BERKELEY CITY COUNCIL PASSES RESOLUTION FOR DR CONGO

The Berkeley City Council Breaks The Silence and calls on members of Congress, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, The United Nations and President Barack Obama to do more to bring an end to the conflict in the Congo.

Encourage your local political leaders to pass resolutions in support of the people of the Congo and call on world figures to do their part in bringing an end to the greatest scar on the human conscience of our time.

Join the global movement and build a worldwide consensus to end the conflict and suffering in the Congo.

Support the inaugural Congo in Harlem Film Festival, which culminates on Saturday, October 24, 2009.

Remember to get your Congo Week T-shirts.

Participate in a Congo Week activity in your locale.

THE RESOLUTION:
SUPPORTING CONGO WEEK FOR THE BAY AREA FRIENDS OF THE CONGO
WHEREAS, adoption of Congo Week October 18-24, 2009 for the BAY Area Friends of the Congo (BAFOTC); and
WHEREAS, Congo week calls for peace, justice and national reconciliation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo; and
WHEREAS, offers condolences for the lost lives and moral support for the survivors; and
WHEREAS, calls for the protection of the environment and endangered species in the Congo; and
WHEREAS, calls for an end to conflict and for the support by world leaders and people of good will across the globe in this effort; and
WHEREAS, call for the wrongful exploitation of the Congolese peoples’ resources, recognizing that these resources should not be a curse but rather a blessing, and that the Congolese people are the rightful beneficiaries of their great natural wealth; and
WHEREAS, encourages the community to observe this week by connecting with friends, fellow employees, and relatives as well as religious, school, and civic groups, to encourage in projects benefiting the people of the Congo; and
WHEREAS, supports community efforts in bringing this conflict to an end through education, policy and advocacy.
NOW THERFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the Council of the City of Berkeley that it directs the City Clerk to send the attached letter to US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, US Senator Barbara Boxer, Congresswoman Barbara Lee, and President Barack Obama, with a copy to United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.

LETTER TO THE SECRETARY OF STATE:
Dear Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton,
Since 1996 nearly six million children, women, and men have died in the Democratic Republic of the Congo due to conflict and hundreds of thousands more have been victims of unimaginable atrocities that deeply shock the conscience of humanity. Today, Congolese deaths continue at the rate of 45,000 each month.
These crimes against humanity threaten the peace, security and well-being of the Congo and its people, and those responsible for such crimes have largely gone unpunished.
The United Nations has named the Congo as the deadliest conflict in the world since World War Two.
For these reasons, the Berkeley City Council communicates its grave concern for the people of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. We urge that:
a) There be no use of the US military in the Congo. b) The US make a priority of supporting local Congolese institutions with a proven
record of delivering services to the people. c) The US government hold US corporations accountable for their actions in the
Congo. d) The US play a key role in facilitating a political-economic framework for ending
the conflicts in the Congo and the African Great Lakes region and relieving the
tremendous suffering of the region’s women, children and men. e) The US hold its allies Rwanda and Uganda accountable for their actions in the
Congo.
Berkeley City Council Berkeley, California
Cc: President Barack Obama Congresswoman Barbara Lee United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon