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.
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- Do one thing for diversity and inclusion
- Palestinian prisoners, Israel agree to end of hunger strike
- A call from the Madagascar Council of Churches
- Authorize a Violence Against Women Act consistent with Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) policy
- Palestinian prisoners on hunger strike
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Posts with tag: ocha
February 3, 2012We Cannot Fail the South Sudanese: UN Humanitarian Chief
From OCHA:
(New York / Juba, South Sudan, 3 February 2012): On the third day of a four-day visit to South Sudan, the United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator (ERC), Valerie Amos, met with representatives from the Government, the United Nations Mission in the Republic of South Sudan (UNMISS), and donor countries in Juba, the capital of South Sudan, to discuss the complex humanitarian challenges facing the world’s youngest nation.
Humanitarian conditions remain extremely precarious for many South Sudanese, with clashes along the country’s disputed border with Sudan that have forced tens of thousands of ...
January 4, 2012
UN officials speak out on violence in South Sudan
The United Nations Humanitarian Coordinator in South Sudan, Ms. Lise Grande reported yesterday on the humanitarian crisis occurring in the Jonglei state. The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) has reported, “The UN is mounting a ‘massive emergency support programme’ to help thousands of people return home after inter-communal clashes between the Lou Nuer and Murle communities in South Sudan’s Jonglei state.”
OCHA reports, “In 2011, more than 1,100 people have lost their lives, and some 63,000 people have been displaced by inter-communal violence in Jonglei state. The number of people killed and displaced from ...
October 24, 2011
Peter Tibi visits New York
On Saturday afternoon (October 22), after a walk through Central Park, the Rev. Peter Tibi took a nap. He was entitled.
Peter, from the world's newest country - South Sudan, participated in the Presbyterian Peacemaking Program's International Peacemakers Program. He made visits to South Carolina, Iowa, Georgia, Colorado, and Tennessee before coming to New York. In each location, he shared about the work of RECONCILE to heal trauma, reconcile conflict, build community, and enhance governance in South Sudan.
On his way home, he stopped in New York to make some visits within the UN Community. He arrived on Wednesday ...
October 20, 2011
Build bridges, not walls
"God makes us new so we can build bridges, not walls."
As a citizen of South Sudan, the newest member of the United Nations, the Rev. Peter Tibi has reflected a great deal on what "new" means.
Peter has also pondered newness as a follower of Jesus Christ.
Drawing on 2 Corinthians 5:16-20, Peter noted that God in Christ makes us new to live in new ways, as ambassadors for Christ. Part of that newness involves building bridges in a world filled with walls. Peter described how RECONCILE engages in such ministry in South Sudan.
Peter preached this morning ...
August 24, 2011
A new hymn to support relief efforts in the Horn of Africa
Carolyn Winfrey Gillette has written a new hymn that to support the churches’ famine relief efforts in the Horn of Africa. O God, You Love the Needy includes references in it to the lectionary texts for Sunday, August 28.
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs provides information concerning the situation in the Horn of Africa.
Hold the people living in the Horn of Africa in prayer.
Support the humanitarian response by Presbyterian Disaster Assistance.
July 22, 2011
PC(USA) responds to crisis in Horn of Africa
From Presbyterian Disaster Assistance:
Presbyterian Disaster Assistance (PDA) has provided $100,000 from One Great Hour of Sharing funds to help meet the immediate and basic humanitarian needs of people affected by the drought in the Horn of Africa. PDA is responding to this crisis as a member of ACT Alliance. Fellow ACT Alliance members with programs in Somalia are planning to provide life-saving humanitarian assistance to newly displaced people in Mogadishu, drought affected people in Gedo region, refugees in Dadaab camp in Kenya and host communities in both countries.
ACT members are already in the process of distributing 262 ...
July 21, 2011
Crisis in the Horn of Africa
Some 10 million people in the Horn of Africa face a severe food crisis and could starve following a prolonged drought. "In some areas of Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, and Uganda, drought conditions are the worst in 60 years, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said in an update."
On July 20, the United Nations "declared a famine in two regions of southern Somalia owing to the worst drought in decades, and appealed for urgent resources to assist millions of people in desperate need of help."
The crisis has resulted in a significant increase in the number ...