An appeal to the international public on behalf of Darfur from President Drnovšek and the co-signatories to ‘World for Darfur’
Ljubljana, 04/13/2006 | press release
Dear Sir/Madam,
Humanitarian conditions in Darfur are deteriorating dramatically. There are reportedly more than three million and a half million refugees and internally displaced people and refugees who urgently need help in and around Darfur. Among them there are half a million children under the age of five who are fighting for their lives on a daily basis.
Slovene citizens have organised their share of humanitarian aid. Part of this aid has already been transferred to organisations working under difficult conditions in the field. Slovene humanitarian organisations - Caritas, Red Cross, UNICEF and Foundation »Together« - are set to supply more than 5,000 families in the Hamidia IDP camp in West Darfur. They need water, medicine, medical staff, educational facilities and help for the children.
We must send a wake-up call to all of humanity, to awaken their conscience. Let us only remember how that conscience responded a year ago as we watched the tsunami disaster unfold. The extent of the catastrophe in Darfur could be even greater.
It is time to act. The international community must no longer stand by in speechless apathy as children and innocent people die, when all they want is to live in peace in this world, just as we do.
Please join us in our humanitarian action “World for Darfur”. Help people in Darfur today! Donate to the international organisations providing humanitarian aid in Darfur – Caritas, International Red Cross, UNICEF and others.
Now is the time. Tomorrow will be too late. We believe we can save thousands, perhaps millions of people.
Together we will make it happen.
Janez Drnovšek
President of the Republic of Slovenia
Signatories to "World for Darfur":
- Albert II, Prince of Monaco
- Claudia Cardinale, actress, Goodwill Ambassador to UNESCO
- Valery Giscard D'Estaing, former President of the French Republic
- Hans-Dietrich Genscher, former Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Federal Republic of Germany
- Jane Goodall, scientist and anthropologist, UN Messenger of Peace
- Bianca Jagger, human rights campaigner, Council of Europe Goodwill Ambassador
- Uffe Ellemann Jensen, former Minister of Foreign Affairs of Denmark
- Lionel Jospin, former Prime Minister of France
- Bernard Kouchner, former Special Envoy of the Secretary General of the United Nations – head of the UN mission in Kosovo, founder of the international organisation "Doctors without Borders«
- Paavo Lipponen, President of the Finnish Parliament
- David Oddsson, Chairman of the Board of Governors of the Central Bank of Iceland
- Jacques Santer, former President of the European Commission and former Prime Minister of Luxembourg
- Louis Schweitzer, former Managing Director of Renault
- Jacques Seguela, Director Havas
- Eduardo Serra, former Minister of Defence of Spain