Religious of the Sacred Heart of Mary NGO with special consultative status in the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations since 2013 and with the Department of Public Information since 2006.
The Religious of the Sacred Heart of Mary became affiliated with the United Nations in 2006 as a non-governmental organization (NGO) associated with the UN Department of Public Information, extending the influence of the Institute’s mission “That All May 
Have Life” to a global level. In 2013 we applied for and were granted Special Consultative Status with the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC). This gives us an active voice, enabling us to participate in UN sessions and present written and oral testimony to influence policy as we work for justice on behalf of those who are made poor and marginalized, especially women and children.
Three main ways in which we live out our mission as the RSHM NGO at the UN are through education, participation and advocacy. We disseminate UN information resources to our members and, through them, to all those we serve. We encourage participation of members through their provincial and regional structures, working in close partnership with the RSHM Justice, Peace, and Integrity of Creation (JPIC) Network to make our presence dynamic and effective at local and global level. We advocate in collaboration with other NGOs having similar goals to make explicit our preferential options for women and children and the care of the earth within the UN network of international bodies. At this time we aim to be more effectively involved in changing unjust structures in the areas of human trafficking, the girl child and sustainable development for all, engaging with Agenda 2030 and the Sustainable Development Goals so that all may have Life.
NEWS FROM THE UN #117 February 2021
Commission on Social Development – CsocD 59
“A Socially just transition towards sustainable development: the role of digital technologies on social development and the well-being of all” was the theme of the 2021 meeting of the United Nations Commission for Social Development held 8 – 17th February. Although the theme was chosen in February 2020, it could not have been more relevant, given the context of the global COVID pandemic a year later. All sessions except the opening and closing were held virtually. As was highlighted many times during the Commission, in a world where 3 billion people are not yet online, digital inclusion needs to be named and recognized as a human right. The digital cooperation roadmap launched by the UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres in 2020 called for action to CONNECT, RESPECT, and PROTECT all people in the digital age and highlighted the goal of universal connectivity by 2030, by which time everyone should have safe and affordable access to the internet. The call to bridge the digital divide was recognized in the resolution approved by consensus at the end of the Commission meeting.
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