Posts Tagged Events

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Kampala: the Road to Justice for Darfur

Friday, June 18th, 2010

Over the last two weeks, I had the opportunity to be a part of an extraordinary gathering in Kampala in support of the fight against impunity. I joined the first ever Review Conference for the Rome Statue of the International Criminal Court (ICC), held from May 31st to June 11th.  Participating in the conference were high level representatives from the 111 member states of the ICC, 10 of the countries from non-state parties who came in support for justice with status of observers including the United States, intergovernmental and international organizations and civil society representatives from every region of the world, the majority of whom were members of the international Coalition for the International Criminal Court (CICC).

This event came 12 years after the creation of the Court through its founding Rome Statue and 7 years after the ICC entered into force, helping the world start to transition from an era of absolute impunity to an era of accountability for the most serious crimes. The Review Conference came at a very critical time, as there was a great need for the ICC and its members to gather to address the multiple challenges that the Court has encountered in its work, and to improve the Court’s interaction with and responsiveness to victims and communities affected by atrocities. Member states needed this review meeting to examine their commitments to the Court many had participated in creating.

The ICC Review Conference provided a huge window of opportunity for the world community to reiterate its commitment to the fight against impunity. For example, the European Union and its 27 member states count themselves among the most ardent supporters of the ICC. At the conference, the representative of the European Parliament made a particularly strong statement of the EU’s commitment to ensuring cooperation with the Court and the execution of the pending arrest warrant against Sudanese president Omar al-Bashir. Other positive examples of countries seizing the opportunity presented by the Review Conference included the leading role played by the Latin American state parties; the clear statements of commitments to justice made by the African states parties; pro-active initiatives from Asian states including Bangladesh becoming the 111th country to join the ICC after ratifying the Rome Statute just prior to the Review Conference; as well as the general support by the non state parties and NGOs. All this, along with a clear recognition by nearly all participants of the importance of the role of civil society, sent a profound message about the value of the Court and of international justice. Holding the Review Conference in Kampala presented an exceptional opportunity for victims and affected communities from Uganda and other parts of the region to participate in the deliberations.

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Remembering the Plight of Sudan’s Survivors on World Refugee Day

Wednesday, June 16th, 2010

Originally posted at Enough Said.

Worldwide, 41.2 million people have been forced from their homes by conflict. Over 5 million of those people are from Sudan.

Millions of Sudanese still live in camps in Sudan or just across the border in Chad, Kenya, and other neighboring countries. But it’s estimated that since 1975, over 22,000 Sudanese have joined the approximately 2.5 million refugees from all over the world who live in the United States.

For years, activists – Sudanese and American – have advocated for peace in Sudan. This year, in honor of World Refugee Day, members of the Sudan advocacy community will sit down and share a meal together, to spend time learning about each other through conversation and food.

Join the Genocide Intervention Network and the Save Darfur Coalition on or around World Refugee Day this Sunday, June 20, to meet with members of the Sudanese diaspora, refugees, and activists who live in your community. There are already more than 80 meet-ups organized around the world.

Come together for a meal and share your stories. Learn what you can do together to advocate to improve the conditions in which many refugee communities live.

(more…)

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Cato Institute Policy Forum: Sudan After The Elections

Thursday, June 10th, 2010

** UPDATE **

Video from the event is available above and on the Cato Institute’s website.

****

Sean Brooks, Save Darfur’s Senior Policy Analyst, will be speaking at a Cato Institute policy forum tomorrow afternoon to discuss Sudan in the post-election period. You can register to attend the event (at Cato’s headquarters in Washington, DC) or watch it live on their website.

(more…)

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New Yorkers Call on International Community to Support Sudanese People during Elections

Monday, April 26th, 2010

Continuing its rich history as a gathering place for human rights’ activism, Union Square became a hub for calling attention to the poor state of political expression and fundamental freedoms in Sudan. On 10 April 2010, the eve of Sudan’s elections, New Yorkers gathered in Union Square Park to express concern about the elections and demand that the international community take seriously its role as guarantor of the elections. Elections can be an opportunity to develop democracy, but could also become a flash point for violence and human rights violations.

On a beautiful spring day, hundreds of people passing through Union Square stopped at rally headquarters under the statue of George Washington, signing postcards to President Obama and making phone calls to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton through the Genocide Intervention hotline, calling on both to lead the international community in denouncing flaws in the elections and in ensuring that the election does not legitimize President Omar al-Bashir.

Individuals who made a call on the GI-Net hotline received a cookie from UBUNTU: Students for a World Without Genocide. A 6′-long letter also was addressed to Hillary Clinton, and signed by bystanders. Volunteers distributed fliers containing actions that anyone can take for Sudan and Darfur:  they spoke with onlookers, explaining how international support for free and fair elections is critical to reducing conflict throughout Sudan and to encouraging an environment of civil and political freedoms imperative to a legitimate 2011 referendum on the future of South Sudan.

(more…)

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Faith Community Calls On Congress

Wednesday, March 10th, 2010

Imam Abdul-Malik, Archbishop Aykazian, Kirk Betts, Ruth Messinger, Galen Carey and Rev. White-Hammond gather in front of the Capitol Building

Last week, I attended a prayer breakfast hosted by the Interfaith Sudan Working Group (ISWG), a coalition of Jewish, Muslim and Christian organizations working together for a lasting peace in Sudan. Since its founding several years ago, the group has held multiple events to raise awareness of the conflict.

The prayer breakfast brought advocates, clergy and Congressional staff together to discuss the need for peace and an end to human suffering in Sudan, particularly as the elections approach.

In working with our coalition and activists, I am constantly struck by the diversity of the movement – people of all ages, political affiliations, faith traditions and life experiences have come together to say that they can no longer “stand idly by.” Faith leaders at the breakfast came from the American Jewish World Service, Muslim Alliance in North America, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, the National Association of Evangelicals, the Episcopal Church, Lutheran World Relief, the Armenian Church of America, the Religious Action Center of Reform Judiasm and the African Methodist Episcopal Church.

Following the breakfast, the Interfaith Sudan Working Group delivered copies of the children’s fairy tale book, Humpty Dumpty, to all 535 Members of Congress as a reminder that the situation in Sudan is fragile and could break at any second. Read more about the event here and email melissa@savedarfur.org to learn about how your faith community can be involved in Sudan advocacy.

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A Global Action on Sudan

Tuesday, January 5th, 2010

Cross posted from the NAACP’s blog.

Rev. David Emmanuel Goatley, Ph.D., is Chairman of the NAACP International Affairs Committee.

At the NAACP, our work in the global arena sometimes elicits the following kind of question. “With all the ills in the United States, why should we be involved in the problems in those countries?” There are at least three principle reasons you should engage globally.

First, if you intend to be relevant, you have to be global. We are interconnected in economics, politics, entertainment, and the like. Every time you purchase something, you are participating in the global economy. You have a vested interest in what is happening in the world for your personal well-being.

Second, if you don’t make the world a better place “over there,” you will soon suffer the consequences “right here.” The ease of global communication and transportation makes the creep of problems around the world inevitable. Remember the Asian Flu and HIV?

Third, making this world a better place for all is the work of mature and responsible people. We are interdependent and interconnected. How can you know that a child is starving or a woman is raped or a family’s home is burned and not be moved add your voice to the call for peace and justice?

Sudan is a country where unimaginable human atrocities are continuing. Despite modest steps of progress, there are still gross displays of inhumane treatment of individuals, families, and communities. The NAACP is joining the Save Darfur Coalition to call for people who believe in peace, justice, and security to join in a global day of action on Sudan on January 9, 2010.

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Activist Stories: Raising Awareness Through Music

Thursday, November 12th, 2009

Below is an email from Christian Anderson, a great guy and committed activist, who recently put on a concert to raise awareness and funds for the Save Darfur Coalition. I worked closely with Christian to help him spread the word, find other activists in the area, and provided him ideas and merchandise. I hope you’ll take time to read this post from Christian, not only to read an account of a great event, but hopefully to also give you ideas for an event in your area.

Greetings to all fighting the good fight for Darfur! I am writing to you from Los Angeles, CA where our adjunct activist group, The Rise Up Coalition, recently produced the official Save Darfur Concert at the Knitting Factory-Hollywood on Sept 15, 2009. (www.savedarfurconcertla.com) The concert was a mad dash since we did not get confirmation of the venue until 5 weeks before date and for the bands, 3 weeks before the date. I tested the sanity of our PR team with this timetable, but we gave it our best shot and got the word out.

(more…)

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Activists “Pledge 2 Protect” in Washington DC

Monday, November 9th, 2009
Jerry Fowler, Michelle Gavin, Dr. Mohammed Abdallah, Bec Hamilton

Jerry Fowler, Dr. Mohammed Abdallah, Bec Hamilton, Michelle Gavin

This weekend the Save Darfur Coalition joined the Pledge2Protect conference here in Washington, DC.  Hosted by STAND: The Sudent Anti-Genocide Coalition, the Save Darfur Coalition and the Enough Project, the conference sought to create an experience for participants that will empower them to become stronger leaders on their campuses and in their communities while demonstrating the strength of the movement to end genocide to policymakers on Capitol Hill.

The coalition hosted the Sudan Plenary, which featured NSC Senior Director for African Affairs Michelle Gavin, author Bec Hamilton, physician and professor at al-Fasher University and former Director at Amel Center for torture victims in Darfur Dr. Mohammed Abdallah, Representative Mike Capuano (MA-08) and Save Darfur Coalition President Jerry Fowler.

During the plenary, Representative McGovern told the conference attendees,  “Everyone in this hall is essential to peace… To ending genocide. You are the engine, the energy” and instructed them: “you need to make sure your representative knows this matters to you!”

Michelle Gavin said she was “energized by this gathering” and told the audience:  “you have one of the most important roles in this important time period we’re in now” for Sudan.  Gavin also noted that “history shows us when activists come together on key issues we become closer to the America we want to be” and asked that activists “help [the government] keep focused on the fact that what needs to change is the situation on the ground in Sudan.” (more…)

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Dancing to the Edge of Darfur

Wednesday, October 14th, 2009

This weekend, as part of my internship with Save Darfur, I traveled to Philadelphia to a special event held by the Rebecca Davis Dance Company called “Dancing to the Edge of Darfur.” This event brought together ballet dancers, filmmakers, activists and community members for an evening dedicated to artistic expression and raising awareness about the impact that violent conflict has had and continues to have on so many people throughout Sudan.

Dancing to the Edge of Darfur

Darfur - Rebecca Davis Dance Company

Prior to the event, various organizations and members of the dance company’s Board of Trustees had a dinner meeting at the theatre to discuss the connections between art and activism. The group brainstormed ways in which organizations can embrace art to increase awareness about their specific causes, including Darfur, and how to translate this awareness into action.

The highlight of the evening was the performance itself. The Rebecca Davis Dance Company performed four excerpts from its ballet “Darfur” and Rebecca, the owner and head choreographer, spoke about significance of the scenes and her inspiration for the show. Rebecca first became interested in Darfur after reading several articles in the New York Times on the genocide, written by Nicholas Kristof. In an effort to learn more, she picked up Brian Steidle and Gretchen Steidle Wallace’s book The Devil Came on Horseback. This book inspired her to create a ballet which tells the story of a family in Darfur whose lives have been drastically affected by the genocide, as well as the story of those working in the international community to put an end the violence.  In addition to the ballet, clips were shown from Brian Steidle’s film The Devil Came on Horseback and from the documentary Women in War Zones, which focuses on the effects of sexual violence on women in conflict ridden areas of the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Before and after the show, organizations including Save Darfur, the US Holocaust Memorial Museum, Amnesty International, the Enough Project, the Darfur Information Center and the Darfur Alert Coalition, were able to meet with audience members in the lobby to discuss Darfur and other conflicts. We were thrilled to see how much interest there was following the performance from the audience and the dancers themselves in gaining more information about what was happening and what individuals could do to make a difference.

This production was beautifully put together and I would highly recommend it to anybody who loves dance or is interested in Darfur. For more information on the Rebecca Davis Dance Company and future tour dates for “Darfur” visit www.rebeccadavisdance.com.

Rebecca Dennis is a fall intern at the Save Darfur Coalition

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If you can read this

Friday, October 9th, 2009
One of our mobile billboards in downtown Pittsburgh

One of our mobile billboards in downtown Pittsburgh

If you can read this you can save lives in Sudan.

That was the message that we brought to world leaders in New York at the U.N. General Assembly and in Pittsburgh at the G20 summit last month.  We also brought them your messages – your reminders in photos and petitions to those world leaders: Don’t Forget Darfur.

Take a moment to check out what we accomplished together:

During our street actions in New York we delivered your 45,383 petition signatures to Special Envoy to Sudan General Scott Gration. In the short program before the Darfur/Darfur exhibit began, General Gration told the crowd:

“And this letter that I’ve got from you all is very important. I’ll make sure that the President gets this, and that he understands the concern that America has to solve this problem in a very expeditious way; a concern that we’ll see in these pictures… What you’re doing is so important to bring the visibility and the pressures to bear, so that we can take the appropriate actions in Darfur to make a difference in the lives of people who deserve this and a lot more.”

—Special Envoy to Sudan General Scott Gration

In Pittsburgh, President Obama drove by our street teams—and waved at our activists holding signs along the route to the G20 opening dinner.  Also in Pittsburgh we held a live webcast policy briefing on “Sudan and the G20: what the world’s richest countries can do.”  In combination with our TV ads, print and billboard ads these actions reminded world leaders that they can all save lives in Sudan.

Check out what we accomplished together during our United Nations and G20 “Don’t Forget Darfur” campaign by taking a few minutes to see our TV and print ads, policy briefing, photos of our street actions, and our new “Don’t Forget Darfur” video on YouTube.

Donate Now to the Save Darfur Coalition

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