2708 "You have the passion and networks to spread our messages far and wide"
austraLasia #2708 "You have the passion and networks to spread our messages
far and wide"
MELBOURNE: 6 September 2010 -- With words like that it could
have been the Rector Major addressing some 1,700 representatives of 350
NGOs from over 70 countries gathered in Melbourne, Australia, August 30
– September 1, 2010. In fact it was Ban Ki Moon, UN Secretary
General, speaking at the 63rd Annual Department of Public
Information/NGO Conference. Mr Moon went on to say that partnerships
between civil society, government and the private sector are
critical if the world is to make serious inroads into the number of
preventable deaths, particularly of women and children.
The Rector Major, of course, was far away in Malta,
but he was well represented, inasmuch as the Salesian formal
representation in UN affairs is headed up by Fr Thomas Brennan sdb, who
was not only at the Melbourne Conference, but a member of its planning
committee and moderator for two of the workshops, one on AIDS
prevention, the second on Migration issues, particularly human
trafficking and forced migration. These workshops demonstrated, amongst
other things, the role of one part of the private sector, namely the
close involvement of Religious men and women and their respective
Congregations, in advancing global health.
"Healthy societies and individuals are possible when people are freed
from want and from fear. Therefore, working for social justice for all,
overcoming a sense of powerlessness, and creating a culture of peace
were highlighted as some of the most effective means of forming healthy
environments", Tom reports. _________________ AustraLasia is an
email
service
for the Salesian Family of Asia Pacific. It also functions
as an
agency for ANS based in
Rome.
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