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Good Shepherd Sisters operate with a central governing and animating General Council based in Rome, Italy. The Congregational Leader and her team of six Councillors are elected at the General Chapter which is held every six years. The next General Chapter is scheduled for 2003. Good Shepherd Sisters conduct an International Commission for Justice and Peace for all Creation (ICJPC) in Rome, serviced by a full time secretariat. It works to activate the information and formation needed to integrate justice within the Good Shepherd charism. In addition to networking with sisters and Good Shepherd justice contacts around the world, the commission supports Good Shepherd involvement as an NGO*, particularly the NGO status we have with the United Nations. The ICJPC also promotes networking with organizations and groups outside Good Shepherd who work on justice issues which are directly linked to our mission and charism. *Good Shepherd Sisters have Consultative Status as a non-government organization (NGO) with the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations, based on our international expertise with girls and women. This allows us to submit statements and to request hearings on issues concerning women and children.
The Congregation throughout the World In the 67 countries throughout the world where Good Shepherd Sisters are located, the mission of the Congregation remains that of reconciliation - reaching out to people, especially women and girls who have experienced injustice, oppression and alienation due to life circumstances or unjust social structures. Along with our co-workers and associates we aim to represent the spirit of St Mary Euphrasia who stated that one person is more important than a world. We work to create programs where people have choices and opportunities to grow and reach their full potential. Our commitment is to promote justice and peace and to work to change those systems and structures which condemn some to live marginalized lives.
Europe
Central America
South America
Africa
Asia
Australia & Aotearoa/New Zealand
Africa-Europe Faith and Justice Network (AEFJN) Good Shepherd has been a member of the AEFJN for some years, with Sr Magdalena Franciscus, General Councillor, attending meetings when possible. It is a network of religious and missionary Congregations which have members working in Africa, and "exists to promote justice and equity between the people of Africa and the people of Europe". In different European countries the network are known as "Antenna". From its base in Brussels, Belgium, AEFJN works to research and promote issues of social and economic justice in Africa. In particular, it works to influence the decisions taken in the European Union, which affect the people in Africa. See: http://www.oneworld.org/aefjn/
Trafficking of Women The 10th UN Congress on Prevention of Crime and Treatment of Offenders, Vienna, Austria, April 2000, placed a high priority on trafficking in human beings. Good Shepherd NGO, in collaboration with the Coalition Against Trafficking in Women (CATW), gave input on definitions and protocols for this Congress. The Holy See's UN delegate in Vienna, a French monsignor who knew of St. Mary Euphrasia from his childhood, supported language that regards trafficking and prostitution as human rights violations. This Trafficking Protocol will have an effect on future national legislation. The CATW has been asked to conduct consultations on the new legislation with Government ministries in several countries. More information can be obtained from website: www.uncjin.org/CICP/cicp.html
Finance for Development The UN has begun a process, Finance for Development (FfD), which will culminate in a conference early in 2002. The goal is to direct initiatives to reducing poverty. One of the first activities of the process was a hearing between governments and NGOs in November, 2000. NGOs spoke for the majority of the world who suffer from current economic policies. Broadly, NGOs seek debt cancellation, taxation on international financial transactions, and fulfillment of Overseas Aid Development (OAD) promises. Good Shepherd works with the Women's Caucus which amplifies the gender perspective and adds issues such as micro-credit. FfD is a difficult process because Western nations do not easily listen to alternate perspectives and are not committed to radical reform of institutions such as the World Bank and IMF. NGO's share greater accord with the G-77 countries in this process. We will continue our "cry in the wilderness," for a process based on economic justice.
Economic Justice for Women The Good Shepherd Trading Circle (based in Australia & Aotearoa/New Zealand) is an important means of utilizing our international network to promote economic justice for women.
Good Shepherd sponsored projects similar to the Trading Circle exist in other countries as well: Global
Women's Exchange, New York, USA
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