Day for Darfur is an international advocacy campaign that works to bring together activists in cities across the globe in calling for action on the crisis in Darfur, western Sudan.
The Day for Darfur was originally conceived by a group of NGOs working on Darfur concerned about the slow response of the international community to the crisis. There have been four Days for Darfur called since the first took place on September 17th 2006, each focusing on a call to governments and international bodies.
First Day for Darfur
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1st Day for Darfur September 17th 20061st Day for Darfur September 17th 2006
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2nd Day for Darfur December 10th 20062nd Day for Darfur December 10th 2006
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3rd Day for Darfur April 29th 20073rd Day for Darfur April 29th 2007
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4th Day for Darfur September 16th 20074th Day for Darfur September 16th 2007
On September 17th 2006 the Globe for Darfur coalition marked the one year anniversary of the signing of the 2005 UN World Summit Outcome Document by holding the first Global Day for Darfur. More than 60 events in 42 cities were held, calling for UN peacekeepers to be deployed to the Darfur region of Sudan to support the chronically understaffed AMIS force.
Second Day for Darfur
December the 10th, 2006 raised the issue of rape and sexual violence in Darfur and called on world leaders to work with the African Union and its member states to make protecting women from rape a priority for AMIS, including an increase in the number of female AMIS police officers and translators in Darfur and extension of firewood patrols around all IDP camps. Further calls were made towards the Government of Sudan, to allow humanitarian organisations to have free and unfettered access to help victims of rape and other forms of sexual violence and to hold perpetrators of rape and sexual assault accountable for their crimes. A number of leading stateswomen released an open letter on the day, calling for the immediate deployment of a robust international peacekeeping force to protect Darfuri women and children. Signatories included: Madeleine Albright, Graca Machel, Mary Robinson, Carol Bellamy, Hanan Ashrawi, Glenys Kinnock, Edith Cresson, Sigrid Rausing, Professor Fatima Babiker Mahmoud, Wendy R. Sherman, Professor Dr. Herta Däubler-Gmelin, Nicole Fontaine, Agnes Nyoka Peter, Yakin Erturk, Emma Bonino, and Hina Jilani.
Third Day for Darfur
On April 29th, 2007 the Globe for Darfur coalition marked the four year anniversary of the Darfur crisis with events taking place in more than 200 cities calling on the UN Secretary-General to demand that governments pressure all sides to stop the violence, respect the ceasefire and end opposition to the hybrid force. Activists were joined by a number of high profile figures who called on the international community to protect the civilians of Darfur, including: George Clooney, Hugh Grant, Sir Bob Geldof, Don Cheadle, Sir Elton John, David Furnish, Sir Mick Jagger, Mark Knopfler, Thandie Newton, Emmanuel Jal, Mia Farrow, Mariella Frostrup, Alex James.
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Alex JamesAlex James
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Alex JamesAlex James
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Emmanuel JalEmmanuel Jal
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Emmanuel JalEmmanuel Jal
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Hugh GrantHugh Grant
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Hugh GrantHugh Grant
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Mariella FrostrupMariella Frostrup
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Mariella FrostrupMariella Frostrup
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Matt DamonMatt Damon
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Matt DamonMatt Damon
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Thandie NewtonThandie Newton
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Thandie NewtonThandie Newton
Fourth Day for Darfur
September 16th 2007 was held in anticipation of the opening of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, calling on the UN General Assembly to keep the Darfur crisis in the spotlight and ensure the full and expeditious deployment of the UNAMID peacekeeping force. Prior to the Day for Darfur events, a group of high profile women visited Darfuri IDPs in camps across the border in Chad and called on world leaders to step up pressure on all parties in the conflict to agree to an immediate ceasefire. This group included Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Hon. Asha Hagi Elmi Amin, Maria Barroso, Cate Blanchett, Dr Herta Deaubler-Gmelin, Bineta Diop, Mia Farrow, Mariella Frostrup, Ana Gomes, Germaine Greer, Isabel Jonet, Musimbi Kanyoro, Angelique Kidjo, Kathleen Kennedy Townsend, Kerry Kennedy, Manuela Ferreira Leite, Elle MacPherson, Rosa Mota, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Eva Padberg, Sigrid Rausing, Mary Robinson, Dame Anita Roddick, Deborah Scroggins, and Jane Wales.
Participating Organisations
[24 Hours for Darfur] http://www.24hoursfrdarfur.org
[Aegis Students] http://www.aegisstudents.org/
Aegis Trust http://www.aegistrust.org
American Jewish Committee http://www.ajc.org/
American Jewish World Service http://www.ajws.org/index.cfm
Amnesty International http://www.amnesty.org/
Bahrain Society for Public Freedom and Democracy Support
Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies http://www.cihrs.org/Default_en.aspx
Centre for Minority Rights Development http://www.cemiride.info/
Collectif Urgence Darfour http://www.urgencedarfour.info/
Darfur Australia Network http://www.darfuraustralia.org/
Darfur Call http://www.darfurcall.org/
Darfur Consortium http://www.darfurconsortium.org/
Darfur Relief and Documentation Centre http://www.darfurcentre.ch/
Darfur Union http://www.darfurunion.co.uk/
Dream for Darfur http://www.dreamfordarfur.org/
ENOUGH http://www.enoughproject.org/
European Union of Jewish Students http://www.eujs.org
FEMNET http://www.femnet.or.ke/
Fidelity Out of Sudan http://fidelityoutofsudan.googlepages.com/
Genocide Intervention Network http://www.genocideintervention.net/index.php
Habonim Dror http://www.habodror.org.uk/
Human Rights First http://www.humanrightsfirst.org/
Human Rights Watch http://www.hrw.org/
Independent Advocacy Project http://www.ind-advocacy-project.org/
International Crisis Group http://www.crisisgroup.org/home/index.cfm
International Federation for Human Rights http://www.fidh.org/
International Refugee Rights Initiative http://www.refugee-rights.org/index.htm
Investors Against Genocide http://investorsagainstgenocide.googlepages.com/
Italians for Darfur http://www.savetherabbit.net/darfur/
Med Bridge http://www.medbridge.org/showpage.php/en/1/1/page.html
Minority Rights Group http://www.minorityrights.org/
Mother's Union http://www.themothersunion.org
National Association of Seadogs International http://www.nas-int.org/
National Union of Students (UK) http://www.nusonline.co.uk/
Pears Foundation http://www.pearsfoundation.org.uk/
People Against Injustice
Physicians for Human Rights http://physiciansforhumanrights.org/
RADDHO http://www.raddho.africa-web.org/
CCJO.RenéCassin http://www.renecassin.org/
Rettet Darfur http://www.rettetdarfur.org/
Sauver Le Darfour http://www.sauverledarfour.org/
Save Darfur Canada / Sauvons le Darfour Canada http://www.savedarfurcanada.org/
Save Darfur Coalition http://www.savedarfur.org/
Service for Peace http://www.serviceforpeace.org/
Silent Masses http://www.silentmasses.com/
Society for Threatened Peoples http://www.gfbv.de/
Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project http://www.serap-nigeria.org/
Soroptomist International http://www.soroptimistinternational.org
STAND Canada http://www.standcanada.org/
STAND USA http://www.standnow.org/
Stop Genocide Now http://www.stopgenocidenow.org/
Sudan Organisation Against Torture http://www.soatsudan.org/
Unitarian Universalist Service Committee http://www.uusc.org/drumbeatfordarfur/index.html
UNA-UK http://www.una-uk.org/
UN Watch http://www.unwatch.org/
Waging Peace http://www.wagingpeace.info/
WARIPNET
Women Initiative Nigeria http://www.win-nigeria.com/
World Evangelical Alliance http://www.worldevangelicalalliance.com/
Sources
[www.globefordarfur.org] http://www.globefordarfur.org
[DFID release on Day for Darfur campaign] http://www.dfid.gov.uk/News/files/pressreleases/darfur-global-day.asp
[The Times article on Dy for Darfur events] http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/africa/article1723147.ece
[The Independent article on Day for Darfur events] http://news.independent.co.uk/world/africa/article1603857.ece
[BBC News article on Day for Darfur events] http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/6604555.stm
[Reuters video on Day for Darfur events] http://uk.reuters.com/news/video/videoStory?videoId=50503
[Sky News video on Day for Darfur events] http://news.sky.com/skynews/video/videoplayer/0,,31200-1284340,.html
Al Jazeera English article on Day for Darfur events] http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/670CC68A-6257-496C-A2B3-B46C730D8AE4.htm
[IHT article on Day for Darfur events] http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/09/17/europe/EU-GEN-Darfur-Day.php
[ABC Online article on Day for Darfur events] http://abc.net.au/news/stories/2007/09/17/2034290.htm?section=world