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January 2008

WILPF Monthly Update

Dear WILPF Members,

In this mailing you will find:

  1. Message from the Secretary General
  2. WILPF International Directory- updates needed
  3. Introducing new members of the Geneva team
  4. WILPF Supports Article 9!  The Japanese Peace Constitution
  5. WILPF Section Newsletters
  6. Calling for WILPF Delegates to the NPT, 28 April – 9 May, Geneva

 

As always, we welcome feedback and input to these monthly mailings.  If you have something to contribute to the February mailing, please send it to susi.snyder(at)wilpf.ch no later than the 12th of the month. 

Past updates are archived on the website at: http://www.wilpf.int.ch/updates/up_index.htm,

Warm greetings,

Susi Snyder

 

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1. Message from the Secretary General

Happy New Year!  2008 promises to be an exciting year for WILPF.  Many of us will gather in India for our next International Board meeting (19-25, November).  In the Geneva office we are currently working on new WILPF membership materials, following the Group of Governmental Experts on Certain Conventional Weapons (specifically in regards to work on cluster munitions), the work of the Committee on the Convention to Eliminate Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), and have just launched an interactive map on export processing zones (here: http://www.wilpf.int.ch/economicjustice/EPZ/countryindexmap.html).

The Geneva office is also proud to welcome our two new annual interns- Sandra Fong (disarmament) who comes from Fiji, and Kirsty McKay (human rights) who hails from New Zealand.  It promises to be an intense year in both their programs, with many sessions of the Human Rights Council scheduled as well as a busy year in disarmament matters.  We’re pleased to have them join the team and would also like to welcome Linnéa Lagergren (economic justice) who will be working with us for the next several months. 

WILPF has been engaged with the United Nations for nearly 60 years, and our sections are in countries that each have a different role to play in the international community.  To make this more visible, and to better see where WILPF is on the UN map, we’ve recently created a matrix of WILPF Sections and UN agencies.  This can be found here: http://www.wilpf.int.ch/AboutUs/WILPFinUN.html   We encourage all sections to take a look at where you’re represented on the UN map. 

With best wishes,

Susi Snyder

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2. WILPF International Directory- updates needed

It is now time for the annual update of WILPF’s International Directory (ID). The International Directory is published as a hard copy and sent out to all the national sections, International Board members, the Executive Committee and other WILPF representatives once a year. The ID is also regularly updated throughout the year and published online. The most recent version of the ID can always be accessed on http://www.wilpf.int.ch/PDF/InternationalDirectory.pdf. Please review the online copy of the ID and make sure that all the information that concerns you or your section is correct.

This year we would like to make sure that we have the correct e-mail addresses, fax numbers and website addresses to all the national sections that have one. Please also send us a note and tell us if you have a call first fax number.

Please send your updates to linnea(at)wilpf.ch before the 15th February.

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3. Introducing new members of the Geneva team

The Geneva office is pleased to welcome new members to our team.  Sandra Fong (disarmament) and Kirsty McKay (Human Rights) will be with us until December, while Linnéa Lagergren (economic justice) will be in the office until May.  We would like to thank the Swedish Section for the ongoing internship exchange programme, and the German section for their continued funding for the human rights internship. 

We are also excited that 2007 interns Katherine Harrison and Julia Federico chose to remain in the Geneva area and continue to be engaged with WILPF and our activities.

Sandra Fong is from the Fiji Islands. Her interest in disarmament began when she met with peacewomen from Bougainville and Solomon Islands for the 1000 Women for the Nobel Peace Prize 2005.  The Fiji military coup of 5th December 2006 increased her interest in disarmament particularly in small arms in the Pacific.  She hopes to take back her experiences and new knowledge from WILPF to support the many efforts for peace in her region.  You can reach Sandra via email at: Sandra(at)wilpf.ch

Kirsty Mckay, from the New Zealand section, is the Human Rights intern for 2008. She studied Political Science, International Relations and Peace and Conflict Studies at Universities in New Zealand and Sweden. During her studies, she worked part-time at the New Zealand Peace Foundation Disarmament & Security Center in Christchurch, engaging with a range of peace and security issues and NGO initiatives. She has volunteered with Sangini, a women’s organization in India, and with the All Burma Student’s Democratic Front, in a military base-camp on the Thai-Burma border. In her spare time, Kirsty practices Vipassana meditation, is learning radical cross-stitch and French, and hopes to spend as much time as possible in thermal water. Kirsty is particularly interested in the issue of military humanitarian intervention.  You can reach Kirsty via email at: Kirsty(at)wilpf.ch

Linnéa Lagergren is originally from Härnösand, Sweden. She has studied international crisis and conflict management at Umeå University and is currently attending a master’s programme in crisis management and peacebuilding. Her interest in gender issues, women’s roles in conflict zones and their work for peace has grown during her studies. This inspired her in writing her bachelor thesis on gender perspective in peace agreements before and after the adoption of Resolution 1325. Last summer she spent some time volunteering for a women’s organization in Colombia, and returning from there she felt like an internship at WILPF would give her a perfect opportunity to learn more about women’s part in promoting peace on an international level. As WILPF’s Economic Justice and Fundraising intern Linnéa will continue the work to strengthen WILPF’s finances and to reveal the link between militarism and economic injustice. Linnéa will stay in the WILPF office until the middle of June 2008.  You can reach Linnéa via email at: Linnea(at)wilpf.ch

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4. WILPF Supports Article 9!  The Japanese Peace Constitution

Article 9 of Japan's Constitution is a strong and clear promise to the world by Japan, particularly to the people of the Asia-Pacific, who suffered terribly under Japanese aggression prior to and during WWII, that "we will never repeat such a tragic mistake."

Article 9 has helped build confidence in a very unstable region, keep peace for more than 60 years and is of paramount importance for the prevention of conflict.

The philosophy of Article 9 is the logical extension of the UN Charter's goal to save future generations from the scourge of war. The purpose of our Global Article 9 Campaign is to urge global civil society to adopt the "No War, No Military" message and push for this concept to be included in their own countries' constitutions.

The "Global Article 9 Conference" will be held in Tokyo, Japan, in May 2008. This conference will bring together the voices of the world supporting the existence and principle of Article 9. It will bring together Nobel Peace Laureates, intellectuals, cultural figures and NGO activists, and provide a forum to discuss what the citizens of the world can do to realize the principle of Article 9, through promoting disarmament, demilitarization and a culture of peace. It will aspire to create an international movement for realization of "peace without force." The holding of such a conference will be a concrete step in materializing the aim confirmed at the Hague Appeal for Peace Conference in 1999; "Every Parliament should adopt a resolution prohibiting their government from going to war, like the Japanese article number nine. "The endorsement of Article 9 in the World Peace Forum's final statement, "Vancouver Appeal for Peace 2006: Make Peace" has also greatly encouraged our campaign, supporting our ambition to stage a large scale international conference revolving around Article 9.

WILPF is happy to support these efforts and encourages people to be involved in these efforts.

For more information, please see: http://whynot9.jp/index_en.html 
and http://www.article-9.org/en/index.html

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5.  WILPF Section Newsletters

WILPF International now has a new publications webpage where you can find both printed and online WILPF publications: http://www.wilpf.int.ch/publications/index.htm 
One of our ambitions with the new publication website is that it will be a resource for the WILPF sections, to post your recent newsletters and to make it possible for other WILPF members all over the world to read about and to be part of your activities.

We have already listed some newsletters from sections on the page, although most of them date quite a few years back. Hence, we encourage all sections to send us your recent newsletters, so that we can make them available at the new publications webpage. We are looking forward to a lot of exciting reading from you all! 

Please send your newsletter(s), preferably as Word documents, to:  web(at)wilpf.ch

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6. Calling for WILPF Delegates to the NPT, 28 April – 9 May, Geneva

The next Preparatory Committee of the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty 2010 review cycle will be held 28 April - 9 May 2008 at the Palais des Nations in Geneva, Switzerland. All non-governmental organizations that work on nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation are invited to attend.  If you are interested in joining the WILPF delegation, please send your name and the section that you’re a member of to: Sandra(at)wilpf.ch by 29 February.

A draft aide memoire prepared by the Office for Disarmament Affairs (ODA) lists tentative information that we can use to prepare for the PrepCom - an official version will be made available on the RCW website and through the E-News as soon as it is released by ODA. If your organization wishes to participate in the upcoming PrepCom, be sure to subscribe to Reaching Critical Will's General E-News service to receive all updates and information throughout the upcoming weeks. Send an email requesting a subscription to the General E-News service to the Project Associate at ray[at]reachingcriticalwill.org . In addition, information will be posted regularly to the NPT section of the Reaching Critical Will website, at http://www.reachingcriticalwill.org/legal/npt/2008index.html.

Dates
Please note that Thursday, 1 May 2008 is a holiday in Geneva, so no PrepCom meetings will be held that day, and all UNOG offices will be closed. The PrepCom will thus be 9 instead of 10 days long.

NGO Accreditation and Registration
NGOs wishing to attend the PrepCom must apply for accreditation to ODA. All NGOs, even those with UN badges, must apply.
Details on accreditation will be forthcoming within the next few weeks, but for now you should be prepared to submit, by 25 March:
1) a letter on organizational letterhead requesting attendance at the Conference, which includes the composition of the delegation, the names of all representatives, and an overview of past interactions between your organization and the United Nations in relation to disarmament and nonproliferation. Such interactions may include affiliation with the Department of Public Information (DPI), consultative status with the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), etc. NGOs that will be participating for the first time should indicate this in their request for accreditation.
Note: Names submitted for the delegation will not eligible for later revision. It is advised that organizations submit the composition of their delegations only after careful review.
2) A mission statement or summary of work that should include information on the organization's purpose, programmes, and activities related to the PrepCom.
3) A registration form (to be made available later).
Once these materials have been received by the ODA, you will be notified of your acceptance mid-April. Once accredited, you must register with the ODA when you arrive in Geneva, by going to the Pass and Identification Unit located at the Pregny Gate (near the International Red Cross building) at the UN Office in Geneva (Palais des Nations, 1211 Geneva 10). All NGO representatives must present valid photo ID such as a passport or driver's license at the counter.

Tentative schedule:
Registration will take place on the first day of the PrepCom, on Monday, 28 April, from 8:00am - 12:00pm, and from 3:00pm - 5:00pm. On 29 April - 2 May, registration will take place from 9:00am - 12:00pm, and from 3:00pm - 5:00pm.

When the aide memoire is available (further outlining the accreditation process), it will be posted on our site and announced through this E-News subscription list.

The role of NGOs at the PrepCom
In recent years, NGOs have provided invaluable insight and expertise to the conference, and their influence is growing. In order to continue and build on this influence, committed NGOs should attend the PrepCom, to insist states parties make use of their time and devote their energy to progress. NGOs are needed to provide credible analysis, views, and perspectives on the global nuclear regime, support progressive measures towards disarmament and non-proliferation, and bring media and public attention to these important issues.
At this meeting, NGOs will be:

  • urging the governments to renew their commitment to the NPT in a fair and balanced manner;
  • offering review and analysis of the nuclear weapon states' progress on the 13 point action plan for disarmament;
  • fostering a reassessment of the role and level of participation of NGOs in international fora;
  • recommending ways of strengthening other disarmament machinery, including the Conference on Disarmament, the Disarmament Commission, and First Committee;
  • engaging diplomats in discussions on the newest ideas and issues in disarmament at side-events and lunch time panels;
  • holding press conferences and conducting media outreach to draw attention to the PrepCom and the issues;

and more.
NGO Side Events
NGOs will reserve one conference room for their use throughout the Preparatory Committee. If your organization wishes to organize an event, we encourage you to book your time slot as soon as possible - many organizations have already booked the room. Check the Calendar of Events on the Reaching Critical Will website to make sure the time you want is available, then send an email to the Project Associate with the title of your event, the time and date, and contact information. All events will be posted on the Calendar of Events as well as in the daily News in Review.

On Monday, 28 April, after the first day of the PrepCom, WILPF would like to invite everyone to attend its 93rd Anniversary Celebration! 93 years of women organizing to create alternatives to war, militarism, imperialism, racism, and chauvinism (in the early years without email, airplanes, or faxes) is certainly something to celebrate. The reception will be held in the foyer where WILPF has its offices at 1, rue de Varembé, from 18h00 to 20h00.

NGO Statements
Reaching Critical Will continues to serve as facilitator for NGO statements to the PrepCom. NGOs are allotted one, three-hour session to present their ideas and recommendations to states parties. These presentations are drafted in a collective, consensus-based manner, and will also be distributed to all governments and archived on the RCW website. (You can read the statements from the 2007 PrepCom at: http://www.reachingcriticalwill.org/legal/npt/prepcom07/NGOpres.html .)

If you are an NGO wishing to participate in this drafting and editing process - and we urge you to do so, whether or not you plan to go to Geneva - we invite you to join the NPT Presentations yahoo group by sending an email to npt_presentations-subscribe@yahoogroups.com, or by visiting http://groups.yahoo.com/group/npt_presentations/ . Once you have subscribed, you will receive further instructions on participating.
This process will begin immediately, so subscribe today!

News in Review
The News in Review is a daily publication produced during NPT Preparatory Committee and Review Conferences. It features analysis of the day's events, feature articles from NGOs around the world, interviews with diplomats and NGO representatives, nuclear facts, announcements, cartoons, a calendar of events, and more. You can access archived NIRs online.

We encourage you to submit to this year's News in Review. The guidelines are as follows:

Feature articles: In addition to the daily analysis of the proceedings of the PrepCom, the News in Review also contains feature articles that cover a range of nuclear disarmament issues. We welcome submissions from NGO experts around the world, regardless of whether or not you will be in Geneva. Articles should be between 500-1000 words. The deadline for feature submissions is 18 April. Please submit in .doc format and the body of the email. Articles will be attributed to the author and may be edited for length.

Advertising space: You can use the News in Review to publicize an important announcement, event, or project hosted by your organization. NIRs are hand-distributed to all of the delegates at the PrepCom, sent by email to more than 2000 subscribers, and are archived on our website.

1/4 page ad: $35
1/2 page ad: $55
full page ad: $125
back page ad: $180

(Run your ad twice and get $10 off. Run your add three times and get $20 off. Run your ad four times and get $30 off.)

Cartoons, photos, artwork, poetry : The News in Review wouldn't be complete without its fill of poignant, satirical, and beautiful artwork. We are accepting all forms of anti-nuclear artwork, to be sent in either a .jpg, .gif, or .pdf file. Photos, paintings, doodles, cartoons, collage, mixed media, and drawings are all welcome.

Submit your ad, article, or artwork by sending:

  • your organization's name;
  • contact person;
  • email address;
  • phone number;
  • type of submission (for ads, please specify the size of the ad, dates for it to run, and payment method); and
  • the submission

to the Project Associate. The deadline for all submissions is 18 April.

What to do if you can't go to Geneva
There are plenty of opportunities for active involvement with the PrepCom even if you can't make it to Geneva:

Links for more information
The Reaching Critical Will website hosts a wealth of information on the NPT - both background information as well as NGO analyses. These can be found here: http://www.reachingcriticalwill.org/legal/npt/nptindex1.html

 
WILPF 1, rue de Varembé, Case Postale 28, 1211 Geneva 20, Switzerland Tel: +41 22 919 7080 /Fax: 7081
To contact the website manager, send an email to web@wilpf.ch