US Servas | Key Person Workshop Report

UN Reports |

Spring 2003 I

US Servas Applies for ECOSOC membership at the UN

By Sharon L. Wallenberg, Main US Servas UN Rep

United States Servas has completed the applications process for membership in the United Nations Economic and Social Council. This is a higher level of Non Government Organization (NGO) membership than the Department of Public Information (DPI) status that US Servas presently enjoys. If successful, this will entitle US Servas to more benefits and responsibilities. The benefits will include more passes for US Servas Representatives. There are presently more experienced volunteers ready, willing and able to serve than there are passes. There will be more access to UN Conferences for US Servas members, and the opportunity for US Servas to “intervene” in UN processes. U S Servas meets all the requirements for both DPI and ECOSOC membership.

This opportunity comes at a time when the United Nations is “cleaning house” of all NGO’s which do not meet the requirements for membership. Many have already been asked to step aside and many more will be asked to step aside in the coming months. This process is being done to give new NGO’s an opportunity to join the UN. There is not enough physical space at the UN for both the new and non-complying NGO’s. As the ECOSOC NGO’s are being asked to leave, it creates opportunities for DPI NGO’s ,like US Servas , to move up. United States Servas Main Rep, Sharon Wallenberg, has completed the application process, and secured the support of the ECOSOC President who has promised to assign a staff member to follow up on the progress of this application.

The UN Program of Action seeks to prevent and eliminate trafficking of small arms and light weapons. This should be on the forefront of international priorities. A global approach is needed for binding international rules and standards. National legislation in the supply countries should obligate manufacturers to mark weapons for identification so that confiscated weapons can be traced. This is already required in Europe.

United States Servas members can demonstrate the political will to make these goals a reality. Please contact your elected officials and urge them to initiate or support legislation to require all US weapon manufacturers to clearly mark weapons for identification as is already required in Europe, and to ratify the UN Plan of Action. Please help create some accountability in this problem. Too many innocent lives have already been lost. Please support this important peace issue.

United States Servas, under the direction of Sharon Wallenberg took the opportunity of the Small Arms and Light Weapon conference in New York to further the United Nations Millennium Goals. They are:

Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger.
Achieve universal primary education.
Promote gender equality and empower women.
Reduce child mortality.
Improve maternal health.
Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases.
Ensure environmental sustainability.
Develop a Global Partnership for Development.

According to the UN, “obstetric fistula, the most devastating of all pregnancy – related disabilities, occurs when a young, poor girl has a complicated labour and needs a Caesarean section but cannot get one. The baby usually dies and the mother suffers extensive tissue damage to her birth canal which renders her incontinent. She experiences constant leakage of urine or faeces and is often subject to humiliation, shame, and forced to live in isolation.

“Although obstetric fistula is both preventable and treatable, around 50 – 100,000 new cases occur each year. It is estimated that more than 2 million women are living with obstetric fistula today and prevalence is highest in impoverished communities in Africa and Asia.”

United States Servas took the initiative of organizing an informal meeting on Maternal Health. Sharon Wallenberg, US Servas Main Rep invited some of the African NGO Representatives attending the SALW Conference along with Representatives a local Long Island NGO who provide all forms of assistance to pregnant women. In addition, member Doctors volunteer their time and expertise to travel to Ghanna periodically to train local midwives to recognize high risk pregnancies, perform surgery for women suffering with conditions resulting from lack of pre-natal care, such as obstetric fistula, and provide other medical care for mothers and their infants.

As a result of this meeting, an OBS/GYN NGO Rep from Zambia invited the Long Island NGO to Zambia, and a General Practitioner from Democratic Republic of the Congo, invited them to the Congo. A woman representing a Peace NGO from Senegal in West Africa, and other woman representing a Peace NGO from Uganda in East Africa, were both very interested. We hope by follow up e-mails that partnering can be done in these areas as well. Also attending was Roberto Lavalle from the Mission of Guatemala representing Ambassador Gert Rosenthal, the President of ECOSOC, who was in Geneva at the time of the meeting. United States Servas presently has an application pending for affiliation with ECOSOC.

For more information about US Servas' UN activities or to get involved, contact the main US Servas UN Rep, Sharon Wallenberg at sharonw77@hotmail.com.


UN Reports \| Spring 2003 I US Servas Applies for ECOSOC membership at the UN By Sharon L. Wallenberg, Main US Servas UN Rep United States Servas has completed the applications process for membership in the United Nations Economic and Social Council. This is a higher level of Non Government Organization (NGO) membership than the Department of Public Information (DPI) status that US Servas presently enjoys. If successful, this will entitle US Servas to more benefits and responsibilities. The benefits will include more passes for US Servas Representatives. There are presently more experienced volunteers ready, willing and able to serve than there are passes. There will be more access to UN Conferences for US Servas members, and the opportunity for US Servas to “intervene” in UN processes. U S Servas meets all the requirements for both DPI and ECOSOC membership. This opportunity comes at a time when the United Nations is “cleaning house” of all NGO’s which do not meet the requirements for membership. Many have already been asked to step aside and many more will be asked to step aside in the coming months. This process is being done to give new NGO’s an opportunity to join the UN. There is not enough physical space at the UN for both the new and non-complying NGO’s. As the ECOSOC NGO’s are being asked to leave, it creates opportunities for DPI NGO’s ,like US Servas , to move up. United States Servas Main Rep, Sharon Wallenberg, has completed the application process, and secured the support of the ECOSOC President who has promised to assign a staff member to follow up on the progress of this application. The UN Program of Action seeks to prevent and eliminate trafficking of small arms and light weapons. This should be on the forefront of international priorities. A global approach is needed for binding international rules and standards. National legislation in the supply countries should obligate manufacturers to mark weapons for identification so that confiscated weapons can be traced. This is already required in Europe. United States Servas members can demonstrate the political will to make these goals a reality. Please contact your elected officials and urge them to initiate or support legislation to require all US weapon manufacturers to clearly mark weapons for identification as is already required in Europe, and to ratify the UN Plan of Action. Please help create some accountability in this problem. Too many innocent lives have already been lost. Please support this important peace issue. United States Servas, under the direction of Sharon Wallenberg took the opportunity of the Small Arms and Light Weapon conference in New York to further the United Nations Millennium Goals. They are: Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger. Achieve universal primary education. Promote gender equality and empower women. Reduce child mortality. Improve maternal health. Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases. Ensure environmental sustainability. Develop a Global Partnership for Development. According to the UN, “obstetric fistula, the most devastating of all pregnancy – related disabilities, occurs when a young, poor girl has a complicated labour and needs a Caesarean section but cannot get one. The baby usually dies and the mother suffers extensive tissue damage to her birth canal which renders her incontinent. She experiences constant leakage of urine or faeces and is often subject to humiliation, shame, and forced to live in isolation. “Although obstetric fistula is both preventable and treatable, around 50 – 100,000 new cases occur each year. It is estimated that more than 2 million women are living with obstetric fistula today and prevalence is highest in impoverished communities in Africa and Asia.” United States Servas took the initiative of organizing an informal meeting on Maternal Health. Sharon Wallenberg, US Servas Main Rep invited some of the African NGO Representatives attending the SALW Conference along with Representatives a local Long Island NGO who provide all forms of assistance to pregnant women. In addition, member Doctors volunteer their time and expertise to travel to Ghanna periodically to train local midwives to recognize high risk pregnancies, perform surgery for women suffering with conditions resulting from lack of pre-natal care, such as obstetric fistula, and provide other medical care for mothers and their infants. As a result of this meeting, an OBS/GYN NGO Rep from Zambia invited the Long Island NGO to Zambia, and a General Practitioner from Democratic Republic of the Congo, invited them to the Congo. A woman representing a Peace NGO from Senegal in West Africa, and other woman representing a Peace NGO from Uganda in East Africa, were both very interested. We hope by follow up e-mails that partnering can be done in these areas as well. Also attending was Roberto Lavalle from the Mission of Guatemala representing Ambassador Gert Rosenthal, the President of ECOSOC, who was in Geneva at the time of the meeting. United States Servas presently has an application pending for affiliation with ECOSOC. For more information about US Servas' UN activities or to get involved, contact the main US Servas UN Rep, Sharon Wallenberg at sharonw77@hotmail.com.
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