Priests for Life celebrates 20 years at the United Nations
2/23/2023

Priests for Life this year is celebrating 20 years as a non-governmental organization – or NGO – in n Special Consultative Status with the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations (UN).

Bob Lalonde, Priests for Life’s main representative to the UN, said National Director Frank Pavone long ago decided the organization needed to be represented at the international body, and he worked with Cardinal Renato Martino, then the Vatican representative to the UN, to set up the NGO status.

Lalonde, who has been working at the UN for 12 years for the ministry, said being an NGO gives Priests for Life “a seat at the table,” with the ability to sit in on committee meetings, submit formal statements, to be heard and to register “some strong points for life.”

Three meetings of particular interest to Priests for Life are the Commission on Social Development, which recently concluded, and the upcoming Commission on the Status of Women and the Commission on Population Development. Priests for Life submitted formal statements for the latter two meetings.

For many of the more than 195 member states at the UN, Lalonde said, “The forces are really lined up against life,” but there are still some trying to protect life, particularly in Africa. 

During the administration of President Donald Trump, the United States created and signed onto the Geneva Consensus Declaration, a statement that affirmed the life principles. When the Biden administration began, the U.S. withdrew its support. Currently 37 countries have affirmed the declaration.

With a pro-abortion administration in the White House and the anti-life agenda of a majority of the member states, “It’s very much a David and Goliath situation,” Lalonde said. “We’re pushing back as hard as we can.

“Father Frank has been pushing us to keep moving forward. As much as we’re doing in the states, this all needs to be replicated on the international stage.”

Photos of some of the highlights are below.

At www.priestsforlife.org/generalpfl/ngo.aspx you can see more info on our UN work including summaries of events, more photos and our statements submitted for the different sessions we have participated in.



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Priests for Life
PO Box 236695 • Cocoa, FL 32923
Tel. 321-500-1000, Toll Free 888-735-3448 • Email: mail@priestsforlife.org