Swords into Plowshares

Munyagishari and Mladic arrested for genocide and crimes against humanity

Bernard Munyagishari, a suspect of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, was arrested this week in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), after 17 years on the run.

In Europe, Ratko Mladic, Bosnian Serb war crimes fugitive was also arrested in Serbia after 16 years in hiding.

Both Munyagishari and Mladic will be tried for charges of genocide and crimes against humanity.  To read more detail about Munyagishari and Mladic, click here.

The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) has long supported international mechanisms, which seek justice.  For a compilation of Presbyterian policy on genocide, please click here.

We continue to pray that for just and lasting peace throughout the world.

 

International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers

The details are still coming in, but the UN reports an attack on peacekeepers in southern Lebanon.

This comes as the UN community celebrates the International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers.

The day has two purposes:

• to honour the memory of the UN peacekeepers who have lost their lives in the cause of peace;
• to pay tribute to all the men and women who have served and continue to serve in UN Peacekeeping operations for their high level of professionalism, dedication and courage.

UN Peacekeepers are, like all of us, not perfect. It has been noted that "all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23)" is empirically verifiable.

UN Peacekeepers have violated their trust at times. Peacekeeping operations have been given inadequate mandates, provided insufficient equipment at times, and received inappropriate leadership.

Yet, women and men from around the world still put themselves in harm's way to preserve the peace and protect the people in places around the world.

We give thanks for those people who serve in peacekeeping missions. We remember for those peacekeepers who have fallen in those missions. We pray for those peacekeepers who were attacked today.

About the photo: Deputy Secretary-General Asha-Rose Migiro offers a wreath during a solemn wreath-laying ceremony in honour of all fallen peacekeepers in the United Nations Visitors Lobby. Photo is by UN Photo/Evan Schneider.

A brief introduction to Sudan

At the Compassion, Peace & Justice Training Day held on March 25 before Ecumenical Advocacy Days, the staff of the Presbyterian Ministry at the United Nations led a workshop on Sudan. The workshop included a presentation on the history of Sudan, Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) partnership in ministry with the people of Sudan, the involvement of the United Nations, and the process leading up to the January 2011 referendum on self-determination for the people of southern Sudan. Here is a simplified (to make the file smaller) version of the presentation from that workshop:

Download An Introduction to Sudan

Note that there have been many developments in Sudan since then - but this still provides a brief sense of the background.

For recent developments and more information check out:

Sudan from the Presbyterian Ministry at the United Nations

Pray with the people of Sudan prior to South Sudan's independence

Presbyterians in minstry with the people of Sudan

The Sudan Advocacy Action Forum

The United Nations and Sudan

The United Nations Mission in Sudan

 

Big Tent Registration Extended

The registration deadline for the Peacemaking Pre-conference Gun Violence, Gospel Values:   Mobilizing in Response to God’s Call and Conference Growing Christ’s Peace at the Big Tent is extended to JUNE 15.  Peacemaking registration scholarships funds are still available on a first come, first serve basis through June 15.  Scholarship applicants need to register for the Big Tent while awaiting scholarship approval.  No registration funds will be required, simply select the scholarship option.   Although registration for the children and youth programs is closed, a few spaces are available; parents/guardians can contact the G. A. Meeting Service.   Please register online, or download a registration form to complete and return. Contact the G.A. Meeting Service by email or at (800) 728-7228, 2417 if you have difficulties registering.

The cut–off date for reservations in the Big Tent hotels is JUNE 3.  Rooms may continue to be available after this date, but to ensure access to the conference rates ($99/night at the JW Marriott, $97/night at the Marriott Downtown), reserve lodgings as soon as possible online or by calling (800) 266-9432 and specifying “Presbyterian Church Big Tent” as you speak with a reservations agent.

Sudan in Transition

Thursday 2 June 2011

11:00 am- 1:30 pm

at

Presbyterian Ministry at the United Nations

777 UN Plaza, 7th Floor

New York, NY 10017

 

11:00 – Noon

Briefing - Humanitarian concerns and hopes for South Sudan and insight on the new mandate as well as the Security Council trip to Sudan in May.

• Ms. Aida Mengistu (confirmed)- Desk Officer for Sudan, Africa II Section, Coordination & Response Division,Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA)
• Ms. Lacey Stone(confirmed), NGO Officer, U.S. Fund for UNICEF

 

12:15 – 1:30

Conversation- The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) in ministry in Sudan.

• The Rev. Roger Dermody- Deputy Executive Director for Mission, General Assembly Council for Mission, Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)

 

Lunch will be provided.

Please R.S.V.P. to 216-697-4568 or [email protected]

 

 

The Presbyterian Ministry at the United Nations equips and inspires Presbyterians for global discipleship following Jesus and advocates for peace and justiceguided by policies of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)’s General Assembly. 

 

Interreligious Working Group on Domestic Human Needs Webinar!

Budget Debates 102*:
Debt Ceiling, Spending Caps and Program Cuts
Why you should care & what you can do about it

May 26
12:00-1:00 Eastern
Contact [email protected] to register

Debt limit!  Triggers!  Spending caps! What does it all mean for your community?  For children?  Older adults?  People living with hunger or homelessness?  How can you protect vulnerable people from cuts to important services?
 
The budget debates in Congress pose some of the biggest threats to poor and hungry people that we have seen in decades.  Find out what they are and how they would make state and local budget cuts even worse.  Cut through the rhetoric and learn the simple truth about our budget, debt and deficits.  Learn how to respond and take action.
 
The Senate will be coming home for recess May 30-Jun 5.  Call their offices and set up meetings now!  Here’s how: http://fcnl.org/resources/toolkit/schedule_lobby_visit/ Our webinar will provide talking points for meetings and other actions.
 
*This webinar will not assume prior knowledge.  We’ll start from a beginner’s level.  However, for Budget Debates 101, you can review our last webinar and resources at http://www.ncjw.org/dhnbudget/.

A prayer for members of the Security Council

God who makes us for each other,

who calls us into community,

who binds us together in love,

we pray for the members of the

United Nations Security Council

as they travel to Sudan.

Extend to them traveling mercies.

Open their hearts, minds, and spirits

to learn from the people they meet

to understand what they witness.

Grant them compassion for the peoples of Sudan,

discernment to envision possibilities for peace, and

wisdom to design plans to protect and preserve the peace.

Move the nations of the world to respond quickly with what is needed

to implement effectively those plans.

Fill those who serve in Sudan with grace and courage.

May peace prevail and justice be done.

We pray in the name of Jesus.

Amen.

 

 

Statement by chairman of Security Council working group on children in armed conflict

Below is a statement by the chairman of the Security Council:

At its thirtieth meeting on 2 May 2011, the Working Group of the Security Council on Children and Armed Conflict agreed, in connection with the third report of the Secretary-General on children and armed conflict in Chad (document S/2011/64), to address the following message to all parties to the conflict in Chad, through a public statement by the Chairman of the Working Group:

(a) Expressing deep concern regarding the continuing violations and abuses committed against children in Chad by all parties to the conflict, and urging the immediate implementation of the previous conclusions of the Working Group on children and armed conflict in Chad (documents S/AC.51/2007/16 and S/AC.51/2008/15);

(b) Strongly urging all parties to the conflict, including those armed groups not engaged in the peace process, to immediately halt the recruitment and use of children in violation of applicable international law, and to release all children remaining within their ranks, as called for in Security Council resolutions 1539 (2004), 1612 (2005) and 1882 (2009);

(c) Expressing deep concern regarding the killing and maiming of children and other civilians in violation of applicable international law, including as a result of the use of anti-personnel mines, reminding all parties to the conflict of their obligations under international law, and calling upon all non-State armed groups to refrain from using anti-personnel mines, which could cause the killing and maiming of children.

To read what Presbyterians are doing to say no to child soldiers, click here.

 

United Nations Human Rights Council voting on Friday

The election of fifteen members of the Human Rights Council of the United Nations will be held on Friday, 20 May 2011, at 10 a.m. in the General Assembly Hall. Here, you see information from the United Nations General Assembly regarding the election of the Human Rights Council:

In accordance with paragraph 7 of General Assembly resolution 60/251 the Council shall consist of 47 Member States, which shall be elected directly and individually by secret ballot by the majority of the members of the General Assembly.

The membership shall be based on equitable geographical distribution, and seats shall be distributed as follows among regional groups:

• Group of African States (13)
• Group of Asian States (13)
• Group of Eastern European States (6)
• Group of Latin American and Caribbean States (8)
• Group of Western European and other States (7)

The members of the Council shall serve for a period of three years and shall not be eligible for immediate re-election after two consecutive terms.

Member States who have chosen to announce their candidacies in writing are listed below. Voluntary pledges that Member States have chosen to provide in support of their respective candidacies, in accordance with paragraph 8 of General Assembly resolution 60/251, are issued as General Assembly documents in all official languages.

More information about the list of candidates as well as the list of retiring members is available here.

So what does this mean to Presbyterians?  The Human Rights Council is the main body within the United Nations system set to ensure that member states of the United Nations support human rights around the world.  One such human right is the freedom of religion or belief.

The General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) affirms that religious freedom is a universal human right. This affirmation is expressed through our deep commitment to religious freedom around the world in our policies and programs. We are particularly concerned for people of any faith who find themselves as a religious minority in any country.

Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) policy identifies responsibilities and actions that governments should take and actions that governments should avoid as well as commitments of the church itself. These include:

• Governments have responsibility to promote and protect religious freedom and should:
  • Give specific protections concerning religious freedom in their official policies, constitution and practices;
  • Give full cooperation to the UN in the performance of its responsibilities for protecting human rights;
• And should not:
  • Co-opt, manipulate, or constrain religious practice by any persons, groups, or religious bodies except as may properly be necessary for the protection of human rights for all;
  • Limit or deny religious participation in public life; or
  • Discriminate either for or against any religious tradition or organization.

• The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), as a national church, has committed to:
  • Advocate for the religious freedom of any persons, groups, and religious bodies such as is consistent with the human rights for all;
  • Advocate that no official U.S. government relationship or diplomatic status be accorded any religious group or organization;
  • Urge the U.S. government to accord a key role to the United Nations in issues of religious freedom abroad even as it recognizes that a U.S. government role, based upon U.S. policies, is appropriate;
  • Give deference to partner churches’ determination of how to address issues of religious freedom in their own contexts and advocate, when consistent with General Assembly policies, as appropriate;
  • Be aware of the role of media and educate its members about general stereotypes and particular complexities in situations of curtailed religious freedom abroad.

The Presbyterian Ministry at the United Nations works within the United Nations system and with United Nations member states working to protect religious freedom throughout the world.

 

Religious freedom in Pakistan

Ask your representative to co-sponsor H. Res 164. This resolution addresses questions of religious freedom in Pakistan. It is currently in the House Subcommittee on Africa, Global Health, and Human Rights.

This sense of the House resolution expresses the condolences of the House of Representatives to the people of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan upon the assassination of Shahbaz Bhatti, Minister for Minorities, who courageously advocated for religious freedom and tolerance in Pakistan and calling on the United States to renew its efforts with international partners in the Human Rights Council and the United Nations General Assembly to promote religious freedom and tolerance in accordance with international human rights standards.

The resolution lifts up two deaths to illustrate the challenges of religious freedom in Pakistan:

• Minister Shahbaz Bhatti, an unapologetic champion of the right of religious freedom and other human rights of all Pakistanis, was shot to death in his vehicle on March 2, 2011, by a group claiming to oppose Bhatti's efforts to reform Pakistan's blasphemy laws.
• Governor Salman Taseer, who courageously sought to release Aasia Bibi, a Christian woman and mother of 5 who was unjustly sentenced to death under Pakistan's blasphemy laws, was gunned down in broad daylight by his own security guard on January 4, 2011, allegedly because the Governor supported reforms to the blasphemy laww.

The resolution notes that Pakistan is a multireligious society comprised of Muslims, Christians, Hindus, Parsis (Zoroastrians), Sikhs, Buddhists, Baha'is, and others.

It quotes Pakistan's Constitution which states that `subject to law, public order and morality, every citizen shall have the right to profess, practice, and propagate his religion' and that there shall be no discrimination in rights based on religion in the provision of government services, property rights, education, and public access. It cites other examples of Pakistanis who have worked for religious freedom and government actions supporting religious freedoms in the country.

The resolution notes that the blasphemy laws have been wielded falsely against Muslims and non-Muslims alike for the settling of personal disputes, and the law is used against Muslims more than any other religious group.

Two articles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights are cited:

• Everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion; this right includes freedom to change his religion or belief, and freedom, either alone or in community with others and in public or private, to manifest his religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship and observance. (Article 18)
• Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers. (Article 19)

That it is the sense of the House of Representatives that the United States should--

(1) include a special working group on interfaith harmony and religious tolerance in United States-Pakistan strategic dialogues to discuss ways to continue the vision of Shahbaz Bhatti in both countries;

(2) urge the Government of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan to reform the blasphemy law, so as to ensure it is no longer abused to limit the rights of Pakistanis, whether Muslims or religious minorities;

(3) assist efforts to protect the religious freedom of all Pakistanis through prioritizing the prevention of religiously motivated and sectarian violence, enhancing training for local law enforcement including emergency response and scene investigation, prompt and thorough investigation of any incidents of violence, and training of judges on international human rights obligations;

(4) work with its partners in the United Nations to support resolutions promoting religious freedom and tolerance, including the prevention of negative stereotyping of individuals based on religion or belief;

(5) engage with its international partners to ensure promotion of interreligious dialogue and protection and promotion of religious freedom and related human rights for all people by--

(A) supporting civil society institutions that work to uphold and guarantee religious freedom and related human rights;

(B) promoting interreligious dialogue designed to strengthen civil society and advance religious freedom;

(C) using all available tools of public diplomacy to spread positive messages about religious freedom and tolerance;

(D) encouraging efforts to strengthen institutions crucial to rule of law and good governance, particularly the judiciary and police; and

(E) recognizing the importance of programs such as the Fulbright Program, the International Visitor Program, and other exchanges for professionals, students, and religious and civil society leaders from diverse communities, including programs that emphasize tolerance for minority groups; and

(6) call on the Government of Pakistan and all other governments to continue the same tradition of leadership and courage as was shown by Minister Bhatti in the fight against violent religious extremism in every form.

The 214th General Assembly (2002) of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) affirmed that religious freedom is a human right. The 219th General Assembly (2010) called for the protection of religious minorities around the world.

H. Res 164 expresses the sense of the House that such protection is needed in Pakistan. Ask your representative to co-sponsor H. Res 164.