UN rally for Darfur on September 16

Idea exchange
September 2007

UN rally for Darfur on September 16
On September 16, 2007 Darfur activists will hold 30 major events in 28 countries around the world as part of the Global Day for Darfur. 24 Hours for Darfur will host the flagship event in New York City – a large-scale rally staged in Dag Hammarskjold plaza across from the UN headquarters.

Over the past six months, 24 Hours for Darfur has collected video messages from concerned citizens around the world urging their political leaders to address the ongoing atrocities occurring in Darfur. Communications Director Benjamin Plener calls it "the classic activist petition updated for the 21st century."

At the rally, campaign participants will see their videos projected on a massive LCD screen in front of UN headquarters, alongside videos from policymakers such as former Senator John Edwards and former UN Deputy Secretary General Mark Malloch Brown, celebrities such as actor-activist Mia Farrow and Olympic Gold Medalist Joey Cheek, and Darfuris such as Daoud Hari, one of three Darfuris granted refugee status in the US in the past four years.

At the rally, 24 Hours for Darfur will call on each of the five permanent members of the UN Security Council to send a highlevel, full-time diplomatic team to the region to support a real peace process. Neela Ghoshal, the organization's Policy Director, says "Each permanent member must send a diplomatic team to the region now. And they should not come home until the people of Darfur can too."

The rally will also feature speakers from Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, Genocide Intervention Network, and the ENOUGH Project. It will likely be the largest event in the world on the Global Day for Darfur.

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