Korea Peace Now!
Women Mobilizing To End The War
Korea Peace Now! Women Mobilizing To End The War is a global coalition of women’s peace organizations calling on the United States, North Korea, South Korea, and China to end the Korean War, sign a peace agreement, and to include women in the peace processes.
Read moreWhy do we need a Korea Peace Agreement?
The Korean War (1950-'53) never ended. It was merely suspended by an armistice agreement between North Korea and the United States. While the Korean War no longer consists of active fighting, hostilities between the two parties have remained high, resulting in the extreme militarization of the Korean Peninsula.
Without a peace agreement, war could break out at any time. And if war erupted on the Korean Peninsula today, it’s estimated that as many as 300,000 people would die in the first few days of conventional fighting. Because of regional treaties and agreements, such a conflict also has the potential to escalate into a much larger regional war with China.
Negotiating a peace agreement would not only end the Korean War, it would be a crucial step toward denuclearizing the Korean Peninsula. It would also improve the humanitarian conditions for millions of North Koreans, who rely on humanitarian aid to survive. And it would be a step toward shifting resources away from endless wars and to more basic human needs.
Why do women need to be involved in the Korea peace process?
Women have been at the forefront of social movements calling for peace on the Korean Peninsula. Despite this, there are very few women involved in the official Korea peace process.
For the Korea peace process to be successful, women must have a seat at the table.
Research shows that the participation of civil society groups, including women’s organizations, makes a peace agreement 64 percent less likely to fail. And when women participate in peace processes, the resulting agreements are 35 percent more likely to last at least 15 years. From Liberia to Northern Ireland, women have been instrumental in making peace agreements.
Including women's equal participation and meaningful involvement in peace processes is also a commitment of both UN Security Council Resolution 1325 of 2000 and the U.S.’s Women, Peace and Security Act of 2017, which recognize the crucial role that women play in conflict prevention, management, and resolution.
But it's not because of gender that many women are powerful peacemakers; it’s because they are advocates of feminist peace. Feminist peacebuilders believe that dialogue and cooperation, not weapons and sanctions, are the most effective routes toward creating genuine, long-lasting peace and security for all people.
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