When the annual town hall with UN Secretary-General António Guterres extended beyond its designated hour on Wednesday, it was a lucky break for Hyun Joo Nam, a Presbyterian delegate to the 68th session of the Commission on the Status of Women.
During a panel discussion on Saturday, engineer Anna Hand of Towson Presbyterian Church in Maryland helped to bring home the spirit-crushing realities that girls and young women sometimes face when they show interest in science, math, engineering and technology (STEM).
Kay Woods was a newcomer to the United Nations’ largest annual gathering on gender equality and women’s empowerment when she traveled to New York City in 2019 as part of a Presbyterian delegation.
The Presbyterian Ministry at the United Nations has expanded its Study & Devotional Guide on the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals. In addition to snapshots into each of the goals through the lens of Matthew 25, the second edition of the guide also includes biblical reflections from mission co-workers and global partners serving around the world.
In her latest book, “Petra’s Pier Picnic,” author Phyllis Vos Wezeman introduces readers to a 9-year-old girl who is excited to go fishing with her father to celebrate her birthday. The crowded pier provides Petra a chance to use her new fishing pole. Her interactions also open her eyes and her heart to the needs of hungry people in the world. The book, for readers ages 10 and under, is illustrated by Chicago artist Oscar Joyo, who is originally from Malawi.
One modern form of human trafficking is the recruitment and use of child soldiers. The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) estimates that 300,000 children under age 18 are forced to engage in armed conflicts around the world. The United Nations and the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) have taken strong stances against the use of child soldiers. In 2002, the UN adopted the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child, which aims to keep children from being recruited and used in hostilities. Countries ratifying the Protocol commit to not recruiting children under 18 for military service and to taking all possible measures to prevent such recruitment. To support the Protocol, the Presbyterian Ministry at the United Nations coordinates a Red Hands Campaign, in which more than 300,000 red hands have been made and delivered to world leaders to proclaim that children should not be used as soldiers.
