WILPF and Women Cross DMZ Urge Ban Ki-moon to Initiate Korean Peace Treaty
By Nela Abey and Yvette Dzakpasu
Panellists at the press conference moderated by WILPF’s Maria Butler (Photo: Yvette Dzakpasu)
On September 27, 2016, the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF) and Women Cross DMZ held a press conference. The event featured three delegates who participated in the peace walk, Cora Weiss, President of the Hague Appeal for Peace, Kozue Akibayashi, WILPF International President and Suzy Kim, Rutgers University Professor of Korean History.
At the press conference, participants shared a letter signed by over 100 women leaders from 35 countries urging Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to initiate a peace process in Korea. The Armistice Agreement is now 63-years-old, and it is long past time for peace. The letter calls for the replacement of this armistice with a binding peace treaty to end the Korean War. It further calls for women to be significantly represented in the peace process in accordance with Security Council Resolution 1325, and for the peace accord to be delivered by 2018.
The panellists highlighted the importance for such an agreement, particularly given today’s nuclear climate, including North Korea’s fifth nuclear test last month, and spoke about the role that civil society can play in achieving such an agreement. Cora Weiss noted that ‘change does not happen without civil society.’ Maria Butler observed that “women-led civil society are raising voices for peace, but also demand that political leaders do their job”.
Find the full summary of the event here.