Nobel Women's Initiative

The Iranian Government is continuing its campaign of intimidating activists, arresting thousands. Many of the detainees are women, who seemingly vanish into Iranian prisons without a trace. The security and intelligence forces justify their actions using a blanket detention order, which gives agents the license to arrest anyone at will.

The death count could be upwards of 200 thousand—or more—in Haiti. Rescuers are working around-the-clock to find bodies under the rubble of thousands of destroyed buildings. Meanwhile, hundreds of thousands of people are without water, food and shelter. You can help.

TAKE ACTION

Visit the web sites of these organizations, working on the ground in Haiti. They need your donations to make their work possible.

Madre

Canadian Red Cross

Oxfam Canada

Global Fund for Women's Crisis Fund

Please call for the immediate release of Mansoureh Shojaee, one of the founders of the One Million Signatures campaign for women's equality in Iran, Morteza Kemian, a journalist, and others arbitrarily detained.

TAKE ACTION

with Feminist Majority Foundation here.

Creating sustainable peace is like cooking a good meal -- both take many ingredients, patience, love and attention. Both are best when they involve sharing and understanding.  In Ingredients for Peace global peacemakers share recipes and thoughts on peace.

Try Archbishop Desmond Tutu's "Tutu Chicken,"  Wangari Maathai's "Stewed Spinach & Amaranth,"  Mia Farrow's "Awesome Pancakes," or Eve Ensler's "Activist Pasta."  More than 60 activists from all walks of life share their thoughts and favorite recipes.

Read the USA Today story, and listen to Jody Williams talk about the cookbook.

The United States is one of the few nations who has not signed the international Mine Ban Treaty. Earlier this week, leading up to the  Cartagena Summit on a Mine-free World, the US announced that it would be continuing this policy.

Today, 156 nations are party to the treaty -- including Afghanistan, Australia, Indonesia, Japan, all of Europe except Finland (Poland has signed but not yet ratified), all of sub-Saharan Africa except Somalia, almost half of the countries in the Middle East and North Africa (including Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait and Algeria), and the entire Western Hemisphere, except for the United States and Cuba. -- Jody Williams in her LA Times Op Ed.

The US administration seems to have backtracked somewhat on its decision.  Take action now to urge the American President, Barack Obama, to reconsider its landmine policy and sign on to the Mine Ban Treaty.

Send a message to President Obama.

Sign the People's Treaty.

Learn ten things you can do.

World leaders are gathering in Copenhagen in just 13 days to negotiate a new global climate agreement.

Tell yours that you are ready for leadership. Tell them you want a bold, ambitious, and fair agreement. They CAN
achieve an ambitious, just deal in Copenhagen if they try. The world is watching. And we are insisting.

PLEASE JOIN Thank You Tibet! to show your support and appreciation to His Holiness the Dalai Lama and the Tibetan people for their culture of wisdom and compassion and their steadfast commitment to nonviolence as the path to peace.   

JOIN the Thank You Tibet! campaign and create a message in any medium -- video, music, visual art, photography, and/or text -- to express the ways that Tibetan culture and spirituality have inspired you and changed your life.   Your message will be seen on line by a worldwide community and selections will be presented during a special program at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York City in March 2010 and to His Holiness the Dalai Lama.

Visit www.thankyoutibet.org to submit your message.

The United Nations General Assembly is about to adopt a crucial resolution on the creation of a new UN gender equality entity. We must act now to ensure that the resolution will be adopted before the end of the current General Assembly by 14 September 2009, and that the new entity can really make  a difference to women’s lives around the world.

Join the global GEAR Campaign and send the following letter to the Foreign Minister and the UN mission of your country, urging your government to support the creation of the strong new UN gender equality entity.

To learn more about GEAR, click here.

The Nobel Women's Initiative stands in solidarity with the Honduran Feminists in Resistance, all women and activists in Honduras who continue their fight for the restoration of democracy in their country.

In addition, we express our support for the Women's Human Rights Week in Honduras, an international delegation to Honduras from August 17 to 21, 2009.

It's time for the world to put the Burmese generals on trial. Avaaz is launching a call for the UN Security Council to investigate the regime for crimes against humanity -- a judgment of guilt could lead to prosecution of top generals by the International Criminal Court.

http://www.avaaz.org/en/jail_the_generals

Over the next two months the UK and the US hold the powerful Presidency of the United Nations Security Council - both President Obama and Prime Minister Brown have spoken passionately about Burma, so now is our best chance in years to get the Security Council to act.

Take action now!

Read the rest of this Take Action from Avaaz and sign the petition..