Statement of Support for the United Nations
by Presbyterian Women, Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)

Presbyterian Women in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) declares in this statement its strong support for the work of the United Nations. Through the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (CSW), Presbyterian Women connect with women around the world. Presbyterian Women is committed to expanding our presence as a non-governmental organization at the annual meeting of the CSW. Further, Presbyterian Women’s Purpose commits Presbyterian Women to working for justice and peace. The organization looks to the General Assembly of the denomination for guidance on the theological grounding for social witness policy as well as the directives for implementation.

Presbyterian Women affirms the historic declarations of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) (1991 and 1958) regarding social witness as integral to Christian life. Read the 1958 statement on Theological Grounds for Social Witness Policy in the Presbyterian Social Witness Policy Compilation.

Presbyterian Women affirms the social policy statements of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) in support of the United Nations and its work. Read the 1995 General Assembly’s statement of support for the UN’s 50th anniversary and  the Social Witness Policy statement on international cooperation and the U.N.

Therefore, Presbyterian Women in accord with the social witness policies of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) declares its support for the work of the United Nations.

We commend the work of the United States Mission to the United Nations focusing attention on gender based violence, malaria and HIV and AIDS and actions recently taken by the United States to alleviate the scourge of HIV and AIDS and to legislate against trafficking of and violence against women. We further commend the House of Representatives for increasing funding for U.N. peacekeeping in June 2007. 

We call on the President of the United States and the United States Senators and Representatives to

• make timely payment of the full U.N. assessment;
• ratify the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), and similar treaties concerning the rights of women and children;
• support the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and the United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM);
• offer generous financial support to the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals especially those essential to the well-being of women and children including universal primary education, gender equality and empowerment of women, reduction of child mortality and improvement of maternal health; and
• support the newly formed United Nations Peacebuilding Commission.

We call upon Presbyterian Women to

• contact their two Senators, house representative and the president of the United States to call for the support these measures;
• challenge other people of faith to address their representatives and the president, also, to support these measures;
• study the Beijing Platform for Action and U.N. Conventions pertaining to discrimination and violence against women and children and urge ratification of Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women and the Convention on the Rights of the Child by the United States government;
• identify Presbyterian Women in synods and presbyteries to attend the annual meeting of the U.N. Commission on the Status of Women and offer financial support for their attendance;
• consider the Millennium Development Goals and discover ways to help achieve these goals.

We forward this statement including its background to the secretary general of the United Nations, the Chair of the U.N. Commission on the Status of Women, and the chair of the New York City Commission on the Status of Women Non-Governmental Organization Committee and to Presbyterian Women in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.).

Adopted August 18, 2007, by the Churchwide Coordinating Team meeting in Louisville, Kentucky.