[MAPC-policy] city council humanitarian resolution on

[MAPC-policy] city council humanitarian resolution on

born-digital

email

yes

no

2001-11-13

Hello everyone,

Following is the text of the humanitarian resolution on Afghanistan which we
would like to propose be submitted to the Common Council.  At the Madison
Area Peace Coalition meeting earlier tonight, people felt very strongly that
this resolution should be voted on as soon as possible - at the Nov 20
Council meeting, if at all possible - since the humanitarian situation it
addresses is growing worse by the day.  Please do let me know, by e-mail or
by phone (XXX-XXXX day, XXX-XXXX night), if this can still be done.  If it's
too late for that, then we would request the resolution be introduced at the
Nov 20 meeting and voted on at the Dec 4 meeting.

I've talked directly with X, who I know is willing to co-sponsor
this, and I've heard from X that X and X are also willing to co-sponsor (and that there may be other alders willing,
too).  If someone on the Council could fill us all in on who is willing to
co-sponsor and when this can be voted on, we'll swing into action to raise
awareness and build support for it.

Thanks to everyone for your help and support, and I apologize for any
confusion in communications.

Best,
X


Title:    Humanitarian Priorities in Afghanistan

A RESOLUTION regarding the urgent need to provide emergency humanitarian
assistance and development assistance to civilians in Afghanistan, including
Afghan refugees in surrounding countries.


WHEREAS,    a disastrous humanitarian crisis is underway, with an estimated
7.5 million people in Afghanistan facing critical food shortage or outright
starvation this winter; and

WHEREAS,    70 percent of these people are women and children, and the UN
estimates 400,000 children under five will likely die this year, an increase
of 100,000 over last year; and

WHEREAS,     food aid shipments have been disrupted because of U.S. bombing
in Afghanistan; and

WHEREAS,    the aid agencies active in the region, including the Nobel
laureate Doctors Without Borders (MSF), Oxfam International and the World
Food Program have stated that the U.S. food drops can not meet the
increasing and urgent need for assistance; and

WHEREAS,    Madison now participates directly and indirectly in U.S.
military efforts through many channels, including the federal taxes its
citizens pay, and through its citizens' participation in the armed forces;
and

WHEREAS,    the Mayor and Madison Common Council are appalled at the mass
starvation that will result from these actions to which they are a party if
the situation is not speedily addressed; and

WHEREAS,    the Mayor and Madison Common Council deplore the dishonor such
an outcome would be for the victims of the terrorist attacks of September
11th;

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED THAT the Mayor and Madison Common Council
support a resolution to the situation that minimizes loss of life; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED THAT humanitarian concerns must now be a top priority
for U.S. policy toward Afghanistan, especially as there exists a narrow
window of opportunity for supplying food to the region's population before
winter makes this difficult or impossible.  The Mayor and Madison Common
Council call on the federal government to defer to the judgement of
international aid agencies that a cessation in bombing is necessary to avoid
humanitarian disaster; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED THAT the Mayor and Madison Common Council call on
Afghanistan's neighbors to immediately reopen their borders to allow for the
safe passage of refugees, and call on the U.S. federal government and other
members of the international community to prepare to contribute to the
economic costs incurred by the flight of desperate Afghan civilians; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED THAT the Mayor and Madison Common Council call on the
U.S. federal government to actively support the work of various agencies to
deliver assistance in Afghanistan, particularly through overland truck
convoys, and to support safe humanitarian access to affected populations, in
partnership with humanitarian agencies, in quantities sufficient to
alleviate a large scale humanitarian catastrophe; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED THAT the Mayor and Madison Common Council call on the
U.S. federal government to contribute to efforts by the international
community to provide long-term, sustainable reconstruction and development
assistance for the people of Afghanistan, including efforts to protect the
basic human rights of women and children; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED THAT the Mayor and Madison Common Council call on the
international community to support democratic processes in Afghanistan
leading to a government which represents all its people, including women.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED THAT the Mayor and Madison Common Council, on behalf
of the people of Madison, in solidarity with the international community and
in their capacity as citizens of the United States, urge the U.S. federal
government to put humanitarian concerns first in its policies and actions
overseas.  Furthermore, the Mayor and Madison Common Council will consider
the U.S. federal government responsible for both the direct consequences of
its military actions in Afghanistan and for unintended, indirect results of
its actions leading to humanitarian crises in Afghanistan and the
surrounding region.

____________________________________________
X

Check out these internet sites!
the East Timor Action Network/US http://www.etan.org
Madison, WI - East Timor projects http://www.aideasttimor.org
Madison's Social Justice Center http://www.socialjusticecenter.org

"... in '74, after the [Indonesian military] invasion [of East Timor] ...
we all fought together, we were united ... and I believe that if we could
unite, we can forge another kind of unity, to fight for other things, like
fight against poverty, fight against illiteracy, fight against disease,
fight against many, many other things."
-Kay Rala Xanana Gusmão


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Tuesday, November 13, 2001 11:51 PM

[MAPC-policy] city council humanitarian resolution on