"The long arc of history is not something that moves on its own volition but is a force bent and shaped by real people for better or worse. It is our job, our ethical obligation, to move it for the better." Sarah Kendzior, author and anthropologist
This is the work United for Peace & Justice has dedicated itself to since 2002. Please help us to continue this critical work, with whatever you can afford, by donating today.
Demand an Immediate Ceasefire in the Israel-Gaza War
We must collectively raise our voices, making it clear to our Congressional representatives that we want a Ceasefire in the Israel-Gaza war. Ask your representative to add their name, as a co-sponsor, to H. Res. 786, calling for an immediate de-escalation and ceasefire in Israel and occupied Palestine. To date only 17 representatives have seen fit to support this life saving resolution championed by Rep. Cori Bush (D-MO), and Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI). The bill calls on the Biden Administration to facilitate an immediate ceasefire in order to allow humanitarian aid -- fuel, water, and food -- to get to Gaza. Innocent children and civilians are being starved and annihilated daily, we can't stand by and do nothing. War is not the answer, and we are sick and tired of it being the U.S. government's go-to response. Ceasefire & Diplomacy Now! CLICK HERE TO SEND A MESSAGE.
United for Peace and Justice Gaza Crisis Resource Page
UFPJ has added a new page of resources on the Gaza crisis. It includes statements from UFPJ member groups and other organizations, news and commentary, links to materials and commentary on the relevant international law, webinars of interest, and history and background links. Recent entries with perspectives from UFPJ member groups include a statement from Brooklyn for Peace, Brooklyn For Peace Calls for a Ceasefire, De-escalation, & Addressing the Root Causes of Violence in Palestine & Israel, and a webinar presentation on Gaza, the Ukraine War and Asian Common Security by Joseph Gerson, President of the Campaign for Peace, Disarmament and Common Security.
Image: Rousseau Diderot, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
Guantanamo Practices Past and Present Internationally Condemned as Human Rights Violations
The detention facility and the military commissions at Guantanamo recently received harsh international criticism. On September 28, the European Parliament hosted "the most significant gathering ever assembled on Guantanamo." Speakers included former prisoners, attorneys representing detainees cleared for release who remain at Guantanamo, and defense counsel for the men charged in the military commissions. Watch video here. UN Special Rapporteur Fionnuala Ni Aolain repeated the conclusions of her report condemning the "ongoing cruel, inhuman, and degrading treatment" of detainees as well as the failure to deliver justice and accountability for the crimes of 9/11. Both issues featured prominently in the UN Human Rights Committee review of U.S. compliance with the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. Read more.
Back from the Brink! Support the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons
The 2nd Meeting of States Parties (2MSP) to the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) will take place Nov. 27 -- Dec. 1 at the United Nations in New York. Adopted in 2017, the TPNW bans the threat, possession, and use of nuclear weapons for those countries that have ratified it. So far, 93 countries have signed the treaty and 69 have ratified it. States that have not yet joined the TPNW can attend meetings of States Parties as observers. But the U.S. government (like those of all nuclear-armed states) actively opposes the treaty. Here's where you come in! Ask your local, county, and state elected officials to sign a letter to President Biden urging him to send an observer delegation to the 2MSP and to initiate negotiations with all nuclear-armed states toward a verifiable, timebound agreement to eliminate all nuclear weapons.
The Urgency of Disarmament: International Action to Prevent Nuclear Confrontations and War
The Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons is a critically important vehicle in the struggle to prevent nuclear war and to create a nuclear weapons-free world. But it's not enough! The week of Nov. 27 -- Dec. 1 in New York will be jam-packed with meetings, concerts, art exhibitions, and other events. One response to the urgency of the moment is an international forum, "The Urgency of Disarmament," Nov. 29, 7 -- 9 pm, at Scandinavia House, 2nd floor -- 58 Park Ave., sponsored by the International Peace Bureau, Peace Action N.Y. State, Brooklyn For Peace, Campaign for Peace, Disarmament and Common Security, and Rosa Luxemburg Stiftung--N.Y. Office. Speakers include Setsuko Thurlow, Hiroshima hibakusha and co-recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize, Jackie Cabasso, Reiner Braun, Molly McGinty, and Tom Unterrainer. More information here.
A Timely Conference: Law Versus Nuclear Weapons
You are invited to attend a conference, Nuclear Weapons and International Law - The Renewed Imperative in Light of the Russian Invasion of Ukraine, to be held via Zoom on November 8, 2023. To register, click here. The conference will address the continuing and heightened dangers of nuclear war accentuated by Russia's invasion of Ukraine and threats to use nuclear weapons. It will feature knowledgeable speakers with a wide range of experience. The agenda can be viewed here or accessed on the conference web page. Topics include the risks associated with use of nuclear arms; the application of the law of armed conflict to such use; the law of deterrence and threat; and tactics for change. The conference is sponsored by the New York State Bar Association, International Section, and other groups including the Lawyers Committee on Nuclear Policy.
Ann Suellentrop, Nuclear Weapons Resistor, Found Not Guilty!
Ann Suellentrop, PeaceWorks Kansas City's Vice Co-Chair, was arrested during a civil resistance to nuclear weapons event on Memorial Day, May 29, 2023. Ann, a retired maternal-child nurse, crossed the property line at the Kansas City National Security Campus (NSC), where 80% of the parts for U.S. nuclear weapons are made or procured, and was arrested. Ann was protesting the NSC's making of mechanical and electrical parts that guide U.S. warheads and set off nuclear bombs. Ann said these weapons pose a deadly threat to our people and planet. Her case came to court on October 26 and she celebrated a Not Guilty verdict. Read Ann's full story here.
Poor People's Campaign: It's a Poverty Emergency, and We Must Act
In their latest Common Dreams opinion piece, Bishop William J. Barber II and Rev. Dr. Liz Theoharis, Co-Chairs of the Poor People's Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival, call out the crisis of poverty in America, where 41 percent of the populace is poor or low-wealth. The shorter lifespan of this group, they write, "is a moral indictment of a society that is abandoning millions amid abundance." Referencing a recent Washington Post series on declining life expectancy in the U.S., they add, "This reality is an emergency, and anyone who claims to value life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness must treat it as such." The article also marks the first public call for moral assemblies at state capitols culminating with another Mass Poor People's and Low-Wage Workers Assembly and Moral March in Washington, D.C. on June 15, 2024.
The Other War Goes On: United for Peace and Justice Ukraine War Resource Page
UFPJ continues to offer a variety of perspectives and materials on the war. New additions this month include the new issue of the Ukraine-based journal Commons, offering a collection of writings on the war from Ukraine's left. In our international law section, we have added a recent report from the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine on human rights and humanitarian law violations. In our commentary and analysis section, we have added a piece by John Feffer in Foreign Policy in Focus, "The Enduring Limits of American Power: America can't determine outcomes on the ground in Israel and Ukraine." Find these and other new resources on our Ukraine crisis resource page.
Webinar recording -- The Gaza and Ukraine Wars: Recent Developments, Geopolitical Implications, and Paths to Greater Peace & Justice
Initially conceived as a webinar about the Ukraine War, its geopolitical impacts, and possibilities for peace, the similarly murderous and geopolitical earthquake of the October Gaza War led the organizers to change the title and format of this Oct. 24 webinar. Anatol Lieven and Phyllis Bennis updated participants on these wars' development, diplomacy, increasingly interrelated geopolitical implications, and possible paths to greater peace and justice. Anatol Lieven directs the Eurasia Program at the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft. Phyllis Bennis directs the New Internationalism Project at the Institute for Policy Studies, focusing on the Middle East, U.S. militarism, and UN issues. Watch the recording here. Read Phyllis Bennis' recent article, "In Gaza, We Need a Cease-Fire Right This Minute."
Historic March to #EndFossilFuels and the Wave of Action for #ClimateShutdown!
On September 17, 75,000 people gathered in "hubs" from grassroots organizations: Black, People of Color, Indigenous and frontline communities living next to oil and gas facilities; people of all backgrounds impacted by climate disasters: and global communities fighting for climate justice. Organizers pledge to continue until President Biden uses his powers to end fossil fuels. Watch and share the wrap-up video to keep the momentum growing. Sign and share the petition to Biden uplifting the core demands. Those near NYC, stay plugged in with local organizations like New York Communities for Change, Fridays for Future NYC, Frack Outta BK. Find a full list of endorsing organizations to plug in wherever you are. Join a month of solidarity to #StopMVP, the Mountain Valley Pipeline, the massive, fracked gas pipeline that is being built through the heart of Appalachia, harming frontline communities, and fueling climate catastrophe. More information here.
The 2023 William Sloane Coffin, Jr. Peacemaker Awards Celebrating Activists and Centering Frontline Communities
Since 2007, the Peace Action Fund of New York State (PAFNYS) has honored those who "stay on the stony, long and ofttimes lonely road that leads to peace." This year's theme -- Telling Our Story to Build Our Power! -- emphasized centering the experiences of frontline communities. The 2023 recipients are Amy Goodman, Host and Executive Producer of Democracy Now! which has since 1996 told the stories of people affected by war, climate change, poverty, and discrimination; Afghans for a Better Tomorrow which is organizing the Afghan diaspora community for power to build a better future for Afghans whose lives have been uprooted by U.S. militarism; and Peace Action Geneseo, the first student chapter in the PAFNYS Campus Organizing Program, for engaging their peers in peace and justice organizing with a focus on global climate justice, solidarity, and education. Watch video of the event and read more.
Video Recording: A Celebration of Daniel Ellsberg
An extraordinary online celebration of Daniel Ellsberg's life, organized by the Ellsberg family, was held on Oct. 22. For those who were not able to view the celebration in real time, a recording is available here. Dan, a beloved hero to many, dedicated his life to ending unjust wars and eliminating nuclear weapons. He is perhaps best known as the whistleblower who released "The Pentagon Papers" to hasten an end to the Vietnam war. Dan was an analyst at RAND Corporation and a consultant to the Defense Department specializing in problems of command and control of nuclear weapons, war plans, and crisis decision-making. In 2017 he released his critically acclaimed memoir, "America's Doomsday Machine: Confessions of a Nuclear War Planner." Dan died on June 16, 2023, from pancreatic cancer. For more on his remarkable life visit Ellsberg.net.
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