The Obama administration has taken unprecedented action by creating a space for community members throughout the United States to voice their ideas and participate in discussions about what matters to us. For the first time a President-elect is asking you what matters. Tell him that ending the genocide in Darfur is important and must be a top priority in the first 100 days of his administration.
Please visit change.gov today and
1. Provide your information.
2. Check off the “Foreign Policy” box.
3. Copy and paste the following text into the “Your Ideas” space:
“An immediate challenge to the United States is how to lead the international community in bringing peace and protection to the people of Darfur. I urge President-Elect Obama to:
1) Create a peace surge for Sudan, focused on ending the crisis in Darfur rather than managing it.
2) Prepare a comprehensive emergency response plan to prevent Sudan’s President Omar al-Bashir from carrying out his threats to accelerate attacks on Darfur and the millions residing in refugee camps and to block the humanitarian aid on which they rely for survival.
3) Identify genocide prevention as a policy priority and implement the recommendations of the Genocide Prevention Task Force.
Elements of the peace surge include fully implementing and supporting the U.N.-authorized peacekeeping force that actively protects civilians, holding the perpetrators of the genocide accountable, ensuring the success of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement signed by the governments of Sudan and South Sudan, and making Darfur a priority from Day One. The emergency response plan is particularly important given the recent threats by the Government of Sudan to attack Darfuris and humanitarians if the ICC issues the arrest warrant for al-Bashir as expected in early 2009. The non-partisan, blue ribbon Genocide Prevention Task Force published a blueprint for U.S. policymakers to integrate the prevention of genocide and mass atrocities into the broader structures of U.S. foreign policy, including the creation of an interagency Atrocities Prevention Committee (APC) to monitor areas of concern and develop and coordinate responses and interventions.
If you want to do more – Join the Discussion – on their website and be sure that the Obama administration has a plan and is ready to start it on Day 1.