April 21, 1998

Women's Division advocates U.S. payment of U.N. debt

Contact: Linda Bloom (212) 870-3803 New York

STAMFORD, Conn. (UMNS) -- Sara Shingler, president of the Women's Division, United Methodist Board of Global Ministries, has urged division directors "to become personally involved" in lobbying the U.S. government to pay the $1.5 billion it owes the United Nations.

She addressed that issue during the division's April 17-20 semi-annual meeting here.

Shingler was among a group of non-profit organization leaders who met in January with U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan to discuss the U.S. debt to the United Nations.

The lack of payment, she explained, threatens the U.N. into bankruptcy; puts the United States in jeopardy of losing its vote in the U.N. Assembly; undermines the work of the United Nations and has soured U.S. relations with other member nations.

Current legislation in Congress that would provide for payment of the U.S. debt has been tied "to controversial language on international family planning programs," according to Shingler. If the payment can be severed from the family planning issue, a vote on the U.N. funds could come in May, she said.

Directors were urged to write letters to Congress and their local newspapers and to speak about the importance of the dues payment to their local units of United Methodist Women and other groups.

In other business, Women's Division directors:

Learned that 1997 income jumped to $55,524,241 – as compared to about $39 million in 1996 – because of "strong investment performance and the realization of capital gains in a restructuring of the investments" according to Connie Takamine, division treasurer.
Set the date of the 1999 National Seminar for Aug. 13-20 at Scarritt-Bennett Center in Nashville, Tenn.
Were informed that during the current membership campaign for United Methodist Women, 285 new units have been started, 68 units reorganized and 13 district units, a new category, founded.
Heard Joyce Sohl, the division's deputy general secretary, describe how the faith of various Christian, Jewish and Muslim women had inspired their commitment to justice.

Women's Division Spring Meeting

Robin Barr Patricia Vasquez

At the Women's Division meeting held April 17-20, Robin Barr (right) spoke.

Patricia Vasquez talked about the initiative to attract teen-agers and college/university women to United Methodist Women..

Brown

Brenda Brown, North Carolina Conference, left, is a director of the Women's Division and the Board.

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