A broad convening of women peacemakers from Republic of Korea (South Korea), Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (North Korea), the United States, China, Japan, Russia, and Canada gathered for a historic meeting at the Northeast Asia Roundtable on Women, Peace and Security, held Dec. 4–6, 2018, at the Embassy of Canada.
The event explored how women from the Korean Peninsula and other countries that participated in the 1950–53 Korean War can meaningfully contribute to the official peace processes on the Korean Peninsula and the creation of peace mechanisms for the Northeast Asian region. The meeting is an initial step toward building relationships amongst the women and strategizing how women civil society leaders and organizations can play a key role in the official peace processes.
At the end of the event, the women issued their Principles of Unity, calling on the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Republic of Korea, United States and China to declare an end to the Korean War and establish a process to negotiate a peace treaty to replace the 1953 armistice agreement. They also urged the United States and North Korea to begin to normalize relations in order to provide the security assurance needed for complete denuclearization. And they demanded that future peace processes include substantial representation of women’s civil society organizations as mandated under UNSCR 1325. (Read the full document here.)
“This is the first time women from the Northeast Asia region have succeeded in coming together to support the historic peace process,” said Dr. Ahn Jeong-ae, a representative of Women Making Peace, an organization that works to realize reunification and peace on the Korean Peninsula.
“Women recognize the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity this diplomatic process presents to finally end the 70-year Korean War, which has not just plagued the Korean people but has led to the massive militarization of the Northeast Asia region,” said Christine Ahn, founder and international coordinator of Women Cross DMZ.
“This is a historic opportunity to prove — yet again — the power of feminist peacebuilding. Having women at the table will ensure a lasting peace is built around human rights, justice and equality,” said Jody Williams, the American Nobel Peace Laureate.
The roundtable comes amidst recent unprecedented agreements between North and South Korea to de-escalate tensions, including de-mining and removing guard posts at the DMZ, as well as a summit meeting between the DPRK and the United States. Meanwhile, key stakeholder nations such as Canada, Sweden, and Norway are implementing feminist foreign policies. These developments — coupled with a growing transnational women’s peace movement and the recognition of the crucial role that women have played in advancing peace agreements in conflicts around the world — indicates that there is an opportunity for women to help advance a diplomatic breakthrough between the U.S. and North Korea in order to finally resolve the Korean War, normalize relations, and demilitarize the Korean Peninsula.
The roundtable is part of the forthcoming Korea Peace Treaty Now campaign, which aims to educate, organize, and advocate for a Korea peace treaty by 2020. The campaign will formally launch in early 2019.
