Jane Colvin (LWVNYS Board Member), janecolvin914@aol.com
Hello! My name is Jane Colvin and I’m one of five members of the 2022 LWVUS UN Observer Team appointed by President Deborah Turner. I am delighted and honored to be a part of the League’s long and distinguished history with the UN which began in 1945 when President Truman invited the League to serve as consultant to the US Delegation at the UN Charter Conference. Since that time, the League has continued its presence at the United Nations through its UN Observers team; in 1997 the League was granted Special Consultative Status by the ECOSOC which allows it to make formal oral or written statements to the UN and be consulted by the UN in areas in which the League has expertise.
Each member of the LWVUS UN Observer Team focuses on working on a particular issue or with a UN group. On behalf of the Team, I chose to work with and become a member of the New York NGO Commission on the Status of Women (NGO CSW/NY), a non-governmental organization dedicated to the
promotion of gender equality and the empowerment of women. It provides an important forum for the dissemination of information, discussion and exchange of ideas on United Nations’ initiatives to advance the status of women and girls.
It is one of many the civil society organizations that works along with the official UN CSW, created in 1946, whose members are appointed from UN member states. Each year, the UN CSW focuses on a priority theme for discussion and in the Spring holds a two-week session at the UN Headquarters; it invites accredited organizations like the NGOCSW/NY to contribute by holding educational events and meetings that run parallel to its official UN session. This year’s priority theme is “Innovation and technological change, and education in the digital age for achieving gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls.” During the two weeks of the UN CSW, NGO CSW/NY organizes hundreds of events that inform, engage, and inspire grassroots efforts and advocacy needed to empower women and girls. The LWVUS UN Observer Team will be conducting a panel discussion in March to which you all will be invited.
In the meantime, I would like to draw your attention to the UN’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The SDGs are at the core of the United Nations’ 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development that member states adopted in 2015. The 17 goals aim to bring about a more just and equitable world, including through ending extreme poverty, achieving gender equality, and spurring economic growth, while also tackling climate change and preserving the natural environment. In short, they are a sweeping vision for improving the lives of the world’s people. by 2030.
The SDGs and its distinctive wheel have become well-known, but for many of us here in New York and across the United States they may exist on a purely conceptual level: we don’t often think about how they apply to our own lives. In succeeding SBUs, I will explore different Goals and how we, in League and as individuals, can contribute to their implementation.
In the meantime, to get a head start about the goals and how you can contribute, I invite you to click on the following: https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/news/communications-material/
