RSHM AT THE UNITED NATIONS

The Religious of the Sacred Heart of Mary became affiliated with the United Nations in 2006 as a non-governmental organization (NGO) associated with the UN Department of Public Information. The purpose of this affiliation is to extend the influence of the Institute’s mission “That All May Have Life” to a global level. As a presence at the UN, the RSHM NGO strives to work for the promotion of justice on behalf of the poor and the marginalized, especially women and children.

The principal means of achieving this end are education, participation and advocacy. We disseminate UN information resources to our members and, through them, to all those we serve. We encourage participation of members through their provincial and regional structures, especially their offices of Justice, Peace, and Integrity of Creation (JPIC). We advocate in cooperation with groups and organizations that have similar goals to make explicit our preferential options within the UN network of international bodies. We work especially to promote the UN’s Millennium Development Goals with particular focus on women and children. Specifically the NGO office:

• works in partnership with the RSHM JPIC network;
• issues Newsletters which inform members about policies, issues and actions that affect the promotion of justice;
• responds to requests from members for information and networking contacts;
• responds to requests from the RSHM Network of Schools to provide education for members;
• offers the UNEP (UN Experience Program) which provides mentoring, study, observation, reflection and networking for RSHM interested in a UN experience;
• collaborates with other NGOs as well as UN commissions and committees, and advocates with governments to insure that the human rights of all individuals are respected;