Phyllis Bennis (left: photo credit: Institute for Policy Studies, used by permission) and Blanche Wiesen Cook (right: photo credit: Robert T. Ackland, used by permission.)
Bennis will talk about how the construction of the UN was always one of competing interests, between power and cooperation, while Cook will describe how Eleanor Roosevelt, and others, focused on the democratic side, stressing human rights and justice.
Their presentations will be followed by a discussion of the role of the UN today, and the courageous stand of the current Secretary-General who has called for a worldwide cessation of hostilities amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
We all know that 1945 was the year that nuclear weapons, the most destructive invention of the human race, were developed and used not only on the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, but also in the Tularosa Basin of New Mexico, where residents downwind have suffered the after-effects of the "Trinity" nuclear bomb test.
At the same time, 1945 was the year the United Nations was founded in an effort to end war, advance human rights, and develop democracy throughout the world.
This series of monthly webinars highlights and gives context to key events in 1945, which are described in detail on the 75th Anniversary Timeline (accessible from the Disarm/End Wars Committee's web page).
This webinar launches 2020 WILPF US
Solidarity Events!
In recent years, solidarity events have been chosen by WILPF US and branches to create a unified WILPF presence. This first solidarity event in 2020 is based on three umbrella themes that were agreed upon at the One WILPF call in June: the Global Ceasefire request by the UN Secretary General, the 75th
anniversaries of the Hiroshima & Nagasaki bombings, and the founding of the United Nations in 1945.
Members-at-large and branch contacts will be hearing more from the solidarity event planning team regarding organizing their own solidarity activities around the three themes. The main solidarity "season" will go from August 6 to September 21. Please watch for emails from cherrill.m.spencer(at)gmail.com which will contain resources and tips for creating informative and engaging activities.
Save all these dates for the rest of the 75
th
Anniversary webinar series!
Please attend the webinars on Sunday, June 28th, and Monday, July 13th, which inform about this year's solidarity themes. (Earn "brownie" points for having taken part in a WILPF solidarity event!)
On October 24*, United Nations Day
- we're inviting a speaker from
Reaching Critical Will
to talk about International
WILPF
's active role in disarmament efforts before and since the United Nations was founded.
