27,255 People Call for Clinton to Take Lead on Congo Certification

Over the past several months, the Raise Hope for Congo Campaign, in partnership with Care2 and change.org, has been gathering signatures from activists around the country calling on Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to be a leader for certification for Congo’s conflict minerals.

Yesterday, those 27,255 signatures were delivered to Secretary Clinton’s Chief of Staff, Cheryl Mills, by none other than actress and activist Robin Wright.

Actress and activist Robin Wright with Enough’s Fidel Bafilemba and JD Stier, holding 1,608 pages of signatures for Secretary Clinton (Enough)

We’ve petitioned Hillary Clinton because she has the gravitas to make a difference and because we know she cares.

Just over two years ago she visited the region and said: “The international community must start looking at steps we can take to try to prevent the mineral wealth from the DRC ending up in the hands of those who fund the violence.”

We couldn’t agree more, but we’re ready to see her take concrete steps to follow through on her commitment. Members of Congress, leaders of the private sector, and civil society groups in eastern Congo agree that certification is a necessary next step to help stem the violence fueled by minerals in eastern Congo – and that the U.S. must play a leading role.

In the words of Arthur Vaeni from Washington, who added his name to the thousands of others: “Given your commitment to women’s rights throughout the world, I urge you to take a leadership role in response to this great need. The right to live free from fear of rape and other forms of violence is fundamental to the well being of all people.”

Secretary Clinton, we hope you’ll be moved by this call from others like yourself who care about ending the conflict in Congo. We hope you’ll follow through on the commitment you made to the people you visited by being a leader for certification.

The Raise Hope for Congo campaign will be watching closely to see how Clinton responds to the strong message activists sent through this petition. This fall, Enough’s Raise Hope for Congo campaign is turning its attention to ensuring Clinton backs her compelling words up with action, so stay tuned for ways you can use your voice in the coming months.