WHEREAS, An increasing number of residents in Philadelphia are of African descent, including many from the Sudan, especially the Darfur region; and
WHEREAS, The City’s racial, ethnic and cultural diversity, including the presence of residents of varied national origins from throughout the world, is one of our community’s greatest strengths; and
WHEREAS, The City of Brotherly Love, Philadelphia, stands with the global community in recognizing our moral obligation to condemn genocide anywhere in the world. We are committed to alerting our community to the urgency of the situation in Darfur and working together with The Philadelphia Area Darfur Alert Coalition to end this human tragedy; and
WHEREAS, The Sudanese presence here, and throughout the United States in increasing numbers during the last few years, reflects the longstanding armed conflicts and authoritarian rule which have prevailed in that country over the last 50 years. Authoritarian rule has produced the forced displacement of millions of people from southern Sudan and from the Darfur region; and
WHEREAS, The City of Philadelphia is committed to the defense of the rule of law, including the basic standard of international law and international human rights which are contained in treaties signed by the United States such as the United Nations Charter, the Geneva Conventions, the Convention Against Torture, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the Convention for the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (CERD), the Convention for the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (CERD) and the American Convention of Human Rights, which are part of the “supreme law of the land” according to the U.S. Constitution; and
WHEREAS, The City of Philadelphia took note of the United Nations report of the International Commission of Inquiry on Darfur, which resulted in the United Nation’s Security Council Resolution No. 1593, in which the Security Council decided to refer the situation prevailing in Darfur since July 2002 to the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court. Therefore, our community stands with the victims of the atrocities in Darfur in affirming their basic human rights and struggle for democracy in their homeland, and urge the residents of this community and of other communities in the United States and around the world to join the call; now therefore
RESOLVED, BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA, That we call on the U.S. Government to condemn the genocide occurring in the Darfur region of Sudan and urge the U.S. Government to provide humanitarian relief; and
Further Resolved, That a copy of this resolution be forwarded to all members of the United States House and Senate.
End