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WHEREAS, during January 3-9, 2011, the Pittsburgh Darfur Emergency Coalition will sponsor a Week of Action for Sudan; and
WHEREAS, the week's events will include a march and rally on January 5th that begins at the City-County Building and ends at Market Square; and
WHEREAS, the Week of Action is taking place in advance of a referendum on January 9th where voters in southern Sudan will vote on seceding from the nation; and
WHEREAS, the referendum is part of the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement which ended two decades of civil war between the northern and southern regions; and
WHEREAS, voter registration has been extended to Sudanese nationals who are living in eight other countries, including the United States, so those displaced persons can still take part in the referendum.
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NOW, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that the Council of the City of Pittsburgh does hereby recognize the Pittsburgh Darfur Emergency Coalition and its partners for their continued efforts to bring attention, awareness and action to the instability that still remains in the Sudan; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Council of the City of Pittsburgh does hereby declare January 3-9, 2011 "Week of Action for Sudan" in the City of Pittsburgh.