International Campaign for the Rohingya Applauds Dayton City Commission for Passage of World’s First End Genocide Resolution
For Immediate Release: December 30th, 2020
The International Campaign for the Rohingya applauds the Commission of the City of Dayton for its unanimous passage of world’s first municipal resolution, sponsored by Commissioner Matt Joseph, both condemning genocide and promoting its use of its powers of procurement and investment to press corporations to avoid complicity in genocide, crimes against humanity, and other mass atrocities
J. Mark Brinkmoeller, Board Member, International Campaign for the Rohingya
“As a proud Daytonian, I’m grateful that the City of Dayton Commission unanimously passed the Dayton End Genocide Resolution. It is in line with Dayton’s values and very appropriate given that this is the anniversary of the Dayton Peace Accords that helped to secure peace and an end to genocide in Bosnia. International Campaign for the Rohingya looks forward to working with other communities, cities, and states inspired by Dayton’s example to take similar action to help end genocide, crimes against humanity, and other mass atrocities.
Simon Billenness, Executive Director, International Campaign for the Rohingya
“We welcome the City of Dayton for its intention to use its influence in the markets for goods, services, and capital to press companies to avoid complicity in genocide, crimes against humanity, and other mass atrocities. We hope that the City of Dayton’s principled action will cause corporations to reconsider doing business with the government and military of Burma (Myanmar). We hope that this pressure will help end Myanmar’s genocide of the Rohingya people and its mass atrocities against other ethnic minorities in Burma.”
Matt Joseph, Commissioner, City of Dayton (Ohio)
“I am proud to bring this informal resolution denouncing genocide up for consideration. As a welcoming city, Dayton has many residents who have survived genocides in Rwanda, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and other places around the world. In their honor, and in memory of their loved ones, the Dayton End Genocide Resolution states that we not only denounce genocide, but will actively educate our residents about it, and work to ensure that companies with which we do business also commit to avoid complicity in genocide, crimes against humanity, and other mass atrocities. This imperative takes on a greater meaning for us, since this is the 25th year since the warring parties in Bosnia and Herzegovina came to agreement at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base here, ending that genocide.”
Marium Husain, Coordinator, Ohio No Business With Genocide
“We applaud the City of Dayton for considering this Dayton End Genocide Resolution. Governments want and need corporate investment and trade. But no government can expect to do business as usual if it engages in genocide, crimes against humanity, or other mass atrocities. As individuals, we can deny corporations our investment and our purchases until they refuse to support governments that engage in these grave abuses of human rights. We have an opportunity to redirect our money to local companies. As a community, we can also encourage our local and state governments to similarly use our tax dollars to press companies to avoid complicity in genocide, crimes against humanity, or other mass atrocities.”
Contact:
Simon Billenness
Executive Director
International Campaign for the Rohingya
M: (617) 596-6158
[email protected] www.rohingyacampaign.org
ABOUT NO BUSINESS WITH GENOCIDE
The No Business With Genocide is a coalition-led campaign designed to build the movement to end genocide permanently worldwide. The No Business With Genocide campaign is built around the simple proposition that corporations should refrain or withdraw from doing business with regimes that engage in genocide and/or crimes against humanity. This campaign is part of the movement to end genocide and crimes against humanity by building a grassroots global constituency willing and able to put effective and timely political and economic pressure on governments that engage in or consider committing genocide and/or mass atrocities.
ABOUT INTERNATIONAL CAMPAIGN FOR THE ROHINGYA
The International Campaign for the Rohingya advocates and amplifies the voice of the Rohingya with international organizations, governments, corporations, and civil society. Its mission is to help the Rohingya secure peace, security, and their rights wherever they reside. As a member of the “No Business With Genocide” campaign, International Campaign for the Rohingya presses corporations to speak out to end the genocide of the Rohingya in Burma (Myanmar).
About End Genocide Laws and Resolutions
During the American Revolution, town meetings adopted resolutions calling for a boycott of British-made goods. The Boston Tea Party seized on the spirit of these resolutions through its historic act of dumping British tea in Boston Harbor. This revolutionary campaign is captured in T.H. Breen’s book “The Marketplace of Revolution: How Consumer Politics Shaped American Independence.”It was in part through this “boycott British” campaign that the American colonies united and rose up to secure their independence.
City and state “End Genocide” laws build on this American tradition. These laws follow in the footsteps of other American campaigns and movements. The American abolitionist movement worked with local and state governments on measures to help end slavery. Starting in the 1950s, the movements for civil rights and women’s equality successful lobbied for municipal, county, and state preferences and requirements for certain contractors to develop plans to subcontract to minority and women-owned businesses.
In the 1980s, the anti-apartheid movement forced corporations to divest from South Africa under pressure from municipal and state laws. In the 1990s, over 100 corporations withdrew from Burma (Myanmar) after Massachusetts and over 20 cities passed laws effectively boycotting companies doing business in the country. In the 2000s, the Save Darfur campaign mobilized pressure on oil companies in Sudan through stock divestment laws. Today, the fossil fuel divestment campaign is succeeding in mobilizing state and local government to tackle climate change.
By passing an end genocide resolution or law, a city, county, or state can express its citizens’ values in its spending and investment of taxpayer dollars as an actor in the marketplace for goods, services, and capital. In so doing, the city or state will also act in solidarity with people at risk of genocide, crimes against humanity, and other mass atrocities.
For more information, read “End Genocide, Starting With Your Hometown.”