Salesian sisters visited the IIMA Human Rights Office

 On 15 April 2011, a group of 36 Salesian sisters coming from India, Australia, USA, UK, Ireland Rwanda , Sudan and Zambia visited the IIMA Human Rights Office in Geneva.

The goal of the meeting was to present the mission and activities of the office and to remember the possible areas for collaboration. 

Sister Rosita, FMA in Argentina, meets the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Right to adequate housing

From 13^th to 21^st April 2011, the UN Special Rapporteur on the right to adequate housing, Ms. Raquel Rolnik, is visiting Argentina where she has met members of the civil society.

Our Institute, through the Human Rights Office of ARO Province in Argentina, participated in one meeting. In fact, Sister Rosa Silvia Sidasmed, FMA in Argtentina, presented a detailed report concerning the situation of campesinos and indigenous people, who lived in the North of the country.

Message of the UN Secretary General in occasion of the World Water Day

On 22 March, on the occasion of the World Water Day, the UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, reaffirmed the importance of the management of water resource to fight against poverty and to guarantee the dignity for all.

The management of water resource was among the several challenges decided during the Millennium Development Goal meeting. “Water for Cities” is the the theme of this year’s observance of World Water Day.

On the one hand, urbanization could play an important role to improve both the efficiency water management and the access to safe drinking water. On the other hand, the urbanization could overdraw the problems concerning water. Moreover, the problem of access to water is connected to the sanitation issue.

The water problems will be faced during the future UN Conference on Sustainable Development in Rio de Janeiro, in 2012- Rio+20.

Ban Ki-moon concluded calling governments to recognize the urban water crisis as a crisis of governance, weak policies and poor management, rather than one of scarcity.

To read more information, please follow the link below:

http://www.un.org/apps/sg/sgstats.asp?nid=5157

UN welcomes the decision of AU to appoint a Special Representative on Women, Peace and Security in the region

The UN Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Sexual Violence in Conflict, Margot Wallström, welcomed the decision of the African Union to appoint a Special Representative on Women, Peace and Security as a point of contact to strengthen the collaboration between the UN and the AU to eradicate sexual violence in Africa.Margot Wallström said that “without the political leadership of Africa, we will not succeed in eradicating this international crime”. In addition, she encouraged the UN Security Council to include conflict-related sexual violence as an item of the agenda in their annual meeting.