News Archives » 2011 » September
Update from the United Nations September 26th, 2011
UN welcomes South Sudan as 193rd Member State
On July 14th the General Assembly admitted the Republic of South Sudan as the 193rd member of the United Nations, welcoming the newly independent country to the community of nations. South Sudan’s independence from the rest of Sudan is the result of the January 2011 referendum held under the terms of the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) that ended the decades-long civil war between the North and the South. Learn more…
World Population Nearly 7 Billion!
As the world population approaches seven billion, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon stressed in July that ending global poverty and inequality is the key to unleashing the great human potential for prosperity and peaceful coexistence, while protecting the planet and safeguarding the natural resources that sustain humanity. “Later this year, a seven-billionth baby will be born into our world of complexity and contradiction,” Mr. Ban said in a message to mark World Population Day, observed annually on 11 July. Learn more…
UN Reports Progress Toward Poverty Alleviation
Some of the world’s poorest countries have made impressive gains in the fight against poverty, but the least developed countries still lag in efforts to improve living standards, the United Nations said in a report by DESA, showing significant overall progress towards achieving the global targets against extreme poverty.
67 Million Children Deprived of Education
67 million school-aged children are deprived of education, mainly due to financial or social hardship, in many cases stemming from poverty or armed conflict. At the opening of the high-level segment of the ECOSOC Council’ Annual Ministerial Review on 4 July, Deputy Secretary-General Asha Rose Migiro warned that “getting kids into school is only half the battle.”
Statement on Nuclear Weapons
Papal Nuncio to the UN, Archbishop Francis Chullikatt made a significant statement on the Church’s rejection of nuclear war and nuclear weaponry at the 3rd Session of the Prepatory Committee for the UN Conference on the Arms Trade Treaty (ATT). Go to: www.holyseemission.org and click on press releases.
Faith Groups urge Congress to Protect the Poor from Foreign Aid budget Cuts September 26th, 2011
A broadly ecumenical group of faith organizations has urged Congress to preserve humanitarian and poverty-focused foreign assistance and civilian diplomacy from further cuts as they implement the Budget Control Act of 2011.
The groups, which include the Missionary Oblates, argued in the letter that: “Deep cuts to humanitarian and poverty-focused foreign assistance, which totals only one percent of the federal budget, will not make a significant contribution to deficit reduction. But it could cost millions of lives, undermine global human security and harm U.S. and global interests in helping build a more stable and secure world for all people.”
Something Stinks in San Fernando! September 26th, 2011
Eco-Alert for residents of Pacoima, CA:
All American Asphalt must be held accountable for the odors coming from their facility. We are taking action to make sure that our voices are heard loud and clear: eliminate the smells now!
South Coast Air Quality Management District, the organization in charge of regulating the asphalt plant’s emissions, has given us a number to call and report these odors. 8 calls a day are needed in order for them to take action against All American Asphalt. The number is 800-288-7664. Your call can make a difference!
ICCR and IAF Community Organizers Join Forces Against Foreclosures September 16th, 2011
Interfaith Center on Corporate responsibility (ICCR) members, including the Missionary Oblates, have been working with Metro Industrial Areas Foundation affiliates to get Bank of America & Wells Fargo to take action on foreclosure issues in Prince William County, VA and Milwaukee, WI. This collaboration has produced results:
- In Milwaukee, CommonGround, Metro IAF’s affiliate has organized successfully, forcing banks including Wells Fargo and Bank of America to commit $15.2 million to finance blight removal, a 100+ new Nehemiah homes development, and jobs in the Sherman Park neighborhood hard hit by foreclosure.
- In Prince William County, VA, Metro IAF’s affiliate, VOICE, organized and directly confronted Bank of America CEO Brian Moynihan at the 2011 annual shareholders meeting. This resulted in Bank of America senior leadership requiring reform of loan modification practices that has resulted in 250 backlogged modifications being resolved. Bank executives also committed to negotiate on VOICE’s demands that Bank of America fund housing counselors and reinvest hundreds of millions of dollars to rebuild Prince William County neighborhoods devastated by foreclosures.
VOICE is organizing a 1,000 person public action on Sunday, October 30th with Senator Mark Warner (Senate Banking Committee) and bank officials.
Watch this moving video of an anti-foreclosure rally organized by VOICE in Northern Virginia last April:
Oblate Center for Peace and Reconciliation in Jaffna Launches Peace Week Activities September 15th, 2011
September 15th – 21st is International Peace Week and we at the Center for Peace and Reconciliation declare this week as a ” Week of Relationship”
Let us try to do any small act of Charity with the greater Love. In order to commemorate the week, CPR has organized different activities in Jaffna, Vanni, Manner, Colombo and Vavunia in the schools and the villages with the children and teachers. On the 21st there will be a 3 hour cultural programme with all the religious and ethnic groups.
The Center calls on all to pray for lasting peace and a reconciled society.
“Peace is not the material thing that we can buy from the shop but it is valuable gift that you have within yourselves. Each one struggles for a peaceful atmosphere but never goes back to the inner self where he/she has the serenity. The struggle of the center is not to change the society but to change the individuals to realize the inner thirst for peace.”
Peace week begins on the 15th of September and ends with the Peace Day on the 21st. “We are in the 7th year of our peace week activities, and having worked for 4 years with the struggle of the people, I personally confess that it is not failure when we look back the past years in our peace struggle.”
“Appreciating the contribution that the young generation has extended during the past years to build up a better society, we are also able to convince many people to walk in the direction of peace and Reconciliation. Our conviction is to bring individuals into the web of peace in order not to be trapped into going against the path of Peace and Reconciliation.”
