| Former United Nations
Assistant Secretary General and Humanitarian Coordinator for
Iraq and special guest, Kathy Kelly, cofounder of Voices in the Wilderness, the first U.S. grassroots organization to bring activists into Iraq to witness the effect of sanctions, to bring food and medicine to the people of Iraq, and to educate the public upon their return. Hans von Sponeck is a 36-year veteran of the United Nations. He joined the UN Development Program in 1968, and worked in Ghana, Turkey, Botswana, Pakistan and India, before becoming Director of European Affairs. He was appointed the UN Humanitarian Coordinator for Iraq in October 1998, overseeing roughly 500 international staff, as well as 1,000 Iraqi workers. His responsibilities included directing all UN operations in country, managing the distribution of goods under the "Oil-for-Food" program, and verifying Iraqi compliance with that program. Mr. von Sponeck resigned in February 2000, as the UN Chief Humanitarian Officer in protest of current international policy toward Iraq, including sanctions. Since 1996, Kathy Kelly has committed virtually all her time and resources to a cause halfway around the globe through Voices in the Wilderness, the small group she created in her living room in Uptown to urge an end to economic sanctions against Iraq. Voices says the sweeping trade and travel embargo imposed by the United Nations has devastated Iraq's population, especially children and the elderly, since the gulf war ended 10 years ago. "Kathy is far and away the most prominent American organizer on this issue," said Doug Hostetter, spokesman for Fellowship of Reconciliation, an 86-year-old faith-based peace group in New York. "Her very small organization with very few resources has plugged away faithfully to lift the sanctions, using any means possible." The American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) has nominated Denis Halliday and Kathy Kelly for a joint 2000 Nobel Peace Prize stating: “The commitment and courage of these nominees illustrates the far-reaching impact of the actions of individuals in the cause of peace.” |