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Right to Food Pursued at the United Nations November 4th, 2013
United Nations Special Rapporteur on the right to food, Olivier De Schutter, has submitted his final report to the United Nations. In the speech that accompanied this action, he welcomed “the rights resurgence” that he has seen across the world in the past decade.
“At a time when multiple, conflicting visions for food security have been put on the table, it is impressive to see so many States adopting laws, policies and strategies to realize the right to food, and so many people driving forward what is now a global right to food movement,” he stressed.
Mr. De Schutter said: “Treating food as a human right brings coherence and accountability. It helps to close the gaps by putting food security of all citizens at the top of the decision-making hierarchy, and making these decision-making processes participatory and accountable.”
He noted the importance of non-governmental actors, including religious organizations, saying,“Civil society has an indispensable role to play at every level: driving forward right to food movements, participating in the design of policies, taking part in monitoring, and developing new forms of accountability.”
Solar Cooker Sets Technology Trend at the OEI in Godfrey November 3rd, 2013
The JPIC Committee learned about the efficiencies of solar cooking after their semi-annual meeting in Godfrey last week.
Fr. Antonio points to the temperature gauge. This cooker gets hot quickly in the sun!
US Judge Acquits Catholic Anti-drone Activists November 1st, 2013
Acquitted Catholic Worker anti-drone activists; Image courtesy of The Nuclear Register
In an historic decision, five Catholic Worker activists were acquitted of disorderly conduct charges for blocking the main entrance to Hancock Air Base outside of Syracuse NY, in a protest against drone strikes that have killed hundreds of civilians. Hancock Air base, home to the 174th Attack Wing of the Air National Guard, is a Reaper drone hub whose technicians pilot weaponized drones over Afghanistan.
As reported in The Nuclear Resister, “After the verdict was announced, the D.A. objected, and the judge said to him that he hadn’t found ‘mens rea,’ Latin for ‘guilty mind.’ The five defendants, with powerful eloquence, convinced the judge that their intent was to uphold, not break, the law. This acquittal marks a major breakthrough by those who have sought to strengthen international law, and stop U.S. war crimes, including extra-judicial murder by the illegal drones.”
The drone strikes, responsible for killing hundreds of civilians in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Yemen and elsewhere, have increasingly been condemned by human rights advocates, as well as by Jesuit Superior General Fr. Adolfo Nicolás and Ben Emmerson, UN special rapporteur on counter-terrorism. Malala Yousafzai, the 16-year-old Pakistani girl who was shot by the Taliban and survived, and who now speaks out globally for peace, urged President Obama in a meeting to stop the deadly U.S. drone attacks on Pakistan. She said they are killing innocent civilians and turning many ordinary people against the U.S. and onto the side of Taliban.
Recent Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International reportshave detailed how U.S. drone strikes kill innocent civilians in Pakistan and Yemen, contrary to President Obama’s assertions. According to the London-based Bureau of Investigative Journalism, as many as 1,000 innocent civilians, including as many as 200 children, have been killed in as many as 376 U.S. drone strikes since 2004 in Pakistan alone, a nation with which the United States is not technically at war.
Learn more. Read the National Catholic Reporter article…
Congress Urged to Protect Humanitarian Assistance and Poverty-focused Programs November 1st, 2013
The US Region of the Missionary Oblates was one of 140 non-governmental and faith-based organizations that urged members of the Congressional Budget Conference Committee to protect international humanitarian assistance and poverty-focused development programs. The groups also urged that the blunt tool of sequestration be replaced with a balanced deficit-reduction plan.
InterAction, a coalition of groups working on international relief and development, was responsible for organizing the letter. An identical letter was sent to all members of the Budget Conference Committee, which is responsible for reconciling the significant differences between the budget bills passed by the House and the Senate.
Letter to Rep. Paul Ryan, House Budget Chair (Download PDF)
Letter to Sen. Patty Murray, Senate Budget Chair (Download PDF)
Isaiah Fund Certified as a Community Development Financial Institution October 31st, 2013
Low-income housing in New Orleans built through the Isaiah Fund
The Isaiah Fund recently became a certified Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI), an important milestone for the interfaith initiative. The Isaiah Fund is a multi-faith-based permanent disaster response loan fund that provides long-term investment in the revitalization of disaster-torn communities.
The OMI USP is an investor in the Isaiah Fund, which targets rebuilding in low-income communities. The Oblate US Province Sharing Fund has also supported their work.
With CDFI certification, the Fund should be able to grow, attracting new investors, which will enable it to broaden its reach to the poor and marginalized, who suffer most when natural disasters occur.
Certification by the U.S. Department of Treasury’s Community Development Financial Institutions Fund (CDFI Fund) is an important milestone for the fund and has been many years in the making. It will now make Isaiah eligible to apply for competitive Financial Assistance funds from the CDFI Fund as well as investments and equity from banks, insurance companies, and other investors.
The need for rebuilding after major disasters continues – in New Orleans, more than eight years following Hurricane Katrina, and in New Jersey and New York one year following the destruction caused by Hurricane Sandy. The Isaiah Fund continues its work to deploy loans and mission deposits where they are needed most in these communities.
