Trump-Kim summit 2019: Peace should be top on the agenda, says international feminist group
- The Korea Peace Now: Women Mobilizing to End the War feminist coalition is calling on Kim Jong-un and Donald Trump to normalise relations and prioritise a peace agreement before denuclearisation
- The group also urged Washington and Pyongyang to establish reciprocal liaison offices, and for the lifting of US sanctions
US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un should end the Korean war and include women in the process to establish lasting peace, a group of international feminist activists said on Tuesday.
“We know that when women participate, peace is not only made, but peace lasts,” said Liz Bernstein, the head of the Canada-based Nobel Women’s Initiative.
In a letter addressed to Trump and Kim last week, the campaign, which includes feminist icon Gloria Steinem and actress Jane Fonda, requested to meet with US and North Korean negotiators to discuss “an inclusive peace process that includes women at all levels”.
The participation of women in conflict resolution increases the likelihood of successful and long-lasting peace processes, according to one study published in international relations journal International Interactions.
“The possibility of the US and the DPRK declaring an end to the war is very significant – I think it sets the compass for where the relationship is heading – but it is not enough,” said Christine Ahn, executive director of the US-based Women Cross DMZ, referring to the North’s official name of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.
“I think what we need to keep pushing for is a binding agreement that changes the relationship from one in a state of war, to one that is a state of peace, that basically rules out any possibility of using military force,” Ahn said.