Margaret Molyneux, SI Leigh & District
‘A Journey around the World’ was the title of a brief presentation by Bev Becur, SI Director of Advocacy, who commenced her post in July 2017.
Bev gave a snapshot of how using the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDG’s) advocacy work by Soroptimists can ensure the reps can be effective in the 7 UN Centres worldwide.
Bev urged delegates at the conference to be effective communicators; to share best practice; to use skilled lobbying at all opportunities; with partnership working providing a stronger focus for promoting the interests of women and girls.
Referring to the International President’s Appeal 2017-2019 with the theme “Women,Water & Leadership” using SDG’s Goal 4 Education, Goal 5 Gender Equality, Goal 6 Water for all, provides the basis for project work and essential evidence base reporting via the focus forms.
UN Soroptimist advocacy reps are based at all the UN centres in New York, Rome, Geneva, Paris, Nairobi, Vienna and most recently in Bangkok. Each of the centres’ has specific organisational roles and so the reps need to adapt in order to ensure that Soroptimist International maintain their important consultative role.
Due to this presentation being purely didactic there was no opportunity to ask questions or seek clarification on the information given by Bev.