WRJ at the UN General Assembly October 2023

Women of Reform Judaism has been represented at the United Nations since its inception. Dr. Jane Evans, first Executive Director of the National Federation of Temple Sisterhoods, now WRJ, was the keynote speaker and State Department consultant to the United States delegation that took part in drafting the United Nations Charter in 1945. Today, WRJ has three UN representatives, me as the main representative and Sandy Abramson and Vivian Blumstein as alternates.

Our role is to attend events in the Trusteeship Council and General Assembly and to find events that address issues that are aligned with the mission and high issue priorities of WRJ. What has been amazing is how many WRJ priority goals align with the UN goals of gender equality and empowering women and girls at the global level.

The WRJ team also joins committees so our voice can be added to other like-minded non-governmental organizations (NGO’s) with the goals to influence global outcomes and to share information.

In addition, I have the opportunity to make an intervention during specific UN discussions due to my special designation for WRJ. ECOSOC, or Economic and Social Council, interventions are three-minute statements that a representative of an NGO like WRJ can use to speak and influence member states. The goal of an intervention is to have WRJ’s (with other like-minded NGO’s) voice and position included in the language of an outcome document. The outcome document is the final stage for resolutions to be adopted by all countries of the world. These opportunities are rare, however.

The WRJ UN team primarily takes the time to look for opportunities to learn and share information based on WRJ priority goals and share it with WRJ members. Your sisterhood/women’s group can have a member of the WRJ UN Team speak to you by making a request through the Speaker’s Bureau to learn more about priority topics at the United Nations and how they affect us all.

Recently, the WRJ UN Team attended several sessions in September 2023 during the General Assembly Meeting, in addition to helpful side events. The top three topics discussed were climate change, technology, and the war in the Ukraine. One outcome that is of particular interest to NGOs prioritizing women’s issues is that a special envoy will be created to assist in promoting gender equality and women’s empowerment. Read the full WRJ reports from the General Assembly here.

To learn more about WRJ’s deep connection to the United Nations, please visit wrj.org/advocacy-social-justice.