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Sat Mar 20 2010

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Support U.N. Economic Crisis World Conference
by Ramsey Clark, winner of the 2008 U.N. Human Rights Award
May 22, 2009

Based on the global capitalist economic crisis which is wreaking havoc on the lives of hundreds of millions of people world wide, United Nations General Assembly President Miguel D'Escoto-Brockman is organizing an urgent Conference on the World Financial and Economic Crisis and its Impact on Development, to take place on June 1-3 at the United Nations in New York City. This international gathering, sometimes called the G-192 because every member nation of the UN will participate, is virtually tenfold the participation of nations in the G-20. This summit of world leaders will for the first time give an equal opportunity to those who represent the world’s poorest and most vulnerable people, those who are suffering the most but who have been left out in the decisions which have caused this systemic failure, to express their people’s needs to the world and make known their suffering caused by arbitrary acts and excesses of rich nations. The powerful financial institutions that have long been entrusted to manage national and global financial and economic systems have failed. It is time to give all the others a voice and a choice. It is critical that the United States and the other G-20 nations treat this conference seriously and send their heads of state to participate fully to hear what the most impacted nations have to say.

Let President Barack Obama, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Vice President Joe Biden, Congressional leaders, Governments of G20 countries, U.N. General Assembly President D'Escoto-Brockman, U.N. Secretary General Ban, members of the U.N. Security Council, U.N. member states, and Major media representatives know you support this urgent call initiated by 2008 U.N. Human Rights Award recipient Ramsey Clark for all countries, and particularly the G20 countries, to fully support the U.N. June 1-3 Conference on the World Financial and Economic Crisis and its Impact on Development including by participating in the conference at the Head of State level.

Sign the Petition Online Now - http://www.iacenter.org/uneconconf

The eyes of the world as well as the eyes of many here in the U.S. will be focused on the important UN conference.

Indeed, activists and social movements from the U.S. and around the world will hold a “Peoples Economic Summit” in conjunction with the UN Conference on Sunday May 31, under tents in Dag Hammarskjold Plaza, 47 St. and 1st Ave. (directly across the street from the UN). For more information on this event see www.bailoutpeople.org

Petition Text: AN URGENT CALL TO G-20 COUNTRIES: Treat the UN G-192 ECONOMIC CRISIS Summit Seriously

The June 1-3, 2009 UN Conference on the World Financial and Economic Crisis and its Impact on Development Needs the Highest Level of Participation from all Countries

To: President Barack Obama, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Vice President Joe Biden, Congressional leaders, Governments of G20 countries, U.N. General Assembly President d'Escoto-Brockmann, U.N. Secretary General Ban, members of the U.N. Security Council, U.N. member states, and Major media representatives:

General Assembly President Miguel D'Escoto Brockman will convene a critical, high level United Nations Conference on the World Financial and Economic Crisis and its Impact on Development, to be held at UN headquarters, on 1-3 June 2009. This international gathering, sometimes called the G-192 because every member nation of the UN will participate, is virtually tenfold the participation of nations in the G-20. The Conference's goal is to identify emergency and long-term responses to arrest and reverse the worst world global economic crisis since the Great Depression of the 1930s and assure that such a self-inflicted human tragedy never happens again.

This summit of world leaders will for the first time give an equal opportunity to those who represent the world's poorest and most vulnerable people, those who are suffering the most but who have been left out in the decisions which have caused this systemic failure, to express their people's needs to the world and make known their suffering caused by arbitrary acts and excesses of rich nations. The powerful financial institutions that have long been entrusted to manage national and global financial and economic systems have failed. It is time to give all the others a voice and a choice.

This Conference must be the starting point in a process that will allow a reevaluation and reform, or replacement of the institutions and policies that have failed to meet the urgent and growing needs of the world's developing countries for investment in human capital. The present institutions and policies have totally failed to meet the most fundamental challenges of the 21st century that must protect all nations and people from devastating economic collapses that are more deadly and costly than ever, including the challenge to protect our Mother Earth from the rapacious destruction that threatens us all.

If the United Nations is to meet its responsibility to assure stability and sustainability to the international economic and financial order, then all the nations of the world must participate. This is the G-192. For this Conference to be successful, I join in calling upon all countries, and especially the richest and most powerful countries that are members of G-20, to lend their full support to it and wherever possible to send their heads of government to attend. There is no issue that will have greater impact on the future of humanity, even war which is most often the child of economic conflict. I urge the widest dissemination of this international conference's proposals, documents, initiatives. and an unrelenting commitment to the creation of economic and financial policies and institutions that will achieve freedom from want for all.

Sincerely,

Initiated and signed by
Ramsey Clark, winner, 2008 U.N.Human Rights Award and Founder, International Action Center

Add your signature to this letter now - go to http://www.iacenter.org/uneconconf

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