February 20, 2019
As Presidents Trump and Kim are about to meet in Hanoi for their second summit (February 27-28), Basel Peace Office (BPO) joined an international effort to support for to support Korean Peace Process, led by the South Korean government and civil society.
BPO joined parliamentarians, mayors, academics, celebrities and civil society leaders from South Korea and over 50 other countries at the PyeongChang Global Peace Forum from February 9-11, 2019. The Forum adopted and released the PyeongChang resolution which calls on ‘Leaders at the DPRK-US Summit on 27-28 February 2019 in Vietnam [to] achieve a breakthrough with a concrete declaration of the end of the Korean War. The Summit should also result in concrete steps to implement past agreements, including those from the 2018 Summits at Panmunjom, Pyongyang and Singapore, and define a path towards the signing of a peace agreement.’
The resolution also calls for concrete steps for regional denuclearization including the establishment of Northeast Asia as a nuclear-weapon-free zone, implementation of confidence-building measures including the continued freeze of military exercises, and lifting of sanctions to enable further cooperation by the governments and citizens of the two Koreas in the fields of humanitarian, economic and social development.
The PyeongChang Global Peace Forum was held on the anniversary of the Winter Olympics Peace Initiative in PyeongChang, and took place in conjunction with sports and cultural events for peace which included Olympic sports stars a K-pop concert and a visit to the Demilitarized Zone between North and South Korea.
Basel Peace Office Director Alyn Ware speaking at the PyeongChang Global Peace Forum about the econommic benefits of peace and disarmament
‘The PyeongChang Olympic peace initiative last February and the first South Korean K-Pop concert in North Korea in April last year (attended by Kim Jong-un) demonstrated the power of joint sports and cultural events to break-down traditional animosities and forge respect and cooperation,’ says Alyn Ware, Director of the Basel Peace Office and a member of Peace and Sport. ‘As such, the PyeongChang Global Peace Forum also called for further use of sports and cultural diplomacy to support the peace process, such as a continuation of peace through the next Olympics in Tokyo with joint teams from South and North Korea.,' says Alyn who was a keynote speaker at the Forum.
'Trump and Kim may declare an end to the Korean War, which would be historic for the Korean people who have lived in a state of war for three generations' says Christine Ahn, Executive Director of Women Cross DMZ and another speaker at the Forum. 'But it would also be great for Americans as the Korean War is the U.S.' oldest war and set in motion massive defense spending which has diverted critical resources away from investments that would make America great again.'
Parliamentarians for Nuclear Nonproliferation, which is a program of the Basel Peace Office, also particpated in the PyeongChang Global Peace Forum and is actively involved in the Korean Peace Process.
PNND U.S. member Rep Barbara Lee and Congressman Ro Khanna introduced a resolution into the U.S. House of Representatives in the run-up to the Trump-Kim Summit calling for a final settlement of the Korean War, now officially in its 69th year. The resolution, which is backed by former President Jimmy Carter and a range of non-governmental organisations, urges the Trump Administration to provide a clear roadmap to achieve a final peace settlement while highlighting the importance of reciprocal actions and confidence-building measures between the parties.
In addition, US Senator Ed Markey, PNND Co-President and Ranking Member of the Senate Subcommittee on East Asia, has called for incremental sanction relief for DPRK to allow humanitarian aid followed by further sanction relief be tied to concrete, verified disarmament measures by DPRK.
PNND participants in the PyeongChang Global Peace Forum included Co-President Saber Chowdhury, who also serves as Honorary President of the Inter-Parliamentary Union, Co-President Bill Kidd who also serves as Chair of the Scottish Parliament Cross Party Group on Nuclear Disarmament, former Co-President Mikyung LEE who now serves as President of the Korea International Cooperation Agency and PNND Coordinators from India, South Korea, Central Asia and the Commonwealth of Independent States.
PNND delegation at the PyeongChang Global Peace Forum
The PyeongChang resolution also calls for progress by nuclear armed states towards global denuclearization. Bill Kidd says that the UK should take a lead by ending their reliance on nuclear weapons. ‘The Scottish Parliament and the people of Scotland firmly reject the hosting of weapons of mass destruction on Scottish soil,’ Mr Kidd told the Sunday Post. ‘Westminster should heed those calls. By taking a stand on immoral nuclear weapons, we can set a powerful example to the world, influence others and help shape the global agenda.’
The PyeongChang Global Peace Forum also adopted a more general Declaration for Global Peace which supports the Korean Peace Process, reinforces the Hague Appeal for Peace adopted in 1999, and supports diplomacy and demilitarisation worldwide in order to free resources to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals.
Basel Peace Office Director Alyn Ware will return to Korea in April 2019 to plan further cooperation with the Korean parliament and civil society to support the Korean Peace Process.
Basel Peace Office and PNND representatives at the Korea Demilitarized Zone with other participants in the PyeongChang Global Peace Forum