Our Global Advocacy: Working Toward Equality in Latin America

The global work of the SNDdeN and our partners to address the needs of women was in evidence during Women’s History Month! On March 17, 2026, the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur co-sponsored a panel discussion at the United Nations (UN) with Trinity Washington University, Citizens for Global Solutions and Green Hope Foundation.

The panel, organized by and for global civil society, non-governmental organizations and feminists to connect them with the official United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (UN CSW 70) process.

Two Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur participated in the discussion and shared their thoughts on gender inequalities in Brazil and Peru.

Sister Isabelle Izika, SNDdeN of the Congo Unit, our SNDdeN Congregational representative at the United Nations, shared opening remarks for “Closing the Gap: Housing, Health and Inequity in Latin America.” She described some of the challenges faced by women with limited access to education, safe housing, clean water, healthcare, childcare and transportation. These topics were later explored by three Trinity students who, as Fellows with Citizens for Global Solutions, conducted in-depth analysis of policy and the lived realities shaped by structural inequality.

Sister Ann Howard, SNDdeN provided closing comments and touched on the intergenerational ministries of the Sisters living in Latin America, such as education, advocacy and pastoral care.

READ MORE about Sister Isabelle Izika in the recent Global Sister Report article, “At UN women’s summit, nuns warn gender-based violence persists worldwide.”