Is there a reason (beyond the obvious you are doing this)? I am thrilled but wondering if there is something you are "worried" about we don't know about?

Awesome! Can/should we bring our children?

Jenn in PA

So far away!!! Hard to travel on short notice with young children. Any chance of organizing events in major cities across US? Not Guatadopt but FOC??? Just a suggestion.

I was thinking the same thing. I am all for a march but there is no way I can get to New York. How about on our State capitals what do you all think of that? The same day all across the US. That is still a four hour drive but I would love to do something we all could participate in.

Great idea. How about we organize another 3 day call in to our Senators, congressmen, etc & see if we can post a statement on all the various adoption groups, blogs, etc. The 3 day call in Oct9/11 was successful, let's not stop now.

I think it's a great idea to have a day where people gather and demonstrate for Intercountry adoption in every large city or state capital. We organized this in front of the Unicef headquarters as a follow up to the phone campaign next week, and before the Trick or Treat for Unicef drive, as an attempt to inform more people of the mistaken position Unicef has about ICA and its negative influence on Guatemalan adoptions (now) and other countries in the past.

Only 400 people can participate, so please contact the email address. Children are welcome.
Please notify your local Press

We really need to be thinking of something if we want to have our voices heard before either the Guat. election or the supposed Nov. 14 when they will say yea or nay to the grandfather clause and other amendments

Focus on Adoption has cancelled or postponed this demonstration on October 30, in order to meet with Unicef and dialogue about our concerns.

thank you

Hannah Wallace

I think it is great that UNICEF wants to dialogue over the issues rather than have us protest. It would be wonderful if they come out with a much stronger approval for the grandfather clause and ICA in general. However, I know this sounds SO cynical, but after the comments made by Kevin regarding their stance at the recent conference, I wonder if this is just stalling tactics. It seems so convenient to want to talk just before a major money drive at Halloween....The media would be all over this right now especially with what is going on in Guatemala. We'll see what they have to say. Don't worry UNICEF, if your true colors become apparent, we'll getcha next year!

Thanks, Hannah. Call me cynical, but I hope this isn't just a ruse by UNICEF to avoid bad publicity due to their Halloween-time $$ collection, and that it is really interested in real movement. Good luck with the meeting!

I know Halloween is a big fundraiser for UNICEF. I hope they aren't just agreeing to meet as a delay tactic. They couldn't be that devious, could they?

I would have to say I am a little leary of thier reasoning behind this - they know that this will absolutely hurt their Halloween drive. They are not stupid. I hate to be a pessimist but talking/discussions is not going to change their stance on what they want for Guatemala. They had thier chance at the Ethica conference and on the radio show that Manuel Manrique was on the story is still the same "it is up to the Guatemala Govt to decide about a grandfather clause and they have no influence over them" yada yada yada

I'm sorry that FOA cancelled the demonstration. Ideally, FOA would have demonstrated, shined some media attention on UNICEF's anti-international adoption positions, AND dialogued with UNICEF. I have to ask why FOA could not have done both. I hope that cancelling the demonstration was not the requirement for UNICEF agreeing to meet with FOA (for which I have enormous respect). I do think FOA would have gone into a meeting with UNICEF with a much stronger hand, had the meeting followed a demonstration of angry parents.

My opinion is that UNICEF does not want negative publicity around Halloween. I don't believe they are prepared to have talks with FOA as much as they want to avoid the negative publicity.

I agree, this is just a ruse to deflect attention. When you "dialogue" with them, you will find nothing new in their positions. I suggest you go in with a firm list of demands, and a date certain in the very near future when a larger-than-400-people demonstration will take place. Invite news media to observe.

I will gladly participate if they do not have a successful outcome in the meeting discussion. Keep us posted! both on what gets accomplished and if they reschedule the march. Thanks for the update and all you do to keep us up-to-date, Guatadaopt!

I say, don't give to UNICEF until they PROVE they have changed colors. For me personally, I'll probably never give to UNICEF again because I don't think they are capable of really changing their spots. They might modify a bit. I'll give to other charities.

Well the halloween fundraiser is a big one for UNICEF. However, aren't their Christmas Cards a much bigger fundraiser? If so, we still have plenty of time to protest and have an impact. Please correct me if I'm mistaken.

Jenn in PA

Hallmark Cards has an "Adoption Ornament" out this year, BEWARE a percentage of the proceeds goes to UNICEF. Hallmark is one of their bigger backers so is Johnson and Johnson and I'm working on changing that! I used to work for them and for Johnson Controls HQ in Milwaukee. I'm betting I'm not the only person in this group that works for large companies that are huge UNICEF supporters. We really need to get them where it hurts, their income, oh I mean their funding...talk to your CEO's, give them other options and charities to support like World Vision.

I too am sorry to see the March cancelled, I think it is going to sadly be more of the same and that the timing before the big UNICEF trick or treat drive was behind them wanting to sit down instead.

Too bad the march has been canceled. It was an excellent idea. Have the meetings that you refer to been scheduled? Many have tried "dialog" with Unicef to no avail. Hopefully, you will have better luck. Appears Unicef always gets what they want and are pros at manipulation. My personal feeling is that the march should have gone on.

saw this in the Chicago Daily Herald...

"...The ratio has led critics, in the impoverished nation and abroad, to blast Guatemala as a baby farm for rich Americans. UNICEF has joined the debate and is urging the government to halt adoptions until international standards are met.

"UNICEF supports the moratorium so that Guatemala can bring its adoption process in line with other countries … in order to protect not only the rights of children but also of those adopting," UNICEF spokesman Patrick McCormick said. "There's no reason why adoptions cannot restart once this has happened."

UNICEF is not changing their agenda so far. This was from this past week.

Hannah, please fight for a clear,written plan that is not an "added or rewritten process" for the in-process cases. A true transition would not be DIFFERENT than what we are currently under. The thought of an added on process is akin to lawlessness---that is retroactively applying laws.

Also, refer to the CCAI letter that they will have faxed to them tomorrow (Tues) with 187 Congressional leaders signatures. 53 of which are Senators---that is a majority.

Something doesn't seem kosher. We need to have a march with as many people as possible, not limit it to 400. We need people spilling into the streets so we are noticed and heard. The more people, the more effective. Time is wasting.

Ann,
Is there a link for the CCAI letter? Are we able to see which senators and reps signed it from our state?
Peace,
Lizzie

Lizzie,
I am not sure if we can see who all signed it, but our reps staffers emailed us and told us they signed (all 3 of our reps signed). So I would just email or call and see if your state reps signed.

The letters have good strong language and should send a message to UNICEF and the Guat. government that a clear, concise, written plan for the in-process cases is vital. They are also requesting that the plan does not delay the adoption of the children unnecessarily.

I do not have a copy I can post, I have just seen some of the language.

Peace and good vibs to us all.

Ann

Thanks Ann,
I will try again. When I called recently, (I called all of the senators and reps for my state, not just the ones who represent me), and none of the staffers could confirm to me that the senator / rep signed, and most had not even heard of it, or thought it was something else. I am from Wisconsin, did any other Wisconsonites have luck?
Thanks,
Lizzie

Lizzie,

Yesterday we received a letter from our rep, Jim Sensenbrenner, stating that he signed the letter. We haven't heard from our senators as yet.

From CCAI Press Release

Senators’ letter requests Guatemalan president and UNICEF to ensure Hague Treaty ratification considers well being of Guatemala’s orphaned children

October 31st, 2007 - Washington DC - In an effort to address the current Guatemalan adoption crisis, Co-Chairs of the Congressional Coalition on Adoption, Senators Norm Coleman (R-MN) and Mary Landrieu (D-LA) today sent two separate letters – one to Guatemalan President, Oscar Berger, and one to the leadership of the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF). These letters encourage an interim measure for pending adoption applications in Guatemala so orphaned children do not remain outside the care of a loving family for lengthy periods of time. Specifically, these letters encourage President Berger and the Guatemalan government to allow applications filed before January 1st, 2008 to continue after that date, which marks the beginning of Guatemala’s full implementation of the Hague treaty. This type of “grandfather” clause would allow for legal adoptions with United States citizens to continue uninterrupted. The U.S. has not yet completed ratification of the Hague Treaty, leading to the concerns surrounding Guatemala’s implementation plans.

“I applaud the efforts for the Guatemalan government to implement a Hague compliant system, however, I am concerned that the suspension of intercountry adoptions with the United States could result in denying over 3,000 of the country’s orphaned children the chance to be part of a loving family,” said Coleman. “While well intentioned, these rules could withhold children from a permanent family—one of the basic building blocks of a child’s long-term physical and emotional development. Suspending currently pending adoptions to the U.S. is clearly not in the best interest of the children and it is my hope President Berger and the Guatemalan government will heed our concerns as outlined in the letters and provide a way for adoptions to continue.”

“Guatemala’s ratification and implementation of the Hague treaty is commendable,” Sen. Landrieu said, “but it should not stand in the way of finding homes for children in need of loving families. Every abandoned and orphaned child deserves a permanent, safe and loving home, and the United States continues to provide the most opportunity for children as they get older. We must not allow one positive step forward for Guatemala to be two steps back for Guatemala’s orphaned children. I hope that we can work with UNICEF and President Berger to ensure Guatemala’s orphans are not kept out of loving homes in the United States pending our implementation of the Hague treaty.”

Over 190 members of Congress have signed each letter. Coleman will meet with Guatemalan Ambassador Guillermo Castillo later this week to discuss this issue. Congressman James Oberstar (D-MN) and Congresswoman Ginny Brown-Waite (R-FL), Co-Chairs of the House Congressional Coalition on Adoption, are circulating identical letters on the House side.

Due to the implementation of the Hague Convention on Intercountry Adoption, an international agreement intended to safeguard adopted children from trafficking, significant changes are taking place in adoption law in the United States and Guatemala. The government of Guatemala has announced that their nation will require all adoption cases to meet Hague standards as of January 1, 2008, and stop all processing of adoption cases with non-Hague countries, including the United States, until such a system can be implemented. Though there is a strong need to reform the intercountry adoption process in Guatemala and there are benefits to adhering to the Hague Convention, this action may cause unnecessary harm to Guatemala’s orphaned children. According to the State Department, the U.S. is expected to move towards ratification of the treaty during the coming year.

As co-chairs of Congressional Coalition on Adoption, Senators Coleman and Landrieu have championed a number of initiatives to encourage adoption including, most recently, the passage of a provision to permit children adopted after the age of 13 to file for federal college financial aid as independent students, removing a financial disincentive for teen adoption

What was the upshot of the meeting? I'd sure love to hear about what, if anything, happened.

Someone mentioned corporations that support UNICEF. Back during the 2003 Hague mess, I wrote letters to many of the corporations regarding UNICEF's stance on international adoption. Maybe as a group, we should consider this.