Members of the SSND delegation to the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women meeting began preparing on Sunday to advocate on behalf of women and children at the annual conference.
         The delegation includes eight School Sisters of Notre Dame, one SSND staff member, seven students from College of Notre Dame of Maryland and a staff member from the Sheil Catholic Center at Northwestern University in Evanston, Ill.
         Sr. Ethel Howley, SSND, assistant coordinator for the SSND Atlantic-Midwest Province’s office of Justice, Peace and Integrity of Creation, opened the afternoon workshop with an explanation of the structure of the United Nations and protocol for United Nations’ meetings. Sister Ethel represented the School Sisters of Notre Dame at the United Nations for 10 years.
         The School Sisters of Notre Dame have been a registered NGO (non-governmental organization) with the U.N.’s Department of Public Information since 1993. In 1998, SSND received special consultative status with the ECOSOC.
SSND delegates will be attending CSW meetings as well as parallel events organized by U.N. missions and agencies and by NGOs. SSND delegates will encounter representatives from three distinct groups at the meeting, Sister Ethel said.          Representatives from the 191 countries in the United Nations are the decision makers who will approve final resolutions and actions. Participants from the Secretariat are the staff employed by the United Nations and are responsible for conducting research, writing reports and carrying out decisions made by the governments.
         Finally, NGOs like the School Sisters of Notre Dame advocate and educate to keep government officials aware of the issues. While the government officials can be considered the “head” of the CSW for their decision-making role, the Secretariat can be likened to the “heart” for the role they play in carrying out those decisions.
         NGOs are best described as the “conscience,” Sister Ethel said. NGOs provide valuable support by collecting information, conducing research, putting findings into easily reviewed formats and providing the material to the governments so the issues can be acted upon in an efficient and timely manner.

         SSND delegates will have the opportunity to caucus and lobby other participants at the meeting, said Sr. Ann Scholz, SSND, director of the SSND UN-NGO office.
         “We’re attending to bring something to the discussion,” Sister Ann said. “Our primary focus is going to be girls. One of our areas of primary concerns at the United Nations is the rights and wellbeing of girls.”
         To begin, the group began analyzing the draft outcome document outlining the decisions the governments will make at the end of the two-week session.  As they reviewed the proposals through the lens of girls’ issues and concerns, the SSND delegates noted suggested changes in language and content. They will take their recommendations to the Girls Caucus, which will be moderated by Sister Ann on Monday afternoon.

The SSND delegation to the Commission on the Status of women includes (front row from left) College of Notre Dame students Jessica Rohaly and Barbara Bailey; Sr. Ethel Howley, SSND; Notre Dame student Ashley Chesson; Sr. Sharon Kanis, SSND, and Notre Dame student Kelela Marcos-Gabre; (back row from left) Notre Dame student Madeline Martin-Seaver; Katie Kustusch; Sr. Miriam Jansen, SSND; Sr. Ann Scholz, SSND; Sr. Eileen Reilly, SSND; Sr. Carolyn Jost, SSND; and Notre Dame students Micah Yousefi and Jin Young Kim. Not pictured are Sr. Maureen Fleming, SSND, and Sr. Joan Connelly, SSND, and Julie Gilberto-Brady, communications coordinator.

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