Latter-day Saints Continue Civil Society Engagement at the UN

In October, several members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints participated in civil society conferences held in conjunction with the 57th session of the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva. The conferences covered issues related to women and girls, including poverty, education, health, violence against women and rights for widows.

Ana Bonny-Hernandez, called to liaise with the NGO Committee on the Status of Women, played an important role in organizing the “Civil Society Forum for the Beijing +30” consultation. The Forum meets every five years to review national progress on achieving the goals of the World Conference of Women held in Beijing in 1995, identify continued shortcomings and develop strategies to overcome these challenges.

“Working hand in hand with the women of the committee is a wonderful opportunity for us to radiate the Savior’s love and be a positive influence in the world,” said Bonny-Hernandez.

At the invitation of the NGO CSW Geneva, 12 civil society working groups convened to draft statements in favor of women and girls in areas such as health, economy, education and violence against women. Bonny-Hernandez was responsible for the working group on poverty. Its final statement included this sentence: “Governments and civil society organizations can unite to eradicate the roots of injustice and establish true equality, offering equitable rights and opportunities for women and girls.”

Karen Bybee is serving a government relations mission for the Church at the United Nations in Geneva and led the workshop on “Faith and Feminism.”

“It was wonderful to see the perspectives of the participants and discover that, in spite of some differences, we shared many of the same concerns in advancing support and opportunities for women and girls,” Bybee said.

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Bonny-Hernandez also spoke on a panel promoting the rights of widows of all ages at a separate conference organized by Widows’ Rights International. She shared the vision of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on caring for widows and orphans, Church leaders’ views on the worth of women, and how religious organizations can and must support these women and their children in need.

About 35 members of the Church from the Geneva Stake and throughout the Europe Central Area participated in the forum. They conducted research, drafted statements for member states, read oral presentations, produced a video and organized workshops for the forum.

Many participants complimented the engagement of the Latter-day Saint contingent. Bonny-Hernandez said the generous service of the volunteers “demonstrated Christlike love in response to President Russell M. Nelson’s call to help gather Israel and prepare for the Savior’s Second Coming.”