March 1-2, 2006 GPPAC meeting in North Korea

GPPAC Northeast Asia Regional Consultation meeting in Mount Kumgang, DPRK

For more about the Global Partnership for the Prevention of Armed Conflict (GPPAC) program - which I have been focusing on for the past two years, see http://www.gppac.net and also http://www.peaceboat.org/english/rsic/gppac

Here is a short description that I wrote for the GPPAC Bulletin:

Historic meeting of Northeast Asian GPPAC community in North Korea

The GPPAC Northeast Asian network of conflict prevention actors met for an historically symbolic consultation meeting in Mount Kumgang, in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK). Close to 40 NGO representatives from regional cities including Vladivostok and Beijing, Ulaanbaatar, Tokyo and Seoul gathered from March 1 - 6, 2006 on the Korean Peninsula.

Focusing on key regional issues such as the Six-Party Talks; historical recognition and reconciliation; and the revision of Japan's "peace" constitution, the group worked together to produce a joint statement on how civil society can work to overcome divisions and build peace, as well as a comprehensive 5 year workplan in which a variety of innovative proposals are put forward.

The meeting was felt to be very successful both in terms of productivity, and trust-building and cooperation within the group. The results were presented to the media at a press conference in Seoul on March 6, 2005 and the two key documents also formed the basis for discussion at a multi-stakeholder roundtable between representatives from NGOs, foundations, the UN, and regional governments, held at UNESCO House in Seoul.