The Congregations of St. Joseph
The NGO of the Sisters of St. Joseph accredited at the United Nations.

The Sisters of St. Joseph are an organization with a mission to serve God and neighbor alike.  Tirelessly ministering to those most in need in their local communities, the Sisters’ definition of “neighbors” extends to people everywhere in the world. Accredited at the United Nations as an NGO (Non-Governmental Organization) the Congregations of St. Joseph bring a collective voice to the UN on issues of importance to the Sisters at the grassroots level worldwide.

Those issues align perfectly with the United Nations initiative known as the Eight Millennium Goals. As an NGO at the United Nations, the Sisters of St. Joseph are committed to helping achieve the Millennium Goals – a blueprint for moving toward a world of hope, reconciliation and justice for all people.

• Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger
• Achieve universal primary education
• Promote gender equality and empower women
• Reduce child mortality
• Improve maternal health
• Combat HIV and AIDS, malaria and other diseases
• Ensure environmental sustainability
• Develop a global partnership for development

"We will have time to reach the Millennium Development Goals – worldwide and in most, or even all, individual countries – but only if we break with business as usual. We cannot win overnight. Success will require sustained action across the entire decade between now and the deadline. It takes time to train the teachers, nurses and engineers; to build the roads, schools and hospitals; to grow the small and large businesses able to create the jobs and income needed. So we must start now. And we must more than double global development assistance over the next few years. Nothing less will help to achieve the Goals."

Former United Nations Secretary-General Kofi A. Annan

 

Check out the following links for additional information about the United Nation’s Millennium Development Goals:

UN Millennium Project   www.unmillenniumproject.org
Millennium Development Goals  www.un.org/millenniumgoals
Sisters at the United Nations  www.sistersofsaintjosephfederation.org/global.htm
Why are the CSJs at the UN?  www.natcath.com/NCR_Online/archives/100199/100199f.htm
What’s an NGO?   www.ngocongo.org/ngowhow/index.htm
Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet, St. Paul Province, Justice Commission  www.csjstpaul.org/justiceinitiatives.asp
Sisters Online  www.sistersonline.org
The Millennium Development Goals Report 2005 (PDF 2.01MG)  MDG Book.pdf
Millennium Development Goals Q & A (PDF 120K)  Millennium GoalsQA.pdf

Take Action!

(from the Millennium Project Website)

There are a number of practical activities that you can undertake right now to support the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals. Here are a few ideas to help you get started.

Write your political representatives
Tell them that you support the Millennium Development Goals and the Millennium Project's recommendations for achieving them. Feel free to use facts, figures, and ideas from our talking points to help support your arguments.

Organize letter - writing campaigns
More is always better – you can amplify your voice by enlisting other people in the campaign to achieve the MDGs. Reach out through personal networks and community groups.

Write letters to local newspapers
Send a letter to the editor to help you reach a larger audience of people. The web site of www.RESULTS.org has a number of useful tools that can be adapted to help you target both politicians and media outlets in your own country.

Sponsor a “house party ” or awareness event
Inform your friends and neighbors about world poverty and the Millennium Development Goals. You can provide facts and figures and background about the Millennium Project and then write letters together.

Join existing networks
Many large organizations are already working on poverty issues, and supporting them is one way to build support for the Goals. Visit our civil society links page to see a list of groups that have supported the Millennium Project's recommendations.

Adopt a “Quick Win”
The Quick Win campaigns, which range from supplying anti-malarial bednets to eliminating school fees in low income countries, are important, concrete actions that can be taken to support the Millennium Development Goals. You and your community group can organize your activities around a particular Quick Win that is meaningful to you – keep an eye on our website for more details about how to do this.

All of these things would make a real difference. Whatever you choose to do, please keep us informed about your activities, and we will do our best to support them as much as we can. If you let us know of your activities, we can keep better track of progress – and may even be able to report your achievements on our web site.
 
To communicate with the Millennium Project, please contact outreach@unmillenniumproject.org.