NEW YORK, NY — American Jewish World Service (AJWS) President Ruth Messinger released the following statement today after the U.S. Senate voted by an overwhelming majority to confirm Samantha Power as the U.S. Ambassador of the United Nations.
“We are deeply gratified that the U.S. Senate confirmed Samantha Power as U.S. Ambassador of the United Nations,” said Messinger. “Ambassador Power has long been one of the most committed advocates for human rights in the United States, and we believe that she will be an outstanding representative of the United States at the United Nations. Her deep belief in the world community’s moral obligation to prevent genocide and mass atrocities is one that we honor and share with her.
“For me and my colleagues at AJWS, it has been extraordinarily gratifying to have worked with her as she served on the National Security Council at the White House and I look forward to working with her in her new role at the United Nations.”
AJWS is the leading Jewish organization working to promote human rights and end poverty in the developing world. AJWS advances the rights of women, girls and LGBTI people; promotes recovery from conflict, disasters and oppression; and defends access to food, land and livelihoods. AJWS pursues lasting change by supporting grassroots and global human rights organizations in Africa, Asia and the Americas and by mobilizing supporters in the U.S. to advocate for global justice. Working together, the AJWS community strives to build a more just and equitable world.
AJWS works with the United Nations to address global human rights issues. Current AJWS priorities at the United Nations include:
- Promoting equality and working to end discrimination and violence against women, girls, and people of all sexual orientations and gender identities so that they can access the full spectrum of opportunities in society and live in health, safety and dignity;
- Ensuring the UN fully funds the cholera elimination plan to create sustainable water and sanitation systems in Haiti;
- Taking a comprehensive approach in working for peace in both Sudans and ensuring full access to humanitarian aid for all those in need;
- Addressing the root causes of the conflict in Democratic Republic of Congo, protecting civilians, supporting a peace building process that includes women and youth, ensuring legal and equitable use of minerals and other natural resources, and securing national borders;
- Addressing the plight of the Rohingya in Rakhine State and the internally displaced people in Kachin state in Burma through humanitarian aid and government accountability for marginalized populations; and
- Supporting the establishment of genuine peace and reconciliation in Burma by institutionalizing the role of civil society organizations in peace processes and ensuring that economic investments, concessions or development projects are not initiated unless communities are consulted.
For More Information
If you are a member of the press and wish to obtain information about our work or speak to a member of our global team on deadline, please contact Tanyanika Davis, Director of Media Relations, at tdavis@ajws.org.
