Nobel Women's Initiative Update - 25 July 2007

Since early 2006, sister Nobel Laureates Jody Williams, Shirin Ebadi, Wangari Maathai, Rigoberta Menchu Tum, Betty Williams and Mairead Corrigan Maguire have worked together in the Nobel Women's Initiative, using the prestige of the Nobel Peace Prize to promote the efforts of women's rights activists, researchers, and organizations working to advance peace, justice and equality.

We continue to appreciate your interest in our work.

News

  Daw Aung San Suu Kyi turns 62 and marks more than 4,250 days under house arrest

On June 19 NWI joined with Burmese opposition groups in observing the 62nd birthday of sister Laureate Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and calling for an end to her ongoing detention. Suu Kyi's birthday marked the 4,253rd day the democratically elected leader spent isolated from her people and the international community. The most recent extension of her house arrest came in May 2007, when Burmese authorities extended her sentence term by one year. Take Action for Aung San Suu Kyi and the people of Burma.

  Maguire calls for an end to 40 years of Israeli occupation in Palestine

Attending a June demonstration in London's Trafalgar Square, Mairead Corrigan Maguire called for an end to 40 years of occupation and a negotiated settlement to the conflict in Israel & Palestine. It is over 30 years since many of us from Northern Ireland stood here in Trafalgar Square, calling for a peaceful settlement to the Northern Irish conflict .Today in Northern Ireland the guns are silent and we are building genuine democracy. The Israeli/Palestinian people have suffered enough and want peace.  It is time for [their] governments to start talking. June marked the 40th Anniversary of the Six Day War, in which the Israeli Army took military control of the Palestinian Gaza Strip, and West Bank, including East Jerusalem. In April Mairead was shot by a rubber bullet fired by Israeli military forces at the site of the Apartheid Wall in Bil'in village. Read more about the incident, including a statement from Mairead.

  Williams leads Mission and issues scathing report calling for United Nations action

After leading a High Level Mission on Darfur in February, Jody Williams presented a scathing report to the UN Human Rights Council in March. The hard-hitting report asserts that the Sudanese government and the international community have failed in their responsibly to protect the citizens of Darfur and charges Sudan's government with taking part in horrific war crimes, in concert with Janjaweed militia. "Killing, rape, torture, arbitrary arrest, repression of political dissent and abuses of political freedoms occur with chilling frequency," Williams said. Click here to read a letter Williams wrote describing the hardest part of her work on Darfur- dealing with the political infighting in the Human Rights Council and watching them try to find a way to "respond" to the Mission's report "without really doing anything to protect the people of Darfur."

In late March the Human Rights Council passed a resolution calling for the creation of a group to monitor specific issues in the Sudan. The group is led by Dr. Sima Simar of Afghanistan, Special Rapporteur on human rights in Darfur and a member of the High Level Mission to Darfur.

In June, Williams and Archbishop Desmond Tutu addressed a special session of the European Parliament and offered suggestions of concrete actions that can be taken to stop the carnage in Darfur. Read their op-ed printed in the Christian Science Monitor. Also read a May op-ed by Williams and Mia Farrow who realized they were inadvertently funding the atrocities they were trying to stop in Darfur by investing in companies pouring billions into Khartoum's coffers.

To find out what you can do visit our Take Action page.

   Women of Oaxaca gather in resistance

In April, the women of Oaxaca, Mexico organized a Gathering of Women in Resistance to boldly speak out against state-sponsored repression in their city. Inspired by their extraordinary levels of organization and leadership, NWI applauded their efforts. We recognize and stand with the women activists who suffer threats and persecution for their work to build a more just and equitable society .their achievements give us hope and energy to continue our own struggles. Read more here.

   International launch of ICAN

   NWI urges Canada to show leadership on climate change

In March, alarmed by Canadian Prime Minister Harper's announcement that Canada wouldn't meet its international commitments to reduce greenhouse gas emissions under the Kyoto Protocol, NWI wrote to Harper and published an op-ed in the Toronto Star. As Nobel laureates from five continents, we are profoundly concerned that climate change will exacerbate tension over scarce resources and undermine efforts to solve conflict in some of the world's poorest countries. We urge Prime Minister Harper to re-commit to the international process to tackle climate change.

Action

  Speak out against the US backed Iraq Oil Law

In June, NWI released a statement criticizing the Bush administration's pressure on Iraqis to pass the Iraq Oil Law which allows much of Iraq's oil revenues to flow out of Iraq and into the pockets of U.S. oil corporations. We oppose the decision of the US government to require that the Iraq government pass the Oil Law as a condition of continued reconstruction aid ..The Iraq Oil Law could deny the Iraqi people economic security, create greater instability, and move the country further away from peace. The U.S. government should leave the matter to the Iraqi people. (Nobel Women's Initiative)

US Congressman Jim McDermott sent a copy of the statement to every member of the US Congress and, in Iraq, a growing network of activists, led by Yanar Mohammad, co-founder of the Organization for Women's Freedom in Iraq, are working together to oppose the Law. Click here for more information and an update on the status of the Law.

Raise your voice in opposition to the Iraq Oil Law by signing a petition here or visit our Take Action page.

  Tell Iran campaigning for women's rights is not a 'threat to national security'

Persecution of women's rights defenders in Iran has intensified in recent months, with the arrests of dozens of students and activists who are involved in the Million Signatures Campaign, a grassroots petition and education project calling for gender equality in Iran's legal system. NGO shut downs, police brutality and harsh sentences- more than 3 years in prison and lashes for some women- signal a dangerous crackdown on rights activists inside the country. Charges against them have ranged from endangering national security to propaganda against the state to taking part in an illegal gathering. Visitors to Iran, including scholar Haleh Esfandiari, have also been targeted by the hard-line government. Click here to read NWI's call for Dr. Esfandiari's release and see our Take Action page for how you can help.

Find out how you can tell Iran campaigning for women's rights is not a 'threat to national security'

Events

The Nobel Women's Initiative's First International Conference: Women Redefining Peace in the Middle East & Beyond 

"Women Redefining Peace in the Middle East & Beyond" was held in Galway, Ireland in May 2007. Five NWI Nobel Laureates were joined by some of the most prolific women's rights activists in the world for three days of dialogue aimed at sharing lessons learned and examining ways the international community can play a greater role in strengthening women's approaches to peace and security. Our first conference brought together 80 women from more than 30 countries, including a host of international human rights activists, disarmament experts, researchers, well-known journalists and ex-political prisoners.

Speaking at the conclusion of the conference the Laureates told our guests We have been here together to share our experiences in our various responses to violence against women [from our work during the troubles in Northern Ireland to our ongoing efforts to end conflict in the Middle East]. We have talked about the continuum of violence at the local, national, regional and international levels and that we must respond to violence on these levels as well. Violence is a choice. Whether it is the violent choice of a man to beat the woman he supposedly loves .or the violent choice of illegal invasion or occupation.
 
The Laureates added that they feel strongly mandated by conference participants to use their combined visibility and access to power to advocate for greater roles for women in achieving peace around the globe. Over the coming weeks and months, [we] will be making representations to Governments and global institutions to realise the important contribution that women can play in combating violence and securing peace. (excerpt from the Laureates' Closing Statement). Read more about the conference, including our closing statement. For a list of some of the participating organizations and supporters of the conference click here.

OpenDemocracy.net covered the conference in a series of podcasts, blogs and articles by participants which are published on www.openDemocracy.net.

  The Lima Conference on Cluster Munitions- a bold initiative with growing support

During the Lima Conference on Cluster Munitions, the second in a series of four meetings aimed at negotiating a new international treaty banning cluster munitions, Jody Williams offered the NWI's full support and congratulated the Cluster Munition Coalition and its leading NGOs for their role in pushing this issue to center stage. It is such visionary leadership that continues to demonstrate that new ways can and must be found to address the problems of the human family .New times and new challenges call for new, bold and inspired responses.

The Lima Conference concluded with strong and widespread support for a new treaty, with 28 new countries joining the 46 nations already committed to rapidly negotiating the treaty. The next meeting will be held in Vienna in December. For more information and to take action: Cluster Munition Coalition. 
 

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Thank you for your support

NWI Update - July 2007