Crisis Action Inc

Programs: Over the last year, crisis action has led global campaigns to end the armed conflicts in syria and south sudan, and led emergency response campaigns on yemen and the democratic republic of the congo. On syria, crisis action collaborated closely with doctors and medics, including the last remaining doctors in aleppo sending letters to president obama and chancellor merkel urging them to stop the indiscriminate bombing of the city, receiving widespread media attention. Crisis action also continued to work with the white helmets, syria's volunteer rescue workers, organising meetings in brussels, london and paris. At the un, crisis action coordinated a declaration from 223 civil society organisations calling on un member states to step up where the security council had failed, and in december 2016 the un general assembly established a mechanism to assist in the investigation and prosecution of the worst crimes committed in syria since the start of the war. In the early months of 2017, crisis action worked with partners and parliamentarians to get the eu to promise it would not release any aid for reconstruction in syria unless there were clear plans in place for a political transition. These efforts were successful and the condition was reflected in the eu's syria strategy and the g7 communique. In south sudan, a peace agreement signed in august 2015 did not hold and violence continued to be directed against civilians and aid workers, further contributing to a deteriorating humanitarian situation that featured the declaration of famine. Crisis action worked with partners to push for the establishment of a hybrid court to hold perpetrators of violence to account by bringing delegations of south sudanese to addis ababa; coorinating joint letters to the au and un; producing briefing papers with south sudanese civil society and placing op-eds in the media. Crisis action also enabled partners to push the un security council to establish an arms embargo on south sudan by sharing a briefing paper on the issue with un security council members. In september 2016 crisis action launched an emergency response to the situation in the democratic republic of the congo aimed at preventing electoral-related violence. Crisis action planned a visit of key bishops to the african union so they could make the case for a new mediation approach and brought together 80 women's groups in a letter to president kabila. In january 2017, crisis action re-engaged on the situation in yemen following a resumption of attacks on civilians after the collapse of political negotiations. Crisis action worked with partners to highlight the risk of famine, particularly to british politicians. Crisis action also supported radhya almutawakel, a yemeni human rights activist, to brief the un security council on the need to protect the port of hodeidah. After a year of silence, the security council issued a presidential statement affirming the need to protect civilians and safeguard hodeidah port. To spur the un security council and other stakeholders to take action, crisis action also brought partners and allies around the #yemencantwait.