PRESS RELEASE Krishna AhoojaPatel New International President of WILPF For the first time in its almost ninety year history, Women's International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF) has an International President from the Southern region. Krishna AhoojaPatel has been elected International President of WILPF for 2001-04. Of Indian origin, Krishna now lives in Geneva. For 25 years, Krishna AhoojaPatel has been a staff member of the United Nations (UN), working especially in the International Labour Organisation (ILO). During the UN Decade for Women, Krishna was editor of ''Women at Work'', the only UN journal on working women. The newly elected International Vice-Presidents are from different regions of the world: Lucinda Amara (Sierra Leone), Olga Bianchi (Costa Rica), W. Dulcy de Silva (Sri Lanka) and Liss Schanke (Norway). The International Treasurer, Coby Meyboom, is from the Netherlands. WILPF's recently concluded 28th International Congress (2001), which was originally to have been held in Jerusalem, focused particularly on the Middle East. A special seminar preceded WILPF's International Congress. The two-day seminar concluded by demanding a peace policy to break the deadlock in the Israel/Palestine conflict, based on the implementation of the relevant UN resolutions. The seminar also called on the UN Security Council to appoint a Middle East coordinator for negotiations with representatives from the whole region. WILPF will make efforts to send delegations to meet with heads of state or governments in the area, to promote WILPF's peace policy. In recognition of the serious situation, WILPF has appointed Hanan Awwad, President of WILPF Palestine, to be the special adviser to the WILPF International Officers' group on the question of Palestine. WILPF's program of action 2002-04 focuses on Building a Culture of Peace, as a follow-up to Security Council Resolution 1325 on ''Women, Peace and Security''. WILPF's program also highlights disarmament with a particular emphasis on the planned Missile Shield (NMD); economic and social justice with particular emphasis on the World Trade Organisation; sustainable environment with particular reference to the UN Conference ''Rio + 10'' in 2002; and racial justice. WILPF will send an international delegation, led by Krishna AhoojaPatel, to the World Conference Against Racism in Durban next month. WILPF also adopted various resolutions, including resolutions on Belarus, Macedonia, and on the recent street violence in Genoa. Other resolutions refer to the violence in Colombia, Nepal, West Papua and Western Sahara. The full texts of the resolutions may be obtained from the international secretariat or via the web site at: http://www.wilpf.int.ch For further information please contact: Krishna AhoojaPatel, [EMAIL PROTECTED] WILPF International Secretariat in Geneva, WILPF UN Office NY, email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] or [EMAIL PROTECTED] August 9, 2001 * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Women's International League for Peace and Freedom International Secretariat 1 rue de Varembe C.P 28, 1211 Geneva, 20 Switzerland Ph: +41 22 919 7080 Fax: + 41 22 919 7081 Web: www.wilpf.int.ch & www.reachingcriticalwill.org Email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * -- Leftlink - Australia's Broad Left Mailing List mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Archived at http://www.cat.org.au/lists/leftlink/ Sponsored by Melbourne's New International Bookshop Subscribe: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]?Body=subscribe%20leftlink Unsubscribe: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]?Body=unsubscribe%20leftlink
