C E B O . org

Posted 2:36 PM by Mary

Make the Call:

Charles E. Schumer - (202) 224-6542
Hillary Rodham Clinton - (202) 224-4451



Dear Friends in NY,

John Bolton, the man who uttered the quotes above will become the next U.S. ambassador to the United Nations (UN) unless Charles E. Schumer and Hillary Rodham Clinton, choose to stop him. We need your help to ensure that they do the right thing and vote against the confirmation of John Bolton.

A bit of background: on March 7, President Bush nominated John Bolton to be U.S. ambassador to the UN. During his time in and out of government, John Bolton has consistently worked to undermine international cooperation.

Our radical opponents are already rallying around the Bolton nomination. They see it as a key step towards their ultimate goal, getting the U.S. out of the UN altogether. By calling your Senators and standing up to Bolton and the “America Alone” crowd, you can proclaim loud and clear that Americans value our partnerships with friends and allies.

The Senate Foreign Relations Committee expects to vote on this nomination in early April.

We can stand between John Bolton and the U.S. seat at the UN Security Council. We need you now! Call your Senators
http://www.stopbolton.org/

Posted 8:14 AM by Mary

Urgent Action Needed to Alleviate Suffering in Darfur

Tell your Congress members to take immediate action to put an end to the atrocities in Darfur.

The genocide in Darfur-demands united action, leadership, and accountability. The Humanist community has a moral responsibility to both prevent and respond to war crimes and crimes against humanity.

Over the past two years, the Government of Sudan has mounted a campaign of ethnic cleansing that has killed tens of thousands of civilians, caused millions to flee their homes, and wrought untold devastation in the Darfur region.

The American Humanist Association active in coalitions to stop genocide in Darfur, and a member of the Save Darfur Coalition joins the coalition in calling for 100 Hours of Conscience: Voices to End the Violence in Darfur. The campaign starts today, Thursday March 17 and ends Sunday March 20. For more information on the 100 Hours of Conscience campaign visit http://www.savedarfur.org/.

ACTION

We urge you to write your Congress members and demand action-we can't allow complacency in the face of a tragedy so great and so preventable. The goal of the 100 Hours of Conscience campaign is for every member of Congress to receive at least 100 letters from constituents with the message that Americans are appalled by the horrific conditions in Darfur.

Urge your Senators and Representatives to call on President Bush to:

· take immediate and decisive action to stop the killing, rape, and destruction of villages;
· ensure that humanitarian relief reaches all those in need;
· hold accountable those responsible for these crimes against humanity;
· ensure the safe, voluntary, and dignified return of the displaced to their homes;
· and demand that the United Nations Security Council pass a strong resolution that guarantees accountability and offers enforceable mechanisms to protect the people of Darfur.

You can reach your Congress members by calling the Capitol Switchboard toll-free at 877-762-8762 and ask to speak with her/his office. The House website www.house.gov and the Senate website www.senate.gov also list the direct lines and e-mail addresses for every Representative and Senator.

Posted 11:29 PM by Mary

USICC

Open Letter to the U.N. Secretary-General and Members of the Security Council

After reviewing the most recent draft of the proposed Security Council resolution on Sudan, we unanimously urge members to reject this resolution on the grounds that another weak resolution will exacerbate rather than ameliorate the situation in Darfur. The current draft resolution sends precisely the wrong signal after one year of unfulfilled promises and continued attacks, further emboldening the Government of Sudan. Council members should instead adopt a strong resolution that aims to end the crisis.

Previous Security Council resolutions have been ineffective in bringing the situation on the ground in Darfur under control. Coming six weeks after the Commission of Inquiry’s detailed report about ongoing crimes in Darfur, a resolution is needed that requires decisive action by the Sudanese government to halt attacks against civilians.

The African Union (AU) forces are laboring alone in Darfur with a near impossible burden. The United Nations must do all it can to provide the AU with the backing needed and send a clear, enforceable message to Khartoum that it intends to hold the government to its promises and treaty commitments. Appealing to the government to honor past commitments has clearly not worked. Given the magnitude of the ongoing crimes, it is unconscionable to repeat the same stale rhetorical demands with little hope of enforcement. The time for wishful thinking is over.

The Council must establish a no-fly zone over Darfur to provide the AU and vulnerable civilians with the protection they need from Sudanese air attacks. Credible targeted sanctions—not the limited and exemption-ridden sanctions proposed in the current draft—must be imposed. Implementation and enforcement of a no-fly zone and a credible threat of targeted sanctions are absolute minimums to ensure protection for civilians in Darfur.

Security Council members have the responsibility and authority to protect international peace and security; this requires bold and effective measures. The Government of Sudan has repeatedly violated prior resolutions. We therefore urge the Security Council to pass a strong resolution – one that ensures accountability through a referral to the International Criminal Court and provides enforceable mechanisms to protect the people of Darfur.

Gareth Evans President and CEO International Crisis Group
Aryeh Neier PresidentOpen Society Institute
Ken Roth Executive Director Human Rights Watch
Morton H. Halperin Executive Director Security and Peace Institute
Salih Booker Executive Director Africa Action
Nina Bang-Jensen Executive Director Coalition for International Justice
Len S. Rubenstein Executive Director Physicians for Human Rights
Charles J. Brown President and CEO Citizens for Global Solutions
Gayle Smith Senior Fellow Center for American Progress

Posted 11:58 AM by Mary

Citizens For Global Solutions:: "Fax Your Senator: Genocide in Sudan needs ICC Referral"
Citizens for Global Solutions Welcomes the

Darfur Accountability Act



WASHINGTON, D.C. - Citizens for Global Solutions welcomes the Darfur Accountability Act, as introduced by Senators Corzine (D-NJ) and Brownback (R-KS), and hopes that it will be a catalyst for action to end the atrocities in Darfur, Sudan. The bill not only demonstrates that a bipartisan consensus exists on Darfur, but also advocates courses of action that Citizens for Global Solutions has long endorsed. Among other things, the Darfur Accountability Act recommends a new UN Security Council resolution with sanctions, concerted diplomacy, a more effective African Union mandate, and the extension of the current arms embargo to cover the Government of Sudan.

“This bill is an impressive bipartisan effort to end the atrocities in Darfur,” remarked Stuart Ford International Law and Justice Program Coordinator for Citizens for Global Solutions. “An overwhelming majority of Americans of every political persuasion believe the U.S. can and should do more to end the suffering in Sudan. The Darfur Accountability Act is a blueprint for America’s role in this task.”

Posted 8:39 PM by Mary

Take Action: Urgent! Protect Global Women's Rights: "Urgent! Protect Global Women's Rights
STOP THE U.S. BACKSLIDE ON WOMEN'S RIGHTS AND EQUALITY

This week representatives from hundreds of countries around the world gathered at the United Nations to reaffirm and review a landmark agreement on women's rights, signed by the United States and 188 other nations in 1995. The U.N. Platform of Action commits governments of the world to protect the human rights and freedoms of women in regard to political action, access to education, employment and healthcare.

Ten years later, representatives from the U.S. to the U.N. have refused to endorse this historic agreement and have instead proposed an amendment to it which would state that the platform does not include a right to abortion or create any 'new' international human rights. Only the Vatican, Egypt and Qatar support this move to backpedal on global women's rights while scores of other countries -- including Russia, the European Union, Botswana, the Domican Republic and Chile -- have asked the U.S. to reconsider its action."