An Update from the UN

The Commission for Social Development is ongoing this week.  The priority theme: ‘Socially just transition towards sustainable development: the role of digital technologies on social development and well-being of all.’ The theme has been so timely as all of us and the UN World have been experimenting with technology its benefits and limitations. 

 I’m delighted that a few Dominicans participated in the Commission.  

Friar Bigirimana Dieudonne’, OP, Justice and Peace Promoter for Canada shares a short reflection of the first week of the Commission:

“Personally, I loved  attending the commission on social development. The priority theme was very interesting and the commission tried as much as possible to explore it in different layers of social life.

…My general comment is that the plenary sessions were a kind of politically-correct presentations! The side events, were more deep and interesting in my view. I loved the one on education and poverty.

In both of them, they raised fundamental questions. 

The commission was very informative but left me with this fear: digital technologies will not rather increase the gap between the rich and the poor? 

I have an impression that “the listening dimension” that was insisted on in the side event on education, is not very much exploited. And as result, the digital technologies may fall into the trap of responding to the “unasked questions”! 

Thank you Dieudonné for attending the 2021 Commission for Social Development.

The Commission addressed eleven of the seventeen Social Development Goals (SDG’s). These eleven are all about social protection.  

UNDESA, has archived several of the Commission Webinars that you can find here.

Image result for logo for 65th commission on status of women

“CHANGING THE NARRATIVE ONE STORY AT A TIME”

I extend an all-out invite to  as many Dominicans as possible to participate in this two-week gathering of women from around the world March 15-26, 2021.  No one will be turned away.  It is a chance for those who have never attended to partake in this historic totally virtual commission. However, we ask you to register in order that you can attend as many events as possible. Please register here: Register under the Dominican Leadership Conference. We are an NGO with ECOSOC status.

I’m so excited to announce that several Dominicans;  Helena Im, OP, in Chiapas, Mexico, Mary Tuck, OP, in South Africa, Marie Monet, OP, in Belgium, Marcela Soto Ahumada, OP, in Chile, Regina McKillip, OP, in Madison, WI, and myself have worked with Carly Wood, in Oslo, Norway and Ina Kasnija in Brussels, Belgium from DOMUNI on planning a wonderful upcoming webinar on the Priority theme of the Commission on the Status of Women.  It will take place at the conclusion of the Commission on March 26th at 8:00-9:30 AM New York Time (EST).

The planners have been engaged since December and we are pleased to share the brochure about the Webinar here. 

We are so excited to be a partner with DOMUNI an online Dominican University based in Brussels, Belgium. DOMUNI is hosting the Webinar on their platform. 

Join us as we launch this informative webinar on “Changing the narrative, one story at a time”.  Meet several Dominican women from Mexico, Europe, Africa, Latin America and India as they share how they work with women’s empowerment.

See you March 26th, 2021 from 8:00-9:30 AM.