July 27, 2019
Dear President Trump:
We are writing to you on behalf of organizations around the world, many that have long worked for peace on the Korean Peninsula.
On the 66th anniversary of the signing of the Armistice Agreement that temporarily halted the Korean War, we urge you to finally negotiate a peaceful settlement to the longest standing U.S. conflict.
This unresolved war has resulted in the extreme militarization of the Korean Peninsula and taken a significant toll on the lives of millions of people, keeping families torn apart and survivors of the war unable to reconcile the painful past.
Now that high level trust has been established between you and Chairman Kim, it’s time to declare an end to the Korean War and replace the Armistice with a peace agreement. We urge you to take this crucial step in order to move towards achieving a nuclear-free Korean Peninsula.
Furthermore, at the first summit between the two Koreas, President Moon and Chairman Kim committed to negotiating a peace agreement, declaring, “there will be no more war and a new era of peace has begun on the Korean peninsula.” In the April 27, 2018 Panmunjom Declaration, they committed to “actively promote the holding of trilateral meetings involving the two sides and the United States, or quadrilateral meetings involving the two sides, the United States and China with a view to replacing the Armistice Agreement with a peace agreement and establishing a permanent and solid peace regime.”
The United States must respect the wishes of the Korean people and their governments by negotiating a peace agreement, which would take the threat of war off the table and improve the security of Koreans, Americans and the global community.
To ensure the success of the peace process, we urge you to establish a process that includes women’s equal participation. Research shows that when women participate in peace processes, the resulting agreements are more successful and durable. Women’s meaningful involvement in peace processes is a commitment of UN Security Council Resolution 1325 of 2000 and the U.S.’s Women, Peace and Security Act of 2017.
It’s time to move forward and finally bring closure to seven decades of war. A brighter future for Koreans, Americans and the world depends on it.
Respectfully yours,
Abigail E. Ruane, WILPF, International
Christine Ahn, Women Cross DMZ, International
Liz Bernstein, Nobel Women’s Initiative, International
Youngmi Cho, Korean Women’s Movement for Peace, Republic of Korea
Ahile Barnabas, Charles & Doosurgh Abaagu Foundation, Nigeria
Alexandria Kazmerik, Canadian Council of Young Feminists, Canada
Altantsetseg Noosgoi, School of International Relations & Public Administration, Mongolia
Álvaro Jiménez Millán, Colombian Campaign to Ban Landmines, Colombia
Amal El Bekri, RAPAD Maroc, Morocco
Ann Wright, Retired US Army Colonel and Diplomat, Veterans for Peace, United States
Benson Attah, Community Emergency Response Initiative, Nigeria
Beth Woroniuk, The MATCH International Women’s Fund, Canada
Carolyn Scarr, Ecumenical Peace Institute/CALC, United States
Cecili Thompson Williams, Beyond the Bomb, United States
Choon Shik Lim, Korea Mission of PC, United States
Cindy Wiesner, Grassroots Global Justice, United States
Crispin Bilo, Aube Nouvelle Pour la Femme et le Développement (ANFD), Democratic Republic of Congo
Darynell Rodríguez Torres, Global Partnership for the Prevention of Armed Conflict (GPPAC), The Netherlands
David Hartsough, Peaceworkers, United States
Debbie Stothard, ALTSEAN-Burma, Burma
Dragana Sarengaca, Nansen Dialogue Centre Serbia, Serbia
Edwina Hughes, Peace Movement Aotearoa, New Zealand
Emily Rubino, Peace Action New York State, United States
Enzo Cursio, UN-FAO Nobel Alliance for Food Security and Peace, International
Gertrude Kenyangi, Support for Women in Agriculture and Environment (SWAGEN), Uganda
Gordana Subotic, Association Dea Dia, Serbia
Grace Lee, Morris J. Wosk Centre for Dialogue, Canada
Hisae Ogawa, CODEPINK, Ogawa, Japan
Iain Overton, Action on Armed Violence, United Kingdom
Igballe Rogova, Kosovo Women’s Network, Kosovo
Jaehak Lee, WDF, Republic of Korea
Jang Sun Hwa, Korean Women’s Alliance, Republic of Korea
Janis Alton, Canadian Voice of Women for Peace, Canada
Jargalsaikhan Enkhsaikhan, Blue Banner, Mongolia
김정호, 민화협, Republic of Korea
Jennifer Deibert, Mennonite Central Committee, United States
Jeongsoo Kim, Women Making Peace, Republic of Korea
Jodie Evans, CODEPINK, United States
Joni van de Sand, MenEngage Global Alliance, United States
Jung-A Lee, Kyunggi Women’s Associations United, Republic of Korea
Justine Kwachu Ngum Kumche, Women in Alternative Action (WAA), Cameroon
Kelly Campbell, Oregon Physicians for Social Responsibility, United States
Liza Maza, Gabriela Women’s Alliance, Philippines
Lukudu William, Community Empowerment for Progress Organization (CEPO), South Sudan
Mabel Bianco, Fundacion para Estudio e Investigación de la Mujer, Argentina
Maja Vitas Majstorovic, Global Partnership for the Prevention of Armed Conflict (GPPAC), The Netherlands
Mary E. Hunt, Women’s Alliance for Theology, Ethics, and Ritual (WATER), United States
Mary-Ellen Francoeur, Pax Christi Toronto, Canada
Dr. Mary-Wynne Ashford, Physicians for Global Survival, Canada
Mavic Cabrera Balleza, Global Network of Women Peacebuilders, United States
MayaKatsitadze, International Center on Conflict and Negotiation (ICCN), Georgia
Medea Benjamin, CODEPINK, United States
Meehyang Yoon, The Korean Council for Justice and Remembrance for the Issues of Military Sexual Slavery by Japan, Republic of Korea
Megumi Komori, The International Movement Against All Forms of Discrimination and Racism, Japan
Melissa Weale, Voices of Women for Peace, Canada
Meri Joyce, Peace Boat, Japan
Mi Kyung Han, Korean Women’s Alliance, Republic of Korea
Michele Di Paolantonio, AIMPGN Italian Medical Association for the Prevention of Nuclear War, Italy
Myung Ji Cho, KANCC, United States
Neema Namadamu, SAFECO – Synergy of Congolese Women’s Associations, Democratic Republic of Congo
Nighat Said Khan, ASR Resource Centre and the Institute of Women’s Studies Lahore, Pakistan
Noor Ul Ain, Pakistan Red Cross, Pakistan
Patricia Talbot, The United Church of Canada, Canada
Patrick Hiller, War Prevention Initiative, United States
Pamhidzai Thaka, ECLF, Zimbabwe
Park Jung Eun, People’s Solidarity for Participatory Democracy, Republic of Korea
Paula Banerjee, The Sanskrit College and University, India
Pat Cunningham, Missionary Society of Saint Columban, Republic of Korea
Petra Tötterman Andorff, The Kvinna till Kvinna Foundation, Sweden
Priscilla M Achakpa, Women Environmental Programme, Nigeria
Rachelle Lyndaker Schlabach, Mennonite Central Committee U.S. Washington Office, United States
Rasha Jarhum, Peace Track Initiative, Canada
Dr. Rebecca Johnson, Acronym Institute for Disarmament Diplomacy/ICAN, United Kingdom
Rola Hallam, CanDo, United Kingdom
Rose Othieno, Center for Conflict Resolution/GPPAC ECA, Uganda
Ruby Khalifah, The Asian Muslim Action Network (AMAN), Indonesia
Sarah Jewell, Gbowee Peace Foundation Africa-USA, United States
Sharada Adhikari, Women Empowerment Against Poverty of Nepal, Nepal
Shawn Kim, One Heart for Justice, United States
Shireen Huq, Naripokkho, Bangladesh
Shirine Jurdi, MENAPPAC/GPPAC, Lebanon
Susannah Choi, National YWCA of Korea, Republic of Korea
Sybille Fezer, Medica Mondiale, Germany
Uma Mishra-Newbery, Women’s March Global, Switzerland
Vana Kim Hansen, LA Korean Peninsula Neutralization, United States
Visaka Dharmadasa, Association of War Affected Women, Sri Lanka
Yeshua Moser-Puangsuwan, Nonviolence International Canada, Canada
Youngdong Lee, KCRC, Republic of Korea