Global migration crisis: Update from the UN
Maryknoll Sr. Claris Zwareva. Sr. Claris reports from the UN on the latest developments in addressing the needs of the approximately 60 million displaced people around the world.
Laudato Si’ – A prophetic challenge
On February 28, 2016, the Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns brought Columban Father Sean McDonagh to the Maryknoll Mission Center in New York, to speak at an event celebrating the release of Fr. McDonagh’s Orbis book, “On Care for Our Common Home, Laudato Si': The Encyclical of Pope Francis on the Environment.”
February 8: International Day of Prayer and Awareness against Human Trafficking
Find resources for prayer, study, and action.
Faith groups oppose the TPP trade agreement
Members of the Interfaith Working Group on Trade and Investment speak out against the Trans Pacific Partnership.
African civil society statement on Africa's energy needs
Just days before Congress votes on the Electrify Africa Act, 18 African civil society organizations issued a statement calling on African governments and public and private financiers to find socially and environmentally sustainable solutions to Africa's energy needs.
Resources from January-February 2016 NewsNotes
Read and share a new book about Catholic religious representatives at the United Nations, check out the 2016 schedule for the Maryknoll Mission Institute, watch video testimony by Honduran migrants, plan to attend Ecumenical Advocacy Days, and more.
Food Security: U.S. trade policy and farmers
On December 11, Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns was one of 17 faith-based and food security organizations who wrote to Michael Froman, the U.S. trade representative, calling for a change in the Obama administration’s trade policy, leading into the tenth ministerial meeting of the World Trade Organization (WTO) in Nairobi, Kenya.
Trade: TPP text finally released
Serious concerns mount after the text of the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade deal, which has the potential to affect the lives of millions of people in 12 countries, was released in November.
Israel/Palestine: Fears of third intifada
Since the riots on the Temple Mount in mid-September, seemingly random street violence has spiked. Israeli forces have responded with harsh crackdowns.
Catholics tell Congress: Welcome Syrian refugees
On November 20, 14 Catholic organizations, including the Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns, sent a statement to members of Congress regarding the Syrian refugee crisis and the need to welcome Syrian refugees.
Guatemala: Former military officers arrested
In early January, Guatemalan police arrested 18 people on charges of crimes against humanity, as part of an ongoing investigation into forced disappearances that occurred between 1981 and 1988 against indigenous communities.
Brazil: TIAA-CREF and Land Grabbing
In November, a report was presented by the Social Network for Justice and Human Rights, a human rights organization in Brazil, and GRAIN, a food sovereignty NGO, about land grabbing in Brazil by TIAA-CREF, at the International Seminar on Land Grabbing, at City University of New York Graduate Center.