Safe Drinking Water Among the Things That Make For Peace: OVEC at International Day of Peace Event

Share via

“Water for Our Children” by Jude Binder

On September 19, the Church Center for the United Nations will open its doors to commemorate the International Day of Peace, and continue its historical mission of fostering dialogue and cooperation between the United Nations and civil society around “the things that make for peace.” Observance of this day will emphasize the links between peace, women, human security, climate change, and sustainable development.

Workshops at the event will be centered on participation and engagement, and will be co-organized to cut across silos, integrating traditionally separate developmental sectors under a human rights framework. How are the core human needs of food, water, and health affected by the cross-cutting themes of peace, women, human security, climate change, and sustainable development?

OVEC volunteer Paula Swearengen and OVEC staff member Dustin White will we will be participating in a workshop on water, and they’ll have a chance make recommendations to the two UN officials that will be in attendance. They’ll present alongside folks from Detroit, Malaysia and Chile.

OVEC was invited to participate in this workshop by Sally Dunne with the Loretto Community at the United Nations, who participated in our 2012 Central Appalachian Women’s Climate Justice Tribunal. Paula and Dustin will reiterate the findings from that tribunal in their workshop (including a moratorium on mountaintop removal coal mining until health studies by the feds indicate that MTR is not harming human health).

If you are on Twitter, look for the hashtag #JustPeaceJustDevelopment and please re-tweet.