The members of the global campaign Korea Peace Now! Women Mobilizing to End the War are saddened and dismayed by the recent mass resignation of staff at the Nobel Women’s Initiative. We are especially concerned given that the majority of resignations were by women of color, including several Korea Peace Now! consultants.
The Nobel Women’s Initiative has been one of the four pillars of Korea Peace Now! and a key supporter of women’s peacebuilding on the Korean Peninsula and around the world. Their significant contributions have advanced our efforts to achieve peace on the Korean Peninsula.
In response to the resigned staff’s call for an investigation, the Nobel Women’s Initiative has begun the process of an independent external review “to examine the issues and concerns raised by staff.” In light of this and the need to devote fully to their internal process, the Nobel Women’s Initiative has withdrawn from the Korea Peace Now! campaign and its Co-Executive Director Liz Bernstein has stepped down as Co-Coordinator. Christine Ahn will reassume the role as International Coordinator of Korea Peace Now!
The remaining core partners of Korea Peace Now! — the Korean Women’s Movement for Peace, Women Cross DMZ, and Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF) — will continue to carry on the work of the campaign.
In our work to transform the world to be more peaceful, just, equitable and inclusive, we must embody and practice these very values in our own organizations. We sincerely hope that the Nobel Women’s Initiative will undergo the necessary work so that it can live up to its principles as a fully committed feminist peace organization and emerges better and stronger in order to help address the extraordinary challenges facing our world.
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