|
INTERNATIONAL COMMITTEE
Green Party of the United States • 2012
The International Committee (IC) is a standing national committee of the Green Party of the United States. Voting members of the IC are appointed by the state Green parties and national caucuses. The IC reports to the Green National Committee.
Mission of the International Committee
The mission of the Committee shall be to foster collaboration and exchange with Green parties around the world; to facilitate  official GPUS representation on the international and global level; to facilitate GPUS issue and policy development on the international and global level; and to network with green organizations and movements working on the international and global level.
|
|
Green Party: The U.S. must support the Gaza-bound Freedom Flotilla aid boats, press Israel to end the blockade
Press Statement from the Green Party of the United States
WASHINGTON, DC (June 22, 2011) -- Green Party leaders today called on the US State Department to support the Gaza Aid Flotilla, and to cease defending and assisting Israel's maritime blockade.
"The US should end its shameful complicity in the brutal siege on Gaza and pressure Israel to end its illegal collective punishment which has cost thousands of civilian lives in Gaza. The U.S. State Department should denounce the Israeli Navy's threat to use snipers and attack dogs against the 'Audacity of Hope' and other Freedom Flotilla II aid boats as intimidation tactics which clearly signal Israel's willingness to, once again, violate human rights and humanitarian law," said Muhammed Malik, co-chair of Miami-Dade Green Party (http://miamidadegreenparty.org) and a member of the Green Party's International Committee (http://www.gp.org/committees/intl). Mr. Malik recently co-organized a rally near the Israeli Consulate in Miami in support of Palestinian rights and the Freedom Flotilla II.
The Green Party of the United States has supported the Freedom Flotillas to Gaza (http://ustogaza.org), including the May 2010 fleet of humanitarian aid ships that were attacked by Israel in international waters near Cyprus which left 9 human rights activists dead and at least 50 wounded (http://www.gp.org/press/pr-national.php?ID=321). In July 2009, Cynthia McKinney, a former US Representative from Georgia and the Green Party's 2008 presidential nominee, was one of 21 human rights activists on board the Free Gaza relief boat seized by the Israeli navy in international waters when it tried to deliver medical and other humanitarian aid to Gaza in June 2009, in the wake of Israel's invasion of Gaza. Ms. McKinney and the other activists were held in an Israeli jail for several days.
The flotilla will begin its next voyage on or around June 24 with approximately 60 passengers, including Alice Walker, author of 'The Color Purple'; Col. Ann Wright, who resigned from the State Dept. in 2003 in protest of President Bush's invasion of Iraq; Hedy Epstein, a Holocaust survivor; many other peace activists and journalists.
"The State Department has called the Gaza aid boats 'provocative' -- and this is entirely correct. By delivering humanitarian aid to Gazans, the Freedom Flotilla is undertaking a nonviolent, courageous, and justifiable act of defiance to provoke international outrage over Israel's actions in Gaza. The aid boats are calling attention to Israel's illegal occupation of Palestinian lands, murderous treatment of Palestinian people, displacement of Palestinian families from their homes, and internal apartheid. The US must cut off all military aid to Israel until the Israeli government reverses its current policies," said Justine McCabe, co-chair of the Green Party's International Committee.
The Green Party of the US has called for boycott, divestment, and sanctions against Israel until it complies with international law and UN directives, ends the occupation of Palestinian lands, and observes full and equal human rights for Palestinians, including the right of return.
Greens leaders have urged support for Palestinian and Israeli peace groups and called for an end to all violence targeted at unarmed civilians, insisting that regional stability and security for all the people of Israel and Palestine are not possible until peaceful negotiation resolves the conflict.
The Green Party has condemned Israel's persecution of Palestinian peace activists, including the 2011 arrest of Dr. Mazin Qumsiyeh (http://qumsiyeh.org), former associate professor of genetics at Yale University and member of the Green Party of Connecticut before he moved back to Palestine (http://www.gp.org/press/pr-national.php?ID=307).
Greens expressed fear that peaceful resolution may be less likely after Israeli President Benjamin Netanyahu demanded that Palestinians recognize Israel as a "Jewish state" (http://www.haaretz.com/news/netanyahu-demands-palestinians-recognize-jewish-state-1.274207), which drew no protest from the White House. Contrary to Mr. Netanyahu's demand and President Obama's uncritical support for it, Israel-Palestine has always been multicultural, with Palestinians currently making up 20-plus percent of the population.
"We're very concerned that Israel will interpret the Obama Administration's refusal to criticize the attacks on peaceful aid boats as permission for even worse attacks on future flotillas. We urge the President to do the right thing -- to defend the Freedom Flotilla and see it as the equivalent of nonviolent civil disobedience by activists during the US Civil Rights struggle. We are embarrassed that Mr. Obama doesn't seem to understand this comparison," said Carl Romanelli, former Green US Senate candidate from Pennsylvania and member of the party's International Committee.
Jello Biafra drops Tel Aviv concert after Greens, others protest
Statement from Jello Biafra
Wednesday June 29 2011
Dear Friends,
Jello Biafra and the Guantanamo School of Medicine are not going through with the July 2 date in Tel Aviv. This does not mean I or anyone else in the band are endorsing or joining lockstep with the boycott of all things Israel.
I am going to Israel and Palestine to check things out myself and may yet conclude that playing for people in the belly of the beast was the right thing to do in the first place.
The toll and stress on the band members and myself has been huge, both logistically and as a matter of conscience. I can't drag anyone any further into rough waters without being better prepared than some of us thought we were. A responsible leader does not go, 'Hey, check out the storm at the top of Mount Everest. Let's go up anyway just in case we don't die.' Some members are angry with me for this decision, let alone how long it took me. I don't blame them.
It would have been so easy to quietly pass on the gig out of fear someone might get upset, and no one would have been the wiser. We could have flown under the radar, left the date off our tour postings and not bothered with a statement, but how honest is that?
Our intention in going was that we thought we could do some good , speaking truth to power, fans and impressionable young minds in a way that most bands don't. What about the people on the same side of the human rights fence we are who now don't get to see us play? Should they be boycotted too? What about the even larger atrocities of the Bush regime and by extension Obama? Should we turn off our mouths of anger and boycott our own country too?
We tried again and came close to landing a Ramallah show, but again, we needed to be better prepared. How fair is it to the organizers to demand a full-on rock show on a few days' notice with a type of music they may not be familiar with? More importantly, how much are we really doing for Palestinian rights if people there don't seem interested in our kind of music at all?
I've been doing this long enough to know better than buy into hardline absolutes such as playing in Israel automatically supports apartheid or Israel's government. That threat is ridiculous. I know far more about this issue than some people think I do, and I am not a poodle for Hasbara, Peace Now, BDS or anyone else.
The first people contacting us went out of their way to be diplomatic and communicate how they felt. Then our Facebook page went from eye-opening and educational to a childish bickerfest between a handful of people, to the point where we had to try something else just to reclaim our own Facebook page.
As the gloves came off, unfortunately so did some of the masks. Calling anyone speaking up for Palestinian rights a 'terrorist' is dumb. So are the blanket condemnations of everyone who happens to be Israeli that seem to be coming from the 'drive all the Jews into the sea' crowd. I also even got an invitation from a self-proclaimed fan to 'come meet the Israeli right' and see the settlements through their eyes, complete with a wine-tasting party. Whew!
Whoever started punksagainstapartheid.com now admits it was aimed solely at one person - me. It is obvious that not everyone signing the petition has any idea who I am, or knows anything about punk, possibly the majority. The last time I looked I could only find three names of people I actually knew. Some made it clear that I will be on their bad list no matter what I do because I dared to even think of playing in Israel.
I can't back anyone whose real goal or fantasy is a country ethnically cleansed of Jews or anyone else. Where people who think for themselves or talk to the wrong person are automatically a sell out. Speaking personally, I currently favor two democratic states in the admittedly naive hope that in our lifetime they can somehow evolve into one. Where race or religion does not matter because people have learned to work with each other.
I think back to last year when JBGSM played in Serbia. The locals we spent time with were not monsters, and filled me in on how they risked their necks for years opposing and demonstrating against Milosevic and were not down with ethnic cleansing at all. But they weren't too happy about being bombed by NATO for over 2 months straight either, and showed the ruined buildings to prove it.
I also heard comments like, 'The Croats killed my grandfather in World War II. I can't forget that...' and 'There's another war coming soon. I can feel it.' The most I could do from the stage is say that I do not know what I would do if the Croats or Serbs killed my grandfather, or a suicide bomber or occupying army killed my child. But I would hope I would be one of those people who could somehow say, 'Can't we have some peace?' The audience seemed to appreciate that.
The next day I laid out my thoughts and emotions to the person giving me a ride in Slovenia. She turned ice cold and said, 'Maybe next time you should play in Bosnia.' Good point. The nightmare continues.
Rise Above,
Jello Biafra
El Partido Verde de los Estados Unidos se ha unido al pueblo puertorriqueño que protesta la propuesta del gobernador Luis Fortuño para construir un masivo gasoducto de gas natural que podría poner en peligro las comunidades de Puerto Rico y los ecosistemas, cinicamente denominado "La Via Verde."
Washington, DC--El Partido Verde se ha unido al pueblo de Puerto Rico que protesta la propuesta del Gobernador Fortuño de construir un enorme gasoducto ubicado en extensos tramos del territorio de Puerto Rico, y que pondría en alto peligro a las comunidades y ecosistemas adyacentes.
Los lideres del Partido Verde plantean que el problema de las altas tarifas eléctricas de Puerto Rico y el aire contaminado por la quema de petróleo, deben ser resuelto a través de energías alternativas en vez de quemar otros combustibles fósiles. (más...)
Green Party supports protesters opposing massive 'Via Verde' gas pipeline through Puerto Rico
WASHINGTON, DC -- The Green Party has joined Puerto Ricans protesting a proposal by Gov. Luis Fortuño to construct a huge natural gas pipeline that would endanger Puerto Rico's communities and ecosystems. Green Party leaders said that the problem of Puerto Rico's high electric bills and dirty air from burning oil must be resolved through alternative energy instead of burning another fossil fuel.
"Everything about the project is wrong, beginning with Gov. Fortuño's Orwellian name for the pipeline -- the 'Green Way' [Via Verde]. A pipeline that threatens people living nearby and damages green mountains is not green, by any stretch. The top contract for the $450 million pipeline has been awarded to a company with no experience constructing pipelines. It's a corrupt deal to benefit a favored corporation," said Rosa Clemente, the Green Party's 2008 nominee for Vice President. Ms. Clemente is Puerto Rican. (more...)
FEDERATION OF GREEN PARTIES OF THE AMERICAS
Green parties of the Americas: No! to nuclear power and food biofuels, Yes! to solar power, Green youth and women
QUÉBEC CITY, Canada - November 8, 2008
Hemisphere's Green parties meet in Québec
The General Assembly of the Federation of Green Parties of the Americas / Federación de Partidos Verdes de las Américas gathered in Québec City, Canada, on November 8, 2008. Delegates from 14 national Green parties, from Canada in the North to Chile in the South, approved a powerful declaration to oppose the resurgence of nuclear energy development throughout the world, to condemn the use of food crops in the production of ethanol, and to strongly endorse accelerated development of solar, wind, and other renewable, sustainable energy sources.
U.S. Greens chosen for leadership roles
Julia Willebrand of New York City, one of two U.S. delegates to the Federation, was re-elected to a second term as Co-President, to serve with Marco Antonio Mroz of Brasil, and Jorge González Torres of México. The other U.S. delegate, Tony Affigne of Rhode Island, was chosen to preside over the Québec meeting, where delegates also endorsed creation of a Federation of Young Greens of the Americas, and a Women's Commission in the Federation.
HISTORICGLOBAL GREENS CONGRESS 2008
2nd Global Green Congress Approves Declarations, Joint Action on Climate, Urbanization, Human Rights, Nuclear Power
The Global Greens is the international network of Green parties and political movements. We were founded in 2001 at the First Global Greens Congress, in Canberra, Australia. In 2008, we met for our Second Global Greens Congress, in São Paulo, Brazil.
DECLARATIONS APPROVED BY GLOBAL GREENS 2008:
21Commitmentsfor the 21st Century
"At the second Global Green Congress held in Sao Paulo, Brazil, May 1–4, 2008, Greens from all over the world reaffirmed their commitment to overcome the ecological and social crises that humanity and the planet face." More...
Declarationon Sustainable Cities
"Ongoing urbanisation causes serious social dislocation and ecological problems but it can also provide the opportunity for a better future." More...
Declarationon Biodiversity& Climate Change
"Biodiverse ecosystems, particularly forests, have a crucial role to play in reducing greenhouse gas emissions and mitigating impacts, yet they are almost absent from the climate debate. This is exacerbating the global biodiversity crisis." More...
ClimateChange– Time for Transformation
"Global Greens call on the international community to negotiate in good faith to ensure that a binding and equitable regime for global greenhouse gas reductions that is consistent with avoiding dangerous climate change is agreed at COP 17 at Copenhagen in 2009." More...
NextStepsfor Global Greens
"The Global Greens Congress concluded that we now need to establish the objectives which we wish to pursue collectively, the resources necessary to carry those out and the means of providing those resources, and agreed on a plan to establish a Secretariat in Australia, or elsewhere if so determined by the Global Green Co-ordination." More...
|
U.S. GREEN PERSPECTIVES: INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS
|
Greens want comprehensive immigration reform in the U.S., based on human rights—not paranoia
WASHINGTON, DC (May 23, 2007) -- Green Party leaders called on Congress to replace its current 'deal' for comprehensive immigration reform, and instead enact legislation that will protect human rights, facilitate the path to citizenship, and help reverse the economic devastation that has uprooted people in Mexico and Central and South American countries.
"Both major parties are operating out of the same framework to implement a massive cheap labor management program for the benefit of major and minor US corporations under the guise of immigration reform. No matter how many times they repeat 'comprehensive,' it still will not make it fair, humane or rational for immigrant workers and families or for domestic workers," said Nativo Lopez, National President of Hermandad Mexicana Latinoamericana and the Mexican American Political Association (MAPA), and a member of the Green Party.
Greens across the US have supported and participated in several recent demonstrations for immigrants' rights. Green leaders in California protested the police brutality, including clubbings and shootings with nonlethal bullets, visited on protesters and members of the media at a peaceful immigrants' rights march in Los Angeles on May 1.
Canadian, U.S. Greens have warned against an attack on Iran
OTTAWA (April 11, 2007) -- At the initiative of the Leader of the Green Party of Canada, Elizabeth May, the Canadian and U.S. Green Parties are jointly calling for a comprehensive and open dialogue to stop the escalation of tension in the Persian Gulf.
The escalating tension, combined with suggestions the U.S. may have a war plan that includes targeting Iran 's nuclear facilities, led the Green Parties of the U.S. and Canada to state today that nuclear facilities should never be targeted for deliberate attack.
"There can be no justification for attacking nuclear facilities," said Janina Komaroff, Green Party of Canada critic for International Cooperation. "Such an attack would have only one outcome - disaster."
Greens in U.S. called for U.N. action to protect Lebanon, during the 2006 Israeli invasion
The U.S. veto in the U.N. is the major obstacle to peace, say Greens, who note that Bush ideologues favor attacks on Iran and a wider Middle East conflict
Israel must withdraw troops from Lebanon immediately
WASHINGTON, D.C. (8 August 2006) -- The Green Party of the United States has called on the General Assembly of the United Nations to invoke Resolution 377 'Uniting for Peace' in the face of the U.N. Security Council's inability to stop the violence the Middle East.
Greens also urged the U.S. and U.N. to place pressure on Israel to respect Lebanese sovereignty and remove troops from Lebanon immediately, stressing that without a withdrawal a ceasefire will be impossible.
"The U.N. must take all possible steps to press Israel to withdraw from Lebanon, to enact a ceasefire, and to prevent Israel, with U.S. support, from expanding the war with strikes against Syria and Iran," said Kathleen Culver, Green candidate for Congress in Tennessee (District 7) . "Every day the attacks between Israel and Hezbollah continue brings us closer to a wider regional conflict, and a possible global war."
November 2005: Green National Committee adopted resolution pressing Israel to recognize the "full individual and collective rights of the Palestinian people"
Read the press release and text of resolution.
WASHINGTON, D.C. (USA) — On November 20, 2005 the National Committee of the Green Party of the United States adopted a resolution calling on all civil society instiutions and organizations around the world to implement a comprehensive divestment and boycott porgram, to build pressure on the State of Israel and achieve a "just peace." Explaining the resolution, the Wisconsin Green Party's Mohammed Abed said that "Israel's treatment of Palestinians -- those who are Israeli citizens as well as those in the territories -- is comparable in many ways to South African apartheid, and has resulted in a cycle of violence and lack of security for both Israelis and Palestinians. A stable and just resolution of the conflict requires the full realization of the human rights of Palestinians and Israelis."
Read the International Committee's letter to the Jerusalem Post.
|
|
SELECTEDFOREIGN POLICY DECLARATIONS
|
|
Green Party of the United States
|
A Real Road to Peace in the Middle East
From the Green Party's 2004 Platform, as approved by the National Convention, June 2004. Drafted by the International Committee.
"Our commitments to ecological wisdom, social justice, grass-roots democracy, and non-violence compel us to oppose U.S. government support for "friendly" regimes, both in Israel and in the Arab world, whenever those regimes violate human rights, international law, and existing treaties. Those same values compel us to support popular movements for peace and demilitarization, especially those that reach across the lines of conflict to engage both Palestinians and Israelis of good will."
Read the Platform Statement.
U.S.-Cuba Relations
Approved by the National Committee, January 2004. Drafted by the International Committee.
"The Green Party of the United States recognizes our responsibility to present a clear and principled alternative, helping lead the region to peace and security. In our Platform, our public statements, and our electoral campaigns, we pledge to advocate full normalcy in U.S.-Cuban diplomatic relations, and peaceful negotiation of lingering issues. We honor the people of Cuba and will treat them with all the respect due any sovereign nation. "
Read the U.S.-Cuba Declaration.
Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA)
Approved by the National Committee, November 2003. Drafted by the International Committee.
"Green parties in every region of the world are opposed to corporate globalization and its destruction of local economies, cultures, and democratic political systems. The anti-globalization movement is worldwide, and so are the Green parties, whose commitment to the movement is resolute. The Green Party's absolute opposition to FTAA, springs from our absolute commitment to a livable future."
Read the FTAA Declaration.
The Invasion of Iraq
Approved by the National Committee on September 19, 2002 — exactly six months before the U.S. bombardment of Baghdad, and the U.S. military invasion. Drafted by the International Committee.
"The Green Party of the United States is adamantly opposed to President George W. Bush's plans to continue and expand military operations against Iraq. The Bush administration claims the invasion of Iraq would improve the security of citizens of the United States, but it would do just the opposite. A U.S. war on Iraq would undo decades of progress in international conflict resolution and make the world a more dangerous place for everyone."
Read the statement here.
|
INTERNATIONALCOMMITTEE RESPONSE
|
Greens in the U.S. support the Palestinian 'Right of Return'
At its 2004 National Convention, the Green Party of the United States approved a platform plank on peace in Palestine, drafted by the International Committee, which declared our support for Palestinian refugees' right to return to their homes and land. The Green Party hears many questions on the topic of Israel/Palestine, including comments on our recently expanded platform. The International Committee has prepared a response to those queries, providing background on our position.
IC Member Justine McCabe PhD is the primary author of the response, authorized by the International Committee in 2004, following approval of platform amendments during the Green Party National Convention.
Read the statement here.
PRESSSTATEMENTS
|
Green Party of Canada led 2005 Arctic alliance, declaration against oil drilling
09.20.2005 MONTREAL -- Green Parties of Arctic Council member countries are calling upon country leaders to stand against oil and gas exploration in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR), said Green Party of Canada leader Jim Harris in a joint statement with the Green Parties of Denmark, Finland, and the U.S. "In order to reverse global climate change, Arctic countries must immediately reduce their uneven share of greenhouse gas emissions from burning fossil fuels," said Harris, who noted the U.S. contributes nearly a quarter of global greenhouse gas emissions with only 5 percent of the world's population. Read the press release.
U.S. Greens reject Bush's hostile Venezuela policy, support Venezuelan democracy
The Green Party of the United States does not support the Bush administration's efforts to undermine the Venezuelan government. Whlle we differ with the Chavez government on a number of questions, we recognize the will of the Venezuelan people and oppose all U.S. efforts to weaken the democracy they enjoy under the current regime.
The 2002 Coup and the Restoration of Democracy
04,18.2002 WASHINGTON, DC — Greens in the U.S. protested the U.S.-backed coup in the spring of 2002, declaring that "We roundly condemn this unwarranted, embarrassing, and politically foolish interference by our government," said Charlie Pillsbury, Green Party candidate for the Third Congressional District in Connecticut. "We're pleased that the attempted coup failed and that Hugo Chavez is back in office." Read the press release
Democratic Participation and the Chavez Referendum
08.19.2004 WASHINGTON, DC — Responding to the popular referendum that confirmed overwhelming popular support for President Hugo Chavez Frias, Green Party leaders offered congratulations to the people of Venezuela for reasserting democracy in the face of attempts to subvert it. Read the press release.
|
 |
|
|
|
|
The Green Party of the United States, in the International Green Movement
Our Green Party in the U.S. is part of a global movement, made up of more than 100 national Green parties, in every corner of the world. Sharing a vision of ecological wisdom, democracy, human rights, and peace, Green parties have emerged throughout the Americas, Africa, Asia, Europe, and the Pacific. In 2001, U.S. Greens were signatories to the Global Green Charter, adopted at the very first Global Greens Gathering in Canberra, Australia. We were original members of the hemispheric Federation of Green Parties of the Americas. We work very closely with our North American partners, in the Partido Verde Ecologista de México and the Green Party of Canada.
ABOUT THE U.S. GREENS
The first U.S. Green parties were founded in the 1980s, proliferated during the 1990s, and came together in 1996 to form an Association of State Green Parties (ASGP) — precursor to the Green Party of the United States, which was officially established in July 2001.
At present, U.S. Greens comprise one of the largest Green party in the world, with 300-400,000 members. In recent elections, as many as 3 miliion U.S. voters cast ballots for Green candidates.
Yet when compared to Green parties In Europe, Latin America, Asia, and Africa, U.S. Greens appear to be less successful. Greens in many countries usually win smaller percentages of the vote than in the U.S., but have been awarded thousands of seats in national parliaments, city governments, and the European Union.
In fact, U.S. Greens often exceed 30% of the vote for local and legislative offices, and as much as 10% in statewide elections — even in large states like Massachusetts and Illinois.
Why are Greens in the U.S. so popular among voters, and so weak in government? Because electoral laws in virtually every jurisdiction, whether local, state, or national, still favor the "two-party system" — as they have since the 1840s — excluding Greens and other small parties from most governments in the U.S. The same laws reward the Republican and Democratic parties, with guaranteed access to elections, generous government funding, and shared control of all election administration.
A GREEN FUTURE
Despite such obstacles, the Green parties in the United States continue to grow.
Greens in the U.S. continue to build local and state organizations, while cooperating closely with emerging and established Green parties around the world.
U.S. Greens know we're part of the only political alliance in the world today, whose values and global organization can possibly match the international scope of problems we confront.
In truth, Greens are the world's best hope for a survivable, sustainable and peaceful future. Greens in the U.S. are proud to be part of this powerful global movement.
GREEN PARTY LINKS
Selected Green Party Websites
(ENGLISH)
GreenParty of Canada/Parti Vert du Canada
TheAustralian Greens
GreenParty of Aotearoa New Zealand
GreenParty in Northern Ireland
GreenParty of England and Wales
ComhaontasGlas (Ireland)
ScottishGreen Party
LATIN AMERICA
(Spanish, French and Portuguese)
PartidoVerde Ecologista de México (Mexico)
PartidoVerde do Brasil (Brazil)
Partido Ecologista de Chile (Chile)
IniciativaVerde (Argentina)
MovimientoEcológico (Venezuela)
LesVerts Guyane (French Guyana)
EUROPE
(Various languages)
Federazionedei Verdi (Italy)
Miljöpartietde Gröna (Sweden)
StranaZelenych (Czech Republic)
Iniciativaper Catalunya Verds (Catalonia-Spain)
LosVerdes (Spain)
Bündnis90/Die Grünen (Germany)
VihreätDe Gröna (Finland)
RussianEcological Party
Zielone (Poland)
Vinstrihreyfingin(Iceland)
LesVerts (France)
OtherEuropean parties...
OTHER REGIONS
Yesiller(Greens of Turkey)
EgyptianGreen Party (Arabic)
Ale-Yarok(Green Leaf) Party (Israel)
GreenParty of Taiwan
Greensand Rainbow (Japan)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
