NEWS
WILPF and the Jane Addams Peace Association
Since its inception, the Jane Addams Peace Association (JAPA) has served as WILPF's 501c3 fiscal sponsor in accepting tax deductible contributions from WILPF's supporters. For over two decades, JAPA and WILPF employed the practice of having their respective board presidents also serve on the board of the other organization. On September 20, 2012, the JAPA board of directors approved by consensus a proposal to end this practice effective immediately, and modified the JAPA bylaws to reflect this change.
The JAPA board members, including WILPF U.S.'s representatives to the JAPA board, Eva Havlicsek and Marie-Louise Jackson-Miller, all expressed their hopes and expectations that this change will be beneficial and will help move the two organizations forward in a positive manner by providing the members of each board with the time, energy and space to accomplish the important missions of the two organizations.
The WILPF U.S. board of directors will be discussing WILPF's relationship with JAPA at its November board meeting in Boston (Nov.9-11) which is open, as always, to all members.
The WILPF U.S. board believes a written "memorandum of understanding" needs to be established between JAPA and WILPF that will determine how we handle mutual financial relationships and communications.
We will keep you, our members, informed.
If you have questions, please let us know—send them to Marie-Louise Jackson-Miller at marieljm1961@yahoo.com.
In the meantime, when you want to make tax deductible donations to WILPF U.S., you should continue to make your check payable to JAPA and mail it to the WILPF national office at 11 Arlington Street, Boston, MA 02116. Please write WILPF U.S. in the memo line of the check. Should you wish to make a tax deductible donation via credit card, please contact Ria Kulenovic at 617-266-0999.
Thank you for your ongoing commitment and generosity.
Sincerely,
Laura Roskos, President
on behalf of the board of directors of WILPF, U.S. Section
Advocate at the UN
1) When: March 2 – March 10, 2013 (Applications are now closed)
2) Where: UN Headquarters in New York City
3) Who: Undergraduate, graduate, and professional students from across the nation
4) Why attend: Strengthen your skill-set in advocacy, increase your knowledge of international women's issues, and gain valuable contacts and insight into UN processes
5) What you have to do: Submit an application by November 5, 2012 at 5 p.m. and then raise money to attend
6) Cost: $1399 covers cost of lodging, food, program materials, registration and entrance to CSW, NGO preparatory meeting, membership to the Y-WILPF (the young women’s caucus of WILPF), and daily briefings from faculty and other experts.
The Women's International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF), the National Women's Studies Association (NWSA) and the Center for Women's Health and Human Rights at Suffolk University (CWHHR) are offering the opportunity for college and university students to attend the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) meetings at the United Nations in New York from March 2–March 10, 2013.
The CSW is dedicated exclusively to gender equality and the advancement of women. Representatives from member states gather to identify problems and issues affecting women internationally. CSW meetings are typically attended by thousands of women affiliated with non-governmental organizations (NGOs) from around the world. Alongside the official discussions and reports, these NGOs sponsor hundreds of "side events" such as panels, workshops and performances addressing local and international issues affecting women.
The 2013 priority theme of the CSW is “The elimination and prevention of all forms of violence against women and girls”. The Commission will also evaluate progress in the implementation of the agreed conclusions from its fifty-second session on “The equal sharing of responsibilities between women and men, including caregiving in the context of HIV/AIDS”. Students participate as delegates of the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom, and contribute to the official documentation of both official and informal meetings. This program is open to women enrolled at any college or university in the United States, and provides ample opportunities for peer-to-peer learning and exploring career opportunities in international relations and advocacy work.
Students interested in being a part of the college and university women's delegation are urged to apply. Students should also identify a faculty member from their home institution who will help negotiate collaboration between WILPF/NWSA/CWHHR and the student's college or university.
The tuition for the Practicum is $1399, which includes lodging offered on a multiple occupancy basis. The tuition fee will cover all meals, lodging, registration and entrance to the CSW, NGO preparatory meetings, program materials, membership to Y-WILPF (the young women's caucus of WILPF) and daily briefings from faculty and other experts. (The fee does not include transportation to New York City or public transportation during the week's stay). Limited scholarship funding is available and students are encouraged to raise money on their campuses and in their home communities to support their attendance.
Click here for the 2013 UN Practicum in Advocacy Flyer
Click here for the 2013 UN Practicum in Advocacy Application
Click here for the 2013 UN Practicum in Advocacy Faculty Reference Form
Click here for the 2013 Practicum Payment Information
Submit all materials to unpracticum2013@wilpfus.org.
Interested in strengthening advocacy skills, making and sustaining valuable contacts, and expanding your knowledge and insight regarding international women’s issues?
Our annual 2013 UN Practicum in Advocacy at the United Nations is a great way to get more experience and delve into the core of Women’s issues. You’ll get a chance to attend the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW), held at UN headquarters in New York City! This year’s theme is “The elimination and prevention of all forms of violence against women and girls.”
Are you ready to learn about these important issues through workshops and meetings? Tuition of $1399 will include access to the CSW, accommodation, food, program materials, and a cultural event. If you have been accepted into the Practicum, you may find the payment page here.
Applications are now currently closed.
For more information, view our Practicum 2013 page.
By Isabel Macdonald, WILPF-DC Branch
Please take a moment to sign and share our petition!
Change the U.S. UN vote on depleted uranium weapons this fall.
We write to draw your attention to the upcoming U.S. vote in this year’s United Nations General Assembly on a fourth resolution regarding the Effects of the Use of Armaments and Ammunitions containing Depleted Uranium (DU).
Depleted uranium (DU) weapons are chemically toxic and radioactive conventional weapons designed to pierce armor. They were used by the US in the 1991 Gulf War, in the Balkans in the mid and late 1990’s and again in Iraq in the 2003 occupation. Upon impact with hard targets, DU munitions burn generating a fine dust that may be inhaled by civilians and soldiers alike. Intact munitions or fragments slowly break down, contaminating soils and groundwater.
Animal and cellular studies have shown that DU damages DNA and has caused cancer in laboratory rodents. The US and other DU users have shown little interest in studying civilian populations but laboratory studies have demonstrated that DU is toxic to the body. Since 1991, reports have come from Iraq of increasing numbers of cases of childhood leukemia and birth defects which may be the result of DU exposure. DU contaminates the environment and is very expensive and difficult to clean up.
These weapons are inherently indiscriminate and need to be banned. Other countries are moving to prohibit the use of DU weapons but the U.S. and other DU users are standing in the way of progress.
The United Nations will vote on a fourth resolution considering their acceptability in October. Even without comprehensive civilian health studies, the failure of states to clean-up contamination, their use against civilian infrastructure in built up areas and the lack of transparency from users over where the weapons have been used clearly demands action to ban these weapons on a precautionary basis.
The United States, Israel, the UK and France are the only four states opposing these resolutions. The International Coalition to Ban Uranium Weapons, the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom, Veterans for Peace, Pax Christi US, Pax Christi International, and Friends of the Earth US are calling for people around the globe to write to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to ask her to reconsider the United States‘ voting position at the UN First Committee this October.
The International Coalition to Ban Uranium Weapons (ICBUW) and IKV Pax Christi invite you to a report launch. For more information, click here.
Will you join us?
For more information, please visit ICBUW, Reaching Critical Will, or Veterans for Peace.
Or follow us on Twitter @ICBUW, @RCW_, @VFPNational, @PaxChristi, and @foe_us.
Change the U.S. UN vote on depleted uranium weapons this fall!
