration
               - Day of the Girl Speak Out Event

By Doretta Cornell, RDC

The 73rd meeting of the UN General Assembly began on September 18 and comprises many different sorts of meetings, giving the heads of state opportunities to discuss major concerns and crises among themselves.  The General Debate, in which heads of state address the Assembly, began on Tuesday, September 25. In these talks, leaders generally lay out their attitudes and hopes for the future of the UN and the world, as well as outline difficulties they see and suggestions for solving them. These are long sessions; Tuesday’s session began at 10 am, with an address by the Secretary-General and the President of the General Assembly and only concluded at 9:10 pm, with the statement by the President of Morocco. Links to videos of these talks may be found at this link. A list of the speakers from the debates can be found here.

United States President Donald Trump began by touting his accomplishments (at one point eliciting laughter from the Assembly) and negotiations with North Korea, and reiterated his determination to contribute less to UN Peacekeeping, his disdain for the Commission on Human Rights and International Criminal Court, and his refusal to be part of any international agreement on migration or refugees. Focusing on Iran as a source of disruption and threatening more sanctions against them and against China, he repeatedly said he considers only American citizens, and accused everyone else of taking unfair advantage of the United States. He made no mention of climate change or of Russia’s incursions into other nations’ territories. Iran’s president responded to Mr. Trump’s accusations and threats by declaring it would not be moved by them.

Other leaders called for increased multinational collaboration to address climate change, migration and refugees, and the 2030 Agenda, and to end the conflicts and situations of peoples such as the people of Syria, Yemen and the Palestinians. Some called for action by the Security Council. Many declared their continued commitment to the United Nations and expressed confidence in its agencies to alleviate the current suffering.

Since September 18, U.N. agencies, such as the Security Council, Human Rights Commission, Peacebuilding Committee, Major Committees of the UN, Groups of Nations (such as the Group of 77 and the Group of Least Developed Countries) and Advisory bodies have been meeting each day to address more specific issues. Please see the Partnership blog for more information during these important weeks at the United Nations.

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This week the Partnership for Global Justice has been/will be represented at the following events:
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Monday, September 24th: High Level Event on Global Compact on Refugees,
                                    Data Driving Change
                             Achieving the SDGs via a More Sustainable Financial Sector
              Can Finance Regulation from Below (i.e. worker force) Help Us Achieve the SDGs?
Tuesday, Sept. 25th: Migration & Structural Transformation in Africa,
                                   Fighting Plastic Pollution: a Global Race to the Top
Wednesday, Sept. 26th: Building Momentum on Mental Health in the SDG Era                                              High Level Event on the Global Compact on Migration - Road to Marrakesh
Thursday, Sept. 27th: Regional Action on Environmental Democracy to Fulfill the Vision of                                           the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals Agenda
Friday, Sept. 28th: ALCOHOL, NCDS AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT - Where Do                                       We Stand & Where Do We Go? 

On Monday Sept. 17th, we attended a service that brought together faith-leaders, UN Staff, NGO participants and the public in preparation for this week's opening of the General Assembly.  Some of the special guests who gave reflections and remarks at this service included His Excellency Archbishop Luis Castro Quiroga, I.M.C. (Archbishop of Tunja, Colombia), His Excellency Mr. António Guterres (Secretary-General of the UN), and Her Excellency Ms. María Fernanda Espinosa Garcés (President of the 73rd Session of the GA).

The Global Climate Action Summit is taking place this Wednesday through Friday in San Francisco.
The key themes of this summit are healthy energy systems, inclusive economic growth, sustainable communities, land and ocean stewardship, and transformative climate investments.

Feel free to watch the Summit program live on September 12th-14th via YouTube, Facebook and Twitter. ​