{"id":5828,"date":"2021-07-26T12:46:43","date_gmt":"2021-07-26T17:46:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/advocacy\/?p=5828"},"modified":"2021-07-26T13:13:34","modified_gmt":"2021-07-26T18:13:34","slug":"summer-edition-un-and-state-updates","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/advocacy\/summer-edition-un-and-state-updates\/","title":{"rendered":"Summer Edition: UN and State Updates"},"content":{"rendered":"

Following are updates shared from submissions of the Lutheran Office for World Community and state public policy offices.<\/span><\/i>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Find a map and full list of ELCA affiliated SPPOs using\u00a0our\u202f<\/span><\/i>state office map<\/span><\/i>.<\/span><\/a>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

U.N.<\/a> | Delaware<\/a> | Minnesota<\/a> | Ohio<\/a> | Pennsylvania<\/a> | Texas <\/a> | Virginia<\/a> | Washington<\/a> | Wisconsin<\/a><\/p>\n

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U.N.<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Lutheran Office for World Community, United Nations, New York, N.Y.\u00a0<\/strong>https:\/\/www.elca.org\/lowc<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0\u2013Dennis Frado, Director<\/strong><\/h4>\n

The Generation Equality Forum concluded with concrete commitments to advance parity by 2026:\u00a0<\/span><\/b>The\u00a0<\/span>Generation Equality Forum<\/span><\/a>\u00a0took place in Paris from 30 June to 2 July 2021. The Forum was co-hosted by France and Mexico and convened by UN Women, in partnership with civil society and youth representatives. Nearly 50,000 people participated in a mainly virtual format to take stock and rapidly accelerate progress towards gender equality, as outlined in the landmark 1995\u00a0<\/span>Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action<\/span><\/a>. Close to\u202f$40\u202fbillion\u202fwas\u00a0<\/span>pledged<\/span><\/a>\u00a0in new investments from governments, the private sector, civil society and\u202fothers to help\u202ffund\u202fa\u202fnew global five-year action plan to accelerate gender parity by 2026. The Forum launched a\u202f<\/span>Global Acceleration Plan for Gender Equality<\/span><\/a>\u202fdesigned by six\u202f<\/span>Action Coalitions<\/span><\/a>,\u202fas well as a\u202f<\/span>Compact on Women, Peace and Security and Humanitarian Action<\/span><\/a>. New gender equality initiatives focused on health, sports, culture, and education was also announced.\u202f<\/span>UN Women<\/span><\/a>\u00a0will oversee the implementation of the 5-year action plan and the commitments made.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

As Lutherans, we had delegates actively participate virtually, and joined over 30 global and regional faith actors in a\u00a0<\/span>joint communique<\/span><\/a>\u00a0that we turned into a\u00a0<\/span>video<\/span><\/a>\u00a0message. In addition, the Lutheran World Federation made\u00a0<\/span>commitments<\/span><\/a>\u00a0to the Action Coalition on Gender-Based Violence and pledged to accelerate efforts to prevent and respond to gender-based violence in church and society. LOWC\u2019s Christine Mangale and LWF\u2019s\u00a0Sikhonzile\u00a0Ndlovu led the Lutheran engagement and delegation to the Forum.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Upper left: moderator Janet Mbugua – Kenyan media personality, author and founder of Inua Dada Foundation; upper right:\u00a0Phumzile\u00a0Mlambo-Ngcuka\u00a0– Under-Secretary-General and Executive Director of UN Women; lower: Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield, Representative of the United States of America to the United Nations.\u00a0<\/span><\/h6>\n

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\nIsrael-Palestine concerns conveyed to Biden Administration officials:\u00a0<\/span><\/b>In June LOWC Director Dennis Frado was able to attend two conference calls organized by Churches for Middle East Peace (CMEP) with Biden Administration officials at the White House and with the US Agency for International Development. As these were among the first meetings with the Administration on Israeli-Palestine issues, the CMEP representatives took the occasions to raise\u00a0a number of\u00a0matters that had been\u00a0<\/span>communicated<\/span><\/a>\u00a0by their heads of churches and organization in March. Particular attention was drawn to the need for US bilateral assistance to the West Bank and Gaza to be re-started and increased, especially given the additional humanitarian needs in Gaza\u00a0because of\u00a0the intensified conflict between Israel and Hamas in May. Appreciation was expressed for the Administration\u2019s efforts to support the recent truce but called on the White House to be more active and vocal in urging Israel to halt home demolitions, seizure of Palestinian homes and land and settler violence against Palestinians.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>
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Delaware<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Delaware Lutheran Office for Public\u00a0Policy\u00a0<\/span><\/b>https:\/\/demdsynod.org\/delaware-public-policy-office<\/span><\/b><\/a>\u00a0–\u00a0Gordon Simmons,\u00a0Director<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/h4>\n

The Delaware Lutheran Office for Public\u00a0Policy\u00a0supported four bills this year, and three have now passed:<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

1.\u202fThe Legislature voted to make “Opportunity Grants” permanent, funneling up to $60 a year (statewide) to public\u202fschools with high percentages of low-income students and students learning English.<\/span><\/p>\n

2. The Renewable Energy Goal for the state was increased from 25percentby 2025 to 40 percent by 2035.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

3.\u202fThe minimum wage was increased to $15\u00a0per hour\u00a0(in increments)\u00a0by 2025.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The fourth bill, which will likely be take up next year in the second year of the state’s legislative session, will require registration (and training) before the purchase of firearms. The bill has passed the State Senate but has yet to be taken up by the House.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

We held our annual “Day at the Capitol” virtually this year.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>
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Minnesota<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Lutheran Advocacy \u2013 Minnesota (LAMN)\u202f<\/span><\/b>http:\/\/www.lutheranadvocacymn.org\/<\/span><\/b><\/a>\u2013\u202fTammy Walhof, Director<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/h4>\n

Special Session:<\/span><\/b>\u00a0Negotiations on the 13 spending bills continued through all three weeks of special session. Hideously long \u201cdebates\u201d dominated in the House as a handful of House minority members filibustered several bills. Although all budget bills were passed, the legislature came within hours of not finishing before the new fiscal year.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Clean Energy:<\/span><\/b>\u00a0The Commerce\/Energy bill included the longest \u201cdebate\u201d\u00a0at roughly\u00a025 hours.\u00a0It passed\u00a070-60\u00a0in the\u00a0House\u00a0and\u00a060-5\u00a0in the\u00a0Senate.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n