Jo Cox, humanitarian.
Humanity lost a champion when Jo Cox was stolen from us. We are deeply saddened by the loss. We extend our most sincere condolences to Jo’s family and friends, and our thoughts and prayers are with them.
The Turkish website Anadolu Agency has covered Rethink Rebuild Society’s tributes to Jo Cox, the MP murdered in her constituency this month, in an article on 17 June. Yasmine Nahlawi, Advocacy and Policy coordinator for Rethink Rebuild, told the Agency that Jo Cox was “a voice of truth and justice”.
Yasmine Nahlawi from Rethink Rebuild Society paid tribute to the murdered MP Jo Cox on Radio 4’s The World Tonight on 17th June. We talked about Jo's incredible help to the Syrian community and the huge void that we have felt since her brutal murder.
Rethink Rebuild Society had a meeting with Jeff Smith MP in Parliament on 15th June. We discussed civilian protection and condemnation of Assad’s war crimes in Syria. We were especially pleased that Mr Smith has agreed to take part in our fundraising Fast-a-thon on 1st July to help break the sieges.
On 15 June Rethink Rebuild Society met with the office of Jo Cox MP to discuss civilian protection in Syria. Jo's office is central to coordinating efforts surrounding Syria in Parliament, and as such we discussed future steps to take in order to work towards civilian protection, accountability, and aid drops.
Rethink Rebuild Society met with Roger Godsiff MP’s office on 15 June. We discussed the situation in Syria and the importance of civilian protection. We also discussed how we could work together to move certain issues forward, including civilian protection, accountability, and aid drops.
Through the 'Save Our Syria' coalition, Rethink Rebuild Society was one of twenty-eight signatories to an open letter to Federica Mogherini, the High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, on 15 June. The letter called for an end to sieges and attacks on civilians, and robust action to tackle the war crimes being perpetrated by the Assad regime.
We participated in the Didsbury Festival on 15 June alongside the Manchester branch of Amnesty International. Amnesty's stall was dedicated to raising awareness about Syria. Attendees were able to get a 360 degree visual experience in some of the affected areas in Syria, learn more about the situation, and sign action alerts to ask their MPs to take action.
Mr. Amaf Yousef, our Refugee Support Coordinator, participated in a panel held on 13 June 2016 by the Overseas Development Institute discussing “What’s stopping change in the humanitarian system?”. The panel discussed a recent study held by ODI on that matter.
On 14 June Rethink Rebuild Society met with the office of Ann Clwyd MP. We talked about civilian protection and the need to shift the narrative about the conflict in Syria. We look forward to continued work with Ms. Clwyd's office to discuss steps to resolve the Syrian conflict from its root.