The work that WILPF is doing is more important than ever! This month, we bring you updates on the projects, initiatives, plans, and work that our members and issue committees have been working on. We'll tell you about two of our own delegates who will be participating in the Regional Americas meeting in Colombia. We also bring you news from Earth Democracy. The Santa Cruz branch is participating in and organizing several environmental events this year. And Fresno has been busy creating a sustainability ordinance and organizing around the issues of water, the environment, and community rights. As one of our most active issue committees, DISARM/End Wars updates us on their continued work in the areas of nuclear disarmament and the call to end drone killing and surveillance. In the meantime, Cuba and the Bolivarian Alliance Issue Committee brings you news and updates on the political process in Venezuela and calls on President Obama and Congress to respect the democratic process in Venezuela. We urge you to read and stay updated on our work and get involved where you can. Check out our website to learn more about WILPF as a membership organization and how you can get involved.

WILPF-US continues its mission to create the peaceful transformation we wish to see in the world. WILPF envisions a transformed world at peace, where there is racial, social, and economic justice for all people everywhere—a world in which:

• The needs of all people are met in a fair and equitable manner
• All people equally participate in making the decisions that affect them
• The interconnected web of life is acknowledged and celebrated in diverse ways and communities
• Human societies are designed and organized for sustainable existence

We invite WILPF-US Branches and Issue Committees to send articles along for inclusion in WILPF eNews, published each month. To find out more, please email newsletter@wilpf.org.

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If you're not already a member, please consider joining today!

Table of Contents

Work for WILPF

Delegation to the Upcoming Regional Americas Meeting

Earth Democracy Update

New Hope for a Nuclear Ban Treaty and No More Hiroshima/Fukushima Blues

Hands Off Venezuela! Uphold the Bolivarian Revolution

End Drone Killing and Surveillance

Work for WILPF

WILPF-US is currently seeking a Program and Development Director (staff position) and editor for the semi-annual Peace & Freedom magazine.

The Program and Development Director is a public face of WILPF-US and—in collaboration with the Board and relevant Board committees—promotes the development and implementation of WILPF's program and fundraising plans and proposals.

The editor will produce the spring/summer 2014 issue of Peace & Freedom, the 32-page magazine of Women's International League for Peace and Freedom.  The editor is responsible for soliciting and editing material, ensuring that correct permissions are obtained, working with the graphic designer under the direction of Director of Operations, in consultation with Communications Committee.

For more information on these positions, click here.

Delegation to the Upcoming Regional Americas Meeting
By Melissa I. M. Torres

WILPF-US is participating in the Regional Americas Meeting April 23–27 in Colombia. The focus will be the Americas’ implementation of SCR1325, WILPF’s role in Human Rights, and the centennial. WILPF Colombia, US, Mexico, Bolivia, Costa Rica, and Canada are participating.

Delegates will comment on the various regionalization schemes in the International Ad Hoc Committee Report from their countries’ perspectives. Please send suggestions to dialogue@wilpf.org no later than April 1. Meeting comments will be given to the Constitution Committee in preparing the revised draft for adoption at the 2015 International Congress.

In November, we asked WILPF members to weigh in on similar questions facing WILPF at the International level by reading and commenting on the WILPF International Ad Hoc Committee report. At this time, no substantive comments have been made by any members in the US section. In order to further discussion of these important matters, Catia Confortini—WILPF-US’s representative on the WILPF International Board—will be hosting a conference call at 3 p.m. ET/12 noon PT on Sunday, March 16. The dial in number is: 443-453-0034, access code:  848602. Please familiarize yourself with the report before joining the call.

WILPF-US delegates are Melissa I. M. Torres (pictured left) and Mary Sanderson (pictured right). Read more . . .

Earth Democracy Update
By Nancy Price, Earth Democracy Issue Committee

This month, we feature news from Fresno and Santa Cruz. We invite members and branches to regularly send us news of activities related to the Earth Democracy Issue Group’s mandate,  and the work of our sub-committees, so we may be inspired by each other’s vision, imagination, and success. Please send your news to teamearthdem@wilpf.org.

WILPF Fresno's Earth Democracy Issues Group has been busy participating in and organizing several environmental events this year. One of the most exciting has been working in collaboration with California State University Fresno's CineCulture film series which screens current films each Friday on campus. WILPFer and film series organizer, Dr. Mary Husain asks WILPF Fresno each year to help choose the film to be shown on the date closest to International Water Day, March 22. This year, we have expanded our water theme to encompass water as only one part of our endangered environment, and to show what one brave person did to help save it. "Bidder 70" will be shown on March 21. Read more . . .

New Hope for a Nuclear Ban Treaty and No More Hiroshima/Fukushima Blues

By Carol Reilly Urner, DISARM/End Wars Issue Committee

In March, we commemorate the third anniversary of the continuing Fukushima disaster and the 60th anniversary of the Castle Bravo test the US conducted on Bikini. Our focus continues on the hope WILPF helped generate in February. Read our February Program report and then join us in working for demilitarization and ending wars. Currently our priorities are nuclear weapons abolition including a BAN treaty as a real step on the way, dismantling the nuclear-military-industrial complex, negotiating a nuclear weapons of mass destruction (WMD) free zone in the Middle East, banning militarized drones, and ending and preventing wars everywhere.

We are hard at work for a WMD free zone in the Middle East and in the US new anti-nuclear legislation. There is also growing resistance to wars and militarized drones. However, much more effort is required of us and humankind if life on earth is to survive into the future. List your own concerns and save our updated 2014 Disarm/End Wars calendar to enable planning ahead. Read more . . .

Hands Off Venezuela! Uphold the Bolivarian Revolution

By Cindy Domingo, Cuba and the Bolivarian Alliance Issue Committee

The recent demonstrations in Venezuela require the US peace movement to be vigilant in upholding the Venezuelan peoples’ right to self determination. The Venezuelan people have democratically elected their President and their government officials since Hugo Chavez was first elected in 1998. 

In response to a question about the April, 2013 Presidential elections, former US President Jimmy Carter said, “Venezuela probably has the most excellent voting system that I have ever known.” These elections reflect the ongoing support for the Bolivarian revolution by the Venezuelan people. However, the media outlets both in the US and throughout the world would lead us to believe that the vast majority of Venezuelans are calling for the ouster of their President Nicolas Maduro. Nothing could be further from the truth. Read more . . .

Photo: Courtesy of www.venezuelanalysis.com. Venezuela Remembers Chavez - The one year anniversary of former Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez's death was commemorated across Venezuela on 5 March.

End Drone Killing and Surveillance

By Joan Ecklein, DISARM/End Wars Issue Committee

WILPF has endorsed the CALL FOR SPRING DAYS OF ACTION in April and May, 2014, a coordinated campaign endorsed by many peace and justice organizations to end drone Killing, drone surveillance and global militarization.

The campaign will focus on drone bases, drone research facilities and test sites, and drone manufacturers.

Marge Van Cleef (mvc@igc.org)  and Joan Ecklein (joanecklein@comcast.net) will be coordinating WILPF anti drone activities during the two crucial months of April and May. It is very important to let us know what anti drone activities your branches have planned for these two months. We feel it is necessary to keep everyone informed of all the activities so that there can be some coordinated actions and we can gain strength from each other.

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