We are a group of 23 non-governmental organizations that are accredited to collectively represent over 200 congregations of Roman Catholic women and men Religious at the United Nations (UN) Headquarters in New York. For centuries, congregations of Religious have served those who have been rendered poor, vulnerable, oppressed, and marginalized by existing global systems. Through our membership in JCoR, we have united with our sister and brother organizations to enhance collaboration among our members–at UN Headquarters and around the world–in our common mission: to improve quality of life for people living in poverty and to enhance our stewardship of the natural environment.
The primary aim of our collaboration is to strengthen the capacity of our members to address the root causes of unsustainable development.
We work toward this goal by coordinating national, regional, and global efforts of Religious to call on local and national leaders for a just, equitable, and rights-based implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the UN’s Agenda for 2015-2030.
Digital Delegation Training Programme for the 2025 HLPF on Sustainable Development
In January, JCoR will be launching our 2025 Progamme for “Digital Delegates” of Religious NGOs to the High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development. This initiative is designed for Religious Sisters, Brothers, priests, associates, and partners in mission who are based in, or have significant personal experience in, countries who will present VNR reports to the 2025 HLPF. Learn more about the programme and how you can participate here.
Upcoming and Recent Events
Visit our events page for a complete list of our upcoming activities, where you can also access resources and recordings of past events. Check out our Google calendar to view forthcoming regional events and Global Community Hours.
2025 Programme for “Digital Delegates” of Religious NGOs to the HLPF on Sustainable Development
Click on the following links to view the programme in English, Español, Português, and Français. Eligibility to Participate: Affiliation with a congregation of Catholic Sisters, Brothers, and priests, including Members of any congregation Lay co-members, associates, employees, mission partners of any congregation Members of any lay association that is affiliated with a congregation Significant personal experience in/of one of the countries whose government will present a progress report at the 2025 High-Level Political Forum (HLPF), for example: currently lives or recently lived in the country is currently responsible for liaising with Religious in the country is currently responsible for supporting projects in the country Ability to read and converse in English, Spanish, Portuguese, and/or French Goals for participants: Build understanding of the role of the Religious voice in the UN system and global efforts toward just, sustainable development Establish or deepen understanding of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the related High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF) and Voluntary National Reviews (VNRs) on progress toward achieving them Get support from UN representatives of Religious NGOs toward participation in your national and global conversations on SDG progress Meet and learn from other women and men Religious and their partners who are seeking to implement and monitor SDGs in your region and other parts of the world Format: Series of live, online gatherings to provide orientation and facilitate preparatory research and engagement of members between January and August 2025 Global sessions (for all participants): 27 January, 17 February, 24 March, 5 May, 2 June, 7 July, and 11 August Regional sessions (separate calls for delegates from Latin America, Africa, Europe, and Asia-Pacific): 28 January-14 February: regional meet and greet Late February-Late April: Independently follow UN Regional Fora on Sustainable Development 30 June-11 July: regional discussion of national government’s reports Independent study/reflection/communication activities to be completed between online gatherings “JCoR SDG Lab” immediately following the HLPF (28 July – 1 August 2025) Platform featuring a series of open Zoom calls where members and partners can meet to share good practices/knowledge/expertise on various SDGs under review time slots for live discussions to be focused on each of the SDGs under review at 2025 HLPF: SDG 3 (quality healthcare and well-being) SDG 5 (gender equality) SDG 8 (decent work) SDG 14 (conservation of aquatic ecosystems) SDG 17 (partnerships for the SDGs) Commitment required for participation: Participate live in at least 4/9 online sessions (or communicate to the facilitator the reason you are unable to join at least 4 sessions) View recordings of any session you are unable to attend live (and communicate to the facilitator afterward that you have viewed the recording) Participate live in at least one session of the “JCoR SDG Lab” between 28 July and 1 August (or submit a recording/written contribution to at least one session) Complete all independent study/reflection activities between gatherings Attempt to make contact with a national civil society network that is monitoring SDG implementation in the participant’s country Participate in a JCoR WhatsApp group with other HLPF delegates throughout the programme Complete final programme evaluation form Participants who fulfill the requirements above will receive a certificate of completion in August 2025. Content of online gatherings: 27 January 2025: Global Session #1 What is the Justice Coalition of Religious (JCoR)? What are the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)? What is the role of Religious congregations in the UN system and the SDGs? 28 January – 14 February 2025: Regional Sessions: Round 1 Meeting others with your region and learning about their personal areas of ministry and experience Exact date and time to be selected by members from each region 17 February 2025: Global Session #2 What is the High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF)? What are Voluntary National Reviews (VNRs)? How can we, members of civil society, participate in the VNR process and in the HLPF? February – April 2025: Regional Fora on Sustainable Development Dates for each region: Asia-Pacific: 25-28 February Western Asia: 25-28 March Europe & North America: 2-3 April Africa: 8-10 April Latin America and the Caribbean: 25-28 April What are the central themes or concerns my national government is emphasizing in our input to the Regional Forum? What ideas or concerns are absent from my government’s input to the Regional Forum? How does my government’s input compare to those of other countries in the region? 31 March 2025: Global Session #3 Check in on progress toward participation in groups that will make a concrete contribution to the HLPF How can we reflect on national SDG progress reports that were submitted by civil society to previous HLPF sessions? 5 May 2025: Global Session #4 What were key themes of our respective nations’ input to their Regional Fora? What insights or concepts from our respective governments’ input would we wish to reinforce? What would we add? What key ideas or observations did we take away from the Regional Forum as a whole? 2 June 2025: Global Session #5 How can we reflect on national SDG progress reports that were submitted by our governments to previous HLPF sessions? To which of the priority SDGs does each of us feel called to focus during the HLPF and to speak about during the JCoR SDG Lab? What tasks do we need to complete in order to prepare for our participation in the HLPF and JCoR SDG Lab? Click here to access all past VNR reports submitted by your country’s government 7 July 2025: Global Session #6 How shall we prepare and submit our contributions to the JCoR SDG Lab? How do we follow the proceedings of the HLPF virtually or in person? Click here to access the VNR report submitted by your government to the 2025 HLPF 30 June – 11 July 2025: Regional Sessions: Round 2 What are our responses to the most recent VNR presented by our respective governments? What are our responses to the most recent SDG progress report(s) developed by a civil society network in our respective countries? What are the key ideas from each country that we want to include in our presentations/comments for the JCoR SDG Lab? 11 August 2025: Global Session #7 What were our impressions of the 2025 HLPF and JCoR SDG Lab? How do we intend to take the lessons of this process forward? What support from JCoR or our congregations would helpful to us as we continue to implement and monitor SDGs in our countries? REGISTER separately for each global session you will attend live via these links: 27 January 2023 (13:00-15:00 UTC): https://bit.ly/4g4c1zu 17 February 2024 (13:00-15:00 UTC): Coming Soon 31 March 2024 (13:00-15:00 UTC): Coming Soon 5 May 2024 (13:00-15:00 UTC): Coming Soon 2 June 2025 (13:00-15:00 UTC): Coming Soon 7 July 2024 (13:00-15:00 UTC): Coming Soon 11 August 2024 (13:00-15:00 UTC): Coming Soon
December Global Community Hour: Human Rights
We are pleased to invite you to JCoR’s Global Community Hour on Friday, 13 December 2024, from 7:00-8:00am (Guatemala City, Mexico City) / 8:00-9:00am (New York, Bogotá, Havana, Lima) / 10:00-11:00am (Rio de Janeiro, Buenos Aires) / 3:00-4:00pm (Central Africa time) / 6:30-7:30pm (India Standard time). This meeting is part of a series of monthly online gatherings for Religious from around the globe to come together in prayer for our world and to shine a light on the most pressing justice issues emerging in your respective nations and regions. In recognition of Human Rights Day, the theme for our gathering this month is human rights. “Human rights can empower individuals and communities to forge a better tomorrow. By embracing and trusting the full power of human rights as the path to the world we want, we can become more peaceful, equal and sustainable. This Human Rights Day we focus on how human rights are a pathway to solutions, playing a critical role as a preventative, protective and transformative force for good.” Therefore, we are especially inviting individuals to share their experiences in protecting, upholding, and fighting for human rights. As usual, all voices and justice concerns are welcome in this communal space. Sisters, Brothers, priests, lay associates, and partners in mission are all welcome! English, French, Portuguese, and Spanish interpretation will be available. Click here to register. Please contact communications@jcor2030.org with any questions. We will convene in this manner on the second Friday of each month. We hope you and your members will join us on Friday, 13 December and for future “Global Community Hour” gatherings! Click on the following links to view the Global Community Hour flyer in English, French, Portuguese, and Spanish.
Education Session: Sisters Rising Worldwide Orientation to Crowdfunding and Networking
On Friday, December 6th, from 8:00am-9:15am (New York time), one of JCoR’s board members, Beth Blissman, PhD, of the Loretto Community, will be offering a webinar that will provide an orientation to Sisters Rising Worldwide. Through an innovative technology platform, Sisters Rising Worldwide is a nonprofit making it possible for Sisters to overcome the challenges of geography, language, and separate congregations to effectively share ideas and strategies that solve the root causes of injustice throughout the world. We invite Sisters to join our orientation session to learn more about why Sisters Rising Worldwide (SRW.org) was created, and how to access the online platform for Sisters, which is called the Peace Room. We encourage you to help us raise awareness of this event throughout your networks. Click on the following link to access a shareable event flyer. Click here to register. We would love to see you there! Please note: As a follow up to this orientation session on Sisters Rising Worldwide, Beth will also be holding office hours from 8:00am-9:15am (ET) on the first Friday of every month throughout 2025 for those who wish for more personalized assistance with navigating srw.org and accessing all the resources this platform has to offer. Please contact Beth with any questions. Click here to watch a recording of this orientation.
Free to Free: A 6-Day Programme Focusing on the 16 Days to Eliminate Violence Against Women and Girls
JCoR’s network in South India is co-sponsoring a series of webinars to mark the 16 Days to End Violence Against Women and Girls. Our co-sponsors will be the Indian Christian Women’s Movement and the Conference of Religious Women of India. It will run from this Sunday, 24 November through Tuesday, 10 December. All sessions will be conducted from this same Zoom link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81117724840?pwd=RaVXgNxPgrfX1cRB6oxFHIv3DJhPTG.1 The passcode for all sessions is: VAWG
