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Celebrating 30 Years of Loretto at the UN

Posted on August 9, 2021, by Loretto Community

This year we recognize and celebrate 30 years of Loretto presence at the United Nations headquarters in New York City. During that time we have garnered consultative status with both the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) and the Department of Global Communications (DGC) at the U.N., which enables Loretto to share stories of our work — and that of our colleagues and Sister communities — with global policymakers.

We bring the experience of those in vulnerable situations to decision-making arenas and provide input into the global policymaking process. This might take the form of organizing meetings, hosting events, drafting advocacy briefs, providing oral statements and/or sending urgent appeals to the Human Rights Council or Sustainable Development processes. Since we are small, we do this work in collaboration with other groups in New York, and we also represent the Sisters of the Charity of the Blessed Virgin Mary (BVMs) of Dubuque, Iowa.

For the past 30 years, grounded in our faith tradition and guided by providence, Loretto has focused on rights for migrants, gender justice, environmental sustainability, poverty eradication, nuclear disarmament and more. We seek to shift both local and global political, social, economic, ecological and cultural systems that cause and perpetuate climate change, environmental degradation, poverty, inequality, biodiversity loss, injustice and conflict.

Colorful banner on the left reads "We work for justice and act for peace." Text on the right reads "The Loretto Community firmly and unequivocally supports the 2017 U.N. Treaty to Ban Nuclear Weapons. We call upon the President and Congress of the United States of America, where we are based, to immediately support the abolitioon and unilateral diarmament of nuclear weapons, which means to discontinue further testing, production, updating and deployment of nuclear weapons... For the sake of the future of humanity and the Earth, we implore the United States to sign this significant treaty. Ratified by the Loretto Community Forum, Dec. 9, 2017 #nuclearban #YesICAN #TPNW

In addition to advocacy work, we also educate ourselves and our many students and friends about the history and current work of the U.N. For example, many Loretto Community members undoubtedly have joined and will join others around the globe with peace walks, floating paper lanterns, origami peace cranes and/or prayers to commemorate the 76th anniversary of the bombing of Hiroshima (Aug. 6) and Nagasaki (Aug. 9). This year, as we reflect on the 355,000 lives lost in Hiroshima and Nagasaki and the present threat that nuclear warfare poses, it is heartening to know that the U.N. Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) came into force on Jan. 22 of this year. This treaty had been adopted at U.N. headquarters in New York City on July 7, 2017, and opened for signatures at the General Assembly that September.  

Resources

As we work to garner support for the United States to participate in the U.N. Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, there are many resources available:

  • If you wish to follow the implementation of the TPNW, and our movement toward a world free of nuclear weapons, see: https://banmonitor.org/ 
  • Do you work with youth? In early 2020, the U.N. Office for Disarmament Affairs, with generous financial support from the government of Germany, put out the call to young people ages 18 to 24 across the globe to apply to be a Youth Champion for Disarmament. More than 6,500 youth applied, and 10 were selected for this innovative learning program aimed at empowering the Champions to work for disarmament in their communities. Read more about the winners and their work here: https://www.youth4disarmament.org/youth-champions-disarmament.
  • Finally, here’s a link to a brief video from our Loretto UN Representative Beth Blissman that features information about the TPNW: https://youtu.be/TWMctk1mdGc

Follow us

If you are interested in learning more about Loretto at the UN, please visit our web pages where you can find information about our mission, past and current projects, and how to get involved. To keep up with our activities, follow our social media: Facebook, Instagram, Twitter.

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2 Comments

  1. Avatar Linda Grant on February 12, 2022 at 10:11 am

    Good morning,

    I was a teacher for two years at Havern. I still remember walking up the steps from the parking lot; passing a white bench, the inscription said, “Be still and know that I am God.” As a new teacher, so nervous, even at age 47, I would stop and make myself read those words. Every day. Thank you, wonderful ladies, for the work of God you have done and continue to do today, globally.

    Linda Grant

    • Avatar Loretto Community on February 18, 2022 at 1:21 pm

      Thank you, Ms. Grant. for sharing this beautiful remembrance.

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Loretto welcomes you

Learn more or plan a visit to the Motherhouse!