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 #138 – June 2023
High Seas Treaty
“The ocean is the lifeblood of our planet, and today, you have pumped new life and hope to give the ocean a fighting chance,”
(UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres) On June 19th, after nearly two decades of negotiations, 193 member states of the United Nations reached agreement and adopted a landmark international treaty to govern international waters. The high seas represent 60 % of the earth’s surface but up until the present moment, only 1.2% are protected which is far from the 30% by 2030 goal agreed in the Kunming Montreal Biodiversity Framework in Montreal last December. Hailed by conservationists as historic, this first-ever legally binding global agreement of its kind provides a vital framework for the protection of biodiversity in remote ecosystems that are vital to humanity as well as maintaining their integrity, and ensuring the responsible use of the high seas.
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