In order to promote complete transparency of our actions, these updates will list organizations, companies, offices, and persons with which we have substantive interactions. These interactions do not represent formal endorsement of the Global Campaign against IEDs by these entities. Formal endorsements will be posted separately on our website as they are received.
An archive of previous updates can be found at
[ http://www.CampaignAgainstIEDs.org/campaign-blog.html ]
Update of activities for the Global Campaign against IEDs for the Week ending January 20, 2012
In this update:
1. Additions to organizations who we are now working with.
2. Endorsements and Support Update
3. Significant Activities
4. Subscribe to the Blog and Submit Blog Postings
Additions to organizations who we are now working with.
Since my last note, the following congressional offices, Agencies and Organizations joined our group:
Personnel in the offices of two United States Senators, two Congressman, and several members of the White House Staff
The Center for American Military Music Opportunities (CAMMO)
Gary Sinise Foundation
Operation Home Front
Operation Recover
Vet-to-Vet
Veterans for Change
Wounded Warrior Project
United Nations Mission-Liberia
The Associated Press
Coca-Cola Company
Common Cause
Fox News
Military.com
USA Today
Endorsements and Support Update
We are proud to report we recently received formal endorsements for the Global Campaign against IEDs from the humanitarian and private sectors as well as the Veteran’s Service Organization community. These include: Afghanistan Rights Monitor (ARM) as a committed organization and endorsements from the Blinded Veterans Association (BVA), The Kansas African Studies Center at Kansas University, and GovSec. You can view the text of these and other endorsements here.
Significant Activities
First, and most importantly, we revised and recirculated the proposed Letter from the House and Senate to the President on IEDs. In the past week we received very helpful input from House and Senate Offices as well as professional committee staffers and Veteran’s groups. The revised draft incorporates this input. We hope to complete the letter and offer it to all Members of the United States House of Representatives and Senate for signature after receiving any final input by January 31, 2012. From that point we’ll begin posting responses to requests to sign. For a complete listing of Congressional Members we’ve contacted to date and to assist in getting your representatives to support please contact us at partners@partners-international.org.
Second, we are on our second draft of a letter from Veterans Service Organizations calling for action against IEDs. This draft incorporates input from veterans’ organizations we are coordinating with and we hope to move forward with it on a timeline supportive of the congressional letter to President Obama.
Internationally, we received a promising contact from the Nigerian President’s Amnesty Program on the prospect of a pilot project in Nigeria to go after the root causes of IED networks and militancy by re-integrating former militants into society and the economy that stated, in part: “I am thrilled by the commitment, enthusiasm and determination to make not just Niger Delta navigate through this challenging path to sustainable peace and economic growth but larger Nigeria also. To this end, I and my team representing my boss, Kingsley Kuku, are willing and eager to commence partnership immediately. Please just draw up a road map and we’ll make adjustment and hit the ground running.”
We applaud the government of Nigeria for this courageous and visionary initiative.
Subscribe to the Blog and Blog Postings
To keep everyone better informed, we have a new capability. You can now subscribe to an RSS feed on our Blog which contains these and other program updates. The URL is:
[ http://www.CampaignAgainstIEDs.org/campaign-blog.html ]
If you click on the “IED Campaign Updates” link in the left-hand column you will be prompted to subscribe in the RSS newsreader of your choice.
Veterans Groups, Humanitarian Organizations and others partnering with the Global Campaign against IEDs can now submit relevant information to be posted on our blog. This will, in-turn, populate our news feed in the global IED Incident Tracker. Input is submitted to us directly at partners@partners-international.org
Requested Actions:
1. We request those in the United States contact their elected representatives and urge them to sign the letter to President Obama calling for support to the Global Campaign against IEDs.
2. We request those in the countries of the world begin pressing their elected representatives to formally condemn the use of IEDs and join the Global Campaign.
3. The Global campaign needs you support through donations and helping build our social network by encouraging those you know to contact us and join in the effort.