New York: In a buildup to bi-centenary celebrations of Don Bosco’s birth, the United Nations held an event highlighting the theme: “Responding to the Needs of the Young and those Living in Poverty: A Salesian Multi-Dimensional Response.”
The March 5 event was also webcast live and is available for viewing.
It was a follow up of two earlier events which addressed the issue of “youth employment and youths as agents of change in society” in 2013, and another in 2014 which examined “youth migration.”
Chair of the Council of Cardinals and Archbishop of Tegucigalpa Salesian Cardinal Oscar Rodriguez Maradiaga was the keynote speaker at the third UN event celebrating Don Bosco’s charism.
Cardinal Maradiaga challenged his listeners focusing his remarks on the human right to water and sanitation saying, “We need to be prophetic in addressing the challenges of our times.”
Salesian social activist Fr. Juan de la Cruz Rivadeneira, who addressed the program highlighted the impact of the extractive industries on the way of life, health and culture of the Shuar people in Ecuador.
“Water is being diverted from the peoples to help operate and maintain new industries that are wreaking havoc on the environment and health of the Shuar,” he said “This reality jeopardizes the future of children and youth robbed of their legitimate land holdings, putting in danger their life and the harmonious development of their culture and spirituality,” Fr Cruz Rivadeneiraa explained.
He concluded his presentation leading the assembly in a sing-along of “Salve Don Bosco Santo” using verses Shuar youth composed to indicate their desire to preserve their way of life.
The Chef de Cabinet by Ambassador Arthur Kafeero of Uganda opened the events held in Conference Room 4 of United Nations Headquarters in New York on behalf of the President of the 69th Session of the General Assembly Sam Kutesa.
Ambassador Kafeero thanked the Salesians for their dedication to the young in Uganda for over 25 years, and he stressed the need for partnering with committed civil society organizations to really have a transformative agenda in the Post-2015 World.
Speaking at the occasion Nuncio of the Holy See Mission at the UN, Archbishop Bernadito Auza underlined the role of Salesians as educators especially of those youths who are marginalized or excluded.
Noting the presence of the Salesians in 132 countries, Archbishop Auza acknowledged the range of their preventive educational system, and noted further that the Salesians “reveal to us the open secret of Don Bosco’s success, namely, educating with love and developing a healthy self-esteem among the young by creative activity.”
Before the panel presentations, the panelists met with Kutesa, who outlined some of his priorities for the session and expressed his gratitude for the work of the Salesians.
The representative of the Salesians at the UN, Salesian Fr Tom Brennan organized the UN event with the generous and dedicated help of Miquel Rimarachin, a UN staff member and close collaborator of the Salesians.
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