Millions of Cluster Bombs Ready for Destruction

June 25, 2009

mainDelegates from more than 80 countries are meeting in Berlin this week to discuss plans for destruction of cluster bomb stockpiles.  So far, 98 countries have signed the Convention on Cluster Munitions.  This treaty forbids signatories from using the bombs or engaging in joint military operations with armies that use the weapons.  The meetings in Berlin are an  encouraging sign that dozens of countries are committed to destroying their stockpiles.

Cluster bombs scatter dozens of smaller explosives across areas the size of football fields.  Innocent civilians  feel the effects of cluster bombs long after a conflict ends because the bombs often fail to explode on impact.

Hundreds of millions of cluster bombs are still owned by countries, including the United States, that have not signed the treaty.

Click here to learn more about cluster bombs.


Capital Quote 6/25/2009

June 25, 2009

Indeed, we must do more to prevent conflicts and reduce the risks that cause them…That means combattingsusan_rice poverty, fighting discrimination, assuring that scarce resources are shared more equitably, better tapping alternative and renewable resources, strengthening the rule of law, and building more accountable and democratic institutions to thwart the abuse of power and limit the corrosive effects of corruption.

- Susan Rice, US Ambassador to the UN, June 15, 2009


New Efforts to Boost Sudan’s Peace Agreement

June 24, 2009
Melissa Engle/MCC

Melissa Engle/MCC

Sudan’s Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA), signed in 2005, ended a bloody civil war between the North and South.  The conflict claimed two million lives and displaced four million.  The CPA provided a framework for the South to become semi-autonomous and detailed revenue sharing for oil reserves.

Since 2005, ongoing violence and genocide in Darfur have diverted international attention from fully implementing the CPA .  Tensions between the North and South continue to grow, as evidenced by steadily increasing rates of violence in the South and ongoing disputes over lucrative oil revenue.

Yesterday, U.S. Special Envoy to Sudan Scott Gration convened a summit in Washington, DC to reinvigorate support for full CPA implementation.  The meeting resulted in the North and South agreeing to international arbitration to resolved disagreements over oil reserves.

In remarks to the media, Gration stated “Time is urgent.  It’s time to move forward.  It’s time to work together to bring peace to this country that’s permanent and lasting.”


Colombian Army Responsible for Civilian Deaths

June 23, 2009

On June 18, the Miami Herald reported that a special U.N. human rights investigator found widespread and systematic abuse by the Colombian Army. While under pressure from the government to produce results in its war against the guerillas, the Colombian Army has killed innocent civilians, dressed them in fatigues and counted them as guerilla casualty. This type of killing is known as “false positives.” According to the article the Colombian justice department is investigating more than 1,800 cases of such killings.

This comes at a time when the Colombian President Álvaro Uribe is scheduled for a visit to the White House to meet with President Obama to discuss the future of Plan Colombia and the stalled U.S.-Colombia Free Trade Agreement.

MCC partners in Colombia have, for a long time, reported on abuses by the Colombian military and by all the other armed groups. But the growing phenomenon of “false positives” has been of special concern over the past number of years.

President Obama should take this opportunity to prioritize human rights in Colombia and call on President Uribe to investigate these crimes.

Read an action alert on this issue and send a message to President Obama.


Abundant Life: Economic Justice for All Campaign

June 23, 2009

AbundantLife_mark_WEB

MCC Washington Office invites congregations and individuals to participate in its Abundant Life: Economic Justice for All Campaign. The Washington Office will be focusing on four specific areas of U.S. policy in which we see potential for taking steps toward greater justice.  In this time of economic crisis,  please consider taking one or more of the following Sundays to pray, reflect and act for economic justice for all.

July 19, 2009 - And Many Were Healed: Health Care for All

October 25, 2009 – Proclaim Jubilee: A New Beginning

January 31, 2010 – Secure Dwelling Places: A Home for Everyone

April 25, 2010 – Let Justice Roll Down: Trade for the Common Good

Resources and information are available at washington.mcc.org/life or by calling 202-544-6564.


And Many Were Healed: Health Care for All (Part 1)

June 23, 2009

AbundantLife_mark_WEBHealth care is the first theme of the Washington Office’s campaign Abdundant Life: Economic Justice for All. Visit washington.mcc.org/life for resources and information.   This post is the first of a weekly series that will highlight an aspect of health care until July 19, 2009.

Last week, Congress approved $100 million for the Global Fund to Fight HIV/AIDS, Malaria, and Tuberculosis.  The global health financing institution has provided over$14.9 billion in grants to 140 countries since its inception.  Earlier this year, the Global Fund announced a $5 billion funding shortfall through 2010.

Even though $100 million is not enough to address the massive funding gap, it is twice the amount the Senate wanted to give and $100 million more than President Obama’s request.

MCC is also helping to combat HIV/AIDS through its Generations at Risk initiative.  This initiative provides direct care for people living with HIV/AIDS, supports children orphaned by the disease, teaches prevention and addressesthe poverty and injustices that perpetuate the spread of the disease.  Visit mcc.org/aids to learn more.


World Hunger Affects One Billion

June 22, 2009

According to the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), one billion people worldwide now suffer from hunger.  The recent global economic crisis and high food prices have exacerbated the problem of malnutrition.  BBC News

AP Photo

AP Photo

notes:

The director general of the FAO said the level of hunger, one-sixth of the world’s population, posed a “serious risk to world peace and security.  The UN said almost all of the world’s undernourished live in developing countries, with the most, some 642 million people, living in Asia-Pacific region.  In sub-Saharan Africa, the next worst-hit region, the figure stands at 265 million.


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