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- By Siro Kwamboka, Kenya, Project leader, member of the Programs & Partnerships Committee
The Maasai Unitarian Universalist Community Women Water Project marks a transformative milestone in improving the livelihoods of Maasai women and their families. Access to clean and reliable water has long been a challenge in many rural Maasai communities, limiting opportunities for health, economic growth, and food security.
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- By Gail Sandlin, USA, member of the UN Advocacy Committee
A Merger That Could Muddle Women’s Rights
In 2025 the UN launched UN80, a system-wide reform process to make the organization more agile, efficient, and better able to deliver results with tighter resources. It is the umbrella under which the UN is reviewing internal efficiency, how mandates are carried out, and how possible structural or programmatic changes across the system will help. As such, UN80 is the how of UN reform, that is, a broad attempt to modernize the system, streamline operations, and test possible big changes. The proposed merger of UN Women and UNFPA, the agency focused on sexual and reproductive health, is one example of a structural change being examined within that process.
Supporters of this proposed merger say the move could improve efficiency, reduce overlap, and create a stronger, more coordinated approach to women’s rights and health. A single structure could simplify administration, align programs more closely, and help the UN respond faster with fewer resources.
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- By Karen Kortsch, USA, Chair, Communications Committee
When the leadership of ICUUW realized the need for a communications committee, I stepped up and created it. I’m happy to report that this committee has been active for some months now. We have a strong group that meets monthly to discuss and decide how to best keep all members and friends of the organization informed. We are chartered to enable connections by developing strategies for internal and external communication.
We developed a communications plan that includes sending out three newsletters a year to members and friends. The newsletters provide reflection and report on completed projects and events from around the world.
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- By Rev Erika Orbán, Hungary, ICUUW Board Member
Will your congregation support our work?
Sharing plates during meals is customary in many cultures. When strangers eat the same thing, their similar food choice can be a bond that increases trust and cooperation, suggests research by Kaitlin Woolley and Ayelet Fishbach.
This concrete act has a strong symbolic meaning, too: we become what we eat. When we share what we eat, we become a little bit more similar, more alike. When we share our goods and our money in order to nourish a community’s goals, we become more alike and a little bit more akin to those in need. That’s how giving enriches us.
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- By Tina Huesing, Germany/ USA, ICUUW Board President
News from the Board
Those of us participating again in the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW70) last month experienced something new. At its seventieth meeting, for the first time ever, the commission adopted its outcome document known as the Agreed Conclusions by vote, departing from the Commission’s traditional practice of adopting such outcomes by consensus.
Why is this important?
When a group of participants need to make a decision, they can choose between different decision-making processes. One option is to take a vote, another is to adopt an outcome, decision or plan by consensus. The United Nations works mainly with consensus and only rarely makes a decision by vote. In ICUUW, the Board adopted decision-making by consensus with the beginning of the current Board year last August.
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- By Lee Boeke Burke
We are saddened by the news of Rebecca’s passing and have sent our condolences to her family and the Church of the Philippines. Rebecca was an important member of ICUUW since its very beginning in 2009. For her visionary leadership and tireless fight for equality, justice, and human rights for women we presented her with the Annie Margaret Barr Award, our highest honor. Beautiful reflections on Rebecca’s life and tributes are shared online. UUs-in-Philippines posted a memory on their YouTube channel, her son Persie posted a video on Facebook.
Below we share a beautiful tribute by our member Lee who knew her well:
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- By ICUUW Staff
We at ICUUW are saddened to learn of the passing of Rev. Dr. Natalie Fenimore. Natalie was a friend of ours and our organization. She served on our Nominating Committee, joined us at our third convocation and always showed an interest in what we were doing at ICUUW. Many of us hold fond memories and will miss her presence among us. The UU Ministers Association will share more memorial details as they become available.