Update
September 2015
SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS:
On Sunday, 2 August, United Nations Member States unanimously agreed on the final
text that will be adopted by Heads of State at the UN Summit to adopt the Post 2015
Development Agenda in late September. The Agenda includes 17 Sustainable
Development Goals (SDGs) and 169 Targets, which will shape official development
policy for the next 15 years. Everybody got something they wanted, and nobody got
everything they wanted in the document—perhaps that is the definition of diplomacy?
But for the first time a group shaped a document that brings together the concepts of
economic sustainability, human rights, social inclusion, and environmental sustainability.
This is the People’s Agenda, a plan of action for ending poverty in all its
dimensions, irreversibly, everywhere, and leaving no one behind. It seeks to
ensure peace and prosperity, and forge partnerships with people and planet at
the core. The integrated, interlinked and indivisible 17 Sustainable Development
Goals are the people’s goals and demonstrate the scale, universality and
ambition of this new Agenda.”
–Ban Ki-moon
The last month of negotiations for the document was interesting and exhausting, with
the final days going well into the early mornings. At their last meeting with NGOs, the
co-chairs told us not to “over-invest” in the document, because it is just the beginning.
They thanked us for our input—and said the times they had with us were some of their
favorite, because they got so many good ideas. They assured us that the Declaration
uses a lot of the work of NGOs; that it is a visionary document and much of the vision
came from us.
We will give you a link to the document after it is translated into all the UN languages,
but here is the English version of Transforming Our World: The 2030 Agenda for
Sustainable Development: It is the FINAL-FINAL outcome document that will be
adopted by Heads of State in September: http://www.un.org/pga/wpcontent/uploads/sites/3/2015/08/120815_outcome-document-of-Summit-for-adoption-of-thepost-2015-development-agenda.pdf
WHAT DO THE WOMEN THINK?
Since 1995, NGOs working on the SDGs have worked through a structure of nine
“Major Groups.” One of the most active and influential is the Women’s Major Group.
They lobbied vigorously to get the SDGs to consider women’s economic opportunities,
unpaid care work, gender disparities in schools, gender-based violence, child marriage,
female genital mutilation, and access to women’s special health care needs. They were
generally pleased with their success. Indeed, even many of the “environmental” goals
recognize a gender dimension; e.g. women's access to land, water, sanitation and
energy are strongly defined in the targets of the 2030 Agenda.
But there were some complaints: Eleanor Blomstrom of Women’s Environment and
Development Organization noted that “We have a climate goal and a threshold for
temperature rise, but it’s still not ambitious enough for women and girls.” Other
weaknesses in the plan include the fact that it does not address the 60% of the
economic value circulating in the world that is generated by women’s unpaid work. This
means that women subsidize the entire economy with their unpaid work.
GOOD NEWS FOR WATER IN THE SDGs!
SDGoal #6 deals with universal access to water and sanitation. The NGO Mining
Working Group and the Blue Planet Project are celebrating the pledge to “a world where
we reaffirm our commitments regarding the human right to safe drinking water and
sanitation…” in paragraph 7 of the final text. This recognition of the human right to water
and sanitation in the document is the result of unrelenting efforts by civil society groups
over the past two and a half years…including a global petition signed by 621
organizations worldwide. Key member states including Palau, Bolivia, Costa Rica, and
Switzerland championed the cause and got it changed for the better at the last minute.
This is a vital step towards empowering peoples who have been denied their rightful
access to freshwater supplies, while providing a tool to challenge corporations that
continue to abuse the planet’s dwindling water resources.
Nevertheless, the NGO group is troubled by the document’s overemphasis on economic
growth, and the lack of controls on corporations. They fear the spread of hydraulic
fracturing and big dam development projects that have been detrimental to watersheds.
The NGO Mining Working Group and Blue Planet Project will
continue to work to ensure that in the implementation of the
SDGs, water and sanitation are not privatized. The explicit
naming of the human right to water and sanitation gives us a
strong entry point in fighting for water justice. Maude Barlow
(picture) of the Blue Planet Project sent a warm note of
congratulations to the Mining Working Group, saying that
their work is “the legacy and next step in our fight of five
years ago to have the human right to water recognized…”
and calling it the “rightful heir to the progress we made then.”
–Excerpts from an NGO Mining Working Group report
SPEAKING OF MINING…
Ces Martin NDS sends this along: CIDSE, an organization that works closely with the
Latin American network Iglesias y Mineria (Church and Mining), shared their stories at a
gathering sponsored by the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, called “In Union
With God We Share a Cry” (Rome 17-19 July). Both developing and developed
countries from all over the world—18 of them—united to talk about the human rights
violations, environmental destruction, health issues, destruction of communities, loss of
land, and ties to organized crime that are generated by the mining industry. Participants
reflected on the social doctrines of the Church, and heard the Pope speak with
knowledge and sympathy about the topics. They are eager to see the document which
the Pontifical College will prepare after their input. This link is in Spanish, Portuguese,
English, Italian and German. http://www.cidse.org/articles/business-andhuman-rights/extractive-industries-in-latin-america/in-union-with-god-weshare-a-cry.html A video on mining in South and Central America can be found at:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c6OJCrrm9AQ
POPE AT THE UN:
We promised to remind you that Pope Francis will speak to the UN around 8:30 a.m.
Eastern U.S. time on Friday, 25 September. If it is not on your local TV, try
webtv.un.org, or go to this link
http://webtv.un.org/live-now/watch/24-hour-live-andpre-recorded-programming/1571671822001
At the far right side of that web page you will see a series of small pictures of “Live Now”
events. Click on the correct picture (probably “General Assembly”). When the big picture
comes up, at the bottom on the far right side there is a little translation button.
THE TRAFFICKING IN PERSONS REPORT:
The 2015 TIP Report is online. This report assigns
each country a score based on the efforts they are
making to end trafficking. The 2015 report puts
special emphasis on human trafficking in the global
marketplace, and highlights the hidden risks that
workers may encounter when seeking employment.
Unfortunately the report is only in English, but can
be accessed here:
http://www.state.gov/j/tip/rls/tiprpt/index.htm
AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL:
The Coalition Against Trafficking in Women (www.catwinternational.org ) told us that
Amnesty International, at the conclusion of its International Council Meeting in August,
voted for a resolution that urges all governments to adopt laws endorsing the full
decriminalization of the sex industry, including pimps, brothel owners and buyers of
sexual acts. Their public explanation (with language about gender equality, women's
rights, human rights standards and child sexual exploitation) sounds wonderful, but
throughout their deliberation and research, they chose to side with the sex-trade
industry, excluding the voices of survivors and women's rights organizations. Amnesty
apparently also ignored growing evidence about the actual effects of the
decriminalization of the sex industry, especially that it leads to an increase in sex
trafficking in legal brothels and gives state-sanctioned license to purchase individuals
for sexual acts that even include acts of torture.
By failing to uphold its mission of protecting the human rights guaranteed by the
Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Amnesty has damaged its credibility. Even
worse, it has condemned the most marginalized human beings to exploitation in the sex
trade. For instance, an estimated 2-3 million women and girls are exploited in India's
sex industry; if the Indian government takes Amnesty's advice to decriminalize brothel
owners and pimps, one can only imagine the exponential growth of sex trade profits and
a vast increase in the suffering of women and girls.
The anti-trafficking groups to which UNANIMA belongs will continue to urge Amnesty
International to advocate for laws that decriminalize only those engaged in selling sex,
but which hold accountable those who profit from such exploitation. We do not accept
that people have the "right" to pimp and exploit other human beings.
FLASH POINTS:
 The Congregation of Notre Dame sisters are preparing to “Green” their
motherhouse in Montreal. The project is under the direction of their Justice
Coordinator, Mr. Apraham Niziblian, along with a Steering Committee from every
constituency at the motherhouse, and consultants from city officials, the
environmental community, and academia. Their partner in the project is
Equiterre, an international organization involved in environmentally sustainable
living, that provides education and consultation in building design. The project
was presented to the community in August, with eco-sociologist / co-founder of
Equiterre, Laure Waridel as guest speaker.
 The US Environmental Protection Agency triggered an environmental disaster. In
their attempt to clean up contaminated water from a gold mine in Colorado, they
broke through an earthen “plug”
and released more than 3 million
gallons of toxic, acid water into a
scenic river. The Rio de las
Animas, now contaminated with
arsenic, lead, and other heavy
metals, runs through small towns
in northern New Mexico where the
Ursuline Sisters of Mount Saint
Joseph minister, and through homelands of indigenous peoples. The picture
(from CNN / KRQE) shows the formerly clear water full of toxic orange sludge.
 Sisters of St. Agnes Anabel Torres and Colette Hartman founded CANTERA in
Nicaragua, a non-profit organization that helps young people in both cities and
rural areas of the country. These young people are often poor, and don’t have
the family support they need. The organization helps them develop self-worth
and fulfill their dreams. CANTERA does this through a series of workshops,
which generally focus on three topics: gender, development and spirituality. They
believe this model will help other countries with similar problems, and Sister
Colette works with other non-profit organizations around the world as they share
how to solve the problems in their communities.
LAST CHANCE FOR NOMINATIONS--WOMEN OF COURAGE:
Do you know a woman who should be nominated for this? We have only one
nomination so far, and the UNANIMA Board will be voting on this at their fall meeting in
September. You can find translated nomination forms on the website ( www.unanimainternational.org ) Follow this pathway: What We Do / Programs / Women and Children /
Women of Courage Award.