Katim,

This is a good idea, and perhaps since we are talking about forming an
umbrella organization, this task you mention here can be accomplished by the
organization in New York that already had the audience with the members of
the U.N. Security council? My apologies that I cannot find the particular
email so I could refer to them by name. However, I think we need to contact
them on this one, and I can do so if someone will send me an email of a
co0ntact person for the organzation.

Jabou Joh
 Hi folks,

 I think it might be a great idea to contact the UN Special Representative
 for the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict (SRSG/CAC -  trust
 the UN for LONG titles), about Secretary-General Annan's up-coming visit to
 The Gambia.  The Special Representative is Mr. Olara Otunnu, from Uganda,
 and the office is infact going to be organizing a "West Africa Conference on
 War-Affected Children" in Accra, Ghana, this month, from the 27-28th.

 The SRSG/CAC Web site is at:

     http://www.un.org/special-rep/children-armed-conflict/

 and has background info about the Office, as well as Mr. Otunnu's bio.  You
 can get more information about the office and it's staff this link:

     http://www.un.org/special-rep/children-armed-conflict/foffice.htm

 That page has a link
 (http://www.un.org/special-rep/children-armed-conflict/bio.htm) to Mr.
 Otunnu's biography  which interestingly indicates that he once was the
 President of the Makerere Univ. Student's Union.  So he should be especially
 receptive to pleas for help in responding to the Jammeh Government's brutal
 killing of students.

 For your information, one Mr. Fergus Nicoll is the Communications Office of
 the the SRSG/CAC and can be reached by phone [(212) 963 8460], and by e-mail
 ([log in to unmask]).  I suspect Mr. Nicoll must be the person we all used to
 hear on the BBC (either the African or World Service).

 I suggest the someone out of the groups and people who organized recent
 meetings in New York City call Mr. Nicoll, or someone in the SRG/CAC office
 and setup an appointment with them.  While sending e-mails and petitions are
 important and helpful, we need to move a step further and begin talking to
 people in person.  Even if we are not able to meet with Mr. Otunnu or his
 office before he leaves for the Accra meetings, we should schedule a meeting
 for when the Accra conference concludes.  In any case, we will probably have
 more information and ideas to share with them by then.

 I hope this helps.  Best wishes.

 Katim >>

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

To unsubscribe/subscribe or view archives of postings, go to the Gambia-L
Web interface at: http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/gambia-l.html

----------------------------------------------------------------------------