UN PEACE DAY



The Sisters of St. Francis have been members of the Board of Directors of the Iowa Division of the United Nations Association-UNA since Clinton Franciscan Elizabeth Cameron was first seated in 1986. Elizabeth originated the idea of a Franciscan presence at the UN and with the help of Dr. Robert Muller, then undersecretary general, brought the idea to the Franciscan Federation and then to the world.

As members of the Board of Directors of
UNA-USA IOWA DIVISION 

and in keeping with the world wide Franciscan desire for peacemaking, reverence for all creation, solidarity with the poor, and active nonviolence, the Sisters of St. Francis peace and justice program included the following activities during the past quarter: 
  1. Supporting and participating in the work of Franciscans International.
  2. Working for enactment of international debt reduction legislation by participating in the Bread For The World Offering of Letters campaign.
  3. Partnering with the 12 other congregations of Catholic sisters based in Iowa, western Illinois and southwestern Wisconsin to sponsor 17 billboards across the state of Iowa encouraging Iowans to welcome immigrants. The project was awarded a recognition grant by the NCCB.
  4. Supporting the work of INFACT to draw attention to the practices of tobacco producers in marketing tobacco products worldwide.
  5. Lobbying, via postcards from sisters, associates, friends and co-workers nationwide in support of:
  • The Kyoto Protocol.
    The UN "Ban Landmines" treaty.
  • Legislation to improve national and international distribution of the free drugs needed to control health hazards.
  • An end to use of the death penalty.
  • CEDAW and the Convention on the Rights of the Child.
  • Ending the Iraq embargo.
  • Stopping the war in Afghanistan.
  • Ending nuclear testing and proliferation of nuclear weapons systems.
  • NO WAR IN IRAQ!


The UN Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) are a set of 8 global objectives aimed at improving the lives of the world’s poorest people.

 

The Goals, which cover a range of human development issues from providing universal primary education to halting the spread of HIV, were adopted at the 2000 UN Millennium Summit by 189 nations and have spurred unprecedented global efforts to help the world’s poor.

 

The MDGs, which are slated to be met by 2015, provide a framework for action throughout the United Nations system.

 

Now at the half-way point, the MDGs have been met with uneven success. This is especially true for Goal 7 which highlights the important relationship between the environment and poverty reduction.

 

Goal 7 explores how integrating the principles of sustainable development can not only help reduce poverty, but ensure that the world’s resources are used safely and efficiently.

 

According to the World Commission on Environment and Development that first gave prominence to the term nearly two decades ago, sustainable development is defined as “development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.”

 


Every year since 1947, U.N. Day has been observed in nations large and small around the world on October 24th, the day in 1945 when the U.N. Charter was signed in San Francisco and the opening day of the General Assembly session each year at U.N. headquarters in New York.

 In the United States, each President, beginning with Harry Truman, has issued a proclamation asking citizens to observe U.N. Day and to reflect upon the importance of the United Nations to our national interest as well as to each American individually.

 And on nearly every year since 1985, Clinton has observed U.N. Day by raising the U.N. flag on the Memorial flagpole where it will flies for a week of remembrance.

 

 

 

 

“Focusing on the MDGs makes the observance of UN Day especially significant,” said Sister Cebula.  “It highlights how each of us can contribute to making our Earth a better place for all our brothers and sisters worldwide.  It also helps us understand how the U.N. works for individuals as well as nations, securing peace with justice and ensuring basic human rights.”

 The Clinton Franciscans have been serving on the Board of Directors of the Iowa Division of the UNA 
  since the mid-1980’s.  They have sponsored several local, public programs around U.N. themes such as the Agenda 21 series in the 1990’s and last week’s Forum on Immigration and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
 For more information on Clinton’s U.N. Day observance, call Sisters of St. Francis, 563-242-7611, or visit
www.clintonfranciscans.com.  For more information on Millennium Development Goal #7 visit http://www.endpoverty2015.org/goals/environmental-sustainability.

 


the UN flag flies on the memorial flagpole in Clinton Iowa


Janice Cebula OSF, president of the Clinton Franciscans






Ensuring environmental sustainability is key to achieving all of the Millennium Development Goals according to a report issued by InterAction entitled, U.S. Contributions to Reducing Global Poverty: An Assessment of the U.S. and the Millennium Development Goals   

 

“A healthy environment provides the building blocks for the primary goal of the MDGs: poverty alleviation. 

 

The loss or degradation of environmental goods and services undermines sustainable development and leads to such negative impacts as poor nutrition, the spread of disease and conflict over scarce resources.

 

Ultimately, it is the world’s poor who are most dependent on environmental goods and services for daily living, and, therefore, also most vulnerable to their loss.”

 

PARTNERING FOR
PEACE AND
NONVIOLENCE

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The multi-cultural "Stop the Hate" walk and prayer vigil co-sponsored by the congregation and local schools draws hundreds to Clinton colleges to support understanding and tolerance.


HOME  -  PEACE & JUSTICE

CLINTON FRANCISCAN "CENTER" FOR ACTIVE NONVIOLENCE  -  
CLOSE THE SOA  -  SUPPORTING THE U.N.
GANDHI-KING SEASON FOR NONVIOLENCE
LAND STEWARDSHIP  -  SHARING SACRED SPACES