CEDAW  (Committee to Eliminate All Forms of Discrimination Against Women) holds its next session from 17-30 January 2006 in New York.  During this session, the government of Australia will be presenting its report on 30 January.  On 23 January, an alternative NGO report will be presented by Jennifer Burn and Georgina Costello, two lawyers who have been collaborating with the Brigidines, the Religious of the Good Shepherds and the International Presentation Association and other Australian-based NGOs.  The full report can be read in the resources section of the UNANIMA International web site. Jennifer and Georgie will also present two educational events during the CEDAW session: the first deals with preparing for prosecutions of trafficking cases and the second with effective international networking.

World Summit on Social Development will be held in Caracas Venezuela from 27-30 January.  Ana Martinez de Luco will be attending the meeting in the name of UNANIMA International.  She will be staying with her congregation there – the Carmelites of Charity Vedruna - and hopes to connect with as many members of our congregations as possible while there.  Please let Ana know if any of your members will also be there for the session together with information about how she can get in touch with them. She can be reached at anamadeluco@yahoo.es.

 Commission on Social Development  The UNANIMA International delegation for this 44^th Session of the commission is falling into place but continue to pray for successful granting of visas for several delegates whose appointments for consideration take place in January.  The session starts of 7 February with an NGO orientation at which Jesusa Gamboa (UI delegate from the Philippines) will be one of the opening keynote speakers.  As a young person who has lived in situations of poverty, Jesusa has been asked to share on those experiences she has had that have helped to eradicate poverty for herself and other young people in the Philippines.  All of the Asian delegates, Marcellina Aguiar CCV(India), Atif Jamil, Director of Human Development Centre in Toba Tekh Singh (Pakistan), Celerina Estaciom SP (Philippines) and Jesusa, will be presenting a parallel education event during the commission meeting on a similar theme.  In addition UI will be represented at the commission meeting by members of the CCVs, the SUSCs, and the SSAs.

 Round Table in Preparation for the Commission on the Status of Women Catherine is chairing the planning committee for a round table event on 9 February which aims to highlight some of the important aspects of one of the two key themes of the 50^th Session of the Commission on the Status of Women: Enhanced participation of women in development: an enabling environment for achieving gender equality and the advancement of women particularly in regard to health, education and work. Among the speakers we are working to bring Melissa Farley, a clinical psychologist who has done much research on the harms to women’s health through trafficking and prostitution. 

 Visits prior to Christmas  Once again Catherine wants to thank all of those who made her European trip to Paris, Troyes, London, Southampton, Dublin and Tullow  to visit UNANIMA International member congregations such a positive experience.  The hospitality of the Sisters of the Bon Secours of Paris, of the Sisters of the Society of the Holy Child Jesus in London and Dublin allowed her to have a base in each of the three areas to meet with other Sisters and visit several projects of particular interest to UI.

Thanks also to Sister Ann Durst, SHCJ, who welcomed Catherine to Casa Cornelia in San Diego and explained many of the legal elements surrounding the immigration issue in the United States.  Ann , who is herself a lawyer, also expressed a great interest in working with UNANIMA International at the Human Rights Commission in Geneva.