Sign our petition asking United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon to broker a Political Peace Conference in Korea!
Dear Activist,
Hello from Beijing, China en route to Pyongyang, North Korea! The three of us are a part of a 30-women peace delegation from 15 countries. In a few days we’ll be with North Korean women’s groups for an international peace symposium. On May 24, International Women’s Day for Peace and Disarmament, we will walk across the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) into South Korea –– only the third international group in 70 years to do so.
Our goal? To replace the 62-year-old Korean War Armistice Agreement with a Peace Accord, as a way to end the hostilities, promote reconciliation and reunite thousands of families on the Korean peninsula.
Add your voice to the action: Sign this petition asking United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon to broker a Political Peace Conference in Korea!
The Korean War Armistice Agreement stopped the horrific fighting between the US-backed South and the former Soviet-backed North that was responsible for the death of nearly four million people. Although the agreement put an end to the physical warfare, the militarization of the border, war games, skirmishes, infiltrations, and defections have continued to divide Korean families and keep the peninsula on the edge of conflict.
The Korean women who have planned this delegation are so grateful for our efforts and so eager to end this longstanding conflict. Thousands of North Koreans will walk with us to the border, where we will be met by thousands of South Koreans.
Women have historically been influential in ending seemingly intractable conflicts. Our group, which includes legendary US women’s rights advocate Gloria Steinem and Nobel Prize Laureates Mairead Maguire and Leymah Gbowee from Ireland and Liberia, respectively, hopes to forge a path that others will follow. We’re proud to represent CODEPINK on this peace pilgrimage, and we thank you for joining us. Women lead to peace!
Toward a more peaceful world,
Ann Wright, Jodie Evans, and Medea Benjamin
PS: Join our International Women’s Day for Peace and Disarmament twitter Thunderclap to share our petition far and wide! Follow the Twitter handle @WomenCrossDMZ (and of course @CODEPINK) and use the hashtag #WomenXDMZ for updates!
