Action Alert: Thabo Mbeki to chair a special meeting of the UN Security Council tomorrow
Thanks to N, who brought this to my attention – two days ago – and that’s how long it took me to wake up and look around at what is happening outside Zimbabwe.
In a nutshell: Thabo Mbeki is travelling to the United Nations tomorrow to Chair a special Security Council meeting:
Mr Mbeki is chairing a presidential level Security Council meeting on Africa on Wednesday, and is widely believed to be the man best placed to change Mr Mugabe’s mind. But his brand of “quiet diplomacy” has so far failed to win meaningful results. On Saturday, Mr. Mbeki provoked outrage by saying “there is no crisis in Zimbabwe.
Petition to sign – lets drive those numbers up!
There’s a petition organised by Avaaz.org, who are apparently the world’s largest international online advocacy network. Sign it here. The petition, titled ‘DEMOCRACY FOR ZIMBABWE!’ will be delivered to Mbeki tomorrow.
Petition to Robert Mugabe, Thabo Mbeki, and world leaders:
We sign to support the democratic and human rights of the people of Zimbabwe. Election results must be released immediately, verified independently, and–if approved as legitimate–accepted by all parties. If a run-off is required, it should be monitored by international observers and be kept free of violence, fraud, and intimidation. World leaders, including South African President Thabo Mbeki, should do all they can to ensure a just result.
Please note, their website has a function which allows you to alert your friends and family of the petition. Please use the function and encourage them to sign.
Emails to write
N, the guy who alerted us to this, has compiled a comprehensive list of UN email addresses – we’ve slapped them into the end of this post where you can grab them. You can simply pick and choose from among them, or copy and paste the whole lot into the ‘To:’ box of your email software to send an email for a quick mailing. N has also drafted a version of the email you can send if you don’t have time to write your own. Use it as it is, or use it as a guide.
Dear United Nations Mission Member:
Zimbabwe is in a crisis. Not only have Zimbabweans suffered through food insecurity, 80% unemployment, hyperinflation, and plunging life-expectancy all brought about by the disastrous policies of Robert Mugabe and his ruling party Zanu-PF, they have also suffered constant political repression.
Now that political repression has returned stronger than ever because Mugabe has decided that, contrary to the wishes of the voting population, he does not want to relinquish his authoritarian hold on power. Beatings, killings, and farm invasions have started in order to punish the people for voting their conscience.
It is clear that the delay of over two weeks of the release of the presidential election results, as well as the recounts being demanded by the ruling party, are nothing more than a pretext designed to allow Mugabe to rig the result. The people of Zimbabwe deserve better after suffering through a decade of repression then to have their democratic will thwarted by a tyrant who cannot even keep food on the shelves.
The U.N. Security Council is meeting this Wednesday, April 16, 2008 and it is time that action is taken. Please use all avenues of pressure to ensure that the Council addresses the urgent crisis in Zimbabwe. Please do not wait until more people are beaten and die before you speak out.
Respectfully submitted,
[your name]
If anyone has any other ideas of things people can do, please leave them in the comments and we’ll do our best to moderate quickly.
Here are those email addresses:
afgwatan@aol.com; themission@angolaun.org; algeria@un.int; mission@algeria-un.org; antigua@un.int; unmission@abgov.org; argentina@un.int; armenia@un.int; michelle.z.wood@dfat.gov.au; australia@un.int; austria@un.int; azerbaijan@un.int; mission@bahamasny.com; newyork@bahrainmission.org; Bahrain@un.int; bangladesh@un.int; prun@foreign.gov.bb; unmission@belembassy.org; belarus@un.int; newyorkUN@diplobel.be; andorra@un.int; blzun@belizemission.com; blzun@aol.com; benun@undp.org; bhutan@un.int; delgaliviaonu@hotmail.com; bihnyun@aol.com; botswana@un.int; delbrasonu@delbrasonu.org; info@bruneimission-ny.org; tcdun@undp.org; bulgaria@un.int; bfapm@un.int; burundi@un.int; cambodia@un.int; cameroon@un.int; canada@un.int; capeverde@un.int; caf@un.int; chile@un.int; chinamission_un@fmprc.gov.cn; colombia@colombiaun.org; comoros@un.int; congo@un.int; costarica@un.int; jballestero@rree.go.cr; mcalderon@un.int; csoto@un.int; mzamora@rree.go.cr; rgonzalez@rree.go.cr; mumana@rree.go.cr; misioncostaricaun@yahoo.com; cotedivoiremission@yahoo.com; cromiss.un@mvp.hr; cuba@un.int; cuba_onu@cubanmission.com; pmccyprus.un@verizon.net; un.newyork@embassy.mzv.cz; dpr.korea@verizon.net; drcongo@un.int; nycmis@um.dk; djibouti@nyct.net; domun@onecommonwealth.org; drun@un.int; ecuador@un.int; egypt@un.int; elsalvador@un.int; equatorialguineamission@yahoo.com; mission@eritrea-un.org; mission.newyork@mfa.ee; ethiopian.mission@verizon.net; ethiopia@un.int; fiji@un.int; sanomat.yke@formin.fi; france@un.int; gabon@un.int; gambia@un.int; geomission.un@mfa.gov.ge; georgia@un.int; germany@un.int; german-mission-consulate-gic-1@netlink1.net; ghanaperm@aol.com; mission@greeceun.org; grenada@un.int; guatemala@un.int; missionofguinea@aol.com; gnbun@undp.org; guyana@un.int; haiti@un.int; honduras_un@hotmail.com; hungary@un.int; unmission@mfa.is; india@un.int; indiaun@prodigy.net; ptri@indonesiamission-ny.org; iran@un.int; imission@nyc.rr.com; ireland@un.int; un@israel.org; italy@un.int; Simone.turchetta@esteri.it; emanuele.dilorenzo@esteri.it; irene.castagnoli@esteri.it; francesco.azzarello@esteri.it; massimo.marotti@esteri.it; amedeo.trambajolo@esteri.it; giuseppe.manzo@esteri.it; michele.quaroni@esteri.it; giuseppe.fedele@esteri.it; massimo.riccardo@esteri.it; valentina.setta@esteri.it; gianluca.brusco@esteri.it; luca.maestripieri@esteri.it; giuseppina.zarra@esteri.it; renato.zito@esteri.it; giovanni.pugliese@esteri.it; paolo.cuculi@esteri.it; luigi.dechiara@esteri.it; giuseppina.belviso@esteri.it; loredana.magni@esteri.it; stefano.gatti@esteri.it; fabio.sokolowicz@esteri.it; roberto.storaci@esteri.it; stefania.rosini@esteri.it; silvia.simoni@esteri.it; giuseppe.nesi.esp@esteri.it; emanuele.dilorenzo@esteri.it; valentina.setta@esteri.it; giorgio.rettura@esteri.it; carla.dipaolo@esteri.it; rapponu@yahoo.com; jamaica@un.int; mission@un-japan.org; missionun@jordanmissionun.com; kazakhstan@un.int; kenya@un.int; kuwaitmission@msn.com; kyrgyzstan@un.int; lao@un.int; mission.un-ny@mfa.gov.lv; lebanon@nyct.net; lesotho@un.int; liberia@un.int; libya@un.int; mission@nyc.rep.llv.li; lithuania@un.int; newyork.rp@mae.etat.lu; repermad@verizon.net; malawinewyork@aol.com; malawiu@aol.com; malaysia@un.int; maldives@un.int; malionu@aol.com; mission-un.newyork@gov.mt; marshallislands@un.int; mauritania@un.int; mauritius@un.int; mexico@un.int; fsmun@fsmgov.org; unmoldova@aol.com; monaco@un.int; mongolia@un.int; montenegro@un.int; info@morocco-un.org; mozambique@un.int; myanmar@un.int; myanmarmission@verizon.net; namibia@un.int; nauru@un.int; nauru@onecommonwealth.org; nepal@un.int; netherlands@un.int; nzmissionny@earthlink.net; nicaragua@un.int; nigeria@un.int; niger@nigerun.org; delun@mfa.no; un.newyork@mfa.no; oman@un.int; pakistan@un.int; mission@palauun.org; emb@panama-un.org; pngmission@pngun.org; paraguay@un.int; onuper@aol.com; misunphil@aol.com; poland@polandun.org; portugal@un.int; qatar-e@qatarmission.org; qsc@qatarmission.org; korea@un.int; misiune@romaniaun.org; romania@un.org; rusun@un.int; rwaun@un.int; sknmission@aol.com; slumission@aol.com; svgun@aol.com; samoa@un.int; sanmarinoun@hotmail.com; stp1@attglobal.net; saudi-mission@un.int; senegal.mission@yahoo.fr; serbia-montenegro@un.int; seychelles@un.int; sierraleone@un.int; singapore@un.int; mission@newyork.mfa.sk; slovenia@un.int; simun@foreignaffairs-solomons.org; somalia@un.int; pmun@southafrica-newyork.net; spain@spainun.org; slpmny@aol.com; sudan@sudanmission.org; suriname@un.int; swaziland@un.int; sweden@un.int; vertretung-un@nyc.rep.admin.ch; syrianmission@verizonmail.com; tajikistanun@aol.com; thailand@un.int; macedonia@nyct.net; timor-leste@un.int; togo@un.int; tongaunmission@aol.com; tto@un.int; tunisnyc@nyc.rr.com; turkuno-dt@un.int; turkmenistan@un.int; tuvalu@onecommonwealth.org; uganda@un.int; uno_us@mfa.gov.ua; uae@un.int; uk@un.int; tzrepny@aol.com; usa@un.int; uruguay@un.int; uzbekistan@un.int; vanunmis@aol.com; venezuela@un.int; vietnamun@vnmission.com; info@vietnam-un.org; yemen@un.int; zambia@un.int;
Thanks N!
April 15th, 2008 16:39
Thanks for posting this. I sent the email to the addresses in this post, but immediately got about 18 of them back as undeliverable. Hopefully most are working!
April 15th, 2008 17:27
The Pope is also in the States this week. Any Catholic Zimbabweans in NY? Some small demonstrations might be helpful??
April 15th, 2008 17:29
I understand that New Zealand got Zimbabwe on the agenda at the Inter Parliamentary meeting in Cape Town this week.
NZ + SAfricans with a conscience was a powerful mix.
Small countries matter. Small actions matter. Small people matter.
Small people who take small actions make small countries matter.
Thanks New Zealand. Thank you South African parliamentarians.
April 15th, 2008 18:02
A point worth making in such an email is that the people of Zimbabwe voted on the understanding that if they voted against Zanu-PF they would not need to fear the State’s repressive machinery being unleashed on them, as Zanu-PF would no longer be in power. These people’s trust has been betrayed. Given the punishments that are now being handed out by state-sponsored militias, it is unlikely that the people will trust any ballot in the future.
It is therefore important that the region and the international community finds some way to commit to the people of Zimbabwe that they will not be punished for voting the “wrong” way in future.
April 15th, 2008 18:08
Thanks for this post. Will get to work.
April 15th, 2008 19:17
I am in Washington DC and the Pope is here right now. Any Zimbabweans in Washington DC with ideas on what to do?
April 15th, 2008 19:39
Many of the UN e-mails are now coming back as “over quota.” This is good. For those that are able, please fax the Security Council members in New York City below.
These are the Security Council members(excluding the Permanent members, UK, USA, Russia, France and China), oh and a new e-mail address for the Belgian ambassador:
Belgium – Johan VerbekeFax: +1 212-681-7618 newyorkUN@diplobel.be
Burkina Faso – Michel Kafando Telefax: +1 (212) 308-4690
Costa Rica – Jorge Ortega Telefax: +1 (212) 986-6842
Croatia – Neven Jurica Telefax: +1 (212) 986-2011
Indonesia – Marty Natalegawa Telefax: +1 (212) 972-9780
Italy – Marcello Spatafora Telefax: +1 (212) 486-1036
Libya – Giadalla Azzoz Belgasem Ettalhi Telefax: +1 (212) 593-4787
Panama – Ricardo Alberto Arias Telefax: +1(212) 421-2694
South Africa – Dumisani Khumalo Telefax: +1 (212) 692-2498
Vietnam – Le Lu’o’ng MinhTelefax: +1 (212) 644-5732
April 15th, 2008 23:05
I also sent emails to some of these addresses requesting attention and assistance for the people of Zimbabwe. Some came back – including the one to SA – but some went through. If enough emails are sent, we can make a difference.
My thoughts and prayers are with you all in Zimbabwe. God will answer our prayers and make your nightmare end.
God Bless and Keep you all!
April 15th, 2008 23:30
Earlier this evening, I commented somewhere else on the following wins. I’ll list them here again to keep us moving.
1. ANC has declared a crisis and intention to mediate proactively. Yeah! Go South Africa.
2. George Bush phoned the Secretary General and said enough [!] – actually he said this has gone on long enough.
3. BBC says UK and USA will try to raise Zimbabwe at the Security Council meeting.
4. New Zealand and South African Parliamentarians got us on the agenda of the Inter Parliamentary meeting. Go New Zealand and South Africa.
5. There is a campaign in Sweden where people with links to Zimbabwe have a one minute silence at 12.01 every day. The time is to signify that we have left one era and began another. The campaign was initiated by an expatriate who is grateful for the time he spent in Zimbabwe. Thank you!
6. People stormed the Zim embassy in London.
7. The phones to Zim officials are congested with people calling in. mmmm . . don’t mess with Zimbabwean women!
Remember small actions count. This is like getting a car out of mud. Put your foot on the accelerator and your wheels will spin, taking you in deeper. Self control to inch out, pardon my mixing of metaphors, by to inch out millimeter by millimeter. Self-control to come out slowly gets us out faster. And Zimbabweans are good at self-control. Really very very good at smiling, taking a deep breath, and dealing with unreasonable people.
There is going to be a three day rolling demonstration outside the Zim embassy in London (on the Strand up from Trafalgar Square/Charing Cross tube). Thursday, Friday, Saturday. Come if you can. We WILL celebrate the 28th anniversary of Independence. We will celebrate people who have fought for our country. We will celebrate everything good about Zimbabwe. We will remind the world they like doing business with us and playing sport with us. We will invite the embassy staff out to join us. We will show our smiling faces. We don’t mean to disrespect anyone at home – we know celebrating there will be difficult.
We will send a clear message – join us – we are not dumb – we understand the issues but that does not stop us from being nice.
Good luck to people in the USA. South Africa, keep up the pressure. Zimbabweans, keep safe. UK, get to the Strand, Thursday, Friday or Saturday.
April 16th, 2008 03:13
The BBC news website today has an article entitled “Mugabe rival sets run-off terms”, and in the article is a video showing victims of the intimidation and violence of the elections. Sokwanele is mentioned as a source of information – the reporter has the website up on his laptop. Glad to see that the BBC is publicizing the situation.
Many of the e-mails I sent to UN reps have been returned undeliverable, but most went through. Stay strong Zimbabwe.
April 16th, 2008 10:33
Thank you Scotchcart. Your enthusiasm is contagious. Please dont forget 5 minutes prayer (or longer) at 1pm. everyday.
April 17th, 2008 00:40
The British Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, has issued a stark warning at the UN Security council today (16/4) that the international community must not allow Mugabe to ’steal’ the election. This is a clear signal that international observers will insist on being present at a second round run-off to ensure the results are fair.