Please join ENOUGH, Resolve
Thursday July 26th
10:30am-Noon
Center for American Progress, 10th Floor Conference Room
Nearest Metro: Blue/Orange Line to
If you plan on attending this important meeting please RSVP to Cory Smith at csmith@enoughproject.org
Refugees International has produced two short videos that show the beauty of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the daily activities of local villages, and the challenges the people face as they rebuild. The nation is entering a moment of hope after suffering one of the bloodiest conflicts of the last half century. Four million people have died since 1998 and 1.5 million people remain displaced from their homes today. Still, hundreds of thousands of people are returning home and trying to rebuild their lives. As peace returns and the recently elected government stabilizes the country, these two videos call for more action. "Recovering from War" shows a village in the center of the country that desperately needs support from UN agencies and "Returning Home" calls on the international community to help refugees return home.
Je vous invite a visiter notre site a www.un.int/drcongo . Le site est toujours en construction. Il a pour vocation d'informer le large public des activites diplomatiques de la RDC aux Nations Unies, de meme que de diffuser une large information sur le pays.
De meme, le site souhaiterait apporter sa modeste contribution aux efforts du Gouvernement dans ses politiques de redressement de l'economie congolaise et du developpement du pays.
Merci de nous faire part de vos conseils.
S.E.M. ILEKA ATOKI
Ambassadeur/Representant Permanent
Rep. Dem. du Congo
Nations Unies
Tuesday, March 27, 7-10 pm.
Jack Morton Auditorium, George Washington University
Please join me for a screening of the rough cut of my documentary
"Congo - Hope on the Ballot" in Washington DC on Tuesday, March 27,
7-10 pm. This hour-long work-in-progress follows the uncertain
progress of democracy in one of the most war ravaged places on earth:
the Democractic Republic of Congo. It that builds on a short version
that I made for PBS's Frontline World last year.
The screening will take place at Jack Morton Auditorium at George
Washington University. The auditorium is located on the campus of
George Washington University in their Media and Public Affairs
Building Exact address is 805 21st Street (on the corner of 21st and H
Streets), NW Washington DC. Link to map is at
http://maps.yahoo.com/py/maps.py?Pyt=Tmap&addr=805+21st+Street+Nw+&csz=Washington+DC+&Get%A0Map=Get+Map
More details:
http://www.docsinprogress.org/
Best regards,
George Lerner
Universally parents hope that their hard work will give their children better lives; but today in sub-Saharan Africa more than 11 million children under the age of 15 have lost at least one parent to HIV/AIDS; millions more face their future as orphans confronting disease, poverty, hunger, and war. We must challenge the crisis of survival caused by the rising death rate of children under the age of five, from preventable causes. The world has enough knowledge, wealth, food and medicine for all people to achieve a wholesome existence. Along with African experts and activists, in interactive workshops, Africa Track participants will explore ways to transform U.S. policy towards Africa and challenge international systems designed so that trade, loans and investment impoverish many for the benefit of a few. Come join the call we will take to Congress for cancellation of Africa's $200 billion plus debt burden, and take home new clarity from workshops on the impact of the "war on terror", trade, aid and overcoming regional conflicts.
Track Time 1 9:00am - 10:30am
Plenary 1 Washington Room
(Co-sponsored with Jubilee/ Economic Justice Track)
Speakers:
Emily Joy Sikazwe - Executive Director, Women for Change, Zambia
Francis Ng’ambi - Economic Justice Network of the Fellowship of the Christian Councils in Southern Africa
People of faith have been leading the way for policies that enforce fair trade instead of free trade and debt cancellation without conditionality. Become more familiar with the global systems that involve debt and trade. Learn why the current model isn’t working and what we can do to implement alternatives. Hear from partners in the global south about grassroots campaigns and learn how these tie in with US grassroots campaigns.
Track Time 11 Workshops 10:45am - 12:15pm
Jackson Room
(Co-sponsored with theGlobal Security Track)
Facilitators:
Father Rocco Puopolo, s.x. - Executive Director, Africa Faith and Justice Network
Rev. Mark Koenig - Presbyterian Peacemaking Program
Panelists:
Fr. Rocco Puopolo, s.x. - "Use and Abuse of Children as Soldiers and the Role of the Extractive Industry."
Mr. Jacques Bahati - Rutchuru, DRC, Intern at Africa Faith and Justice Network, "Experiences in the Democratic Republic of Congo.”
Ms. Nita Evele - Kinshasa, DRC, Vice Chair of Congo Global Action, "Working for Security in the Democratic Republic of Congo."
Jo Becker - Human Rights Watch (Invited) , "Legislative Initiatives to Address the Use of Child Soldiers.”
Joel Hanisek - Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) United Nations Representative,"The Role of the United Nations in Addressing the Use of Child Soldiers.”
Andrew Briggs - Artist
Moderator: Mark Koenig
Participants will probe the continuing use and abuse of child soldiers. Panelists with experience in Sierra Leone, DRCongo and Uganda will connect the dots, situating the reality of this child abuse in areas where exploitative extractive industries continue to flourish. Workshop participants will discuss creative ways people are moving forward, in Africa and the U.S, to offer hope and healing to these children. DRC youth driven efforts will be shared, along with initiatives of the newly establishedCongo Global Action Coalition, work at the UN and ways to advocate for important pending Congressional legislation. An exhibit of art done by child soldiers of Uganda will form part of this workshop, and recent viewers of the popular movie “Blood Diamonds” will be able to deepen their understanding of reality on the ground
Harrison Room
Moderator:
Kathy McNeely – Policy Analyst/Advocate for Church World Service
Speakers:
Asia Russell - Director of International Policy for Health GAP
George Ngolwe - Oblates of Mary Immaculate
Mhizha Edmund Chifamba - Washington Office on Africa
This workshop dissect a variety of US Trade & Investment policies which negatively impact access to affordable medicines responding to the AIDS pandemic in Africa . Participants will gain an understanding of patent issues currently at play in trade negotiations and legislation, as well as corporate responsibility issues around the availability of affordable pediatric drugs and formulations. The workshop will also explore investments in Africa and how they benefit or hinder the struggle against HIV/AIDS - especially looking at food security and nutrition investments. Participants will share examples of actions that can be taken in their congregations to raise awareness, educate and advocate.
Track Time 111 Plenary 2 2:45pm - 4:15pm
Washington Room
Facilitator:
Marie Clarke Brill - Director of the Department of Public Education and Mobilization, Africa Action.
Speakers:
Emira Woods - Co-Director, Foreign Policy in Focus, Institute for Policy Studies.
This will be an interactive plenary session that will explore the primary U.S. policy priorities regarding Africa and compare these with the priorities of African civil society and their governments. Experts in U.S. Africa policy and African guests will serve as resource people to help deepen the full group discussion. Together we will conclude by identifying ways that people of faith can engage in solidarity with Africans to bridge the divide between current U.S. policy and our common desire to build right relationships between the U.S. and Africa
Track Time 1V Workshops 4:30pm - 6:00pm
Wilson Room
Facilitator:
Kathy McNeely - Policy Analyst/Advocate for Church World Service
Moderator:
Brother Paul O'Keefe - worked with East and West African street children in crisis, is now at Maryknoll Office of Global Concern.
Speakers:
Emira Woods - Co-Director, Foreign Policy in Focus, Institute for Policy Studies.
Neema Niani Laizer – Kenyan High-School Maasai Student, member of the Maryknoll Delegation to the 2007 Commission on the Status of Women.
Kolleen Bouchane – Campaign Manager, Global Education for All, RESULTS.
This workshop will explore the state of children living in Africa through the lens of child labor and access to education. Specifically, the workshop will delve into issues of exploitative labor practices and the fate of the girl child in Africa . The presenters will give a picture of conditions created by bad policy, business practices and other pressures that make being a child in Africa difficult. They will describe development and education programs targeted to reach these children, hopeful stories of how the children cope. Participants will be introduced to corporate and other campaigns and actions in which they can participate to respond to children's needs.
Washington Room
Coordinator:
Marie Clarke Brill - Director of the Department of Public Education and Mobilization, Africa Action.
Speakers:
Elnour Adam – Project Director, Darfur Rehabilitation Project, Founder and Executive Director African Peace Advocates Network (APAN)
Zeinab Eyega - Executive Director and founder of Sauti Yetu, an advocacy organization
Fr Michael Perry – Coordinator of the Africa Program at Franciscans International
Four years into the conflict in Darfur , western Sudan , almost half a million people have lost their lives and almost 3 million people have been displaced from their homes. Just over a decade ago, the international community refused to acknowledge that genocide was occurring in Rwanda . Today, though the U.S. has claimed “genocide” occurs in Darfur , the international community has failed to protect the people of Darfur . Join us for a workshop that will address the current situation in Darfur within the broader context of Sudan . We will explore the role of the U.S., the international community and concerned people of faith in achieving immediate protection for the people of Darfur and lasting peace and sustainable economic development in Sudan .
Track Time V Workshops 2:00pm – 3:30pm
Monroe Room
(Co-sponsor Jubilee/Economic Justice)
Facilitator:
Evelyn Sallah – Program Associate for Public Education and Mobilization, Africa Action.
Speakers:
Matthew Kavanagh – Executive Director, Global Justice
Rick Rowden - Senior Policy Analyst, Action Aid International, USA
Healy Thompson – Senior Associate for Advocacy and Outreach,Center for Health and Gender Equity (CHANGE)
“It was surreal: Here you had a country with huge human capacity problems that wanted desperately to retain its professionals in health and education, and increase their numbers, but the IMF wouldn’t allow them to do so. We are talking about a sovereign government, fighting the worst plague in history with but a handful of professionals.” (Steven Lewis, speaking about Malawi in 2002) Join us for an interactive session that explores the intersection of international debt and HIV/AIDS. We will address policy prescriptions that fuel the pandemic, hear a personal account of the reality of working in Africa in the context of HIV/AIDS and spotlight a few critical campaigns that will make a difference in the work to end HIV/AIDS in Africa.
Washington Room
(Co-Sponsor: Jubilee/Economic Justice)
Facilitator:
Jessica Walker Beaumont - Trade and Debt Specialist, AFSC
Speakers:
Debra Calhoun - Akron, OH field office organizer, AFSC
Jessica Walker Beaumont - Trade and Debt Specialist, AFSC
Debayani Kar - Communications and Advocacy Coordinator, Jubilee
USA Network
Lori Reed - Program Director for International Affairs, AFSC St. Louis MO
This interactive workshop will use case studies and concrete examples to demonstrate why Africa ’s debt should be cancelled and what could be done with the resources.
“Shall we let Africa's children die of curable or preventable disease; prevent them from going to school; destroy their opportunities for meaningful work - to pay off odious loans made to their forefathers?”
-Archbishop Desmond Tutu
Track Time V1 Workshops 3:45pm – 5:15pm
Washington Room
Facilitator:
Father Rocco Puopolo, s.x.
Jackson Room
(Sponsored by theJubilee/Economic Justice Track, co-sponsored by Africa Track)
Moderator:
Marty Shupack, Church World Service
Speakers:
Paul Maina – Senior Consultant, Center for Development Studies, Kenya
Carlos Correa - Minister for Environmental Justice, United Church of Christ
This workshop will explore the issues of commodification and privatization of water in the context of Africa and Latin America, with a view to how best to ensure safe, accessible, affordable and sustainable water and sanitation services in poor communities.
