PyeongChang Declaration for Peace 2019

 Sustainable Future for All: Ending War, Guaranteeing Peace

On February 9-11, 2019 in PyeongChang, more than 500 people from 50 countries and 200 organizations gathered to review the crises and prospects of peace. In a country where the agony of war and deep division spans seven decades, participants have collectively sought ways to end the long, tragic tradition and prepare for a sustainable future. After six months of preparation, a civil-society-led Global Peace Forum was held with support from Gangwon Province, PyeongChang Municipality, KOICA, and the Korean people.

The astonishing peace process ushered in by the Candlelight Revolution and manifested at the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics and Paralympic became a great inspiration for people around the world. Breaking through thick historical and political barriers erected during the previous century, the new process presents a ground-breaking model for peacebuilding efforts. By participating in sporting events, cultural and art exhibits collectively, we consolidate efforts for lasting peace. These steps are necessary to build trust and show there is a commonality for peace talks and processes.

We note with special attention that democracy and a galvanized civil society are constitutive of all peacebuilding efforts.

For three days, to prepare for the framework of PyeongChang Agenda for Peace (PCAP) 2030, we have deliberated over the peace process on the Korean Peninsula, cooperation between North and South Korea, nuclear disarmament, the Sustainable Development Goals, militarization, Northeast Asian relations, restorative justice, sports and peace, public diplomacy, and the human right to peace. We also highlighted the roles of women and youth, international cooperation, parliamentarians and other elected officials, interfaith cooperation, and more.

We the participants solemnly declare:

1. We fully support the peace process in the Korean peninsula and call to put an end to the Korean War. We enjoin all countries in the region to craft a peace and cooperation regime to undergird this peace process. Peace in the Korean Peninsula leads to peace in the world.
2. What civil societies have achieved in the Hague Agenda for Peace and Justice for the 21^st Century twenty years ago must live on. We urge the world once more that it is time to end all wars. Peace is an inherent human right for all.
3. We call for the recognition of peace as a prime imperative for humankind and the world. Peace must drive policy priorities at all levels. Threats to peace are obstacles to sustainable development. We call for an end to the expansion of military bases.
4. Sustainable development, conflict prevention, and disarmament are indivisible and fundamental for a peaceful and prosperous future. Governments and official agencies must demonstrate their commitment to the prevention of violence and conflict by accelerating progress on the Sustainable Development Goals, including as a priority Goal 16.
5. Global security governance is decisively influenced by the five veto member states of the United Nations Security Council. To the Security Council lies the principal responsibility to reduce conflict and end the scourge of wars that have brought untold suffering and death. Global peace is the right and responsibility of all. For this reason, we ask all governments – in cooperation with their populations — to broaden and therefore strengthen the international peace and security framework.
6. We urge full recognition and immediate implementation of the right to peace. Human rights are not complete without the right to peace. The right to peace is inherent and inalienable for both the people and the planet.
7. We recognize the groundbreaking efforts of women organizing on peace and security and their participatory rights in all aspects of governance from community to global levels. We call on all governments and the UN system to fully implement resolutions 1325 and 1820 to prevent violations of women’s rights, to support women’s participation in peace negotiations and in post-conflict reconstruction, and to protect women and girls from sexual and gender-based violence in armed conflict. We further ask for recognition of the undue impact of conflict on people with alternative abilities.
8. We recognize that young people play an important and positive role in the maintenance and promotion of international peace and security. We urge governments, the United Nations, and others to include youth in decision making and peace processes; invest in young people’s capacities, agency and leadership; and partner with them for the implementation of UNSCR 2250. We state unequivocally that child soldier must be banned.
9. We fully support diverse people-to-people and grassroots-led peacebuilding that cross borders and build bridges based on the principles of commons, cooperation, solidarity, and complementarity. We similarly advocate for greater investment in peace education at all levels.
10. We especially call upon all governments to increase their commitment to support and enforce international disarmament laws and institutions to prevent the development of new nuclear weapons, other weapons of mass destruction, and the weaponization of space. We call for substantial reductions in military expenditures, reallocation of these budgets to sustainable development, and divestment from nuclear weapons and other military industries to overcome their vested interests in the arms race, in the spirit of Article 26 of the UN Charter.
11. We demand that progressive international institutions and treaties supportive of the principles of this declaration and goals be strengthened and universalized. We further demand full protection of journalists under protection of law, accountability for any who threaten press safety and progressive use of social media for peace.
12. Finally, we join in solidarity with the peoples of the Korean Peninsula in their self-determination for peace and invite the peoples of the world to join this peace journey. Ours is a singular moment to support these efforts for peace, for such efforts equally redound to the peace and security of the whole world.