Collaboration at the United Nations by the Vincentian Family has been long in the making. Over the past 20 years, there has been a meaningful transformation in the way we understand our Charism. During this period, two core elements have become integral in our collective language: Vincentian Family Collaboration and Systemic Change. These two concepts reflect the best spirit of our founders for us to face the challenges of our world today.  These concepts are slowly gaining space in our collective imagination in the way that we pray and reflect, as well as in our community life and our pastoral actions.

This year in a renewed spirit of collaboration, the members of the branches of the Vincentian Family present at the UN came together to envision an effective collaboration that would reflect the ways in which we want to be present and work in this global forum, always respecting the individual mandates and identities of the organizations we represent.

These are the members of the Family working at the UN and Genève: Sr. Catherine Prendergast, and Sr. Margaret O’Dwyer for the Daughters of Charity; In Geneva, the Company is represented by Sister Monique Javouhey on the Human Rights Council. Sr. Teresa Kotturan, Sisters of Charity Federation; Mr. Ed Keane, Society of St Vincent de Paul; M. Natalie Boone – AIC and Fr. Guillermo Campuzano, Congregation of the Mission. Fr. Joe Foley, CM who served 15 years as the CM representative is an adviser for our group.

We share with you our common dreams:

MISSION: The Vincentian Family is a global family founded on our primary charismatic intuition, “there is dignity in every human story.” We choose to collaborate around our ministry of advocacy at the United Nations, respecting our individual identities and mandates, to unleash the power of advocacy we have as a family. As the united voice of the Vincentian Family at the United Nations, we advocate for and seek the empowerment of our brothers and sisters on the social and economic margins of history and society, the excluded, and our wounded Mother Earth.

VISION: The Vincentian Family at the United Nations envisions a world where the integral development of the human person is safeguarded. We promote a world of sustainable livelihoods, economic justice, social inclusion, and environmental protection, particularly for the most vulnerable and excluded, so that the dignity of each person is respected. We embrace a human rights framework, to ensure that all persons can live in a world of peace, justice, and security.

PRIORITIES:

• We share efforts and critical information around local and global concerns, in collaboration with other organizations who share our values.
• We bring the voices of the most vulnerable and those we work with through our Vincentian Family to the United Nations, and take global UN concerns back to our members, so that there is mutual input towards effective solutions.
• We create awareness and educate the Vincentian Family for advocacy at the grass roots, national, and global levels.
• We ensure that the Vincentian Family focus will be on the formulation of policies around social inclusion, economic justice, and care of the environment.
• We promote a systemic-change perspective among Vincentian Family members at all levels.
• We address issues from an integrative ethical and moral perspective, with human rights, responsibilities, and personal dignity at the forefront.