Water for Haiti

One of two cisterns holding fresh water before it is piped to homes in the community of Los Cacaos.

Read more here.

U.S. NGOs urge Bonn conference to focus on long-term Afghan needs

WASHINGTON (Dec 5, 2011)— International leaders meeting in Bonn on Monday to discuss the future of Afghanistan should expand their focus from short-term stabilization efforts  to longer term development work that will have a lasting impact on the country.

To date, not enough emphasis has been placed on meeting basic Afghan needs and building a solid foundation for sustainable peace, recovery and inclusive long-term development, said leading U.S.-based international NGOs on Monday.

“It is the 10th anniversary of the first Bonn conference. We hope that governments attending this meeting fully seize the opportunity to do better than they have to date. Much more needs to be done to put Afghanistan on the road to recovery, stability and sustainable development,” said Samuel A. Worthington, president and CEO of InterAction, the biggest alliance of U.S.-based international NGOs.

“Civil society organizations and ordinary Afghans should be placed at the center of these renewed efforts. Their contributions will be critical to a successful transition from war to peace, where the needs of all Afghans, including women, are taken into consideration,” added Worthington.

Congressman Requests Assistance for Iraqi Christians

Congressman Gary Peters Requests Assistance for Iraqi Christians

15 Representatives join Peters, Eshoo, Levin and Dold to protect minorities

(Washington, D.C.) November 29, 2011 — Congressman Gary Peters, an active member of the Religious Minorities in the Middle East Caucus, worked with U.S. Representatives Eshoo, Levin and Dold to seek greater assistance for the ethno-religious minorities of Iraq. Today, they sent a letter signed by a total of 19 Members of Congress seeking funding for increased security and assistance to NGOs in the Nineveh Plains and to Christian Iraqis overall.

The letter was sent to the Chairmen and Ranking Members of the Subcommittee on State, Foreign Operations and Related Programs in the United States Senate and House of Representatives.

The letter acknowledges that the ethno-religious minorities of Iraq, such as Chaldeans, Assyrians, Syriacs and other communities of faith are struggling to “maintain a foothold in the land they have inhabited for thousands of years.” It further recognizes that the Iraqi Christian population is 50% less than what it was in 2003, and perhaps even lower.

In asking for increased assistance to Iraqi Christians, Congressman Peters and his colleagues write that the “daily persecution has resulted in ongoing exodus that threatens the very survival of these ancient communities. Without significant assistance, Iraqis and members of the Iraqi Diaspora believe complete depopulation is possible within a decade.”

The focus of the letter is for the 2012 State, Foreign Operations and Related Programs Appropriations Bill to include language recognizing the importance of “providing targeted assistance to ethno-religious minorities in Iraq to help ensure their continued survival, especially those living in the Nineveh Plains region.”

U.S. Led Attempt to Allow Cluster Bomb Use Is Rejected

(Geneva) November 25, 2011 – An attempt by the United States and other remaining producers and stockpilers of cluster munitions to push through a weak new law which would have allowed these indiscriminate weapons to be used, has failed. Over fifty states at the United Nations negotiations rejected outright the cynical attempt to give legal cover to use these weapons in the future.  This ends four years of negotiations on this issue.

“This was not a diplomatic game. It was about saving a great number of lives – the outright rejection of weaker standards shows that small and medium size states in partnership with the UN, ICRC and civil society can set the agenda in international politics”  said Grethe Ostern, Policy Adviser, Mine Action Department, Norwegian Peoples Aid, Cluster Munition Coalition member.

The failure to set up a weaker alternative to the existing ban strengthens the 2008 Convention on Cluster Munitions which like the 1997 Mine Ban Treaty prohibits the use, production and transfer of an entire category of weapons and promotes the rights of victims and survivors. The Cluster Munition Coalition calls on all remaining countries to join the Convention on Cluster Munitions.

“The message from the failed efforts today is clear – cluster bombs are indiscriminate, kill long after they are dropped and are illegal. Countries like China, India, Israel, Russia and the US who say they are seriously concerned about the humanitarian impact, should go home and immediately begin destroying their stockpiles” said Amy Little, Campaign Manager for the Cluster Munition Coalition.

The U.S. was the key promoter of the proposed law. Opposition was led by Norway, Austria, and Mexico, with powerful support from the Cluster Munition Coalition, the ICRC, and a large number of UN agencies, notably the UN Development Programme, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs and the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights.

The Convention on Cluster Munitions has been signed by 111 nations, including some of the biggest users, producers, and or stockpilers in recent decades, such as the United Kingdom, Germany, France, and the Netherlands. Twenty-two of the twenty-eight NATO members have joined the ban convention.

Humanitarian concerns ignored as talks continue on cluster munitions

(Geneva) November 21, 2011 — As negotiations on a new law that would expressly allow some countries to continue to use cluster munitions enter the crucial final week, the voice of concerned governments , campaigners, and more than half a million global citizens continues to be ignored.

The draft law, a proposed protocol to the Convention on Conventional Weapons (CCW), is being pushed as an alternative to the 2008 Convention on Cluster Munitions, which comprehensively bans all use, production, trade, and stockpiling of all cluster munitions.  The United States is the main proponent of the draft law, and has support from others that have not yet joined the ban convention, such as China, India, Israel, and Russia.

After a week of talks which clearly demonstrated a lack of consensus and strong opposition to the current proposal, the Chairman of the negotiations, French Ambassador Eric Danon, presented a new draft protocol text at the end of the day on Friday.

“After a week of formal negotiations, nothing in the draft text has really changed for the better,” said Steve Goose, chair of the Cluster Munitions Coalition (CMC). “The revisions have been minimal in number and marginal in substance. As drafted, the protocol will do more humanitarian harm than good, and will fail to address the dangers to civilians posed by cluster munitions,” said Goose. “Any international law that promotes the use of millions of cluster munitions with hundreds of millions of submunitions, like this one does, is a bad law.”

The United States told delegates on Friday that it was going to make a major concession to move the negotiations forward, but then only offered to move one provision — allowing the use of cluster munitions with a failure rate of 1% or less — from one part of the protocol to another. The CMC immediately told delegates that this was “no big deal, no real concession, and devoid of any substantial humanitarian impact,” because those cluster munitions could still be used forever without any restrictions.

“The negotiations began at a standstill, are still deadlocked, and should stay that way. The protocol is bad news for civilians that will suffer from future use, and bad news for international humanitarian law,” said Goose.  The CMC and International Committee of the Red Cross have said the protocol would be a terrible precedent in international humanitarian law, with states for the first time adopting a treaty with lower standards than one already agreed to by a majority of nations.

Some of the changes give a rhetorical nod to the ban convention as a goal to be strived for, but the CMC finds that none will help to reduce urgently the unacceptable humanitarian harm cluster munitions cause. The revised protocol still allows indefinite use of cluster munitions with one so-called safeguard, such as a self-destruct device, even though such cluster munitions have been demonstrated time and again to cause large numbers of civilian casualties. It still contains a 12-year deferral period where armed forces can use cluster munitions without any safeguard, even though States Parties have agreed these are so dangerous to civilians they must be banned. The revised protocol still does not address in any way one of the gravest dangers of cluster munitions: their indiscriminate, wide-area affect at the time of use.

The negotiations Chairman, Amb. Danon, has indicated that he intends to prepare another revised draft text by the end of the day on Tuesday. States would then have Wednesday, and possibly Thursday, to try to reach final agreement, before the conference concludes on Friday.

“It does not appear possible to us that negotiators will be able to bridge the vast divides that still exist,” said Goose. “Minor tweaks and band-aid fixes such as we saw in the latest revised protocol will not do the trick.  Only a major overhaul could turn this into a law that could have humanitarian benefit,” he said.

Seventy-four of 114 countries that are States Parties of the Convention on Conventional Weapons have already banned cluster munitions by signing or ratifying the Convention on Cluster Munitions.  The CMC is urging these states not to back off the ban, and to oppose the adoption of this protocol because, as currently drafted, it would still do more harm than good.

The CMC has been disturbed by the degree to which a number of the ban convention countries have been trying to facilitate the adoption of this weak, counter-productive protocol, including Australia, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, Portugal, Sweden, and Switzerland.  The United Kingdom appears to be active behind the scenes.

On Monday morning, as the revised draft was being discussed, cluster bomb survivor and CMC spokesperson Branislav Kapetanovic handed a petition of 581,237 signatures to Amb. Danon, showing  that the world is watching as these talks continue. The petition, launched by Avaaz and the CMC, has been signed by citizens in almost every country. It calls on governments to align any new agreement with the existing ban under the Convention on Cluster Munitions, ensuring this indiscriminate weapon continues to be comprehensively banned, and innocent lives protected.

 

Former JRS/USA Outreach Coordinator Joins Ignatian Solidarity Network

Kim Miller

UNIVERSITY HEIGHTS, OHIO – Kim Miller has joined the staff of the Ignatian Solidarity Network, assuming the role of program director on August 8, 2011.  The Ignatian Solidarity Network (ISN) is a national social justice organization connecting members of Jesuit universities, high schools, parishes, current and former Jesuit volunteers, and many others, committed to working for justice inspired by faith in the tradition of St. Ignatius of Loyola.

Kim Miller graduated from Gonzaga University in 2009, earning a Bachelors of Business Administration degree in Marketing and a minor in Broadcast Studies and Electronic Media.  Miller spent the next two years serving in the Jesuit Volunteer Corps. During her first year, she worked with teens with developmental disabilities and provided programming and marketing services for STRIVE in South Portland, Maine.  In her second year, Kim served as an outreach coordinator for Jesuit Refugee Service/USA based in Washington, D.C. While at JRS/USA Miller created interactive refugee awareness programs and spoke to campus groups across the country.  In coming to work at ISN, she said this, “I am inspired by the Ignatian family members I meet, and look forward to continuing to empower students and parishioners to promote justice within their local and global communities.”

Haiti braces for Tropical Storm Emily

(UNITED NATIONS) August 3, 2011 — Nearly 12,000 United Nations peacekeepers are on emergency standby in Haiti as tropical storm Emily barrels towards the impoverished Caribbean country, which is still struggling to recover from the devastating 2010 earthquake that killed more than 200,000 people and displaced 2.3 million others.

Some contingents of the UN Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH), which comprises 8,500 troops and 3,000 police, have already been deployed as a precautionary measure in regions that are most at risk from the storm, which is expected to hit the country overnight.

Treaty banning cluster bombs marks one year anniversary

(London) August 1, 2011 — Campaigners are calling on all countries to join the treaty banning cluster bombs, marking one year after it became binding international law.

“The best way to stop cluster bombs from being used is to join this treaty and do so now,” said Laura Cheeseman, director of the Cluster Munition Coalition (CMC). “We are winning the battle against cluster bombs, but need all states to join the team against these deadly weapons.”

A total of 109 countries are now on board the Convention on Cluster Munitions. In the 12 months since it  entered into force internationally, 21 countries that previously signed the treaty have ratified it, and one country has acceded (a one-step process of signing and ratifying).

“An impressive amount has been achieved in the cluster bomb ban treaty’s first year of life,” said Laura Cheeseman, director of the Cluster Muition Coalition (CMC).“Stockpiles are being destroyed and contaminated land is being cleared, preventing thousands more lives being lost as a result of these weapons,” she added.

Foreign aid cuts would damage U.S. interests

WASHINGTON, D.C. July 27, 2011 — House Republican appropriators today continued their assault on U.S. international efforts to reduce poverty, address climate change, and respond to famine and other disasters. This comes a week after the House Foreign Affairs Committee also sought to gut core development accounts.

“These cuts will not only harm U.S. national interests, they will have a huge impact on the lives of those who are already marginalized in the poorest corners of the earth,” said Samuel A. Worthington, president and CEO of InterAction, the largest alliance of U.S.-based international NGOs.

He added: “The argument that a nation with an annual GDP of $14.6 trillion cannot afford to invest a fraction of 1% of that to proactively work to build a safer, more prosperous world, and to fully fund desperately needed humanitarian activity, is simply false.”

Some of the deepest cuts suggested by appropriators today include:

• USAID Operating Expenses slashed  by 27% to $982.5 million (was $1.3 billion in FY11)

• Overall poverty-focused international development and humanitarian assistance cut by 13% to $13.95 billion (was $15.95 billion in FY11)

• Development Assistance cut by 18% to $2.1 billion (was $2.5 billion in FY11)

• International Disaster Assistance: cut by 12% to $758 million (was $863 million in FY11, $1.3 billion in FY10 including emergency funding);

• Contributions to multilateral efforts to combat climate change: Cut to zero from $248 million in FY11, $388 million in FY10.

“With the worst drought in 60 years hitting parts of the Horn of Africa, these cuts amount to the U.S. turning its back on its own strategic interests and walking away from long held international commitments.   For America’s own good and for those around the world who look to the U.S. for leadership, we need to do better,” said Worthington.

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InterAction is the largest alliance of U.S.-based nongovernmental international organizations, with more than 190 members. Our members operate in every developing country, working with local communities to overcome poverty and suffering by helping to improve their quality of life. Visit www.interaction.org

DECLARACIÓN DE LOS OBISPOS CATÓLICOS EN LA REUNIÓN REGIONAL SOBRE MIGRACIÓN

DECLARACIÓN DE LOS OBISPOS CATÓLICOS Y PARTICIPANTES EN LA REUNIÓN REGIONAL SOBRE MIGRACIÓN

(CENTROAMÉRICA, NORTEAMÉRICA Y CARIBE)

(San José, Costa Rica) — Nosotros, Obispos católicos responsables de las comisiones de movilidad humana reunidos en San José, Costa Rica, del 1 al 3 de junio de 2011, unidos a religiosos, religiosas, laicos, laicas, participantes de CELAM y de Cáritas Internacional, comprometidos con la realidad migratoria, expresamos nuestra solidaridad con nuestros hermanos y hermanas que migran en busca de una mejor vida en esta región.

Testigos del gran sufrimiento que viven las personas migrantes de nuestros países y regiones, quienes son víctimas de explotación y abuso por parte de varios actores (funcionarios públicos, empleadores sin escrúpulos y organizaciones criminales), nuevamente exigimos a nuestros gobiernos hacerse responsables de la protección legal a los y las migrantes, incluyendo a quienes buscan trabajo, solicitan asilo, refugio y han sido víctimas de Trata de Personas. Pedimos especial atención y protección para familias, mujeres y niños.