From Grassroots to Global: Edmund Rice International Advocacy at the UN

Advocacy for social justice and human rights is a priority area across Edmund Rice Mission. By being granted ECOSOC status at the UN in 2012, the Edmund Rice International (ERI) project based in both Geneva and New York is able to work in partnership with development projects throughout the world to feed into the United Nations mechanisms so that change can be driven at an international level.

During the 46th Human Rights Council session, ERI delivered a number of statements. With proceedings taking place virtually, NGOs were asked to raise their concerns via recorded video statements. This provided an opportunity for members of the Edmund Rice network to address the Council directly.

ERI’s interventions, often joint statements with Edmund Rice Mission partners, included statements as part of the discussions on the following topics:

• the Rights of Children and the SDGs (statement read by Constantine D’Abreu of ERI);
• the Special Rapporteur on the Sale of Children (statement read by Priya from the PRATYek project, India);
• the Special Rapporteur on Persons with Disabilities (statement read by Cyprian Omoding, Edmund Rice Advocacy Network, Kenya);
• the Special Rapporteur on Sustainable Development (statement read by Steve Rocha, PRATYek, India);
• the Report of the Special Representative of the Secretary General on Violence Against Children (statement read by Paola Miranda, Defensoría Edmundo Rice, South America)

Statements were also delivered during the General Debates on:

• Gender-based Violence in South Africa (statement delivered by Jessica Dewhurst of The Justice Desk)
• the Right to Education in South Africa (statement delivered by Ignatius France of the Justice Desk)
• Violence Against Children (statement delivered by Ram from NineisMine India) 
• A statement was also read by Brian Bond on behalf of 107 local NGOs in Myanmar following the recent military coup. The NGOs feared reprisals if they were to be identified by speaking publicly.
• Finally a statement on the outcome of the UPR of the United States was read by Kevin Cawley of ERI

We thank Misean Cara for supporting ERI and many of their partners so that they can continue amplifying and championing local advocacy voices on an international stage.

Adapted from the Edmund Rice International’s March Newsletter