In late August, I joined two colleagues from the Vincentian Family and the Executive Board of the Working Group to End Homelessness (WGEH), Jim Claffey (Congregation of the Mission) and MaryAnn Dantuono (AIC- Ladies of Charity), in a Mission visit with Ambassador Krzysztof Szczerski (Polish Ambassador, Permanent Representative) and Malgorzata Benson (Second Secretary and not pictured in above photo).

Pictured (left to right): Jimmy Walters (Sisters of Charity Federation), MaryAnn Dantuono (AIC- Ladies of Charity), Jim Claffey (Congregation of the Mission), and Ambassador Krzysztof Szczerski (Polish Ambassador, Permanent Representative).

The focus of our meeting was ending homelessness (no easy task). Last month, in our newsletter, I raised the challenge of remaining hopeful in this advocacy work. In this encounter with the Polish Mission, hope was alive. Ambassador Szczerski offered practical strategies for our WGEH to better engage Member States in advocating for data collection on homelessness and including homelessness in the current and future UN frameworks and agendas.

What struck me was the sincerity of the Polish Mission. They share a genuine commitment to ending poverty, and with the Ambassador in key roles this year as Vice Chair of ECOSOC and Chair of CSocD63, we can be hopeful that we found another partner in our advocacy. For 45-minutes, it felt like a collaborative conversation where our goals and yes, hopes, were aligned.

On the other side of the coin, I recently attended an intimate gathering with the President of the Security Council, Slovenia’s Ambassador, Samuel Zbogar. The Ambassador provided insight into the upcoming agenda for the Security Council, recognizing the many challenges (and frustrations) that exist due to the current structure of the Council (e.g. Veto power of 5 Member States) and the realities of alarming numbers of armed conflicts, displaced people, and violations of human rights. I was a part of a small coalition representing the interest of Haiti from a subgroup of the Justice Coalition of the Religious (JCoR).

When my colleague posed her question about Haiti, raising urgent concerns on behalf of the Haiti people, the response was less than encouraging. A canned answer fell short of what we hoped for, and as we left the UN Headquarters, we felt deflated yet committed to finding every opportunity to advocate for the Haitian citizens who continue to experience extreme violence, poverty, and persecution. We left reminded that we must continue to advocate and keep being a voice for those we represent around these high-level tables.

Jimmy Walters,
NGO Representative to the U.N., Sisters of Charity Federation.