Peace and Reconciliation at the Korean DMZ (UN Office Geneva)
By Srruthi Lekha Raaja Elango
On March 17, the Women's UN Report Network and WFWPI organized a virtual CSW66 parallel event on “Peace and Reconciliation at the Korean DMZ.” In the spirit of UN SC Resolution 1325, this event successfully managed to engage actors and stakeholders in envisioning a new future in and across the Demilitarized Zone of Korea through the creation of a physical and virtual space to bring together women and youth working towards peace and shared prosperity in Korea and worldwide. The ultimate goal of these discussions were to go beyond the political, physical and mental barriers to reconciliation and development through envisioning a landscape for Korean women from North and South to meet, as well as an international hub for women, peace and the environment, building on events of this theme presented at the UN Human Rights Council and at CSW66.
The event began with a warm welcome from Mrs. Carolyn Handschin, the Director of WFWPI Offices for UN Relations. She invited then Dr. Anna Grichting from the University of Vermont to address the gathering as the keynote speaker. Through her experience as an urbanist, Dr. Grichting presented on the need of building peace zones at national borders and their characteristics. From the example of the Berlin Wall to her success stories in Cyprus, it was very inspiring to learn from such models and aim for a similar one at the DMZ. Following her, Dr. Sung-Hwan Son, President, World Wildlife Fund (WWF) Korea and former Ambassador to Sweden presented remarks via video message, where he strongly insisted on the need for coexistence of all species and people, creating a sustainable space in even very conflicting regions.
Mrs. Handschin then welcomed Dr. Colette Mazzucelli, Graduate Faculty, New York University, to lead a round table discussion with Ms. Lois A Herman, Managing Director, Women's UN Report Network; Mrs. Carolyn Handschin, Director, Offices for UN Relations, Women's Federation for World Peace International; and Korean and other international youth representatives.
This discussion covered topics beginning from the need for such a creative space in the DMZ to the nature of the DMZ and its compatibility related to such an initiative. Adding to these important aspects of the goal, some action-oriented topics were also discussed, such as how to mobilize the governments to commit more such causes and initiatives. Beyond that, the panel also took the chance to explore the emotions and attitudes of the Korean population and why there is a substantive lack of interest in Korean unification, especially among the Korean youth.
After a very constructive discussion, the panelists concluded by presenting ways for constructive action and solutions to the hurdles which might arise through the due course of such initiatives.
