Margaret O'Dwyer
Author
The Commodification of Housing
“Housing has lost its social function and is seen instead as a vehicle for wealth and asset growth.” [Leilani Farha, UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Housing] We’re becoming all too familiar with these scenarios: families forced out of cities by upward spiraling...
Conclusion of the Consecrated Life Continental Seminar to Stop Trafficking in Persons
From August 17-20, I had the opportunity to participate, together with 17 Daughters of Charity (DCs) from all provinces of the Americas, in the seminar to stop human trafficking in Bogota, Colombia. Those gathered at the seminar included women, men, consecrated, and...
Focusing on SDG 3 in Chiapas, Mexico
By Sr. Margaret O’Dwyer, DC, along with the Daughters of Charity and Medical Coordinator of San Carlos Hospital, Altamirano, Chiapas, Mexico The UN thrives on good examples of how the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are being achieved in various parts of the...
UN Hearing Focuses on Strengthening Global Plan to Combat Trafficking in Persons
July 30 is World Day Against Trafficking in Persons. One way to fight human trafficking is to strengthen international efforts. Notably, this September, world leaders will revise the Global Plan of Action to Combat Trafficking in Persons when they gather for the...
Vincentian Family at the U.N: Migration
UNITED NATIONS SEEKS INPUT ON GLOBAL MIGRATION COMPACT Vincentian Family members have a great deal to say to the world about migration issues. What would you include in an international agreement related to migration? The United Nations is gathering various opinions...
UN Forum on Indigenous Issues to Focus on Rights
The Vincentian Family is helping to facilitate several opportunities for indigenous persons to express their concerns during the 16th Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues at the United Nations. The Forum runs April 24-May 5 in New York. This year marks the tenth...
UN Looking to Turn the Tide on Ocean Health
To a certain degree, many of us relate to Laudato Si from a land perspective. We ask ourselves, “am I recycling and composting, going solar, watching my use of electricity?” and the like. But Pope Francis, within...
NGO Representatives Collaborate on UN Side Event
One of the most effective ways our Vincentian Family NGOs can effect change at the UN is through sponsorship of side events. The UN is bombarded with concerns about global issues. Far more effective than repetitive complaints are creative solutions, which can be...
The United Nations and Peace
This is a season in which we long for peace. During his traditional Christmas Day blessing, a little over a week ago, Pope Francis prayed for peace in major hotspots around the world. UN Secretary General, Antonio Guterres, on New Year’s Eve called for this...
A United Nations Twelve Days of Christmas
The Song, “The Twelve Days of Christmas,” was composed in 1780. It refers to the 12 days starting with Christmas and ending on the Feast of the Epiphany. I wondered what it might be like if there were a version for the UN…considering events in 2016 and what we might...