Number
1 - APRIL 2000
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Mercy presence at the
United Nations increases opportunities for global justice
The United Nations is truly a place where
our voices are joined and amplified to seek human rights and
dignity for all.
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 or
over a year now, I have represented the Sisters of Mercy
around the world at the United Nations. This time has
been a great privilege for me. It has allowed me the opportunity
to sit at the table with people from around the world
to address global challenges of poverty, development,
human rights and empowerment of women, and it has given
me a chance to ask the question: "What are the implications
of the Sisters of Mercy being present at the United Nations?"
Since Catherine McAuley made her vows in1831 in Dublin,
Sisters of Mercy around the world have worked to address
the needs of those who are poor and marginalized. We continue
this same work today at the UN, where we sit at a global
table and join with other women and men, who work systemically
to address issues that are at the core of our Mercy mission.
By Dale Jarvis, RSM
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Sister Dale Jarvis, left,
and Sister Wendy Flannery
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few
months ago, an historic summit took place in which the leaders
of a former European colonial power met with the leaders of
their former colonies, in the capital city of one of those former
colonies. A reporter interviewed a "man in the street"
about the summit. "They hold lots of meetings," he
said, "and eat plenty of good food. But for us nothing
changes." To try to ensure that "something does change"
in favour of those who have least access to resources for a
decent human life and least power in the global scheme of things
is surely at the heart of the challenge involved in representing
the Mercy International Association (MIA) at the UN.
A speech by the UN Secretary General, Kofi Annan, soon after
he was appointed, highlights this theme. The opening words of
the UN Charter, "We, the Peoples of the United Nations,"
he says, are a clear statement that the UN "does not belong
to States alone. It is part of the common heritage of all of
humankind ... For each and every one of us, it is a unique institution
...which links us all in our efforts to build a better world.
It is an expression of human faith and confidence in the future."
May this initiative of the MIA serve as a call to all of us
to live more deeply a Mercy spirituality shaped by global concern
and offering a vision of our Mercy work, wherever and whatever
it may be, as building faith and confidence in the possibility
of a truly common human future on our earthly home.
By Wendy Flannery, RSM
Mission Statement
Established at the initiative of and under the auspices of
the Mercy International Association, Mercy Global Concern serves
as a channel through which all those associated with the Mercy
spirit, vision and mission in the tradition of Catherine McAuley
can be effectively connected with the United Nations. This mission
draws its dynamism from a global vision of Mercy, and is motivated
by:
The desire to use our
collective power as an international network to exercise global
responsibility through formal engagement with the United Nations
and its programs and activities;
The commitment to contributing
our insights and values as a faith-based organisation, as
well as our practical and professional expertise, towards
building a global community based on justice, compassion and
mutual respect, and living in harmonious relationship with
Earth;
The passion to bring
into public focus in the international arena the circumstances
and rights of those most vulnerable and disadvantaged, especially
women, as well as our concerns for Earth, and to work for
change through the United Nations system;
The recognition of our
individual and collective need to allow the ideals of the
United Nations, and its commitment to building solidarity
and peace among all the world's peoples, to shape our vision
and practice of the mission of Mercy for our times.
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