Sr Janet Palafox ibvm – NGO Representative
Janet belongs to the Institute of the Blessed Virgin Mary (IBVM). She has a degree in communications and international development and was the Director of Mary Ward Peru until 2018. Before moving to Peru, Janet was the Caritas Australia Diocesan Coordinator for the Archdiocese of Perth, responsible for engaging and animating the parishes and schools to support their global work. She also worked for a rural Catholic charity, where she was responsible for building partnerships among rural and remote communities and local organisations to support students and improve their education outcomes. Janet has over 16 years of experience in advocacy, awareness-raising, and community development. She has served on various committees and forums at a local, national, and international level.
An international Advisory Committee and a network of IBVM/CJ Province UN Representatives support the NGO Representatives in their work. There are also other networks formed because of their common area of work. These are the Anti-Human Trafficking Network, and Global Citizenship (Education) Network.
The Advisory Committee provides advice, guidance and oversight of the NGO’s strategy and work plan. The IBVM/CJ Province UN Representatives provide the critical link for communication between the NGO Representatives in New York and the entire IBVM/CJ network. Together with the common interest networks they also provide critical information from the ground that informs our advocacy at the UN.
The current Advisory Committee members are:
- Mary-Eileen Donovan – Chair (Canada)
- Aarya Jha (Youth Advocate, Nepal)
- Annette Haseneder (Germany)
- Carlota Gayo (Youth Advocate, Spain)
- Flora Anthony IBVM (India)
- Gazmir Memaj (Albania)
- Greg Rogers (Canada)
- Heidi Cerneka (USA)
- Pauline Macharia IBVM (Mary Ward JPIC Coordinator, Kenya)
- Smitha Muthu CJ (Nepal)
Feature Image: Lauren Grant (intern), Janet Palafox ibvm (UN NGO Representative), Cecilia O’Dwyer ibvm (previous UN NGO Rep.), Evanne Hunter ibvm (former UN NGO Rep.), Mary-Eileen Donovan (Chair Advisory Committee), Smitha Muthu cj (UN Province Rep for Nepal and member of Advisory Committee) and Marta Santos (UN Province Rep for Spain) attending the Commission on the Status of Women in New York in 2024.
