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The purpose of the NGO Committee on Sustainable Development-NY is to monitor, educate, support and influence the implementation of the commitments and agreements adopted by the United Nations that pertain to sustainable development as defined by the UN Conference on Environment and Development, the 1992 Rio Earth Summit, the MDGs, the SDGs, Rio+20 and Post-2015 Agenda for the Sustainable Development Agenda. We seek to be knowledgeable about sustainable development issues under discussion or expected to be discussed by the United Nations for the High Level Political Forum. We focus attention on education at all levels and promote the programs of the United Nations on 17 Sustainable Development Goals for the success of the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda, working closely with relevant UN commissions and agencies such as the United Nations Environment Programme and the Centre for Human Settlements (UN-Habitat), UNDP, UNDESA, UN Women, UNFPA, UNDPI and UNODA. Through our programs we promote and facilitate the exchange of knowledge and the dissemination of information on sustainable development issues with meetings, webinars and events for the our NGO community and the general public to raise awareness toward action plans and agendas. We work with Ambassadors and Permanent Missions to the United Nations, UN Agencies, members of civil society, academia which includes women, youth, people with disabilities, indigenous leaders, with people of all ages and regions, including members of the private sector and sustainable development experts in energy, health, water, climate change, protecting our oceans and infrastructure to bring about partnerships and collaborations that fosters innovative solutions for sustainable development, social impact initiatives and gender equality so we - “Leave No One Behind.”

Vaga Lume Association is a Brazilian non-profit organization founded in 2001 grounded in the belief that investing in people is the best way to transform a reality. Its mission is to create opportunities for cultural exchange by reading, writing and orality, valuing the empowerment of people and rural communities of the Brazilian Legal Amazon region. Vaga Lume works in 160 rural communities (indigenous, riverside, roadside, rural settlement people or quilombolas - Brazilian with African descent) of 23 municipalities in the Brazilian Legal Amazon region, which encompasses nine federal states (Acre, Amapa, Amazonas, Maranhao, Mato Grosso, Para, Rondonia, Roraima and Tocantins), occupies 59% of the Brazilian territory and has 20 million people (12% of the Brazilian population). Despite the fact that education and culture are basic social rights, protected by the Brazilian Constitution and under human rights international treaties ratified by Brazil, its access and implementation in the Amazon region are very limited. It is one of the poverty zones in Brazil - with a GDP per capita 30% lower than the national value - where 42% of the population survives with less than US$ 5.00 a day. Due to the outstanding impact of Vaga Lume's work in the region, the organization is recognized by many international and national awards such as the Juscelino Kubitschek Award of Merit for Regional Development in Latin America and the Caribbean given by the Inter-American Development Bank (2009); the Millennium Development Goals Award, conferred by the United Nations and the Brazilian government (2005); the Vivaleitura Award, from the Ministry of Culture and the Ministry of Education (2008); and the Chico Mendes Environment Award, given by the Ministry of Environment (2006 and 2008). In 2011, Vaga Lume received its most important recognition: the 4th place at the Intercultural Innovation Award, conferred by United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC) and the BMW Group. As an awardee, in 2012, Vaga Lume was welcomed to the World Intercultural Facility for Innovation (WIFI), a network formed by the UNAOC, the BMW Group and the ten 2011 winners. Through this network, the UNAOC and the BMW Group challenged all winners to replicate and scale up their actions to promote intercultural dialogue and offered training, consultancy and institutional support to assist organizations to accomplish such results.

Africa Schoolhouse (ASH) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to bringing quality education, medical care, job training and clean water to rural villages in Northern Tanzania. In order to achieve these goals, ASH works in partnership with communities and the local government to build desperately needed schools, deep wells and medical clinics, creating an environment that enables residents to live full, productive and healthy lives. ASH was founded in 2006 after village elders from Ntyula, Tanzania approached founder Dr. Aimee Bessire with the idea of building a school for their children and a medical clinic for the entire community. Dr. Bessire, who has a decades long relationship with the people of Ntulya, was determined to take action. Within six months, the Africa Schoolhouse board was assembled. ASH broke ground on its first project, the Ntulya Primary School and campus, in July 2008 and completed construction in 2010. President of Tanzania, Jakaya Kikwete, personally inaugurated the new school and declared it a model for all rural schools in the country. The villagers talked about how proud they were that the President came to visit the school they had helped to build. Following the request of the Ntulya elders, the organization completed a modern medical clinic the following year, which now serves approximately 4,500 people. ASH continued working with local communities in the region to identify need and completed the renovation of Mwaniko Secondary School and Shilanona Primary School in 2012 and 2014. Improvements at these locations included building a bio-chemistry lab and the installation of the first solar-powered computer lab in Misungwi District. ASH also trained a local work-force to help with the construction and continued maintenance of these projects. ASH's newest project is to construct an all-girls boarding school-the first in Misungwi District. This exemplary school will provide space for 360 girls in Forms 1-4, with the possibility to expand the campus and add another 80 girls in Forms 5-6 as needed in later years. Currently only 1% of Tanzanian girls complete secondary school education. They face a wide range of obstacles to their education, including everything from families who privilege the education of sons over daughters, to girls being married off at young ages, and unsafe journeys to school. One of the largest issues faced by girls is finding a safe place to live while pursuing their education. In this rural area, many girls travel long distances to reach school. Safe passage to and from school is a critical issue. We want to provide a safe living situation for young women to delight in their education. ASH is partnering with Misungwi District to build a much-needed safe haven for girls, empowering them through education to grow into strong, healthy women. In addition to a standard academic curriculum, the school will also promote leadership, entrepreneurship, social justice and care for the environment. The school will create an essential safe space where young women can successfully complete their studies and grow into empowered, independent adults. As with our other projects ASH is collaborating with the local communities, school committee, and Tanzanian government. We are building this school at the request of the local community, who identified this as their greatest need. The school will be staffed and run by the District once completed. The District has selected Florencia Ndabashe to be the school's head teacher. Ndabashe currently leads a co-ed secondary school in Misungwi and brings great energy to her work. She will be a strong leader for the girls school, inspiring her fellow teachers and serving as an excellent role model for young women.

Fundacion Via Cocina is a community based project focused on improving the health and economic development of vulnerable women, youth and underprivileged in Medellin Colombia. With a personalized training and mentoring system sharing healthy food recipes, cooking techniques and applied financial planning and entrepreneurial small business fundamentals, we build a program for individuals and families based on their current reality, applying the training to objectives created with them, for them, in their own home. Additionally, we provide classes to individuals and groups who want to learn to cook healthy dishes with local ingredients for their families, transforming them into uncommon flavors that are low in fat, oil, salt and sugar-free. These activities look to decrease frequency and severity of non-communicable diseases in the communities, including obesity, diabetes and cholesterol.

The Montgomery Parks Foundation champions Montgomery County Parks cultivating financial support and public engagement of county residents and businesses as members, donors, sponsors and advocates. We will inspire charitable giving and cultivate and solicit private donations at all levels to support programs and projects that preserve and enhance Montgomery Parks. We will encourage public support and activism on behalf of our parks and believe such involvement strengthens our community and fosters positive public policy in the best interests of our award-winning park system. We will protect donor privacy, abide by the Donor Bill of Rights and report openly and accurately regarding all Foundation activities, accepting fully our responsibility to serve the public good and meet our obligations. We will strive to reflect our broad-based community in board membership and staffing and the selection of programs and projects the Foundation supports while respecting all donors and supporters equally. We will establish and sustain trusting and supportive relationships with Montgomery Parks and throughout the community, reinforcing the importance of mutual respect in an effort to attain mutually beneficial results. We will conduct all business with the highest professional, moral and ethical standards and report honestly about our operations and finances. We will strive for excellence in fulfilling all programs and projects and will reflect in all we do the exceptional pride we take in our outstanding park system.

Dream Corps Unlimited is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt nonprofit social enterprise and incubator for powerful ideas and innovations designed to uplift and empower the most vulnerable in our society.  Our work stems from three core strengths: - Communicating breakthrough ideas and frameworks - Catalyzing new efforts and strategic initiatives - Connecting across cultures and discipline to build a stronger, more integrated, and more collaborative movement Dream Corps is the vision of civil rights leader and former advisor to the Obama White House, Van Jones. An activist for more than two decades, Van has fought for social, economic, racial and environmental justice all over the world. Under Van's leadership, Dream Corps incubates the following programs: Close the Prison Doors: #cut50 works to popularize bipartisan alternatives and practical solutions to help America safely and smartly reduce its jail and prison populations by 50 percent over the next 10 years. Open the Doors of Opportunity: #YesWeCode is a national initiative to help train 100,000 low-opportunity youth to become high-level computer coders. We sponsor youth hackathons, support existing coding education programs, and partner with tech companies, media and other high-profile partners committed to increasing diversity in tech. Into a New Economy Green for All works to build an inclusive green economy strong enough to lift people out of poverty.

The Piedmont Environmental Council works to safeguard the landscape, communities and heritage of Virginia's Piedmont by involving citizens in related public policy and land conservation. PEC's service area encompasses nine counties of the Piedmont. Our work integrates four mutually interdependent goals and programs:   *Better Define the Piedmont- PEC is creating a sense of place in our communities through engaging activities and the identification and support of our unique assets and history.  * Protect What Can Be Protected: Land Conservation & Watershed Protection - We are protecting threatened land and natural and cultural resources as efficiently as possible through an aggressive and multi-tiered land conservation program.  *Respond to the Forces of Change: Land Use and Transportation- We consistently promote good planning to reduce threats to our region, address issues of local importance, and surmount individual pressures on our historic landscape.  *Direct Growth to the Right Places - We are helping visualize a better future by presenting positive solutions to the problems caused by poorly planned development. These concrete principles recognize that growth is inevitable, but that we can effectively manage the population and economic growth coming to this region and create healthy communities to live, work and play.  PEC also provides direct assistance to those working on parallel missions in neighboring counties. PEC is a founding member and fiscal sponsor for the Coalition for Smarter Growth, an organization extending a parallel mission in Washington DC. PEC also serves as fiscal sponsor for the Shenandoah Valley Network. Additionally, PEC coordinates with many partners across the Commonwealth to address regional issues that affect the Piedmont directly.

With the goal of helping under-served communities in India, Nepal, and Tibet receive the vital services they need, Karuna-Shechen was founded in 2000 by Matthieu Ricard (www.matthieuricard.org), renown TED speaker, author, and humanitarian. We strive to reduce inequalities and work toward a fairer and more compassionate world. We trust that communities can be lifted out of poverty, that change is possible, and that the well-being of every individual, regardless of race, gender, class, or caste, is essential. We believe that building on local strengths and knowledge is the most efficient way to respond to the specific needs and aspirations of our beneficiaries. Rooted in the ideal of "compassion in action", we serve others with joy and determination by cultivating altruism in our hearts and actions. We provide vulnerable and disadvantaged populations access to health care, education and vocational training, clean water, solar electricity, and other sustainable solutions that offer options to find a livelihood and a better life. We work with a grassroots network of local partners, and give special attention to the education and empowerment of girls and women. Karuna-Shechen's name expresses its mission while paying homage to its roots: Karuna means "compassion" in Sanskrit, and Shechen is the name of a major monastery in Tibet.

The Advocacy Project - A Voice for the Voiceless The Advocacy Project (AP) helps marginalized communities around the world take action against the root causes of their disempowerment in a way that benefits society as a whole and produces social change. To do this, we partner with community-based advocates who represent these communities and share their problems. Our support for partners is innovative and effective. First, we deploy Peace Fellows (experienced graduate students) to help partners tell their story, launch campaigns, and strengthen their organization: we have deployed 274 Peace Fellows since 2003, and in the process given our Fellows a unique experience. Second, we help partners to raise funds and manage their campaigns: we have raised over $2.5 million for partners, and are currently seeking funds through Global Giving for exciting projects in Nepal, Vietnam and Uganda. Third, we promote the work of partners internationally, using new methods of story-telling such as advocacy quilting: over 300 women have produced embroidered panels for our quilts, which have been shown throughout North America and Europe. AP is a 501(c)3 organization, based in Washington DC. Visit us at www.advocacynet.org

The Center for Renewable Energy and Appropriate Technology for the Environment (CREATE!) was established in 2008 to help rural populations in the developing world prepare for water, food, and fuel shortages resulting from the impact of climate change on their communities. CREATE! operates on the principle that all people have a right to water, food, shelter, energy, and the means to earn a living. We work with village populations to meet these needs through a culturally respectful, participatory process grounded in our belief that people must have a stake in their development and contribute towards solving their own problems. The cooperative groups in our beneficiary villages have already demonstrated the validity of this approach. CREATE! currently operates in Senegal. Senegal is representative of many Sub-Saharan African countries that are hardest hit by the increasingly disastrous effects of global climate change. CREATE! responds to the inter-connected crises generated by climate change with strategies that decrease dependence on fossil fuels, conserve natural resources, and increase the use of appropriate technologies. Our programs produce sustainable, human needs-based development at the village level while forging resilient and vibrant communities across rural Senegal. CREATE! seeks to face these challenges and assist rural Senegalese residents with small-scale, accessible, and "appropriate" technologies - technologies that are adapted to, and fit, their local conditions - and with human needs-based strategies that can both better their lives and build their capacity to meet these inter-connected challenges. CREATE! works in six villages in two regions of Senegal. One region is in the rural north of Senegal, centered around Linguere in the Louga Region, where CREATE! implements programs in the village of Ouarkhokh. The other region is in the central-west of Senegal, centered around Gossas in the Fatick Region. CREATE! implements program activities in five villages in this region. The total beneficiary population of the six villages is approximately 12,000 people, comprised of both agricultural and pastoral peoples. The average per capita annual income of the population in these villages is approximately $350 a year. In each of these villages, CREATE! staff work closely with local and traditional authorities, including village chiefs and imams, in addition to other community leaders, families, and public schools. CREATE! values the expertise and input of community members and strives to incorporate their knowledge and participation into each stage of our programs. As a registered NGO in Senegal, CREATE! works with government officials from the regional office of the Department of Water and Forestry. CREATE! also respects the Senegalese government's strategic development goals for rural communities. Although CREATE!'s administrative office is located in the United States, CREATE! relies on local Senegalese staff and volunteers to plan and implement successful development interventions. Barry Wheeler, CREATE! Founder and Executive Director, has spent the past 27 years working to alleviate suffering and to provide basic human needs for rural villagers, displaced persons, and refugees in several countries in Sub-Saharan Africa. After serving in the Peace Corps for six years as an Improved Cook Stove and Appropriate Technology volunteer, trainer, and technical advisor in Togo, Barry earned a Master's degree in International Agriculture and Rural Development from Cornell University. Barry has served as Country Director for the American Refugee Committee's programs in Uganda, Sudan, and Rwanda; as a consultant for UNICEF and UNHCR; and as a team leader and training coordinator in local capacity building, renewable and appropriate technology, and sustainable rural development. CREATE! Chief Operations Officer Louise Ruhr has more than 30 years of private sector and nonprofit management experience and has spent the past eight years working with international NGOs, including the American Refugee Committee, to support women's cooperative groups in Rwanda and Senegal. CREATE! Country Director Omar Ndiaye Seck oversees program activities and conducts site visits in CREATE! communities. He also manages CREATE!'s finances and staff in Senegal. Omar closely collaborates with local and traditional authorities, community volunteers, and CREATE! staff to achieve both organizational and village goals.

The Movimento de Saude Mental Comunitaria do Bom Jardim (MSMCBJ) was initiated in 1996 as part of the outreach of the Comboni Missionaries in the Northeast of Brazil. MSMCBJ seeks to improve the lives of the people of the economically impoverished peripheral regions of Fortaleza, primarily the area of Grande Bom Jardim. To imagine a mental health project in a peripheral neighborhood like Bom Jardim, where the majority of people live in at-risk circumstances - in which extreme poverty, violence, a lack of housing and basic sanitation, street children, and unemployment predominate - is to believe that, even within pain and suffering, we can harvest flowers. That is, personal and social realities can be transformed. The challenge that MSMCBJ has been overcoming throughout its years of community action has been to demonstrate that, through the Community Systemic Approach, working with people's self-esteem results in greater self-awareness, which empowers people to create paths of liberation, thanks to the sense of participation and co-responsibility that MSMCBJ activities favor. The Movimento de Saude Mental Comunitaria do Bom Jardim welcomes the human being, respecting their bio-psycho-socio-spiritual dimensions, promoting the development of their potential, through the restoration of human rights and cultural values, with the goal of improving the quality their personal, interpersonal, and community relationships, for the promotion of the gift of life. We welcome and accept all people, despite their social class, race, religion, gender, or age; We stimulate the development of quality personal, group, community, social, and ecological relationships; We believe in the diversity of cultural roots as a principle on the strengthening of identity for the liberation and development of the human being; We exist within and are nourished by a loving spirituality in the search for personal and social integration and liberation; We offer a space for affective listening as an essential therapeutic instrument for the awakening and development of life; We participate in the development of human potential with the vision of autonomy and co-responsibility in the construction of the project of life; We value and recognize the talents of the individual, encouraging transparent and affective relationships as an opportunity for personal and professional growth; We believe in a work relationship that encourages the overcoming of conflicts as a form of maturing and growth; We encourage the awakening of a new consciousness that cultivates the essential values of love, peace, and justice; We gladly welcome partnerships that help to realize these life-restoring actions.

Mission: "Girl Scouts build girls of courage, confidence and character who make the world a better place." The Value proposition is that Girl Scouts is where girls find their voices and make them matter. The Girl Scouts of Central Maryland has served the Metropolitan area since 1962. In the ensuing five decades, the neighborhoods and communities of Baltimore City and certain surrounding counties have changed. The GSCM has endeavored to change to be responsive to these changing demographics and keep current with the needs of girls in Central Maryland. GSCM conducted extensive research into the needs of girls and young women who live in Baltimore City. The families in these areas are typically single-parent families with income levels near the poverty line. Many parents work more than one job to make ends meet. And then there is the special group of girls, often forgotten, who are separated from their mother for reasons over which they had no control. Delivering the extra-curricular activities that are necessary for girls to achieve later in life is a founding principle and goal of Girl Scouts of Central Maryland. This includes learning the real meaning behind the Girl Scout Law of "I will do my best to be honest and fair, friendly and helpful, considerate and caring, courageous and strong, and responsible for what I say and do, and to respect myself and others, respect authority, use resources wisely, make the world a better place, and be a sister to every Girl Scout. In underserved communities there is a lack of availability of programs, and lack of transportation. GSCM intends to continue to fill this void with its Beyond Bars program and needs your support to assure we can continue to transport girls from their neighborhoods to the facility which houses their mother. Overall, for the entire council, the goals for 2015-2018 were established for a target population of girls in kindergarten through 12th grade, the goals and are: (a) to empower a culturally diverse population of girls through engagement in a Girl Scout leadership pathway; (b) to increase the reach of GSCM's programs and unique experiences by enrolling an increased number of girls, particularly girls from underserved communities, as members of the Girl Scouts of Central Maryland; and (c) to recruit, screen and orient new and existing adult volunteers, who are guided and trained to mentor a culturally diverse Girl Scout population.