Number of members: 3,778 (dropped from 5,000)

Section website: http://www.wilpf.org

Section 2005 Income : $644,127
Expense: $591,518
Audited Section 2005 Income: $676,617 Audited Expense: $577,781

(In 2005 we had two major sources of income.
The figures above include all the income and
expenses from our national congress. Also, we
had a major fundraising campaign for the 90th
anniversary of WILPF, resulting in one-time
income of over $180,000. At this time, 6/06, we
have a substantial monthly deficit and have
exhausted funds carried over from 2005.)

(for comparison) Section 2004 Income : $494,519 Expense: $446,406

1) What does your Section need from the 2006 IEC and what are the specific decisions that you would like to see this IEC make to further your work?
Generally, it seems difficult to co-ordinate our Section's work with International or to much involve our Section members with International work. For this reason, there is not a great deal that we "need" from International. (We certainly appreciate the good work of Int'l and all the sections, and - for those of us who pay attention to it - we are inspired by the variety and creativity of the work.)
Nonetheless, our WILPF work in the US is constrained and limited by the lack of public awareness of WILPF. If International WILPF can become better known, it would greatly benefit our Section work (and fundraising!).
We would like to see Int'l come up with a Section Fees Policy that feels fair to most WILPFers and is also feasible for us to pay our Section Fees. Such a policy would almost certainly have to include a serious and doable plan for fundraising for Int'l WILPF.
In terms of program, what we "need" from international are more ways to tangibly connect with the work that they are doing. What programmatic work is happening that a call for all Sections to participate in a specific action could be made? If there isn't anything, we would like to work with International to develop this.
If we all start working more closely, we can achieve visibility for the organization as a whole. Unlike other organizations who have to go to other countries and develop relationships with the people there to begin working internationally, WILPF already has relationships in 35 countries. What are we doing to further develop them?
How do we connect directly with more people in the sections? Email listservs? Video conferencing? Individual delegations to a specific Section to see the reality of that Section firsthand? These are the types of things that International should be grappling with.
We definitely need clear job descriptions about what it means to be an international officer or IEC member - with a commitment
statement for both to make WILPF your primary activist activity

2) Geneva Office (http://www.wilpf.int.ch)
a) We would like some feedback on the section mailing
The regular communication has been very good for giving me a better sense of connection to Int'l. As IEC Member, I have used the mailings as a basis for summarized periodic electronic reports to out Section membership. (Although, so far, I have received very little response, I continue to be hopeful that these reports will encourage interest in International.)
I would like the section mailings to include more comments, information, and reports from the Int'l officers and committees. It is very hard for me, far from Geneva, to get much sense of what is happening with Int'l organizationally.
(The report from the Communications Comm. was great!)
I appreciated the reports/updates from the Nepal and Phillipines sections.

b) What information from the Geneva Office would be helpful to you?
In order to provide a way for US Section members to get more involved with Int'l, I would like more requests from the comms. and officers to assist them with their work in specific ways.
What comms. need members? What tasks might be doable by mail or email? Is there research or writing members might help with?
(I realize that most of these requests will not be answered, at this time. But I anticipate that once they start being regularly relayed, members will start thinking about how they can help.)

c) What do you see as priority issues for the work of the Geneva Office?
Developing the organization, including its publicity/public relations and its ability to reach and serve members. A big part of this is fundraising, another part is communicating with everyone and helping develop and co-ordinate International program work/activities.. (The reformatted _International Peace Update_ is marvelous!) Recruiting members (or helping sections recruit members) is a vital priority.

d) How could we improve communication between us?
The regular section mailings and the reformatted International Peace Update are great steps toward this goal. Also, the ever-improving websites are impressive! Maintaining the standards of these three might be plenty for the next year or so. (I would like to see more translations of documents available.)

3) UN Office (New York)
a) What information from the UN Office would be helpful to you?
What we've been getting in the section mailings has been ample for our Section.

b) What do you see as priority issues for the work of the UN Office?
The Int'l Program - as it relates to UN initiatives and work. (It is also a valuable experience for the US section interns to visit with the UN. We are hoping to integrate UN work into the US sections programmatic work.)

c) How could we improve communication between us?
Periodically provide contact info, website url's, and updates in the section mailings. We have also invited the US section UN reps to sit on the US program committee to improve communication.

4) Do you use the Reaching Critical Will website
(http://www.reachingcriticalwill.org)?
Yes - our members and committees do.

If so for what? What is the most useful?
What would make the site more useful for you?
I cannot answer this for the many people who use the site.

5) Do you read the RCW E-news reports on CD, UN GA 1st Committee, NPT?
Yes - some of our members and committees do.

What could be improved?
Sorry, I cannot answer this.

6) Do you use the Peace Women website (www.peacewomen.org)?
Yes - some of our members and committees do.

If so for what? What is the most useful?
What would make the site more useful for you?
Sorry, I cannot answer this.

7) Do you read the Peace Women E-news?
Sorry, I cannot answer this; I don't know.
What could be improved?

8) Does the work of your section relate to the United Nations?
Yes - at times and somewhat
If so how?
We have two primary focuses for our work - our Campaigns - and a number of Issue Committees. We work with the UN when the work of any of these interconnects with UN work, such as the Disarmament Issue Comm. organizing Section members to attend the annual NPT review activities.

9) Does your section work on WILPF's International Program?
Yes
What is your main focus?
At this time our Campaigns are Water and Peace through Justice in the Middle East. Because both of these have connections to the Int'l Program, we have these two focuses.

a) Global Economic Justice?
Yes
How?
Our work on water issues is educating our members about how those relate to Global Economic Justice. For example, one of the initiatives of the Save the Water Campaign is on
"Community Solidarity", where we try to connect our branches with communities facing water privatization, corporate water grabs, and water pollution, most of which are poor communities and communities of color. We are also doing work on Water and Trade, through our initiative to get water out of GATS [the General Agreement on Trade
and Services] and stopping Fast Track negotiations on Water and Trade Agreements.

b) Environmental Sustainability?
Yes
How?
Again, our water work ties into this program theme.

c) Disarmament and Demilitarization?
Yes
How?
Both the Middle East Campaign and the
Disarmament Comm. work on these issues, through member and public education and lobbying of our government.

d) Water?
Yes
How?
Currently, our Campaign is focusing on member education on the issue. However, we also have four campaign initiatives within our water work: Water as a Human Right (pressuring the UN to adopt and implement General Comment 15 in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights declaring Water as a Human Right), Community Solidarity (partnering our branches with individual communities facing water crises, providing a clearinghouse of information on how to fight corporate water grabs, etc.), Water Democracy (working for city ordinances that guard municipalities against water privatization), and
Water and Trade (water out of GATS and Stop Fast Track). We also have published a study guide of information, and our branches do educational forums.

e) SCR 1325/Women and Peace and Security Issues?
Yes
How?
Our Middle East Campaign touches upon these issues in its educational materials and analysis. Our national office has developed an organizing kit for Res. 1325 and how we in the US can do work around it.

f) Women's political participation?
No, not particularly.

g) Sexual and Gender based violence issues?
No, not particularly.

10) What is the political situation in your country?
As the world knows: bad. Our elections are being stolen by vote and voter manipulation. Corporations are pouring money into politics to gain influence and control. A widely unpopular President is persisting in many destructive policies, most notably a massive and deadly war, environmentally devastating choices, a rollback of human and civil rights, and a takeover or sell-off of public spaces.

US WILPF National Board Members (each
position entails defined responsibilities)

UNITED STATES
Co-President - Tamara James Co-president - Chris Morin
6565 W. Foxridge Drive, #3110 507 Capitol Landing Road
Mission KS 66202 Williamsburg, VA 23185
tsjame@yahoo.com funforlife1@mac.com
Tel: +1 316 371 2397 Tel: +1 757 229 3384
Fax: (call first) +1 757 229 3384

Ex-Section President, Sandy Silver (term of office has expired)
silver@cruzio.com (Santa Cruz, California)

Treasurer/Finance Chair Ellen Murtha
111 Anderson Street
Santa Cruz CA 95060
efmurtha@cruzio.com
Tel: +1 831 423 9788

Secretary Paij Wadley-Bailey
155 Main Street, 209
Montpelier VT 05602
pwadleybailey@aol.com
Tel: +1 802 229 9910

IEC Member Darien De Lu
3709 Miller Way
Sacramento, CA 95817
conjoin@macnexus.org
Tel: +1 916 739 0860

Development Chair Pat O'Brien
214 Chestnut Street
Cambridge MA 02139
patob777@verizon.net
Tel: +1 617 576 0649

Program Chair Cynthia Minster
Hearst Magazines
1 South Wacker Drive, Suite 1100
Chicago, IL, 60606
cjminster@gmail.com
Tel: +1 818 383 2300

Membership Chair Georgia Pinkel
2718 Falk Road
Vancouver WA 98661
gpinkel@pacifer.com
Tel: +1 360 694 8805

Staff Concerns Chair Luz Morales
139 West Gorgas Lane
Philadelphia PA 19119
luzjmorales_wilpf@hotmail.com
Tel: +1 215 848 7347

Women Challenge US Policy: Building Peace on
Justice in the Middle East (WCUSP) Campaign
Representative Odile Hugonot Haber
531 3rd Street
Ann Arbor, MI 48103
Email: <mailto:odilehh@gmail.com>odilehh@gmail.com
1+734-761-7967

Save the Water - from Pollution, Privatization and Misuse Campaign
Representative Nancy Munger
75-A Pilgrims Path
Eastham, MA 02642
mungbean54@hotmail.com
phone-- 1+508-255-6869

Membership Representatives -

Cindy Domingo
8025 25th Avenue NW
Seattle WA 98117
yoson66@hotmail.com
Tel: +1 206 782 2565

Laura Roskos
464 Windsor Street
Cambridge MA 02141
lauraroskos@hotmail.com
Tel: +1 617 864 0712

Darrah Sipe
Wesleyan University, Box 5164
222 Church Street
Middletown, CT 06459-5164
dsipe@wesleyan.edu
Tel: +1 610 664 6017

Jeanmarie Simpson
454 Glenmanor Drive
Reno, NV 89509
jeanmaries@yahoo.com
Tel: + 1 775 336 8297