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.
Guide to the United Natio Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues
JCoR created a guide to the 24th Session of the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (UNPFII24). It provides background information on this fora, details on how you can participate in the proceedings, and recommended events sponsored by the faith-based community at the United Nations. The guide is available in English, French, Portuguese, and Spanish and can be found on our conference engagement guides webpage. We encourage you to explore this resource and share it with your networks.
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.
May Global Community Hour: SDG 14 Healthy Aquatic Ecosystems
We are pleased to invite you to JCoR’s Global Community Hour on Friday, 9 May 2025, from 7:00-8:00am (Guatemala City, Mexico City) / 9:00-10:00am (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 preparation for this year’s High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF), we are hosting a series of gatherings focused on HLPF review themes, and the focus of this month is SDG 14: Healthy aquatic ecosystems. Therefore, we are especially inviting individuals to share their experience in conservation and sustainable use of the oceans, seas and marine resources for development. 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, Portuguese, and Spanish interpretation will be available. Please be advised that French interpretation services will not be available this month. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause and appreciate your understanding. 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, 9 May 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: AI in the Context of Advocacy
On Friday, 11 April 2025, from 3:00pm-4:30pm (New York time) JCoR will host special guest Brian Christian to lead us in an education session titled, AI in the Context of Advocacy. This webinar will approach the topic of artificial intelligence (AI) and the considerations we should be taking into account when assessing whether/how we should be utilizing AI in our advocacy efforts. View the event flyer here. Click here to register to join via Zoom. Brian Christian is an AI researcher and cognitive scientist at the University of Oxford and the bestselling author of the acclaimed books The Most Human Human, Algorithms to Live By, and The Alignment Problem. His writing has appeared in The New Yorker, The Atlantic, and The Wall Street Journal, his research appears in peer-reviewed journals and leading AI conferences, and his books have been translated into nineteen languages. He has been featured on The Ezra Klein Show and The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, and has lectured at Google, Meta, Microsoft, Yale, and the London School of Economics, as well as UK Parliament and the US FTC. Christian holds degrees in computer science, philosophy, and poetry from Brown University and the University of Washington, and is currently a Clarendon Scholar at the University of Oxford. He lives in San Francisco.
Exploration of women’s agency and leadership, addressing challenges to justice, peace, and conflict
JCoR South India is collaborating with the Indian Christian Women’s Movement (ICWM) to facilitate a national meeting. ICWM is a forum of Christian women composed of a variety of denominations: Catholic, Protestant, Mar Thoma, Malankara, Lutheran, and Evangelical. It provides a safe space for Christian women to discuss issues of social relevance, particularly gender justice, both within and outside of the church. Currently, ICWM maintains active units in Kerala, Bangalore, Chennai, Pune, Mumbai, Nagpur, Delhi, Mizoram, Manipur, and Nagaland. The joint national meeting, organized by JCoR and ICWM, will be held at the Indian Social Institute in Bangalore from 10:00am on Friday, 9 May – 2:00pm on Sunday, 11 May 2025. The content of the meeting will focus on the exploration of women’s agency and leadership, addressing challenges to justice, peace, and conflict. Participation is welcomed from all regions of India. Boarding and lodging costs for participants will be covered by the organizers, but participants will need to cover the cost of their own travel. A token registration fee of Rs.500 is the suggested contribution to support miscellaneous expenses. Please note, due to a limited number of spaces, we encourage interested individuals to express their interest as soon as possible. Please contact Anita Cheria, JCoR South India Coordinator, if you have any questions or would like to register to participate in this joint meeting. You can reach Anita via e-mail: jcorsouthindia@gmail.com or WhatsApp: 9448484797 Click here to access the meeting flyer Click here to access the conference agenda
*Stop Illegal U.S. Arms to Haiti* Advocacy Days
This is a call to all U.S. citizens who are concerned about the ongoing suffering of Haitians due to the gang violence that continues to devastate the country and impede efforts to move toward the democratic election of new national leadership. A coalition of faith-based groups and their partners have come together to co-sponsor this initiative to lobby members of the U.S. Congress and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to take stronger measures to prevent the illegal flow of weapons and ammunition from the United States to Haiti and to reinstate international protection (“Temporary Protected Status” or “TPS”) for Haitians who have had to flee the violence and are currently residing in the US. This page offers all the materials you need to join the cause. 2025 Campaign: Organizing Partners: Daughters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul Dominican Sisters of Sparkill Faith in Action Felician Sisters of North America Franciscan Action Network Holy Spirit Missionary Sisters Justice Coalition of Religious – Network of the USA Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns Mennonite Central Committee Mercy Justice Team Nuns Against Gun Violence Passionists Internaitonal Quixote Center Religious of Jesus and Mary – US-Haiti Province Rich in Mercy Institute School Sisters of Notre Dame – Atlantic-Midwest Province Seeds of Hope for Haiti, Inc. Sisters of Charity of Cincinnati Sisters of Charity of New York Sisters of Charity of St. Elizabeth Sisters of the Humility of Mary Sisters of Mercy of the Americas Sisters of St. Francis – Franciscan Peace Center Spiritans – US Province St. Anthony and St. Patrick Parish Webinar: Visual aids on gun trafficking from the USA (prepared and presented by John Lindsay-Poland of Stop US Arms to Mexico) 3 Actions that US Citizens Can Take: 1. Sign letter calling for congressional co-sponsorship of the Stop Arming Cartels Act: https://www.sistersofmercy.org/mercy-for-justice/action-alerts/?vvsrc=%2fCampaigns%2f121290%2fRespond 2. Sign our joint letter of petition to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security: 3. Share the Message: Download samples of social-media posts or copy and paste the images below to encourage your friends and networks to join this action to extend TPS for Haitians and to take stronger measure to stop the flow of arms from the US to Haiti. 2024 Campaign: Organizing Partners: OUR POSITION: Key Messages of this Coalition to elected officials in the USA Summary of four pieces of pending legislation on weapons trafficking whose passage we support Administrative Remedies to Arms Trafficking to Haiti that we are calling on the Biden administration to take OUR CALL TO ACTION FOR ALL U.S. CITIZENS: Lobby with us (in person or virtually) on September 25th and 26th: logistical details for participation itinerary & packing guidance map of Capitol Hill (gathering at Zone 2) Advocacy Tips for meetings with elected officials Share updates on our advocacy actions with the press Press release for September 25, 2024 Press release for September 26, 2024 Write to your congressional representatives and president with one of these template letters: Quixote Center’s template & online emailing portal Sisters of Mercy’s template & online emailing portal Coalition letter to Print and snail-mail to a Senator Coalition letter to Print and snail-mail to a House Representative Coalition letter to copy and paste into email to Senators & House Representative Call the offices of your congressional representatives: Find phone numbers for your representatives here: https://www.usa.gov/elected-officials Script for a phone call to your Senators and House Representative Post our messages and calls to action on social media: Download samples or copy and paste from below OUR INVITATIONS TO FURTHER ACTION: Donate to support financial needs of those traveling to Washington, DC to lobby in person: Go to: www.scnj.org Top Right: click “Donate” button “Designation”: click on arrow Select first option: “LOBBY DAY DC” Watch recording of our initiative-launch webinar (July 30, 2024): English: Spanish: Haitian Creole: Media Inquiries: Contact Kim Lamberty (kim@quixote.org) or Angela Howard-McParland (amcparland@sistersofmercy.org)
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