Refugees International board member Queen Noor told a large gathering in Jackson, Wyoming that they could play a role in helping the United Nations cut poverty and extreme hunger in half by 2015.

“In a place as beautiful as Jackson, the problems of powerlessness and poverty, of war and displacement, can seem very far away.  But these are exactly the issues that determine the security of our world today,” Queen Noor told a Refugees International reception attended by some 200 people.  “The ability to do something about these problems may seem equally distant, but it’s not.”

Noor urged the gathering to encourage Congress to support the U.S. commitment to help the UN meet the Millennium Development Goals, which were adopted by world leaders five years ago.  The goals ask countries to take actions designed to reduce poverty and extreme hunger in half by 2015, to provide universal primary education, and to reduce the maternal death rate by 75%.  

Currently about 1.2 billion people live in extreme poverty because they earn less than $1 a day, and about 840 million people go to bed hungry every night.  “Across the world, the UN estimates that approximately one woman dies every minute from poverty related causes, and 99% of them live in developing countries,” Queen Noor said.

“You can let your elected representatives know that these goals are important to you and that you want them to provide adequate financial support,” Noor said. “Right now Congress is refusing to provide all the money the president has requested to meet the Millennium Development Goals.”

The reception, part of a series of Jackson events designed to raised RI’s profile and support in Wyoming, was organized by board members Peta Roubin and Sandi Tully, with help from a hard-working host committee.

Free lance photographer Thos Thiel covered the reception for Getty Images.  His photos are available HERE.

Earlier in the day, RI president Ken Bacon conducted a two hour discussion on the humanitarian crisis in Darfur, western Sudan, and other humanitarian issues with about 50 people at the Teton County Library.  In Darfur, Arab-dominated government forces have launched vicious attacks against largely African farmers, destroying their villages, burning their crops and poisoning their wells.  The attacks have displaced 1.2 million people and led to the deaths of an estimated 30,000 to 50,000.  The U.S. Congress has accused the Sudanese government of genocide, and a number of the participants in the library discussion asked why the U.S. is not acting more assertively to stop the violence.
    
At the meeting, RI released a reading list, which was compiled by the RI staff, on humanitarian subjects. The list is not comprehensive, and several participants in the library discussion suggested additions.  The list is available at RI Humanitarian Reading List 2004.

The host committee that helped organize the Jackson reception included Andrea and Bill Broyles, Kathy and Phil Coosaia, Jurate Kazickas and Roger Altman, Caroline and Tony Labbe, Trish and Mark Malloch Brown, Tatiana and Paul Maxwell, Kristen and Nels Olson, Kirsten and Dave Pollin, Peta and Gary Roubin, Bruce and Sandi Tully, Paul and Margot von Gontard.