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.
Veronica Brand, RSHM NGO Representative
NEWS FROM THE UN #163 – April/May 2026
The Issue #163 of News from the UN offers a window into international developments from April and May 2026: the process to select the UN’s next Secretary-General, shaped by growing calls for a woman to hold the role after 80 years of male leadership, and the high-level dialogue on water and sanitation in Africa. The newsletter also covers briefs on the 12th Symposium on the Role of Religion and Faith-Based Organizations in International Affairs, the Review Conference of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), the implementation of the International Court of Justice’s Advisory Opinion on climate change, the Santa Marta Conference on energy transition, and the International Migration Review Forum. It closes with a reflection by Sister Catherine Minhoto on the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, highlighting ancestral wisdom and the role of Indigenous women as guardians of the land. Click here to read the full text. Photo Credit: RSHM