Correction Petition to UN Secretary general Ban Ki Moon

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Global Women Leaders Urge Ban Ki Moon to Leave Legacy of Peace in Korea

September 27, 2016 — As the end of UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon’s term approaches, global women peacemakers urge him to leave a legacy of peace for the Korean Peninsula by using his power to initiate a peace process to replace the 63-year old Armistice Agreement that halted the 1950-53 Korean War with a binding peace accord.

What: Press Conference by Co-organized by Women Cross DMZ & WILPF. Speakers include:

• Cora Weiss, President, Hague Appeal for Peace (USA)
• Kozue Akibayashi, President, WILPF (Japan)
• Suzy Kim, Professor of Korean History, Rutgers University (USA)

When: Tuesday, September 27, 2016 at 11 a.m. Eastern Standard Time ALSO LIVE VIA PERISCOPE – follow us @womencrossdmz

Where: Church Center for the United Nations, 8th Floor, Boss Room 777 United Nations Plaza (corner of 1st Ave and 44th Street), New York City, NY, USA

In an open letter signed by over 100 prominent women from 35 countries including many that participated in the Korean War, women leaders urge Ban to definitively deliver on a commitment he made in 2007, “Beyond a peaceful resolution of the nuclear issue with North Korea, we should aim to establish a peace mechanism, through transition from armistice to a permanent peace regimen.” The peacebuilding process must have significant representation of women, pursuant to UN Security Council Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace and Security.

“The Secretary-General has the opportunity to build on his legacy as the world's most important peacemaker,” says Cora Weiss. “Mr. Ban can demonstrate that nuclear threats can be met with a diplomatic recipe of engagement, lifting sanctions, and promise of trade and aid, in exchange for North Korea giving up its nuclear ambition.”

“The only so-called communication now taking place among Pyongyang, Seoul and Washington is in the form of nuclear tests, B-1 bombers, and threats of surgical strikes,” says Kozue Akibayashi, WILPF International President. “This dangerous situation which threatens everyone in the region necessitates dialogue, especially the voices of women peacemakers.”

After claiming four million lives, the Korean War was halted on July 27, 1953 when military leaders from the United States, North Korea and China signed the Armistice Agreement and promised to return within three months to work out a peace deal. Suzy Kim, Rutgers University Professor, explains, “The dangerous brinkmanship we witness today, from nuclear weapons tests to military exercises, stems from the historic fact that a peace treaty was never signed.”

Women leaders call on Secretary-General Ban to take steps now to formally end the Korean War with a peace treaty, which would lead to greater security, not only in Korea, but also globally by countering the escalating militarization in the region and the proliferation of nuclear weapons.

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Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom (www.wilpf.org)
The oldest women’s peace organization, WILPF is an international non-governmental organization (NGO) with National Sections covering every continent, an International Secretariat based in Geneva, and a New York office focused on the work of the United Nations (UN). Since our establishment in 1915, we have brought together women from around the world who are united in working for peace by non-violent means and promoting political, economic and social justice for all. Our approach is always non-violent, and we use existing international legal and political frameworks to achieve fundamental change in the way states conceptualize and address issues of gender, militarism, peace and security. Our strength lies in our ability to link the international and local levels. We are very proud to be one of the first organizations to gain consultative status with the United Nations, and the only women’s anti-war organization so recognized.

Women Cross DMZ (www.womencrossdmz.org)
Women Cross DMZ is a non-governmental organization led by women working globally for peace in Korea. In May 2015, on the 70th anniversary of the division of Korea, Women Cross DMZ led a historic women’s peace walk across the De-Militarized Zone from North to South Korea to draw global attention to the urgent need to end the Korean War with a peace treaty, reunite divided families, and ensure women’s leadership in peacebuilding. Representing 15 countries, our 30- member international delegation walked with 10,000 Korean women on both sides of the DMZ.

Our mission is to: 1.) Promote women’s leadership in the peacebuilding process in Korea; 2.) Raise awareness about the urgent need for peace in Korea; and 3.) Expand and deepen relationships with women leaders and organizations in South Korea, North Korea, and around the world.

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