Loretto at the UN: Advocacy and education

A group of high school students and three adults smiling for a picture together at the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women 2026. — Nerinx Hall High School students join teachers, staff, Beth Blissman CoL at far left, and Loretto friend Michaela Walsh, in red, for a morning reflection.
Photo: Beth Blissman CoL

For the Loretto Community, creating the framework to host high school students at annual Commission on the Status of Women gatherings is investing in the future of leadership. These young women represent the next generation of decision-makers, change agents and trailblazers. By empowering them with knowledge, skills and exposure to global issues, the Loretto Community nurtures potential leaders who will drive positive transformation in society.
Leslie Baron, Loretto at the UN intern, 2023-2024

Loretto shapes young lives through participation in the UN Commission on the Status of Women

A photo of a group of St. Mary's Academy students participating in a Commission of the Status of Women teen orientation. — St. Mary’s Academy students participate in the CSW70 teen orientation.
Photo: Felix Munyika

Loretto continues shaping young lives through annual participation in the UN Commission on the Status of Women (CSW). This year marked the 70th CSW gathering — an event that consistently inspires girls to find their voices and see themselves in the shoes of diplomats. In partnership with the Sisters of Charity of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Dubuque, Iowa, we were present with a 44-member delegation.

During this transformative experience, students reported learning about issues regarding widows’ rights, the gender pay gap, period poverty, women’s rights in different cultures, specific obstacles facing immigrant women, artificial intelligence, online sexual harassment and gender-based violence, including men in the conversation and more.

They were surprised to hear that nearly all countries experience backlash on establishing women’s rights and gender equality, and that many European nations are struggling with movements intent on removing women’s rights and forcing binary gender roles. This new knowledge inspired and motivated our students.

Editor’s note: This is part two of a special Loretto at the UN 35th anniversary feature focusing on Loretto’s influence on young women. Please see the summer 2026 issue of Loretto Magazine for part one.

We are past the point of awareness. We know that gender discrimination is a huge issue with palpable consequences in our modern world. Now is the time for action and progress, not just awareness and theoretical steps.
Grey, St. Mary’s Academy, CSW 70 (2026)

A group of about 30 people, high school students, teachers, and U.N. staff standing together for a group photo holding the United Nations blue flag at the Commission on the Status of Women 2026. — Students from Loretto Academy, St. Mary’s Academy and Wahlert Catholic High School join teachers and adult participants on the eve of CSW70.
Photo courtesy of Beth Blissman CoL

My peers and I volunteer at a hospital, and we always have this one goal, which is to help others, especially in a border region like El Paso. After attending CSW70, I feel even more passionate about this work, as now I know that immigrants deserve more support and research about their health.
Alejandra, Loretto Academy, CSW 70 (2026)

The sense of community is the main thing that truly stuck with me. It can be so easy to feel hopeless about issues such as equality and climate change, but being surrounded by so many powerful women made me feel uplifted and like anything is possible. I loved being able to meet people from all around the world and hear so many perspectives. … I believe that learning is one of the best parts of life, and this opportunity gave me access to learn so much more than I could have ever imagined. CSW changed my life for the better.
Loretto Academy participant, CSW 68 (2023)

A brief history of Loretto at the UN

In 1991, Mary Luke Tobin SL proposed that Loretto apply for UN accreditation and appoint a representative. Pat Kenoyer SL, Loretto’s first UN representative, served from 1991 to 1995 and initiated Loretto’s process of gaining recognition as a non-governmental organization (NGO).

A photo of an elder woman smiling with grey curly short hair, big black oval glasses and a most white t-shirt with an indigenous design on it. — Pat Kenoyer SL served as Loretto’s first
representative to the UN.
Staff photo

The process solidified Loretto’s standing at the UN, though by this time, Loretto’s UN presence had been in place for many years, with Community members attending the World Conference for Women in 1980 and providing UN briefings to the Leadership Conference of Women Religious, a nationwide organization for vowed Catholic women.

Today, Loretto at the UN serves on NGO working groups and committees and works on key UN commissions and conferences. Sally Dunne CoL, UN representative from 2008 to 2016, began a program to bring high school students from Loretto schools to UN headquarters in New York City to observe and participate in the UN’s Commission on the Status of Women (CSW). At CSW, students learn about issues affecting girls and women around the globe. See pages 22-24 of this magazine for more on CSW — an important opportunity for high school students to experience the UN, global diplomacy and real-life advocacy. In 2011, the Sisters of Charity of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Dubuque, Iowa, joined with Loretto in the UN work, a valued partnership that continues.