International Workshop for Peace and Disarmament in the Asia-Pacific Region(11/17) – Comments7(By Katchada Prommachan)

The recent year, there are many countries has attempted to exercise their power, in the term of military power, by build and creating the arm weapon and conventional arms in order to create a strong image of nation-state among international communities. For example, in the case of Korea Peninsula and Northeast Asia which the international community is increasingly aware that cooperative diplomacy is that most productive way to tackle the multiple, interconnected global challenges facing humanity, not least of which is the increasing  proliferation of nuclear and other weapons of mass destruction.

This situation has encourage the civil society to concern about the issue of disarmament, which is not only reducing, limiting, or abolishing the nuclear weapon, but it also means that total eliminate of all kind of weapons of mass destruction. So, the civil society can be the part of moment for prevention armed conflict, campaigning, and build political alliances and lobby the state government to concern about this issue.

In Asia-Pacific region, creating civil solidarity for NWF disarmament and prevention of armed conflict should concern on the concept of human security, democratic security, cooperation security and regional security, by institutionalization of civil society organization participation on mechanisms that contribute to further democratic consolidation, as well as the formulation of policies consistent with the needs and demands of the citizen are yet to be accomplished.
The civil society concern should be focused on human rights issue which this concern is able to lead to the creation of more extensive networks, a network of networks with an agenda geared toward participation in multilateral fora, particularly after the successful experience of human rights organization within the framework of international cooperation agencies. So, the civil society organization should have initiatives converged upon a common concern of security, conflict prevention and peace building issues, as well as on the human rights agenda.

Furthermore, creating the partnership for the disarmament is building a new international consensus and joint action to prevent violent conflict and promote peace building, based on regional and global action agendas in order to campaign effective. Thus, the collective efforts are able to help the awareness that global security is advanced not by increasing military budgets and the number of weapons being developed, produced, and traded in an already over-weaponized world.  Civil society organization might actively promote the concept of human security as the appropriate framework to help prevent violent conflict which people can begin to understand that when they advance human security they advance global security. So, Non-government organization should promote their individual work as a part of a broader human security agenda, at the same time, such organization should expand their networking also.
Promoting human security is related with advance sustainable development, which has been mention by Jody Williams, co-winner of the Nobel Peace Prize 1997 that is protecting and promoting human rights in work that enhance human security, efforts to advance sustainable development enhance human security. So, to effectively campaign and lobby in order to disarmament and prevent the conflict, civil society or non-government organization should find and use every opportunity to take the general public understand from people in world society by providing that majority with a stake in and hope for their own future, the root causes of conflict can be diminished. Which is civil society can increase opportunities to move away from reacting to violent conflict and toward its prevention that means such organizations move toward developing a sustainable peace for global society. Moreover, equality of participation between men and women is also important to advocate the issue about disarmament and prevention the conflict, which is women are also deeply affected by conflicts.

However, the solution of disarmament and denuclearization will need all the courage, commitment and cooperation of political leaders in and beyond the region to go beyond Cold War assumption about nuclear weapons and deterrence, and commit themselves to the global elimination of nuclear weapons and region by region denuclearization, not least on the Korea Peninsula.

In the case of women’s participation in peace building, the status of women is mind-boggling, especially in Korean society. Conflicts exert different impact to men and women, which is related with the issue of sex trafficking and sexual violence. The conflict situation and military culture has provoked such issue.  The militarism is prevalent on the Korean Peninsula as a part of the result of the continued Cold War structure. The division of the Korean Peninsula has drove nations to strive for strengthened military power increased military spending and expanded military exercise in order to counter the enemy. Such spending should rather be used to reduce the gender gap by providing financial supports, education, medical services, and psychological stability. At the same time, women’s peace movement has come to recognize women not only as the victim of the conflict, but they are also as the solution maker of such conflict equal as the men. There are many civil society attempt to promote the women’s equal participation and active involvement  in the conflict resolution and peace building have gained steam in the international community, especially the UN and member countries are implementing the resolution.

Recently, the women peace movements which receive the support of the UN agencies to demonstrate their activities with build the network in order to ensure that conflict prevention activities and strategies are gender sensitive taking into account different needs of men and women in same society. Moreover women participation and protection should be concern. In the term of participation which is women should involve in decision making and equal participation in peace process. An another term that is about protection which should be regard to safeguard the human right of women and girl, protect them from physical damages and ensure their economic security. Furthermore, the relief and recovery which should be ensure within women peace movement that have to ensure  the all women and girls have equal access to all relief and recovery efforts