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Next Meeting : November 7th, 2006 @ 9pm, we will be collecting $5 dues
We are still looking for E-Board members. If you are interested please email me at anne.denes@... and I will send you all the information you will need.
"SEARCHING FOR JACOB"
It hardly seems possible, but the genocide in Darfur is taking a turn for the worse. The government in Sudan has launched a new offensive, maybe trying to finish what it started three years ago. More than 300,000 people are dead; more than two million are refugees in the Sahara. While looking for a way to explain what's happening in Darfur, " 60 Minutes" came upon on the story of a boy named Jacob, whose name was on schoolbooks found in the ashes of his home. The books ended up at a US museum – and motivated Scott Pelley to try and find their owner, a boy swept up in the 21 st century's first genocide. The remarkable story will be shown on this week's "60 MINUTES" (Sunday, Oct. 22, 7PM ET/PT on CBS).
Oct. 21st- Come to the Rock for Darfur Concert with Amos Lee at the 9:30 Club!! A portion of ticket sales go to Darfur! Check out myspace.com/rockfordarfur for more info on this cool nationwide event!
Interested in spreading the word about STAND while rocking out at the concert? E-mail standmicaela@... ASAP to let her you know you are interested in spending about an hour of the concert hanging out with cool STAND people and filling in cool concert-goers about how they can stop genocide!
Brown Bag Lunch Discussion: Post Conflict Development & Sustainability in Rwanda
Speakers:
- Steve Linvingston, GWU School of Media and Public Affair's Professor
- Kimberly Easson, JavaVentures Founder
- Eight GWU Students
- Monday, October 23, 12:00-2:00 p.m.
- Location: Pangea Artisan Market and Cafe at IFC, 2121 Pennsylvania Ave NW
- Sponsors: The IFC Cultural Center & Pangea Artisan Market & Cafe
- No RSVP necessary.
- Location: Lindner Family Commons, 6th Floor, 1957 E Street NW
- Sponsors: Culture in Global Affairs (CIGA)
- RSVP is required, contact Hfassil@.... There will be refreshments served.
In January 2007, GYPA will be sending 25 American to join 25 Ugandan
students in Kampala and Gulu, Uganda for the Global Kimeeza II: The
Role of Youth in Post-Conflict Northern Uganda. At the same time, 20
Americans and 50 Sierra Leoneans will come together in Freetown,
Sierra Leone for GYPA's first Youth Summit in the country: The Role
of Youth in Post-Conflict Sierra Leone.
Both immersion trips will give participants an opportunity to explore
first-hand the post-conflict reconstruction and reconciliation
processes at work in these countries. The purpose of both summits is
to engage and promote youth from the United States and Africa as
leaders in the efforts to rebuild these two war-torn countries.
Participants will participate in discussions regarding conflict
resolution, economic development, rehabilitation and reintegration,
HIV/AIDS, transitional justice, and gender issues, among others.
Students with backgrounds or interests in any of the above fields are
encouraged to apply!
Interested students may to apply to either one or both of the
programs. Applications are due no later than November 1st, and
applicants will be accepted on a rolling basis. Please click on the
links provided below to obtain the official program descriptions and
to fill out an application.
Global Kimeeza II: The Role of Youth in Post-Conflict Reconstruction
(January 2nd-17th)
This fall, peace talks brought about a cessation of hostilities in
the 20-year civil war in Northern Uganda; now is a critical time to
examine the political situation and engage in the practice of
reconstruction and reconciliation. The goal of the Kimeeza is to
provide a platform for Americans and Ugandans to explore the
important role that youth play in post-conflict reconstruction by
sharing ideas, approaches, and strategies.
The Second Global Kimeeza will focus on three important domains that
are necessary to rebuilding a thriving northern Uganda:
Youth as Peacebuilders;
Justice and Forgiveness; and
Poverty Relief and Economic Development.
This historic initiative will help establish a stronger relationship
between the youth of the United States and Uganda. Ultimately, it is
our goal to build bridges of greater understanding and inspire an
ongoing dialogue between todays young American and Ugandan leaders
tomorrows global decision makers.
PROGRAM DESCRIPTION (pdf)
APPLY NOW!
Please contact Katie Spencer for more information ( katie@... ).
Youth Summit: The Role of Youth in Post-Conflict Sierra Leone
(January 2nd-16th)
The Summit to Sierra Leone will give American students the unique
opportunity to explore first-hand the post-conflict reconstruction
and reconciliation processes at work in a country whose decade-long
civil war ended only five years ago. The purpose of the Summit is to
engage and promote youth from Sierra Leone and the United States as
leaders in the efforts to rebuild this war-torn country. Participants
will attend meetings in Freetown with Sierra Leonean students
focusing on the role of youth in conflict resolution and post-
conflict development.
The Summit will focus on the following major themes:
Conflict Analysis, Management, and Resolution
Post-Conflict Reconstruction and Rehabilitation
Poverty Alleviation and Economic Development
We will also have in-depth discussions on topics such as democracy
building, US-West African relations, and HIV/AIDS. Additionally,
participants will have the opportunity to travel to areas in the
north and east to obtain a more in-depth perspective on how the
country was affected by the conflict.
PROGRAM DESCRIPTION (pdf)
APPLY NOW!
Please contact Carrie Stefansky for more information
(carrie@... ).
Stand in for the Victims of Darfur!!!
Please click below to stand in for the victims of genocide in Darfur and help organize an envoy for peace:
http://www.humanrightsfirst.org/hope.asp?s=taf
Darfur Legislative Update
11 October 2006 – The arms embargo in Darfur is being blatantly violated by all parties operating in the war-torn Sudanese region, including Government forces, allied Janjaweed militias, rebel groups and insurgents from neighbouring Chad, according to the latest report from a panel of experts set up by the United Nations Security Council.
The panel's report, released today, found that Chadian rebels are helping to stoke the conflict in Darfur – especially in the region's north and west – by reportedly joining Government forces and the Janjaweed in their operations against rebel groups.
The experts said there are reliable reports that Sudan is re-supplying the Chadian rebels with weapons and vehicles, with weapons and ammunition observed being offloaded at local airports and moved to locations within Darfur, where three years of fighting have killed an estimated 200,000 people and forced another 2 million to leave their homes.
"Credible information" also exists indicating the Government continues to support the Janjaweed, providing weapons and vehicles in breach of its commitments, according to the report.
"The Janjaweed/armed militias appear to have upgraded their modus operandi from horses, camels and AK-47s to land cruisers, pick-up trucks and rocket-propelled grenades," it stated.
The panel of experts, appointed by the Council last year to monitor the arms embargo and targeted financial and travel-related sanctions, also found that rebel forces have "shown a notable increase in capacity to engage the forces of the Government" since March.
Turning to the financial and travel-related sanctions, the experts said it considered Sudan to have "wilfully avoided" its commitment under the resolution to implement financial sanctions against persons designated by the Council.
They also voiced concern that fighting has increased in recent months because of a major split within rebel movements based on which groups and factions signed the Darfur Peace Agreement (DPA) in May and which did not.
"Tragically, it is the long-suffering innocent civilians of Darfur who continue to bear the brunt of recent events."
Greece's Ambassador Adamantios Vassilakis, Chairman of the Council committee dealing with sanctions concerning Sudan, said in a letter to the Council President that the committee will consider the panel's many recommendations and then present their views to the full Council.
Meanwhile, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Jan Egeland told a news briefing in Geneva that the violence and insecurity plaguing Darfur has escalated in recent months, with the militias stronger than ever.
"They are much better armed, they are more brutal than ever and their potential to do bad is better than ever," he said.
Mr. Egeland, who is also the UN Emergency Relief Coordinator, said the escalating fighting has led to surging numbers of internally displaced persons (IDPs) across Darfur, a remote and impoverished region the size of France on Sudan's western flank.
Their suffering has been exacerbated because relief workers are unable to reach many of the IDPs due to the insecurity.
Asked by journalists about the recent Human Rights Council session, Mr. Egeland said he thought it was a shame that it did not issue a strong statement on Darfur.
"I think that is a very bad signal. There are few cases that are so clear-cut as Darfur in terms of women and children being abused, attacked [and] raped by armed men. And if there is one thing that the Human Rights Council should do, it is to come to the defence of the defenceless."
**The Darfur Legislative Update provides information on the efforts of various groups to serve the broad legislative advocacy community working on Darfur related issues. All information included does not necessarily reflect the views of the Friends Committee on National Legislation ( FCNL).**
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