The 2010 Northeast Asia Women's Peace Conference
The 2010 Northeast Asia Women's Peace Conference
■ Dates October 5th (Tuesday) to 7th (Thursday), 2010
■ Venue The Seoul Women's Plaza (Seoul, South Korea)
■ Description
In October 2010, the organizing committee of the Northeast Asia Women's Peace Conference will hold its international conference at the Seoul Women's Plaza in Seoul, South Korea. The Conference will seek ways to reduce tension and cultivate peace on the Korean Peninsula and in Northeast Asia, to foster reconciliation and cooperation among women in Northeast Asia, and to realize the U.N. SCR 1325. The conference will consist of five linked events:
- A public event at the Seoul Women's Plaza in Seoul, South Korea;
- Meetings with the members of the South Korean Government and Embassies of the Six-Party talk countries – China, Japan, Russia, and the U.S.A.;
- A strategy session for women representatives of the countries participating in the Six Party Talks;
- A visit to the DMZ, the politico-geographical symbol of the division of Korea between the DPRK (North) and Republic of Korea (South).
■ Background
In 2007, Women Making Peace organized a “South Korean Women's Peace Delegation” comprised of women leaders and lawmakers involved in the Women's Six Party Talks. Later that year, the Women's Peace Delegation visited the five other countries participating in the Six Party Talks on the DPRK's (North Korea) nuclear program: China, the DPRK, Japan, Russia, and the U.S.A. The delegation articulated the importance of gender empowerment in fostering reconciliation, cooperation, and peace in Korea and Northeast Asia, and urged the normalization of relations between the DPRK and United States, as well as the DPRK and Japan.
In 2008, Women Making Peace, Korean Women's Association United and the Women's Committee of The Korean Council for Reconciliation and Cooperation organized the “2008 Northeast Asia Women's Peace Conference.” The conference was held in Seoul, South Korea in September 2008. Participants of the Conference primarily came from China, Japan, Russia and the U.S.A., with representatives from international women's associations and Congresswomen from Japan and South Korea. All participants broadened their understanding through dialogue with NGO representatives, as well as unofficial talks with two participating Congresswomen from Japan and South Korea. The Women's Conference focused on building common ground to reduce misunderstandings and mistrust caused by colonial and Cold War experiences, as well as differences amongst the diverse political-economic systems and cultures of Northeast Asia. Representatives from five countries gave presentations about their experiences and viewpoints for fostering peace in Northeast Asia.
In 2009, the “Organizing Committee of the Northeast Asia Women's Peace Conference” co-hosted the “2009 Northeast Asia Women's Peace Conference” entitled “Negotiating Regional Peace, Reconciliation and Cooperation” with the Sigur Center for Asian Studies at The George Washington University in Washington, DC. Participants at the 2009 conference were women from China, Japan, Russia, South Korea, the U.K., and the U.S.A. Former Prime Minister Myung Sook Han of the Republic of Korea and Ambassador Melanne S. Verveer, the U.S.A. Ambassador at Large for Global Women's Issues, delivered keynote speeches at the conference. The goals of this conference were to strengthen relations among women and women's participation in the peace process (Track II diplomacy) and to seek ways to coordinate Track I and Track II through dialogue for building peace in the Northeast Asian region. Women representing the Six Parties visited the U.S.A. Congress and State Department (Sung Kim, the special envoy for the Six-Party Talks); and shared their experiences and thoughts on issues facing the Korean Peninsula. Participants emphasized the importance of a comprehensive approach to fostering peace on the Korean Peninsula, and urged the U.S.A. Government to include women's Track II initiatives in support of the official Six-Party Talks.
In 2010, the Conference will focus on reducing military tension and fostering peace among the six countries. Relations between these countries are rooted in the Cold War political-economic dynamics and characterized by the Korean War Armistice that still sets the agenda for the Korean Peninsula, the DPRK nuclear programs, and the absence of normalization of relations between the DPRK and the U.S.A., as well as between the DPRK and Japan. In particular, the Cheonan warship sinking incident last March demonstrated the possibility of how easily escalation of tensions can lead to a crisis on the Korean Peninsula; and the instability of the West Sea Northern Limit Line. We believe that there is no development for women without peace, and there is no peace without gender equality. There is a desperate need to replace the Cold War geopolitical economy with a culture of peace.
■ Goals of Women's Meetings in Seoul in 2010
1. Search for Common Ground: the Conference will invite women representatives from countries of the Six-Party Talks to discuss the DPRK's nuclear program and suggestions regarding the “Women's Initiative for Creating Korean Peace Regime.” The Northeast Asian Women's Peace Conference will view peace not only from each country's perspective but also from a regional viewpoint. The main objective is to seek common ground for fostering peace on the Korean Peninsula, the focal point of the Northeast Asian crisis, and to express women's views on relations between peace and women's development.
2. Delivery of Policy Recommendations: participants of the conference will visit the South Korean Government and Embassies of the Six-Party Talk countries, such as China, Japan, Russia, and the U.S.A.; listen to each country's policies towards the Korean Peninsula (including issues related to the DPRK's nuclear program and the peace process on the Korean Peninsula), and deliver policy recommendations discussed at the peace conference.
3. Empowerment of Track II diplomacy and Track I and Track II cooperation: this conference will reinforce women's Track II activities and seek ways to cooperate with Track I activities for reducing tensions and fostering peace in the Northeast Asia. The true end of the Korean War on the Korean Peninsula and establishment of a peace process will only be obtained not just by the peace agreement between the concerned governments, but also by civilian participation in the peace process.
4. Implementation of UNSCR 1325: the peace conference is a process to implement the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action (1995) and the UN Security Council Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace, and Security (2000). As of May 2010, eighteen countries established National Action Plans in order to implement the UN SCR 1325. Needless to say, decision-making in the Northeast Asia regional security dialogue has heretofore been monopolized by men. Bringing women's voices to the table is in keeping with UN SCR 1325, which recognized "the important role of women in the prevention and resolution of conflicts and in peace-building and stressing the importance of their equal participation and full involvement in all efforts for the maintenance and promotion of peace and security."
■ Programs
October 5, 2009
Public Session
Opening Ceremony 10:00-10:20
Facilitator: Reverand LEE Konghyun, Won-Buddhism
Opening Remarks
Hyunback CHUNG Co-Chair of the Organizing Committee of Northeast Asian Women's Peace Conference
Congratulatory Remarks
Hee Young PAIK, Minister of Gender Equality and Family
Young-Hee CHOI, Chair of Gender Equality and Family Committee, National Assembly
Hyoung CHO, Chairperson, Korea Foundation for Women
Session I: Keynote Speeches (30 minutes each) 10:30-12:00
Moderator: Jiyoung CHOI, Professor of Hallim University
1) Peace in Northeast Asia and Korean Peace Regime
Insoon NAMYOON, Representative, Korean Women's Associations United
2) Peace Negotiation Process and Women – Experiences and Lessons of the Northern Ireland Women's Coalition
Bronagh Hinds, Co-founder of Northern Ireland Women's Coalition
Questions and Answers
12:00-1:30 Lunch
1:30-5:00
Session II: Country Reports on Fostering Peace in Northeast Asia
Moderator: Gyung-Lan JUNG, Coordinator
The Organizing Committee of the Northeast Asian Women's Peace Conference
China : Sun Jisheng, Dean of the Department of English and International Studies, China Foreign Affairs University
Japan: Chie Yoshimura, Vice President, YWCA of Japan
Russia : Lebedeva Nina Boresovna, Member of the Women's Union of Russia, Leading Scholar at the Institute of Eastern Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences
Break
United States : Linda J.Yarr, Director, Program for International Studies in Asia, George Washington University
ROK: Young Hee CHO, Representative, Women Making Peace
Questions and Answers
18:00-19:30
Evening: Welcoming Dinner (Sponsored by Honorable Young-Hee CHOI,
Chair of Gender Equality and Family Committee, National Assembly, ROK)
■ October 6th
Morning
Strategic Meeting: Discussion regarding policy recommendations to members of parliament and representatives of Embassies of Six Party Talks.
Afternoon: Meetings with members of parliament of ROK and representatives of Embassies of Six Party Talks
Evening: Networking Dinner
■ October 7th
Field Trip: DMZ
Farewell dinner
■ Contact information
Ms. Gyung Lan Jung Coordinator
The Organizing Committee of the Northeast Asian Women's Peace Conference
Rm.401, 4th Floor, Women's Center for Equality and Peace, 94-59,
Yeongdengpo Dong 7 Ga, Yeongdengpo Ku, Seoul, 150-037, South Korea,
Email: oktongil@hanmail.net, Phone: 82-2-929-4846(office), 82-16-357-8201(cell),
Fax: 82-2-929-4843