Take Action

Following are the past four weekly Action messages delivered to all who join our mailing list. Please join us today so you too can Take Action to help stop genocide.

March 5, 2010

In honor of International Women’s Day, Monday March 8, ask your Members of Congress to support the International Violence Against Women Act.

This legislation would make ending violence against women a diplomatic priority for the first time in U.S. history. The bill would require the U.S. government to respond to critical outbreaks of gender-based violence in armed conflict – including those in Darfur. It would invest in local women’s organizations overseas that are successfully reducing violence in their communities. And it would help provide resources for economic opportunities that would help lift women and their families out of poverty.

Thank you for taking this important step to protect women and girls, and please tell a friend!

Local Activities – International Women’s Day:

Sunday, March 7 Register for SF Chapter of UNIFEM’s (UN Development Fund for Women) at Crissy Field, Walk to End Violence!

Monday, March 8 “Successful Strategies for Stopping Violence Against Women” 6-7:30PM, UC Hastings, 200 McAllister Street, 2nd floor, SF (Free and open to the public, reception to follow).

Moderator: Naina Khanna, Dir. of Policy and Community Organizing, WORLD; Introduction: Megan Dunbar, DrPH, Public Health Research Scienitist; Panelists: Arthur Ammann, MD, Pres. Global Strategies for HIV Prevention; Professor, UCSF; Shari L. Dworkin, PhD., MS, Assoc. Prof., Medical Sociology, UCSF; Suneeta Krishnan, PhD., Senior Research Public Heath Analyst; Prof., UC Berkeley; Prof., St. John’s Research Inst., Bangalore; Rita Maran, PhD., Lecturer, UC Berkeley and USF; Founding Board Member, Human Rights Advocates; Advocacy VP, UNA-USA East Bay

RSVP to Stephanie Platis, UNIFEM/USNC at smplatis@gmail.com

Wednesday, March 10
Preventing Genocide: A Conversation with Mark Hanis, President, Genocide Intervention Network
12:30-2PM, 470 Stephens Hall, University of California, Berkeley
http://www.berkeley.edu/map/3dmap/3dmap.shtml?stephens

Genocide Intervention Network mobilizes the first permanent anti-genocide constituency committed to stopping the worst atrocities around the world. Join founder and President Mark Hanis as he discusses GI Net’s current efforts to counter genocide and protect civilians. RSVP to hrc@berkeley.edu.

March 6-8
“Join Us on the Bridge” Global Campaign Please visit womenforwomen.org for details about local walks March 6-8 led by Women for Women International, calling for an end to war and demonstrating that women can build bridges of peace everywhere. Locations: Berkeley, Oakland, San Francisco, San Jose, and Santa Cruz.

March 2, 2010

International Women’s Day is March 8, 2010. Please join us for any or all of the following:

• Sunday, March 7 Register for SF Chapter of UNIFEM’s (UN Development Fund for Women) Walk to End Violence on Sunday, March 7 at Crissy Field! International Womens Day 2010 walk Registration

• Monday, March 8 “Successful Strategies for Stopping Violence Against Women”
March 8, 6-7:30PM, UC Hastings, 200 McAllister Street, 2nd floor, SF (Free and open to the public, reception to follow).

Moderator: Naina Khanna, Dir. of Policy and Community Organizing, WORLD; Introduction: Megan Dunbar, DrPH, Public Health Research Scienitist; Panelists: Arthur Ammann, MD, Pres. Global Strategies for HIV Prevention; Professor, UCSF; Shari L. Dworkin, PhD., MS, Assoc. Prof., Medical Sociology, UCSF; Suneeta Krishnan, PhD., Senior Research Public Heath Analyst; Prof., UC Berkeley; Prof., St. John’s Research Inst., Bangalore; Rita Maran, PhD., Lecturer, UC Berkeley and USF; Founding Board Member, Human Rights Advocates; Advocacy VP, UNA-USA East Bay

RSVP to Stephanie Platis, UNIFEM/USNC at smplatis@gmail.com

• Wednesday, March 10
Preventing Genocide: A Conversation with Mark Hanis, President, Genocide Intervention Network
March 10, 12:30-2PM, 470 Stephens Hall, University of California, Berkeley
http://www.berkeley.edu/map/3dmap/3dmap.shtml?stephens
Refreshments will be served.

Genocide Intervention Network was founded in 2005 to mobilize the first permanent anti-genocide constituency committed to stopping the worst atrocities around the world. Join founder and President Mark Hanis as he discusses GI Net’s current efforts to counter genocide and protect civilians.

Please RSVP to hrc@berkeley.edu.

Co-sponsored by the SF Bay Area Darfur Coalition, the American Friends Service Committee, UNA-USA East Bay, and the Boalt Hall Committee for Human Rights.

February 26, 2010

National elections in Sudan will be held in April 2010 and are intended to be a culmination of democratic transformation provided for in the Comprehensive Peace Agreement of 2005 (CPA). Unfortunately, the steps necessary to create conditions for free and fair elections have not been taken, and it is evident President al-Bashir and the ruling National Congress Party intend to manipulate the elections to legitimize their rule.

Please visit action.savedarfur.org/campaign/sudanelections to ask President Obama to lead the world in not recognizing a rigged election that would allow the only sitting head of state ever indicted by the International Criminal Court to claim legitimacy.

February 19, 2010

Senate Resolution 404, a bi-partisan resolution, supports a U.S. and multinational commitment to facilitate full implementation of Sudan’s Comprehensive Peace Agreement.

If you are a California resident, please email Senator Dianne Feinstein at feinstein.senate.gov and ask her to co-sponsor S.Res. 404. On the webpage, complete your personal information, select Issue/Topic Foreign Policy and paste the following message into the message space. Please feel free to add your personal statement.

Thank you for your steadfast support of the people of Sudan and your leadership in the Senate in supporting human rights. I respectfully request that you co-sponsor Senate Resolution 404, supporting full implementation of Sudan’s Comprehensive Peace Agreement. With April elections fast approaching, it is clear that conditions required for free and fair elections do not exist. There is a real danger of resumption of full-scale war between the north and south, and the genocide in Darfur continues. The U.S. must lead now on credible multilateral consequences in support of genuine democratic processes and verifiable commitments to peace.

If you are a resident of another state, please email the message to your Senator.

February 12, 2010
This week the State Department launched a new site designed to encourage governmental transparency and engagement with citizens:  openstate.ideascale.com.

People can post ideas/suggestions for the State Department to consider and can vote other ideas up or down.

Currently, the #1 most popular idea concerns the transparency of the benchmarks included in U.S. Sudan policy. Please visit openstate.ideascale.com, click “Most Popular” and Vote “I agree” on the following idea:

“The State Department has not publicly disclosed the precise benchmarks it is applying to assess progress in Sudan. The outcome of the first quarterly review of the U.S. Sudan policy by the National Security Council Deputies Committee was undisclosed. In Sudan, tensions are high with the April national elections and January 2011 referendum on independence for southern Sudan rapidly approaching. I strongly encourage the State Department to bring transparency to the process by which the United States will strictly adhere to unambiguous benchmarks and ensure that the appropriate pressures and incentives are applied accordingly.”

Two weeks ago your votes helped make Sudan the #1 topic requiring President Obama’s attention. Make it the#1 issue at the State Department, too!

After you vote, post the idea on Facebook and send a tweet so more people vote!

February 5, 2010

Thanks to you and other dedicated advocates for Sudan, last Monday President Obama spoke substantively about Sudan for only the second time since taking office. Among the 14,000 questions asked after the State of the Union address, the top vote getter in terms of the percentage who thought it was a good question– over 90% –was the question about Sudan!

The President urged Sudan to cooperate in efforts to stabilize the country and expressed a desire to reach lasting peace agreements. But, the response was missing two elements:

–(1) There is no full-time field-based diplomatic presence in Sudan and the surrounding region to make sure peace efforts have a chance of success; and

–(2) The U.S. should be working to build a coalition of countries willing to escalate pressures in support of peace – introducing consequences would influence the calculations of the parties and help move them toward lasting peace.

While we have the President’s attention, please sign the petition urging him to take the steps necessary for lasting progress.

January 29, 2010

Are you wondering why President Obama mentioned neither Sudan nor genocide prevention in the State of the Union address on Wednesday night?

Now you have the chance to demand a response from President Obama. Next week, the President will answer questions live on YouTube. These questions will come from everyday citizens and will be selected by online voters.

The ENOUGH! Project is calling on all of us to help make sure he takes a question about Sudan. Please email your question about Sudan for President Obama to sudantube@enoughproject.org.

In a couple of days, ENOUGH! will select a few of the questions and ask everyone to join together in voting those to the top so that the President will respond.

We will let you know when it’s time to vote on the selected questions.

January 22, 2010

Next week President Obama will deliver the State of the Union address to Congress on International Holocaust Remembrance Day, Wednesday, January 27.

The Genocide Prevention Task Force report recommendations to enhance the ability of the U.S. government to respond to emerging threats of genocide and mass atrocities include that the State of the Union address be used to convey that genocide prevention is a national priority.

Please join in asking the President to make genocide prevention a U.S. foreign policy priority and outline the importance of preventing genocide in his address to Congress. You can:

1. Call 1-800-GENOCIDE (1-800-436-6243) between 9AM-5PM EST, select the option to be connected to The White House, and leave your message asking the President to make genocide prevention a national priority in the State of the Union address.

OR

2. Tweet BarackObama along the lines of: We ask @barackobama to make #genocide prevention a national priority. Please follow recs of #genprev taskforce. #Sudan.

OR

3. Facebook The White House page and post “President Obama, please make genocide prevention a national priority in the State of the Union address.”

January 15, 2010
Thank you to all who participated on Saturday in “Sudan 365: A Beat for Peace in San Francisco“. Please watch for next steps in the campaign!

Next week, The “National Security Council Deputies Committee” (the senior forum for consideration of policy issues affecting national security, as well as policy implementation) will meet to assess the U.S. Sudan policy in the first “quarterly review” of the policy.

As activists, we need to put pressure on the deputies to ensure the policy is implemented fully and correctly.

Please visit www.enoughproject.org/Benchmarks, scroll down and then:

1.Twitter – sign the petition by clicking the “Tweeted” icon

AND/OR

2. Facebook – click the link to the State Department page, become a fan and post the message: “Deputy Secretary Jim Steinberg and the other deputies on the National Security Council, I urge you to be firm when holding Sudan’s leading parties to their commitments to promote peace.”

AND

3. Bookmark www.enoughproject.org/Benchmarks and check back next week for more activism around the revew.

Background: In October 2009, the Obama Administration stated that it would regularly assess progress, or lack thereof, of the parties to Sudan’s multiple conflicts against clear and pre-determined benchmarks. They would then determine the pressures and incentives–so-called “carrots” and “sticks” in the Sudan policy–to be applied. The Deputies need to know that we care about the integrity and the results of their review.

Please note that Sudan government planes bombed Darfur over the last several days; the people of Sudan need you to continue to act.

Reminder of an upcoming important event:

January 25 at 6PM
“Critical Factors Shaping the Future of Sudan”
World Affairs Council, 312 Sutter Street, San Francisco
SPEAKERS:
The Hon. Ezekiel Lol Gatkuoth, Head, Government of Southern Sudan Mission to the United States
Tiseke Kasambala, Senior Researcher, Africa Division, Human Rights Watch
Roger Winter, former State Department Special Representative for Sudan
Please visit www.itsyourworld.org Event page for more information about this very important and timely event and tickets.