News from ERI
January Newsletter
ERI Adopts New Strategic Plan
The members of the Edmund Rice International (ERI) team met in December in Geneva with Br. Jack Mostyn, Chair of the Board of Directors of Edmund Rice International, to finalise the endorsement of a strategic plan for ERI formulated by the ERI Board of Directors and to make specific plans for 2010.
Some of the items which will be addressed in the plan include the coordination of a program of submissions for the various mechanisms of the Human Rights Council of the United Nations; the development of a role description for a link person or group in each province/region; the drawing up of a program of visits to provinces/regions (at least two will be planned for each year); the pursuit of consultative status with the UN; the involvement of Edmund Rice schools in selected advocacy campaigns; the development of training and educational programs in advocacy and the development of a child protection policy and a policy regarding the use of interns.
Each province/region visit will involve a meeting with the local leadership team, the ERI contact person and, where possible and if relevant, a meeting with representatives of third level institutions (a potential resource for research/data that could be used to support submissions to the UN), those responsible for the Edmund Rice School system, schools, Brothers’ communities, ERN groups and advocacy groups.
It is also envisaged that the visit might include attending post-immersion meetings (of school groups or other ERN groups) and conducting training sessions for members of the ERN.
in addition to the above, the ongoing tasks of monitoring what is happening at the UN, networking with other NGO's, producing the monthly newsletters and maintaining the website will continue.
What is it?
Universal Periodic Review (UPR)
The Universal Periodic Review (UPR) is a process of review of the human rights records of all 192 UN Member States once every four years.
The UPR is a state-driven process, under the auspices of the Human Rights Council, which provides the opportunity for each state to declare what actions they have taken to improve the human rights situations in their countries and to fulfill their human rights obligations and for its human rights record to be reviewed by other countries.
Within the process, non-Government Organisations (NGO's) have the opportunity to bring issues of concern to the attention of the international community.
The UPR process involves four phases:-
- the compilation and summarising of information provided by the country under review, the UN and civil society (NGO's, National Human Rights Institutions)
- an interactive dialogue between the state under examination and other states.
- the adoption of a report which includes recommendations accepted by the state regarding human rights. The report may include conclusions, recommendations, and voluntary commitments made by the state.
- follow-up or implementation of the recommendations (NGO's have an important role and opportunity here)
For a more detailed decription of the UPR process click here
Edmund Rice International intends to be actively engaged in the UPR process for relevant countries in collaboration with the Edmund Rice Network around the globe.
St. Lucia - Centre For Adolescent Renewal And Education (CARE)
Scattered throughout the beautiful island of St. Lucia are five “Life Centres” where young people are given the opportunity to “find” themselves. “A second chance at seventeen” is how one of the Trainees defined his adventure. It is here that a group of dedicated Instructors have been imparting an Adolescent Development Programme (ADP) which was founded by a Presentation Brother, Dominic Brunnock, in 1993 .
This was my last “grass-roots” assignment before coming to Geneva. Returning to see with “advocacy” eyes what I had known and loved was a defining experience. The following stand out vividly:-
Visiting the five Life Centres restored my faith in young people as they were being encouraged to meet their potential and grasped the concept: “dare to dream”.
A one-day workshop with the CARE. Staff re-affirmed the words “dedication to duty”.
Two past Trainees came with me to a radio talk-in show. As they fielded questions from the callers their self-confidence was evident and the host was very impressed with their ability to field multi-faceted questions.
A visit to the national prison – “correctional centre” verified the notion that 16 year olds were mixed in with other offenders. The ADP was very easy to sell to this captive audience who were in an impossible situation.
Very informative meetings occurred with the Board of Directors and the Executive Committee. It was a deja-vu situation as the Agenda for both meetings were very similar to the ones I was attending two years previously.
The Minister of Education listened attentively to the plight of the young people. If I could package all of the platitudes about the CARE programme from the Ministry of Education and other relevant authorities I would need a menagerie of 40-foot containers.
This is a real-life example of where ERI and the grassroots might collaborate. The Universal Periodic Review [UPR] hosts St. Lucia in 2011. This is where St. Lucia will outline its compliance with UN Treaties that it has signed. CARE has not received its fair share of resources to continue its work with the marginalized young people. This should and will be raised as the International Community evaluates St. Lucia’s compliance.
- Denis Claivaz fpm 
Former trainees who participated in the radio talk-in show in Castries, St Lucia
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