Swords into plowshares
About this blog
Swords into Plowshares is the blog of the Peacemaking Program and the Presbyterian Ministry at the United Nations of the General Assembly Mission Council of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). Seeking peace. Striving for justice. Together.
Seeking peace. Striving for justice. Together.
Recent posts
- The 2012 Commission on the Status of Women
- Responding to child labor trafficking
- A visit from Central New York
- Security Council issues statement on Sudan
- Prayers with the people of the Democratic Republic of Congo
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The 2012 Commission on the Status of Women
The 56th Session of the Commission on the Status of Women begins on Monday, February 27.
Presbyterian and other participants will arrive in New York over the next few days. The Presbyterian Orientation will take place on Friday, February 24. We will join our partners at the Ecumenical Women's Orientation on Saturday, February 25.
There are a number of places to follow the events - including this blog. Watch the plenary sessions of the Commission on UN Webcast.
Other sources of information include:
- The Ecumenical Women Web page
- Presbyterian United Nations Ministry Facebook page
- Presbyerian Women Facebook page
- Ecumenical Women Facebook page
- Commission on the Status of Women Facebook page
- On Twitter, hashtags will be: #CSW56
Additional sources of information will be shared as we learn about them.
Please hold in prayer: those who serve on the Commission (45 United Nations Member States), those in the NGO community, including the Presbyterians, who come to the Commission to advocate (based on PC(USA) General Assembly policy in the case of Presbyterians), and all who work for women's rights.
February 22, 2012
Responding to child labor trafficking
What can we do to address human trafficking – particularly child labor trafficking?
The participants in the Central New York Presbytery Partnership Group seminar at the Presbyterian Ministry at the United Nations identified the following ideas to use in their congregations, schools, and communities:
- Learn about the Presbyterian Human Trafficking Roundtable
- Use Fair Trade products
- Find a list of products from the PC(USA)
- Learn about the PC(USA)’s Global Marketplace
- See Fair Trade USA’s products page - companies listed here are not evaluated by the PC(USA)
- Use Sweat-Free T-Shirts for groups or sports teams
- Support the Presbyterian ...
February 22, 2012
A visit from Central New York
The Presbyterian Ministry at the United Nations is hosting a seminar from the Central New York Presbytery Partnership Group.
Twenty-one students and four adults have gathered to explore issues related to child labor and the trafficking of children in labor.
Opening worship celebrated what children should be able to do. Allie Naskret, field education student with the Presbyterian Ministry at the United Nations, led the service.
A visit to the United Nations followed.
After lunch, the group discussed labor and work - and the work they do. A speaker from the International Labor Organization spoke on child labor and trafficking. The ...
February 15, 2012
Security Council issues statement on Sudan
The President of the United Nations Security Council, Ambassador Kodjo Menan of Togo released the following statement from the Security Council yesterday:
The members of the Security Council expressed their deep and growing alarm with the rising levels of malnutrition and food insecurity in some areas of Southern Kordofan and Blue Nile States in Sudan, which could reach emergency levels if not immediately addressed, and with the lack of access for international humanitarian personnel to conduct an assessment of the situation and deliver urgently needed assistance.
The members of the Security Council called upon the Government of Sudan to allow ...
February 14, 2012
Prayers with the people of the Democratic Republic of Congo
From our partners in World Mission:
There is violence against civilians in the Congo. National elections have been widely criticized as lacking credibility due to massive irregularities, maladministration and fraud. Congolese Christians will march in Kinshasa on Thursday, February 16, seeking peace and calling for a democratic government founded in transparency and justice. We are invited to join our sisters and brothers in spirit and to pray with them for peace, justice and a government committed to the well-being of the people.
The history of the Congo is marked by exploitation of natural resources and the people. In the nineteenth ...
February 9, 2012
World Interfaith Harmony Week at the UN
by Andrew David Turner
On February 7, the 66th Session of the General Assembly of the United Nations celebrated the second annual World Interfaith Harmony Week (WIHW) with a full program of speakers and performances that underscored the significance of this year’s theme: “Common Ground for the Common Good.”
The President of the General Assembly, H.E. Mr. Nassir Abdulaziz Al-Nasser, began the proceedings with a keynote address that highlighted the “social and moral significance” of religion in the global society and reminded the Assembly that the United Nations itself was founded on “the quest for the common values ...
February 8, 2012
It is time for the U.S. to ratify the Convention on the Rights of the Child
The CRC sets the standard for children’s welfare around the world. The United States played a major role in drafting the CRC. However, the United States and Somalia are the only countries that have not ratified the Convention on the Rights of the Child The United States signed the convention in 1995, indicating its support and its intention to pursue ratifica ...
February 7, 2012
Children are children, not soldiers - 10 years on
‘Let the little children come to me, and do not stop them; for it is to such as these that the kingdom of heaven belongs.’ – Matthew 19:14
February 12, 2012 marks the tenth anniversary of the entry into force of the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the Involvement of Children in Armed Conflict.
Find worship resources, ideas for participating in the Red Hand Campaign, and suggestions for further study for this occasion. They may be used at any time.
UNICEF estimates that more than 300,000 children – boys and girls under the ...
February 6, 2012
Tread Lightly for Lent
reprinted from Eco-Journey, the blog of our partners in the PC(USA) Environmental Ministries
Eco-Daily Lenten Calendar
As part of the season of Lent, Environmental Ministries is offering "Tread Lightly for Lent," a simple, daily calendar that encourages Presbyterians to reflect theologically about ecojustice and to take action on issues such as water, land, air, people, and other species. Each of the 40 days of Lent has a topic to think about, or do some movement towards, eco-justice. Resource can be used individually as well as in a congregational setting. To download this 2 page resource (if printed ...
February 5, 2012
What are you doing on Super Bowl Sunday?
Super Bowl Sunday is not an issue that you would probably expect on a blog shared by the Presbyterian Ministry at the United Nations and the Presbyterian Peacemaking Program. Super Bowl Sunday is here, on this blog because of our commitment to end human trafficking both here in the United States and around the world. Large sporting events often act as hubs of human trafficking activity. The Super Bowl is no exception.
Our partners at Presbyterian Women have encouraged people to join the United Church of Christ in asking “Gov. Mitch Daniels to keep pushing the Indiana General Assembly to ...