Darfur Activists Target World Leaders at UNGA, G20

by Michelle . · 2009-09-24 17:27:00 UTC
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President Obama received applause from the UN General Assembly yesterday for his remark on the need to ensure lasting peace in Sudan. Though brief, the comment was delivered as part of speech that emphasized global responsibility for the challenges of our time, from climate change to crimes against humanity. "The magnitude of our challenges has yet to be met by the measure of our action," Obama said, as all too often grand-scale international blame games trump meaningful multilateral problem solving.

The spirit of "global solutions to global problems" is, indeed, at the heart of a veritable activist blitz targeting world leaders at the UNGA in New York City and the G20 summit now happening in Pittsburgh. As I write, STAND and Save Darfur activists are lining the streets around a G20 dinner, making their concerns visible to the delegates passing by. The message is simple: Sustainable peace in Sudan, along with justice for the victims and survivors of genocide in Darfur, is a matter of global importance.

On Tuesday night in NYC, The Darfur/Darfur photo exhibit was on display in Grace Plaza. The event, put on by Save Darfur, included remarks from US Special Envoy Scott Gration and Save Darfur President Jerry Fowler. Gration's presence was particularly welcome by the advocates -- those I spoke with were excited by his attendance and appreciative of his remarks. Given that Gration's began his assignment with a someone tense relationship with the advocacy movement, his participation in the event seems to indicate renewed cooperation.

For more information about Save Darfur's policy platform, see their memo on why G20 nations should not forgive Sudan's odious foreign debt, Jerry Fowler's recent piece on Obama and the UNGA in the Huffington Post, and the Blueprint for Peace policy paper prepared jointly with Enough and the Genocide Intervention Network. The keep up with the rest of the week's activities, Save Darfur staffers are Twittering away in Pittsburgh.

[Photo of the Darfur/Darfur event on Tuesday from Save Darfur's Flickr stream, used with written permission from the organization.]

Michelle . has been involved in various activist endeavors, including the Teach Against Genocide pilot campaigns.
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