Nobel Women's Initiative Update - 12 December 2007

The Nobel Women's Initiative continues to appreciate your interest in our work. Here is a brief update on activities since our last update to you in October 2007:

NWI on the Issues

  10th anniversary of the Mine Ban Treaty seen as a "success in progress" 

Ten years after the historic treaty negotiations that led to the signing of the Mine Ban Treaty in Ottawa, Canada, Nobel Laureate Jody Williams joined past and present campaigners in Ottawa, from 2-3 Dec, to commemorate the anniversary and celebrate a success in progress.  Visit our website to learn more about the landmine issue.

While in Ottawa, Williams also met with members of Parliament and the media to address Canada's noticeable absence in prominent global issues, such as the crises in Burma and the Darfur region of Sudan.

  Cluster Bombs: Citizens organize Global Day of Action

In November, the United Nations Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons (CCW) abandoned its responsibility by failing to prohibit the use, distribution, or stockpiling of cluster bombs. NWI was disappointed in their weak mandate and urged states to abandon the empty rhetoric of the CCW and fully invest in the Oslo Process, which is operating outside official UN channels to urgently move governments to action to ban clusters.

On 5 November, the movement to ban clusters garnered international support when citizens from more than 30 countries participated in a Global Day of Action, calling on their governments to ban this destructive weapon. On 7 December, 138 countries successfully concluded the third major international conference on cluster munitions, where a number of new countries expressed support for a comprehensive ban.

  Mairead Maguire and Jody Williams speak out against Canada's barring of US peace activists

In October, sister Laureates Mairead Corrigan Maguire and Jody Williams issued a statement criticizing the Canadian government for barring the entry of US peace activists Medea Benjamin and Retired Colonel Anne Wright. Benjamin and Wright were barred because their names appear on a FBI Watch List due to prior arrests for nonviolent civil disobedience.

   Peace talks in shambles in Sudan 

The crisis in the Darfur region of Sudan continues to deepen. Key players were absent from the peace talks that began in Libya in late October 2007, and the long-awaited deployment of an African Union-UN peacekeeping mission has been delayed by consistent stall tactics by Sudan's government. In early December, Jody Williams wrote to the governments of France, the UK, Italy and Belgium urging action by the Security Council in response to a report by the International Criminal Court's (ICC) chief prosecutor outlining Sudan's "non-cooperation" with the Court's investigation into crimes in Darfur. On 5 December, Mairead Corrigan Maguire and Jody Williams joined the international Darfur Fast to raise funds and awareness for civilian protection programs in Darfur, organized by the Genocide Intervention Network.

   Women in Burma courageously fight for freedom 

On 25 November, International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, women activists in Rangoon staged the first public display of opposition since the September crackdown against civilian protests. The Women's League of Burma, together with women's networks around the world, has launched a campaign to free women human rights defenders in Burma, highlighting female activists detained during the crackdown.

NWI Action Alert

   Drop charges against Iranian women's rights activists

Five Iranian women's rights defenders have been arrested and criminally charged for carrying out their human rights activities. All are members of the One Million Signatures Campaign for Equality. Urge Iranian authorities to drop the charges and immediately release these peaceful women's rights defenders. Take Action.

NWI Recent Events

  Iran's Center for the Defense of Human Rights celebrates International Human Rights Day

On International Human Rights Day, NWI sent a statement of support to the Center for the Defense of Human Rights (CDHR) in Tehran, Iran. CDHR was founded by Laureate Dr. Shirin Ebadi to report violations of human rights, defend dissidents and political prisoners pro bono, and support the families of these prisoners. International support is especially helpful in Iran this year, as women and other civil society and human rights activists in Iran are under increased pressure and persecution.

Last week Shirin Ebadi launched a peace campaign calling on the US and Iran to observe international law. She specifically urged Iran to implement UN Security Council resolutions demanding the suspension of uranium enrichment. Meanwhile, the US intelligence community's latest National Intelligence Estimate (NIE) on Iran concluded that Iran halted its nuclear weapons program in 2003.

  Maathai addresses climate change conference 

Nobel Laureate Wangari Maathai began her statement to the 2007 United Nations Climate Change Conference in Bali, "I hope this conference is a turning point the moment when the world mobilized to save itself." The conference, taking place from 3-14 December, seeks to negotiate a new pact to succeed the Kyoto protocol which expires in 2012.

16 days of activism against gender violence - Another successful year

16 days of activism against gender violence takes place annually from 25 November, International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, to 10 December, International Human Rights Day, symbolically linking violence against women and the human rights movement. We encourage you to learn more about this year's successful campaign and take a stand against gender violence. Two great resources are Center for Women's Global Leadership (CWGL) and the International Action Network on Small Arms (IANSA) Women's Network.

NWI thanks our supporters for a successful 2007

It has been two years since the Nobel Women's Initiative grew from an idea to an organization actively building peace with justice and equality. In 2007 we held our first international conference, expanded our activism on issues critical to peace and human rights, and launched a new website to better share our work and connect the global community.

None of this would have been possible without the generous support and contributions of our partners and friends.We would like to take this opportunity to thank our donors and all the incredible women we've had the pleasure of working with this year, including the inspiring activists we've collaborated with, our dedicated staff, and our incredible interns at the University of Houston Graduate College of Social Work who helped make our work possible in 2007!

Help make a difference in 2008

As the end of the year nears, the Nobel Women's Initiative invites you to join our efforts by making a contribution to NWI. Your donation will help continue our work in 2008, as we seek to open new ground for discussion, debate and change.

Make a difference - Support our work to strengthen the global movement to advance nonviolence, peace, justice and equality.
 

Visit our website to learn more about NWI - issues, news, upcoming events, and ways you can take action. To unsubscribe from future updates of the Nobel Women's Initiative, send an email to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Thank you for your support

The Mission of the NWI is to work together as women Nobel Peace Prize Laureates to use the visibility and prestige of the Nobel prize to promote, spotlight, and amplify the work of women's rights activists, researchers, and organizations worldwide addressing the root causes of violence, in a way that strengthens and expands the global movement to advance nonviolence, peace, justice and equality.

The Vision of the NWI is a world transformed, a nonviolent world of security, equality and well-being for all.