September 2020
last Updated August 12th 2020
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Some of the "picture" posts to our Facebook Page during this Season of Creation. Why not go to the page, Like & Follow us as you check out the posts for yourself?
On Thursday Sept 17th 2020@8pm you are invited to the
On Thursday Sept 17th 2020@8pm you are invited to the
Season of Creation 2020
Season of Creation 2020
"Cultivating Hope"
hosted by the Diocese of Kerry. To register for this hour long event please email "Cultivating Hope"
or Phone 064 6632644
or Phone 064 6632644
Below is the IPA Update for September 2020 that has been sent in to us by Sr. Mary T Krueger (PBVM) our IPA Programme Action Leader.
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Mary T and Despoina have also made contact in respect of how we might be able to help them in their work at the UN.
Mary T explains all here.............
Dear friends,Hope you are all well and in good health!!As you are aware, the IPA is an active member of the UN Working Group on Girls (WGG). Please see the information below regarding an initiative for the International Day of the Girl 2020 (October 11th). We want to have as many girls involved as possible. For more details click here or go to the event's official website. The deadline is September 18th, 2020. Let me know if you have any further questions.Looking forward to hearing from you!Stay safe!DespoinaFinal Deadline – September 18th @ 23.59 EST
Final Deadline – September 18th @ 23.59 EST
If you can a take part then please let us know what you have done so that we can share it with Despoina our IPA Networker at the UN.
If you can a take part then please let us know what you have done so that we can share it with Despoina our IPA Networker at the UN.
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Geraldine Nason Byrne is the Irish Ambassador to the UN and significantly was appointed to the UN to steer Ireland's successful bid to option a seat on the UN Security Council. You can hear her input below on this topic and a wonderful impartial article from the Economist announces Ireland as an unlikely superpower.
The Presentation English Province are extending a greater focus to this coming Season of Creation given that Laudato Si is five years old this year. Understanding and underlining the extent of our living relationships with our environment is all the more important given the Covid Pandemic and how our encroachment into other habitats is causing problems for all. One way of learning / sharing / reflecting on our Climate Emergency responsibilities and more is to book a place on any of the following Zoom interactions (below) as part of the Birmingham Justice and Peace 2020 Assembly. You can learn more and book here
Geraldine Byrne-Nason
Permanent Representative of Ireland to the UN
Ireland’s Election to the UN Security Council
How Ireland gets its way
An unlikely diplomatic superpower Every st patrick’s day, Ireland’s ministers partake in a long-held Irish custom: they leave the country. Ministers are packed off to far-flung destinations to preach the virtues of the homeland. The prime minister always heads to America, but other bigwigs find themselves farther afield. In 2018 the housing minister was sent to South Korea, while the minister for higher education ended up in Oman. This year, as covid-19 raged through Europe and Irish politics stood still during coalition negotiations, things were scaled back. Only the trip to Washington went ahead. Ireland, a country of 5m people, had to settle for an audience with the president, a breakfast with the vice-president and a lunch with practically every senior member of Congress.How Ireland gets its way
On a per-head basis, Ireland has a good claim to be the world’s most diplomatically powerful country. Its finance minister, Paschal Donohoe, last week won the race to become president of the Eurogroup, the influential club of euro-zone finance ministers, despite the French and German governments backing another candidate. In June Ireland won a seat on the un Security Council, fending off Canada, another country often flattered by comparison with a bigger, sometimes boorish, neighbour. Barely a decade after a financial crisis saw Ireland bailed out, Philip Lane, the former head of Ireland’s central bank, is the main thinker at the European Central Bank. In Brussels, Ireland’s commissioner Philip Hogan is in charge of trade, one of the few briefs where the European Commission, rather than eu governments, is supreme. And the eu’s position on Brexit was shaped by Irish diplomats. Ireland has some natural advantages. A history of emigration blessed it with a huge diaspora in America, which unlike say the German diaspora, is vocal about its heritage. That ensures an audience in the White House and sway on Capitol Hill. It is a small, English-speaking country with diplomats able to focus on a few clear aims. A policy of neutrality helps it avoid unpopular military entanglement. Unlike most rich European countries, it carries no imperial baggage. Indeed, Ireland’s history as a victim of colonialism still provides a useful icebreaker with countries once coloured pink on Victorian maps. Nor is Ireland shy about using its cultural clout. Alongside more subtle overtures, the push for the Security Council seat involved free tickets to Riverdance and a u2 gig. The best that Canada could muster was Celine Dion.
It is in the eu where Ireland shows true diplomatic dexterity. It avoids easy classification. Ireland shares a lust for balanced budgets with frugal northern states, yet it endured a banking crash and the ignominy of a bail-out programme like Spain and Portugal. Though it is now among the richest countries in the bloc, it started life as the poorest, relying on eu funding to spur growth—a similar path to the one countries in Europe’s east hope to take. It is a member of the New Hanseatic League, a club of northern, liberal countries, yet it was among the first to back a demand from southern Europe for common debt to be issued by the eu and granted to struggling governments. Ireland can fairly be labelled as a northern, southern, eastern or western European country.
Ireland’s membership of a more informal, yet powerful, grouping is also key. Of the eu’s 27 members, only five have populations of more than 20m. The small countries have different agendas, but they share a similar goal: not being trampled by bigger neighbours. These relationships are cherished by Ireland, which has an embassy in every eu country—a rarity for a country of its size. For big countries used to having their own way through history, the eu is a way of maintaining power even as they shrink as individual actors on the world stage. For smaller countries, however, the eu magnifies their power beyond their wildest dreams. During last year’s Brexit negotiations, Irish diplomats were well aware of this fact, which took longer to be appreciated in London. The eu was never likely to side against a current member in favour of a departing one. However, it was thanks to Dublin’s patient, energetic lobbying that the border on the island of Ireland became the defining issue during talks.
Letting other people have your wayIreland was not always so influential. At the start of the decade, the country’s reputation was shot. A banking crisis led to an embarrassing €85bn bail-out. Rebuilding that reputation has been a decade-long task. Among the bail-out countries, Ireland became a star pupil, enacting reforms with almost masochistic relish, while other countries in a similar position complained. For a country whose prosperity is based on economic openness, foreign policy starts with economic policy.
There are still plenty of reasons for Ireland to be disliked. It hosts the European operations of many of the world’s largest tech companies, and its data-protection regime is lenient. For a while, the likes of Google and Facebook were watched over by a regulator whose office was above a convenience store in a small town 50 miles (80km) from Dublin. Although now a more professional operation, it is still seen as weak. When it comes to tax, kind words about the Irish disappear. At 12.5%, its corporation tax is the second-lowest in the eu. Often companies do not pay even that. In 2016 the European Commission demanded that the Irish government collect €13bn in back-taxes from Apple. On July 15th the European Court of Justice annulled the decision. Ireland’s tax policy was legally vindicated (although its coffers were less full).
A crackdown on Ireland and her fellow low-tax states is still brewing. But here Ireland has real power: each eu country wields a veto on the topic. There is less need for crafty diplomacy if Dublin has as much power to block as Paris. Now plans are afoot to clamp down on unpopular tax policies using methods that would bypass this veto. The only way of stopping such proposals would be via an alliance of countries able to amass a blocking minority. It is lucky Ireland has skilled diplomats. It will need them. Charlemagne - The Economist July 18th 2020
And in reply to the article published in the Economist (above) that was published in the Irish Times of August 18th 2020
And in reply to the article published in the Economist (above) that was published in the Irish Times of August 18th 2020
As of August 10th all must wear a mask indoors in public spaces.
Previously all Civil Society inputs and actions relative to the implementation of the SDGs in the UK will move from the UKSSD to Global Compact Network UK
Previously all Civil Society inputs and actions relative to the implementation of the SDGs in the UK will move from the UKSSD to Global Compact Network UK
Do you want to hear more about the Sustainable Development Goals in the UK?
UKSSD's mission has moved to the UN Global Compact UK Network (GCN).
As of August 2020 all communications will come from the GCN team and if you want to carry on hearing about work to accelerate progress on the Sustainable Development Goals in the UK and opportunities to take part in projects or activities, you will need to re-register below.
John Hume
John Hume
August 3, 2020
From the Letters to the Irish Times on John Hume
Beirut Explosion of the Port
(Before and After Picture)Beirut Explosion of the Port
August 6th Lebanon is home to more refugees per capita than any other country in the world. One in every four inhabitants in Lebanon is a refugee. This quiet generosity deserves unequivocal reciprocation under the auspices of the Civil Society NGOs who are coordinating the emergency response with little assistance from a hopeless government. (Irish Times August 6th 2020) #LebanonNeedsHelp
As we prepare for the Season of Creation
As we prepare for the Season of Creation
Sent to us by Sr. Eileen Keating of the UK.
It's important to know the facts....
Do all refugees want to come to the UK?
Do all refugees want to come to the UK?
August 6th 2020
This article is being widely shared in the UK today and sets out our Security Council stall in advance of taking up our seat but also shows our commitment to #SDG16 Peace and Strong Institutions as a basis for a sustainable, peaceful society that puts people and planet at the centre.
Biodiversity crisis: ‘B-Line’ wildflower network opens major routes across UK for pollinating insects
Biodiversity crisis: ‘B-Line’ wildflower network opens major routes across UK for pollinating insects
National scheme aims to reverse catastrophic decline of Britain’s vital pollinators
National scheme aims to reverse catastrophic decline of Britain’s vital pollinators
Harry Cockburn - Monday 13 July
A national network of wildflower highways will provide habitats and routes for essential pollinating insects across the country
This was forwarded to us by Sr. Maureen O' Connell of the South West Province Ireland.
I came upon this article from The New Yorker and felt that given the number of posts we had from the UK in particular, relative to their work in their gardens and the upcoming and ongoing preparations for the Season of Creation 2020 I thought I might include it here.
ECI Newsletter Summer 2020.pdfGreen Christian offer a Prayer Guide for each day of September especially during this coming season of creation.
Prayer guide Sept.pdfFor those who are looking for ideas for a service during the season of creation below you will find some helpful resources from the Catholic Climate Covenant.
Season_of_Creation-3.pdfPage updated
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