Entries by Naomi (58)

Wednesday
Jun012011

June Advocacy Focus

posted by Susan

This is the introduction I wrote from our last email newsletter so some of you may have seen it already, but to all others read on!

The last couple months have provided fodder for some interesting conversations about the righteousness, efficacy, and political ramifications of the military action in Libya. It was/is a complicated question and we don’t pretend to know “the” answer.  What we decided to do however was spend the month of June looking at the doctrine of Responsibility to Protect, also known as R2P.

This is an introduction to R2P from the International Coalition for the Responsibility to Protect website:

“Recognizing the failure to adequately respond to the most heinous crimes known to humankind, world leaders made a historic commitment to protect populations from genocide, war crimes, ethnic cleansing and crimes against humanity at the United Nations (UN) 2005 World Summit. This commitment, entitled the Responsibility to Protect, stipulates that:

1. The State carries the primary responsibility for the protection of populations from genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity and ethnic cleansing.

2. The international community has a responsibility to assist States in fulfilling this responsibility.

3. The international community should use appropriate diplomatic, humanitarian and other peaceful means to protect populations from these crimes. If a State fails to protect its populations or is in fact the perpetrator of crimes, the international community must be prepared to take stronger measures, including the collective use of force through the UN Security Council.”

Over the next month we’ll look at the organizations that promote R2P, situations where it has been called for and not used, or called for and used.  We’ll also have our monthly advocacy packet focusing on R2P that you can receive via email by sending a request to susan@onemillionbones.org

If you have ideas for ways to investigate R2P, or thoughts on the ramifications of it as a policy please do share them in the comments.  As I always say, all of us here at OMB are learning as we go along and conversations, virtual or otherwise, are an important part of that process.  Hope to hear from you!

Tuesday
May312011

Action for Abyei

posted by Susan

We’re going back to Sudan today for a call to action around events unfolding in Abyei.

As a refresher or for those of you unfamiliar with Abyei (pronounced ab YAY), it is a disputed region that straddles the tentative border between North and South Sudan.  It has oil and fertile land.  This New York Times article is from January, but it captures the “problem” with Abyei.

Unfortunately none of the issues talked about in the article have been resolved, and the situation for Abyei is worsening.  Thousands are suffering, displaced and dying. The Enough Project has lots of information in their blog, which you can find here.

Our call today, an action. This petition urges President Obama to take decisive action in Abyei.  It is sponsored by Enough!, Humanity United, Stop Genocide Now & i-ACT, Investors Against Genocide, Save Darfur, American Jewish World Service and Genocide Intervention Network.  Check them out when you have time, but please sign the petition now.

You'll see the names of these organizations come up, again and again.  It's because the work they are addresses the issue of genocide and atrocities head-on.  They are out in front of the movement, and deserve all our support.  

As always, I'd love to hear that you've signed the petition, or any other thoughts, comments or questions.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Friday
May272011

Guisma's Story -- Part 3

Guisma is a six year old girl living in a refugee camp in Chad. She and her family were forced to leave their home in Darfur because of the ongoing violence.  

As promised, heres' a link to the third and final video about Guisma. This video was produced by iAct in partnership with OMB's beneficiary Enough!  If you missed the first two installments, you can see them through the link above as well.

The story told in these three videos is inspiring, heartbreaking, and I hope, a call to action.  

All of us at One Million Bones wish you a great long weekend if you have one, and great days in general if you don't.  We're closed on Monday, but that means we'll have twice as many bones to make on Tuesday so stop into the Open Studio and help out! And really, check out the video before you head out for the weekend.

 

 

 

Wednesday
May252011

How Can it Be?

Posted by Susan

I usually use this blog as a way of sharing information about organizations, people and actions that OMB thinks are worth knowing about and supporting in the “big fight” against genocide and atrocities going on in the world.  Today though, I’m taking a break.  I have to put down some personal thoughts about Joseph Kony, The Lord’s Resistance Army, and what I consider to be one of the most irresponsible and callous responses to human suffering that I know. 

For 20 years, Joseph Kony has been murdering civilians, abducting and torturing children and terrorizing countries in Africa. I know there are groups, like the most remarkable Enough Project, Invisible Children, and Resolve who have made incredible progress in efforts on the ground to thwart his actions and in Washington to drive US policy towards more assertive action.  I’ve read reports about why it’s so difficult to stop him and I understand the complexities.  His tactics are so twisted and so evil that it’s hard to know how to fight against them, especially the fact that his army is made up of children that he abducted and whose families would wish to have back, and what army is willing to face off against children.

Despite all this, I have to ask, how is it that the forces of the government of Uganda, South Sudan, the Central African Republic, the UN, and the United States over 20 some odd years cannot figure out a way to stop this. 

This is an emotional lament, I know.  I’m not interested in national interest or sovereignty, cost or logistics.  I do not know how we can speak without emotion when we talk about a man who has perpetrated the kinds of crimes Joseph Kony is responsible for. I do not know how we can speak without emotion when we talk about the atrocities he has forced children to commit.  He is known to force abducted children to kill their families to prove their loyalty to himself and the LRA. Joseph Kony and two of his military leaders top the list of the International Criminal Court’s Most Wanted List and more than deservedly so. 

Joseph Kony must be stopped.  I’m personally late to the call for his arrest and trial, but every day he and his army are allowed to roam free thousands of people, thousands of children are in danger.  How can it be that we can make a computer that you can carry in one hand, that gives access to the entire wealth of human knowledge, that connects to satellites orbiting the Earth to reach that information and we can’t figure out how to stop this tragedy.

This is a link to the Enough Project’s webpage where you can find more information about what the Obama Administration is doing, and what it isn’t doing to address the LRA’s ongoing reign of terror.

 

 

Monday
May232011

Monday Hodge-Podge

Today we have a hodge-podge of organizations and projects that look at environmental issues from multiple perspectives.   All do important work, all are worth a few minutes of your time.

Strong Roots Congo

EarthRights International

International Union for the Conservation of Nature

I LOVE this one:

There’s a short blog post here about a new way of making cooking fuel briquettes in Congo

And this is an article about two young people in Congo using their creativity, in the context of lingering and imminent conflict to address issues of conservation

Do you know of other organizations or projects we can share?  We're talking about conflict and the environment for another week so let us know in the comments section of you do. Thanks!