Civil society's peninsula peace role

As the official Six-Party Talks to promote lasting peace in the Korean Peninsula have been stuck since 2009, the peace-building process should be broadened to include civil society.

The continued diplomatic and sometimes violent incidents in the region, and the overall threat of nuclear escalation, underline the urgency of establishing a more effective engagement between the Democratic People's Republic of Korea and the international community.

After the DPRK withdrew from the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty in 2003, the Six-Party Talks, involving the DPRK, the Republic of Korea, China, Japan, Russia and the United States, were established as the main conduit for international engagement in the region. The talks have essentially focused on bringing the DPRK's nuclear capabilities within the realm of international control in exchange for normalization of relations with the DPRK and technical and economic support.

However, since the sinking of the ROK corvette Cheonan and the shelling of Yeonpyeong in 2010 there has been little progress in the Six-Party Talks, and efforts to resolve the conflict at the governmental level seem to have come to a standstill.

Much has been written about the leadership change in the DPRK being an opportunity for a new dynamic in the peace-building process. But it will be difficult to assess, let alone respond, to the opportunity if no other channels of communication are established. This is where civil society can play a role.

In today's world, preventing violence or building peace is no longer the responsibility of governments alone. Experience has shown that "Track-two" talks between civil society organizations can help build trust, address grievances, establish dialogue or generate ideas and suggestions to promote more harmonious relationships between different communities.

Talks involving civil society are based on a fundamental notion of mutual respect. They start with no conditions and no preset agenda.

In order to promote civil society dialogue for peace on the Korean Peninsula, a delegation of civil society actors under the umbrella of the Global Partnership for the Prevention of Armed Conflict recently completed a five-day visit to the DPRK. The delegation included representatives from Africa, Europe, Japan and China. During the visit, the delegation met with experts, government officials and civil society representatives working on peace-building and disarmament-related issues.

The DPRK is perhaps one of the most isolated countries in the world. Clearly, there is a need to articulate and share the DPRK story and there is a level of frustration in the country why other people do not seem to be very interested or do not consider it important. Building peace does not start with agreeing on everything or compromising on key values. It starts with a dialogue where there is a willingness to listen to and respect other people.

Through its visit to the DPRK, the GPPAC has tried to contribute to the trust building necessary to start such a dialogue. Other civil society groups have been making similar efforts, sometimes with a specific focus, like the provision of humanitarian assistance.

The new leadership in the DPRK is making efforts to promote a more open economy and the normalization of international relations. So there is an opportunity for the rest of the world to provide information, share and make progress in opening-up a variety of relationships, as the DPRK establishes its own path toward future development.

It will not be easy to establish an effective civil society-oriented dialogue process, but this is the moment to make the effort, as in July 2013 it will be 60 years since the signing of the Korean Armistice Agreement. We encourage other civil organizations to work toward increased interactions with the DPRK, to establish a broader framework of engagement by the international community.

More engagement is the best response to the emerging opportunities for peace in the Korean Peninsula, which would be an important step toward establishing peace in the world.

The author is executive director of the GPPAC, the Netherlands.

(China Daily 11/01/2012 page8)