19th Women's Federation for World Peace Europe Annual Conference

19tih Women’ Federation for World Peace Europe Annual Conference June 4, 2021 https://w” ,,·.voutube.conl/,\.’atch’!,•=uvN ,•m11TUU8

“Co-creati,ig Spaces for Peace & Reconciliatio,, 011 tlie Korea,, Pe11i11sula. lVl,al Steps Are Wo,,,e,, Tt1ki11g To,vard S11stai1,able Peace ?” Dr. Julia Moon. President, \Vomen ‘s Federation for World Peace International Julia Moon has erved a Director General of Univer aJ Ballet ince 1996 and is Vice Chairwoman of the Sun Hak Educational Foundation, responsib1e for the

adn1inistration of Sun H\va Arts Middle and Higl1 chools and five other chool in Seoul. Welcomine, remarks Dr J ulia Moon extended a warm welcome and appreciation to all on behalf of the Co-Founder Dr Hak Ja Han Moon, affectionately known as Mother Moon. She conveyed Dr &Mr Moon teaching that u tainable peace i e tablished based on a culture of heart and connectedne . which hru, always been the focus of WFWP. Political solutions are necessary bt1t they require the support of personal and cuiltural interconnection to avoid war cau ed by divi ion on ariou level . he te tified to Mother Moon’s promotion of world peace through con ening people beyond historical barriers under the motto ’ Peace starts ,vilh Me.’ This is now being expanded to families, societies and the world with women playing the central role alongside men. he n1entioned recent in-person gatherings and online Ral lies of Hope ,vith world leaders. These culminated in Think Tank 2022, created by Mother Moon and chaired by former U Secretary General Ban Ki Moon, to upport the peaceful reunification of Korea and global peace. She described the heart of Mother Moon as one of motherly love, connecting with people ,vorldwide and seeking to end suffering caused by poverty, war and family breakdown. She empha i ed her teaching that humankind need to reconnect wi th our Original, pirituaJ ource ru one fami ly and pre erve our planet. She concluded by thanking all the panellists for their contributions.

Mrs. Mitty Tobma, \VFWP Europe Vice-President, Her acti itie range from promoting \Vomen ’ s leadership and valued based education programmes to empo\vering youth and civil society. She has organised meetings in the K parliament to address issues of domestic violence, empo\verment, and the dignity of ,vomen.

Dr. Yang Ho Hong, Former Vice-Minister of nification, North Korea Social Research Centre President, “Women’s Leader hip for Reconciliation and Peace - ca e in orth and outh Korea’’ Dr. rlong Yang Ho provided some background to the current situation on the Korean Peninsula. Referring to the attempts of peace acti,·:ists to end recurring ,vars, he acknowledged ,that their effortc; to promote peace and reconciliatio11 are hindered by 1human elfi ·hne s. He explained tl1at the Korean Penin!)ula has re1nained divided si11ce I 945 following 36 years of Japanese rule and that the post Korean War armistice (1953) reinforced hostilities bet\veen two opposing ideologies, hi ndering reconcil,iation and ret1 nification. De cribing outh Korea’ approac:h to reunification as gradual and functionalist, he ays tl1c focu i on a peaceful route with ar111 co11trol, ba ed on the German reunification model. emphasi ing communicatio11 in no11-political area . GOs and wo111cn’s organis,1tions have pro ided fi11ancial and humanitarian assistance. Inter-Korean ,vomen leaders’ seminars occurred ,in the 90s under the title “Peace in Asia & the Role of \Vomc11., The meetings expanded to include other \-\’Omen ,s , ubgroup. later. De. pite go ernmental r•e triction , he maintain the women ‘s exc·hange created a friendly atmosphere. upporting mutual understanding; ho,vever. meetings occur intermittently depending on the relationship bct\veen the orthern and Southern authorities. Although 011h Korea proclaims wo,ncn,s rights, he believes limitations arc imposed by a strict patriarchal society and national policies. Referring to a fe\v key women leaders who have recently en1erged, l1e view thi a the re ult of a trong network with tho e in power rat her tl1an a general improvement in “’’omen’s rights. Ile ackno\vledges that women’s status may rhave in1pro ed a little since 20 IO due to the expansion •o f the market cconon1y. In his opinion, orth Korea ‘s response to South Korea is controlled and pragmatic, aiming to secure economic benefits. Perceiving South Korea ‘s econon1ic progre s a a tl1rcat, orth Korea prefers n1eeting tl1at promote their po licy and take a more political and militaristic approach. which he claim impedes peace. The ovid lockdo\vn, poor Cllina-US relationl) and nuclear \VC,lpons il)sues have also stalled the procel)l). Against this backdrop, he presented seven points supporting \-vomcn ‘s role in reunification. I . Women ‘s nature of inclusiveness, non-violence and patience support peace and reconciliation 2. Internationally renowned. cornpetent peace-loving women leader. , uch as hancellor Merkel, could play a significant role. 3. International leadership-level ,vomen’s solidarity activities could promote a campaign for reconciliation a11d peace in Korea and request high-pos ition international women leaders to participate and engage ,vith orth Korean women leader.. 4. Multilateral internatior1al ,vornen’ n1eeling inclLJding orth and oulh Korean rcpresenttltives can mitigate confrontation t11tll arisel) in bilateral North/South 1ncelings. 5. Conservati ve and liberal women in the South should cooperate to promote orth-South women leadership meetings, focusing on culture a11d women-related issues to increase homogeneity and cooperation. 6. Over ea trai11ing programmes hould be offered to elile orth Korean women. 7. Women leaders in the South ~hould trai11 in reconcilit1tion, peace. and integration through cooperating with North Korean refugee wo1nen settled in South Korea. He 1hopes thi information , erve. as a basi. for wo men leader. mediating between North and outh Kore,1.

Hon. Emanuela Del Re, Fornier Vice Minister Foreit,:n Affairs; President of the Standing ommit,tee on the i1nplementation of Agenda 2()3() and Sustainable Development Expert on onflict tudies, ll,lly She has co11ducted field research in co11flict zones ru1d areas in tran ition since 1990, following the so iaJ-poliitical- cconomic tran. fonnation of countrie. and regions ~,uch a. the Balkans, the aucasu. , 011h Africa. the Middle ·a,t and other. l ion. Del Re tl1ankcd WFWP for the in ittttion and for the congratult1tions on l1cr appoi11tmcnt together ,vith t,vo other ladies a.~ speciltl EU Representative. for the Sahle. h is the first Italian ,voman to hold the position. Despite advanceme11ts in engaging women in pe,tce proce ses, she considers the topic relevant as 111a11y issue ’ still require appropriate solution . Pas ·i11g 111any re ‘olutions, uch as 1325, aJone i insufficient; Lhcy must be implcn1ented. Since lhc principles in the resolutions have been reiterated, the importance and necessity of enhancing women’s role ,in peace processes is now general ly understood. She recalled the disastrous peace proce~s in Syria some years ago wl1ere wome11 were completely excluded ar1cl otl1er situations. \vhere wo111en entered the pro ·es · at a later ‘tage to give added value, bL1t without contribLltio11. owadays. ,due to cultL1ral cht1nge, women Cttn be involved from the inception of the process. She emphasised the importance of \V01nen leading 1med iations and negotiations in peace processes as representati e · of tJ1e fe111i11i11e part of the populatio11. thu · n1aking tl1e111 1nore inclu ·ive. I ler experience ha~ taughl her, however, tllat involving wo1nen does not auto111atically guartmtee a positive contribution. She emphasised qual ity o er quant ity and noted the dtmger of fu lfil ling 1

qL1otas to create a gender balanced ptmel. Being a nominal representative is insL1fficient. Active representation witl1 a ~ubsta11tial contribution is required. Having obser ed so1ne wo1nen n1anage co111plex ·ituatio11s in the field, she was ~on1etin1e di ·~ati fied with the re ‘Ult, thus ~1ighligl1ting the need for c1ualit)’ While the freedom to engage in processes tmd speak out should be available to all \Vomcn, it is often not crtain oc1ctie arc reluctant to accept \VOmcn ‘s active part,icipat1on and may try to conceal this through token. fen1ale position~. lf this is observed. women sl1ould connect with each other lo enter such scnsiti c areas and st1are about \V01t1cr1’s opportunities. ‘I ecl1nology and networking can support. She restated the impont1ncc of including wo1n en in all decision-nittking processes pttrticular,ly in the West; otherwise, decision. wil l be made concern ing them without their invol cmcnl. J’h1s must be part of c erybody’ a\varcne · .

Mme. imena Bartolome Tocino, Deputy fiend at the Embassy of Spain in Mo1.amhi<1ue Madatne XBT co1111ne11ced her speech by tl1anking WFWP trnd proceeded to share her vision for sustainltblc peace fro1n three perspectives.

I . As a diplomat of pain, she listed pain’s achievements in the U and 11 E regarding \vomen and peace. Spain ensured \vomcn, peace and ·ccurity” Agenda (Re olut1(ln 1325) had practical content. It launched roc,1I Point ct,vork and ·hared bc ·t practices fro111 • cco11d National Action Plt111 for Won1cr1, Peace and ccurity’ (20 17- 2023). 1pain ‘s initiative ‘’commitn1cnt 2025’’ \vith Fir1lru1d guarantee~ full participation of women

in peace projects by 2025 ,ind its contributic, n to \VPI-I F ~trengthens post-conflict so<.:ietie~. Furthennore. it participated in E Task Force for MPS a11d sig11ed MoU \vitl1 E OWAS 2. a pa11ish c.liplo111at i11 Mozarnbique, st1e has bce11 involved ir1 tl1c ongoing UN peace process since 20 l 9 and believes .. pain’s leadership of 1: b, Bc1j1ng -t- 25 ensures concrete commitments by Govemn1cnts, the private . ector and civil society. he stres ed that reconcil iation and peace require eco11omic ju~tice and ern powercd wornen . Econo,nic ju~tice allows access to decent jobs. project financing a11d digitalization. As ir1clusive fair-trudc policies rc(1uirc \Vorncn ‘s input, the 4 partish progra1nrnc Focus fricu 2023 ’ holds regular meetirlgs witl1 African \.vomen entrepreneurs, ,highlighting the . ustai11ability of women-led co1npanic . . Girls are empowered by seeking STEM career~. en. trring their fu ll participation in international trade. As \Vtfe, mother and professional , she emphasised women’s role i11 mediating conflict. , educating youtl1 to offer other-1n inded solutions and in prt1ctisi ng ernpathy. Thus, globa1lconflicts urc ·ol cd 1through futu re oriented solidarity a11d reconciliation. he co11cludcd that women ‘s leadership i11 peace procc. sc achieves 111orc lasti11g peace a everyone givc!l to the other, resulting in mutually shared benefits I lencc, \VOmcn’s arguments counter cxtrcm,1st, opportunistic narratives. Since women notice ten. ion. pre edi ng violence. they quickly rebui ld p ace. Referring to 1325 U S Re olution, h clai med that it i. the fir. t legal in. tru1nent to r cognise the disproportionate sufferi rlg of wo111en in armed connicts and the firl-it to highlight the role of ,vo111cn in prcvc11ting and rc~ol ing conflict~.

Final ly, ~he co11veyed l1ow experience has taught l1er tl1at ‘advances arc 01ade by people, not by mcchanisn1s or proces~cs.’ The attitude of the listener ttnd tra11smiltcr of an idea determines ,vhcthcr it ts archivcd or activated ’ . I lcncc, commitment to action i key lo recognising thousands 4

of worn n who ha risked their Ii e for the au. e.

Mirae Team The lirae Team, Present tl1cir Survey of K<,rcan Y t,utl1 on ·•Reunification,,

‘Mirac’ is a proJcct of Women’s l·cdcrat1on for World Petlce (\VFWP) Koretl, \Vhich r~ aimed t<>wt1rd, yourtg people in their 2()~ a11d 3()s . Bused on tl1c \VI,.\\ f>’s v,si<>n lo rcaliLc 011c globttl fan1ily rooted in a culture of sui-.tainable p ace, we are planning acti\•itie. to foster the n xt generatio11 of \vomcrt and create a positive i11nucnce on Korea11 ~oc1ely. vronJu Yoo ‘fhc Mtrac tca,n , a you11g ladies’ initiative, is a project of Wf-”WP Korea. aimed towards people in their t,vcnties and thirties. ra,noml No1oe The tean1 pre~ented the re1-,ull~ of a ~t,r ey conducted on South Korean young people (20~&30s) to under tand Ll1eir ie,v~ 011 Korean rcco11ciliation. The re~ult of current stud ies on Korean ttnitication ar1d re onciliation in outh Korea indicate that the yot1nger generation prefers reconciliation to reunification . The ptJrpo. e of this re. earch, however, \Vas to underi-.tar1d th pcr~pe tives of the younger generation ba~cd on tl1rec point~: the pro~ and con~ of reunification, tltc irnportancc of the N and s ,tnd tl1e im portance of women’s role. Regarding t,hc pro · and cons of reunification: Over 92 % of the rc~pondcnts were po ·itive toward reunificatio11 \vitl1 42% . nyir1g it would contribute to ,vorld pcac , 24% believing it \vould enhance economic de elopmcnt and 12% agreeing it would unite familie. . A small p rcentage (7 .5%) viewed reunification negatively due to eco11on1ic (66% ) or political (33%) di fficultie~. Regarding the ianportance of the U a11d GOs in reunification, aln1o~l half the respondents believe tl1c play. an important role, whil. t almost 70 % consider G . importa11t. ll cgard1ng tt1c importance of \VOmcn ‘s role in rct1nification. over 8()% view it as important.

Based on the . urvey results and analy. i., they present,ed a two-part action plan: A) reate a platfonn for youth to di. cus. reL1nificat ion topics near the DMZ to facilitate peace with support from ithe U to ensure safety. It would b available for co1nmunicating with orth Korean wo111en and youtl1. B) et up projects to offer practical assistance to orth Korean wotnen and youth. Thi. \Vould in olve rwo a. ·peel. (i) educati11g outh Korean \vornen and teenager. aboltt the cu ln1raJ difference a11d ircu1nsta11 e~ of their orth Kor an counterparts (ii) supporting orth Korcru1 women with blli)ic needs through sending them health and hygiene products. They concluded by inviting suggestions from GOs in support of their project.

‘Women’ Leader hip for Reconciliation and Peace in the Korean Penin ula’ Dr. Lan Youne Moon, Co-Chair, Korean Council on Reconciliation and Co<>pcration 2003-2010 Professor, unHak 11iversal Peace Graduate University urrent enior Advisor, Won1en ‘s federation for World Peace Experience: 2000 - May 20 14 WFWP, lnten1ational president , Kor~, pre. ider1t Mar. 2001 Muy 20 14 : Co-chair, Korea Council for Reconciliation and ooperation Joint repre. entati e. All Korean 01nmittee for the Implementation of the June 15 Joint Declaration l999 - 2014: made 19 t1u1Tianitarian itrip, to orth Korea to prornote reconci liation and peaceful rcunific,1tio11 of the two Koreas. Professor Moo11 expressed her appreciation for the opportunity to ~hare her personal experience of the Korean peace and reconci liation proce. s. With the inauguration of W F\.VP by Rev. & Dr. Moon in 1992, \vomen were called to lead 1n creating a ‘peaceft1l \Vorld ru1d one glol1al family ’ \Vlth special emphce is on healing the tnlgic di i. ion of the Korean 1Penin. ula. [n 200 I, tc11 cars aficr Re & Dr Moon ‘s historic visit to ortJ1 Korea, Prof. Moon, a orth Korean by birth who escaped to the South ir1 1950, traveilled to the Nortl1 as a WF\VP represe11talive with a group of women leader. to meet their orth Korean counterparts. Through meetings, di, cu. ions and tours, they caught a glimp. e of tl1e heart-breaking . uffering of the people. On her return to the South, Prof Moon initiated the ’ 1% Lo e Share Projccl’ to upport wo111cn and children in the orth. The project received national acc lain1 r,1ng,ing from the First Lady to organi. ation. nationwide \Vith the active support of WFWP. The en. ui11g donation. •enabled them to send twice or thrice annt1ally rnuch needed food , taple., warm clothing and . chool . upplie. , which opened the heart. of ortl1 Korean . . In 2007, tl1c ·world Women Leaders Assc1nbly’ \Vith 740 representatives from 50 nations wa held i11 Mt. Kuni-Gang, orth Koren. Encouraged by Rev & Dr Moon, supported by tl1e authorities and with lO orth Korean delegates in attendance, it was the fi rst such e,,ent involving women from orth and South Kofea together wi,th international repre entative. to promote peace and reunification. Despite diverging iewpoints, the closing programn1e with a• andlelight Prayer for Peace• in ti lled great hope. The North Korean ackno\.vlcdgcd the cvc11t as l1istorical and unforgettable and 1both Koreas recogni. ed its success. Rev & Dr Moon believe peaceful reunification 1s od ,s plan and hould be approac hed accordingly, particularly with ,vomen leader, practi. ing love through . ervice ba. ed on Mother Moon ’ in piring e ample of demon trating motherly love for the world as ’ Mother of Peace.•

Entertainn1ent:

M : Marcia de Abreu, WF\VP E Secretary General, At the end of the fir t e io11, Marcia de Abreu, WFWP Pre idenl in Spain, \Vas the MC for the entertainment program. She introduced the first piece \Yhi ch \Vas provided by a music g roup of fifteen orth Korean students called the ·Pyongyang Mt1ndham1onika En emble’ playing the mouth organ. They had studied music and culture in Austria and performed both traditional Ko rean a11d ustriar1 songs. It \Vas very powerful moment to . ee the , tudents from thi. nation clouded in tny tery with o much de ire to perform we11, like any other young musician of their age.

Thi. \Vas followed by a doct1met1tary video about the i it of the Little Angels, a outh Korean Children’ Folk BaJ let ito orth Korea in 1998. It featured some of their performance and hov ed the deeply emotional reactions of the orth Korean at1die11ce. young and old. Friendshi ps were forged benveen you 11g girls from both nations in that . hart vi. it that eemed to leave all i,n tears as they ht1gged each other al the train station ju t before departure. The ’ Little Angels’ , was established by the Rev. St1n Myung Moon and Or. Hak Ja Han Moon in 1962 to convey the peace-loving pirit of the Korear1 people and Korean culture and art to the world. They have performed all around the \Vorld including a exclusive performances for .S. President E isenh ower and K’s Margaret ·1·hatct1er.

SESSIO 2: Project, Partner.ships and Implementation Mrs. Carolvn Handschin-Moser, President NGO Committee on the Status of Women, Geneva. M, Hand. chin noted that one of the greate. t impediment to peace and ecL1rity i the de-personalization of the enemy. Seeing t he face of the young 1

talentedorth Korean entertainers helps us to replace stereotypes. he explained that this session on ‘’Projects, Partnerships and Implementation’’ revolves around a project proposal of Wl-’ \VPI for the creation of a pecial 1neeting place, or peace zone for the women of orth and Sout1h Korea to work together toward peace ru1d hared pro perity. To be loc,1ted at the border that cw·rcntly d ivides them, the DMZ, this is intended to be a g1·ound breaking for a larger plan to develop the entire area for peaceful use. The Special Rapporteur on DPRK, Mr Tomas ~ea ha been a vocal upporter of the project through a erie. of Hwnan Right ouncil e ent orgrutlzed 011 the therne with WFWPl and partner1>. As good idea bring people together. this project reached the vi ionary urban de igner Dr. Anna Grichting from Geneva, who \Vil) be our keynote speaker \Vho has been investing her great expertise to develop a project arou nd the idea, calling it the ··,vomcn’ s :peace garden’’.

Dr. Anna Grichtin2, Founder of Border Meetine;s, Switzerland, Harvard Profesor, Diversity of Geneva ’ Women’ s Peace Garden Project al the DMZ’. Based on her vast experiences as designer of bo rder zones in contlicted area~ arou nd the world, Dr. Grichting explained almo t poetically that co-creation enable reconnectior1. inclu iver1e . tru t building and togetherness. She is very eager to be \.vorking \Vith the WFWPI project pro posal. It is not only important for women to be involved in peace processes, but all stakeholders in society need to play a role; onl y then will la ting peace be achieved. She i a trong pro111oler of Women, pea e and nature: Dr. Grichting met Wru1gari Matthai the Nobel Pmtce Prize laureate fr,o m Kenya . Fo r the first time , the Peace Prize has been awarded in the context of ••w omen- Peace and Environment”: referring to the G reen Belt Mo ement started in Kenya. Anotl1er topic dear to her heart i to help people frnd the balance between forgetting tmd forgiving and thus create a ‘’landscape” of memories that honour all ictitns. Recalling Ro bert Schumann’ s \vords when l1c described ’ borders as the scars of history’, Dr. Grichring env isions the trar1sformatio n of tl1ese scars of Iii story into beat1tiful scars. Sl1e n1entio ned suct1 example as the •w al l Park’ in Berl in, the ‘Green Belt’ along the former Iron urtain and the 1

planned ‘Garden of Forgiveness’ in Beintt (Lebanon) \.vhich has not yet been cornpleted. A similar proj ect is being planned for C yprus, and it is her ,d esire to h,tve it i1nplemented soon. Such Peace Parks can be a tool to create space for rapprochement and reconcil1iatio n in every di vided society and . he is alread y de. igning plan. about ho\v thi P,e ace G arden could look. The idea creating ru1 area at the DMZ \Vhere won1en fro1n orth Korea at1d outl1 could n1eet, build friend hip and do peacebuilding together had been originally promoted to her by Carolyn Handschin /WFWP and they plai1 to collaborate in n1aking the vision become a reality.

Respondents to the Peace Park Project: Chiara Francesca Caraffa, Communications expert, journalist. Ms Caraffa collaborates wi th Eurocomunicazione, a European think tank under the patronage of the Italian repre~entation. of the European 01nmi. ·ior1 and Parliai11ent. M . Caraffa empha i ed the nece sity for inve tmenl at variou level in order to achieve this truly inclusive and concrete go,tl of the peaceful ret1nification of the two Koreas. Without d oubt, effective communication is pivotal in bringi,ng people’s minds and hearts together, particularl people ‘s hearts. A commL1nication style that simplifies langu,1ge makes the most important contents accessible to a greater nt1mber of people \Vorldwide. It is ,1Jso neccssr1ry to speak to institut:ional audiences to request acti on to contribute to changing the lives of a g reate r number of people . This omrnunication hct. to be fai r, non-offen ive, non-di. criminatory. clear and above all, verifiable at1d tru l\vorthy. M~. Caraffa also mentioned ~cars and boundaries, which can be viewed as milestones for change. She expressed her hope for the DMZ to become such an example. She expressed her 1

upport for WFWP and 1nd1cated her wi llingne s, togetl1er wi th • urocommunicatione’, to di eminate adequate information 011 the ubject ru1d contribute to thi cau e. Finally, he mentioned the value of online digital platform and live broadcasts as the only routes for infor1nation to travel unfiltered and the need for corrununication professionals to recei ve greater trai ning in these areas.

Prof. Kyung Do uh, Fornier 111ember, Advi ory om1nittee for Dcn1ocralic Peace and Unification, South Korea, ‘International Cooperation Plan for DMZ \ Vorld Peace Parktt, Prof Kyu ng Do uh dcl1vcrcd a presen tation on ·1 urn ing the DMZ i11to a Peace lo11c’ Prof. Suh higl1lighted the role of NGO · in dealing with is ue concerning human rights, poverty-eradication and e11vironmental protection tls 011e of utmost importance in preparation for the reunitication of orth and outh Korea. Since GO repre ·ent the international comn1unity. lhey can obtain humru1itariru1 aid, rai ·e tlwtircne · ru1d bring about u chu11ge in perception of the international community. They also contribt1tc to eco11omic develop1nent and thus can counter ht1manitarian crises. GO~ are much more interested in finding sol ution~ than confrontation. They 1have the potential to a~ ·i ·t oppo ing parties in fir1di ng cornrno11 ground for the ·ake of peace and progres’ in o io- economic development. Prof. Suh pointed out tl1e importance of culturt1l heritt1gc, envisioning the DMZ as a place of music, cu lture and the arts. He hopes the DMZ \viii become an international peace park as a model for peace not only for the two Koreas, but for the \vorld and that it will be pro1noted as t\ &..,.., 0 heritage. Regarding tl1e success of international NGO acti itie ·, Dr Suh belie e · the tno ‘l importa11l factor is the albility to make ftur ru1d humane poliC)’ dccisio11s based on the universal values of humankind. In conclusion, Prof. Sult . tated that reuni t1cation need. a specific a11d realistic road 1nap \Vith substantial tep. .

Dr. Beatrice Bischof, TV ,l <>urnalist, B<>ard Me111ber F<Jreil!n Affairs Association, Germ~m y Dr. Bischof described her experience \Vith Moroccan ,vomen who produce goods that are very specific to their country and cuiture. She mentioned how they engage young entrepreneur to help with the marketing: thu ‘. income can be generated locitlJy. Dr. Bischof believes there i ’ a strong conncctio11 bct\vccn u ·tt1blc cconon1y and pence. Regarding 0 1th Korean wo1nen who also need to generate an i11co1ne for their fanulie ·• ·he pondered on tl1e idetl of t\ po ·ible product pecific to both Koreas in order to initittte a sirnilar proje t. The idea of harvesti11g Ulld selling Ginseng as a local product emerged. This could be .:1 project of cooperation bct\vecn South and orth Korean women that could be developed in tl1c •·Korean Women ‘s l’ cacc Garden’’.

Isabella Krapf, Vice-chair, Korean Cultural Center, Vienna,.M ·. Krapf is an At1strian harmonicist and harmonictt tcttchcr. She started to teach in North Korea. beginning ,vith 120 students. She later brought 15 students from orth Korea to V icnna to learn htirmon ica and perform 1n concert~ 1n Europe.While \Vorking in orth Korea during four visits. Ms. Krapf learned th.:1t there are many songs about 1

nification. I he desire 1n people • heart to unite again - and - Korea . eemed to be . trong! strong basis for ret1nification i. 1the common culture. orth and outh Korea have a com1non history and that can pave a \vay to t1ndersta11d each other despite long years of separation. When M . Krapf alway · looked for the opportu11itie~ to help people u11der ·tand the Korean ullure.Having ‘a ed over 4500 photos fron1 l1er vi ·its. ·he held exhibitions and tried to in1prove the perceptions about orth Korea. She explained tl1at one of tl1e greate ·t ile in in orth

Korea it’. ithc “ \Vomcn of rcu111 fi cation’’, a huge arch with a North and ~oulh K or,can woman who reunite! o the orth Koreans already know tl1at p ace and reunilication is ~tarting with tl1e ,vorner, ‘s rnovement and this is very i1nportant I tl1ink for u~ to work with.

Mr. Heiner Handschin, Director of PF Office for I N -Geneva Mr. H,tndschin expre ·sed great st1pport for the idea of a park for reconciliation or rttpprochcment. which ,vould serve as a space where communication can begin ane,v after a division of more than 70 years. He also emphasised the benefits of establi shi ng a fifth ffi ce at the DMZ, an idea which has been discu~sed on ariou~ occa~ions. lt would be a huge step to con ert ll1is area from a poi11t of £ero co1n111u nication into a centre of international intcre t and diplom,1cy. There arc four major offi ces are located in the U (NY) and uropc (Geneva, Vie11na) ttnd fn a ( ddi Ababa), bt1t sia, ,vhich 1s home to 60 % of the world’ s population. lacks such a centre of diplorn,ttic 11egotiatio11 and global peace solutions. Referring lo the . ituation in Germany in the months leading up to the collapse of the Iron u11ain, Mr. Hnndschin cited lau. J. Ot1isburg v ho said that at th beginning of the year in 1989 no one con~i dered it pos5ible that tl1e iron curtain a11d the Berlin wall ,vou1d fall. but in October the ~a,ne year it did! People were t,tke11 co1npletely by ~urprise. ’ When ll1crc is an idea for ,vhicl1 the ti1nc 1

has come 1it ,viii happen ,u1d no one can prevent it!’ Finally, Mr. Handscl1in encouraged a pence process where women ha e a say. Bringing in women’. leade~h ip and ex rcising th po,ver of reconci lintory efforts through \.vornen is cn1cial to achieving la~ting peace. As l1usband. father and grand fatl1cr, he ·l1arcd hrs ob ·crvat1on l) f ,vo1ncn’ · ab1l1t1c to co1n e together und creali11g peace and harmony amon 1 st eacl1 other, altl1ough not al,vays e1U)y. 1

Thu. , he thought it ,vo uld be important for ,vomen as peacemakers to substantially contribute to this visionary plan for an international city. Renate Amesbauer r Mary Hinterleitner