News ISJC & UN Insights
by Victoria Edmonds
IMASIC
The International Moral and Social Issues Council (IMASIC) advises the General on contemporary moral and social issues, and recommends statements of official position on such issues.
Its members are drawn from all around the world, and include both officers and soldiers of The Salvation Army. The council also calls upon expertise from outside the Movement when necessary. The Chair of IMASIC is the Director of the International Social Justice Commission (ISJC). To find out more information about what IMASIC does and to look at the Position Statements please go to this Website. Currently there a joint IMASIC and International Doctrine Council process in place to support some work required by the General.
http://www.salvationarmy.org/isjc/positionalstatements
United Nations Involvement
We have just finished the Commission on Social Development which took place February 11-21, 2014, with the theme being promoting empowerment of people in achieving poverty eradication, social integration and full employment and decent work for all. See Website for Commission on Social Development lhttp://undesadspd.org/CommissionforSocialDevelopment/Sessions/2014.aspx
The ISJC is strongly involved in the advocacy work at the UN. We have just finished our involvement in the Commission on the Status of Women which took place March 10-21, 2014 in New York. The theme this year was “Challenges and achievements in the implementation of the Millennium Development Goals for women and girls”. Please visit the United Nations Website on: http://www.unwomen.org/en/csw/csw58-2014 .
You can go to our flickr page at the bottom of website to see pictures from the CSW.
Others topics being discussed at the United Nations
Tackling water, sanitation and energy key to sustainable future
783 million people live without clean water; 2.5 billion have no adequate sanitation; and 1.4 billion people are without access to electricity.
Ill-qualified teachers, poor access to schools at root of global education crisis – UN report
29 January 2014 – Some 125 million school children around the world are unable to read a single sentence, even after four years of attendance – a waste of $129 billion a year – a United Nations report warned today, calling on Governments to draft the best teachers to teach the most underprivileged if the goal of universal education is ever to be reached.
Read full story at this Website
http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=47034&Cr=education&Cr1=#.Uup8rhBdXTp
One of the key issues the UN is working on now is Indicators for the Post 2015 Agenda, which includes why the sustainable development goals are important. You can read the complete reports at this website:
http://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/content/documents/3233indicatorreport.pdf
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Website: http://www.salvationarmy.org/isjc/home
Thematic Debate and Forum on Partnership, New York, April 9-10, 2014
Strengthening the global partnerships for sustainable development for the post-2015 development agenda will be the main topic of a thematic debate and Forum on Partnerships which will take place from 9 to 10 April at United Nations Headquarters in New York.
Member States will participate, including at Ministerial level, alongside senior representatives of private sector companies, UN agencies, NGOs and other relevant stakeholders.
The two-day event is expected to generate innovative policy ideas and models for multi-stakeholder partnerships that can contribute to the implementation of the post-2015 development agenda.
Upcoming Events
April 7 – World Health Day
April 25 – World Malaria Day
May 15 – International Day of Families
12-23 May – Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, 13th session
June 1 – Global Day of Parents
June 20 – World Refugee Day
June 26 International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking
27-29 August – Non-Government Organization Conference at the UN Headquarters in NY
Resources
Recommend Reading: Tattoos on the Heart - Gregory Boyle
We have our latest book for sell: “When Justice is the Measure” see us during the Conference to buy your book. You can contact us and we will sell you a copy for $10.00 (US dollars) and postage.
Editor’s Note:
If you know someone who would be interested in this Newsletter please contact me at
IHQ-ISJC@Salvation@army.org - Victoria Edmonds
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=10151967951948394#!/thesalvationarmyisjc
Website: http://www.salvationarmy.org/isjc/home
Tags: United Nations, Social Justice