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U.S. Section Report
Section Country: United States
As the IEC Member from the U.S. Section, I am honored to present this report and have the opportunity to work as a liaison between International WILPF and the many committed US WILPF activists. We in the US Section are very aware of the sad and pivotal role our country plays in so many of the most destructive developments in the world today. We value our connection to International WILPF all the more, and we thank International WLPFers for the models, ideas, and understanding that you offer us. |
Section Co-Presidents:
Co-president - Chris Morin Co-president – Tamara James
507 Capitol Landing Road 10715 W. 55th Street
Williamsburg, VA 23185 Shawnee, KS 66203
funforlife1@mac.com tamara@got.net
Tel: +1 757 229 3384 Tel: +1 316 371 2397
Fax: call first +1 757 229 3384 |
Section IEC Member:
(Will be changing, August 1, 2007) New IEC Member - August 1, 2007
Darien De Lu Audley Green
3709 Miller Way 40 Battery Street, #202
Sacramento, CA 95817 Boston, MA 02109
conjoin@macnexus.org audleyjean4391@aol.com
Tel: +1 916 739 0860 Tel: +1 617 723 0302
Fax: same as above |
Section Fundraising Contact:
(Per the decision at the IEC 2006 each Section is to appoint a fundraising contact person)
Pat O'Brien, Development Chair, US Section Board |
Address: 214 Chestnut Street |
City, State/Province: Cambridge, MA |
Postal Code: 02139 |
Telephone: +1 617 576 0649 |
Fax Number: |
Work and/or Mobile Number: |
Email Address: patob777@verizon.net |
2008 International Directory:
Please review your copy of the International Directory and provide all additional contacts and/or information that you would like to be listed in the 2008 International Directory. For example: Section Office, Section Treasurer, Secretary, Branch Contacts, etc.
Currently, the US Section is without a Staff Concerns Chair and a Secretary.
Our Program Chair has new contact information:
C.J. Minster
17735 Kinzie St., Unit 116
Northridge, CA 91325
cjminster@gmail.com
Tel: +1 818-383-2300 |
Section Information:
Number of members: over 4,000 (Fill in the blank or amend)
Section website: http://www.wilpf.org
Section 2006 Income: $520,700 Expense: $517,300
Committee or Working Group that your IEC Member participates in: Organizational Development (Also, Communications and Constitution)
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What does your Section need from the 2007 Congress and what are the specific decisions that you would like to see this Congress make to further your work? Please place an X beside those that apply.
X Development of 3-year Programme
X Development of Committee or Working Group. Please specify.
___ Adoption of Policy. Please specify.
X Adoption of Resolution. Please specify.
- on disarmament issues
X Adoption of Constitutional Amendment Please specify.
- to provide flexibility on the timing of IEC mtgs. & Congresses
- to specify the responsibilities of officers
___ Specific Proposal from your Section. Please specify.
X Other. Please list below:
Int'l WILPF must address the changes the organization must undergo in order to address the current world situation, including -
- The changing (and increasing) daily life demands on volunteers.
- The necessity to (re-)define the roles of staff in relation to officers, so that the work of officers is doable by volunteers. Also, how and where does the work of committees fit in?
- Additional options for operating, conferring, and meeting in the face of financial and environmental constraints. |
Geneva Office |
We would like some feedback on the section mailing. Do you like the frequency and length? What topics would you like to see covered?
This year the section mailings have been rather infrequent. Every other month or once a quarter would be an improvement, especially if there were short updates (just one page or two) for the other months.
We should have more information about what the officers are doing and what actions the program work groups suggest that we might *all* participate in. Shared global actions can help us feel connected and lead to a sense of a shared program.
Also, as an IEC Member, I'd like to see more follow-up (and, possibly, reminders) - by officers and by staff - on IEC decisions.
Short mid-year reports from the committees and work groups could be helpful to give committees encouragement and a goal - and WILPFers an inspiration!
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What information from the Geneva Office would be helpful to you?
I'd like to know what issues the International officers and Geneva (and New York) office(s) are dealing with. The IPU is great for finding out more about the activities of other sections. |
What do you see as priority issues for the work of the Geneva Office?
Identifying ways International WILPF can function effectively as an international organization within the financial and time constraints of the modern world situation. (And work with others to find how to confront those constraints - to raise more money and put it to good use.)
In other words, developing the organization, including its publicity and public relations and its ability to reach and serve members are key tasks. A big part of this is fundraising; another part is communicating with everyone and helping develop and co-ordinate International program work/activities. Recruiting members (or helping sections recruit members) is a vital priority.
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How could we improve communication between us (E-Mail, Conference Calls, Section Visits)?
The question is, what do we need to communicate for? Different means are appropriate for different purposes. For now, the websites, the IPU, and the Section Mailings get most of the needed information distributed, but, partly those work only because we are not attempting to do a great deal in the different sections. But we haven't heard from some sections in a long time, so that reaching out to them by the officers or staff might be needed.
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UN Office (New York) |
What information from the UN Office would be helpful to you?
The information we currently receive is ample.
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What do you see as priority issues for the work of the UN Office?
Disarmament, 1325, the status of women.
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How could we improve communication between us (E-Mail, Conference Calls, Section Visits)?
Communication is fairly good at this time. |
Do you use the Reaching Critical Will website? |
Yes |
No |
If so for what? What is the most useful? What would make the site more useful for you?
Our members and committees do. The information is a resource to different parts of our national section. |
Do you read the RCW E-news reports on CD, UN GA 1st Committee, NPT?
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What could be improved? |
Do you use the Peace Women website? |
Yes |
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If so for what? What is the most useful? What would make the site more useful for you?
Our members and committees do. The information is a resource to different parts of our national section. On Peace Women/1325, our Advancing Human Rights Committee successfully inserted awareness of 1325 into the agenda of the largest and most inclusive coalition of US Women's organizations |
Do you read the Peace Women E-news? |
What could be improved? |
Does the work of your section relate to the United Nations? |
Yes |
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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. Also, our Advancing Human Rights Comm. finds the UN office resources especially helpful.
The US Section encourages and organizes a significant participation by US members at the UN for the Commission on the Status of Women, usually resulting in WILPF having the largest or one of the largest NGO delegations at the CSW. We also systematically include orientation to the UN and a UN experience for our national office interns. In the rather anti-UN atmosphere of the US, often our work is their only introduction to the UN despite years of undergraduate and graduate education. |
We know that each Section is involved in many important areas of work and are extremely excited to hear about that work. Please do not feel that you must answer all of the areas listed below.
Does your section work on WILPF’s International Program? |
Yes |
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What is your main focus?
At this time our Campaigns are Save the Water Campaign and Women Challenge US Policy: Building Peace on Justice in the Middle East Campaign (WCUSP). Because both of these have connections to the Int'l Program, we have these two focuses.
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Global Economic Justice? |
Yes |
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How?
Our work on water issues is educating our members about how those relate to Global Economic Justice. Our Corporations v. Democracy Comm. has made great strides on this front, especially in advancing the abolition of corporate "personhood" through resolutions at the local level. |
Environmental Sustainability? |
Yes |
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How?
Again, our water work ties into this program theme. |
Disarmament and Demilitarization |
Yes |
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How?
Both the Middle East Campaign and the Disarmament Comm. work on these issues through member and public education and lobbying of our government.
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Water? |
Yes |
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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.
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SCR 1325/Women and Peace and Security Issues? |
Yes |
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How?
SCR 1325/Women and Peace and Security Issues? Sexual and Gender based violence issues?
Our WCUSP (Middle East) Campaign touches upon these issues in its educational materials and analysis. Advancing women's political power also is part of our Middle East peace campaign. Our national office has developed an organizing kit for Res. 1325 and how we in the US can do work around it. Our Building the Beloved Community Issue Committee addresses a wide range of issues within the area of racial justice.
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Women’s political participation? |
Yes |
No |
How? |
Sexual and Gender based violence issues? |
Yes |
No |
How? |
What is the political situation in your country?
With the election of a majority of Democrats in Congress, the political horizons have once again opened up a little. Yet the focus on the next presidential race has people distracted from the militaristic assumptions present in both major US parties.
Media coverage grows more narrow and simplistic. Civil rights deteriorate. Family incomes are barely - if at all - keeping up with expenses, especially costly health care and higher education.
The economic conditions make it more difficult for US WILPF to find volunteers with the time to lead our branches and national organization. Yet we are fortunate to have a dedicated and skilled group of women on our national Board and in leadership positions in our "branches" throughout the U.S. Many of our branches continue to lobby, demonstrate, educate, and organize other activities.
Our sense of connection over time, through almost 100 years of WILPF - and over space, with International WILPF - gives us renewed inspiration, focus, perspective, and endurance to continue to work for a world based on justice and peace.
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