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Video: Webinar on Peace and Cooperation in Northeast Asia after COVID-19: From National to Human Security
Webinar held on May 22, 2020
Coordinated by the Global Partnership for the Prevention of Armed Conflict (GPPAC) Northeast Asia
In Cooperation with AFSC, Blue Banner, Peace Boat, People’s Solidarity for Participatory Democracy (PSPD), WILPF-Kyoto
GPPAC NEA Webinar on Peace and Cooperation in Northeast Asia after COVID-19: From National to Human Security from Peace Boat on Vimeo.
Northeast Asia was the first region to be hit by the COVID-19 crisis, now a global pandemic. As well as paralyzing peoples’ lives, causing the untimely deaths of tens of thousands peoples, and disrupting the normal activities of states and economies, this pandemic has also clearly demonstrated the need to redefine security to that which is human-centred, and based on prevention. Furthermore, it is evident that the virus – just as radiation – knows no borders. Now, more than ever, regional cooperation to deal with common threats to human health and the livelihood of our planet are needed.
2020 marks 70 years since the Korean War, and 75 years since the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Further, the month of May coincides both with the Global Days of Action on Military Spending (GDAMS), and when the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty Review Conference was to take place at the United Nations Headquarters, if not postponed due to COVID-19.
At this key moment, this webinar brought together civil society representatives from the Northeast Asian region to discuss the current situation for regional cooperation for peace and cooperation, including on the Korean Peninsula. Within the current crisis, how can states and peoples come together to cooperate? What is the outlook for peace and security on the Korean Peninsula in the wake of the South Korean National Assembly election of April 15, the first major national election to be held amidst the COVID-19 crisis? How can we bring and end to the Korean War, and ensure that within these circumstances, the process for peace and denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula is firmly sustained? And, what is the role of regional and global civil society?
Watch here for analysis by speakers from China, Japan, Mongolia, the Republic of Korea and the United States to share the situation of COVID-19 in each context, the situation of military spending, and proposals for peace on the Korean Peninsula and in Northeast Asia, followed by Q&A and discussion with participants.
Speakers:
• Opening words: Yoshioka Tatsuya, GPPAC NEA / Peace Boat (Tokyo)
• Amb. Enkhsaikhan Jargalsaikhan, Blue Banner (Ulaanbaatar)
• Lee Youngah, PSPD Peace and Disarmament Center (Seoul)
• Kawasaki Akira, Peace Boat / International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (Tokyo)
• Linda Lewis, AFSC (Dalian/Seattle)
• Wang Danning, the Charhar Institute (Beijing)
• Akibayashi Kozue, WILPF-Kyoto / Korea Peace Now! (Kyoto)
Moderated by: Meri Joyce, GPPAC Northeast Asia Regional Liaison Officer
Thank you to all who joined!
