A Roundtable Meeting on Peace on the Korean Peninsula & Movement Strengthening Visit to Cambodia YMCA

Last Updated (Monday, 29 May 2023 16:55)

From May 23rd to 27th, 2023, GS Nam Boo-Won attended the Roundtable meeting on Peace on the Korean Peninsula in Siem Reap, Cambodia, followed by a movement visit. The meeting brought together peace practitioners and scholars from South Korea, the EU, China, the USA, the UN, and Japan and was organized by the Center for Peace and Conflict Studies (CPCA) under the leadership of Dr. Emma Leslie, the President. Building on past Korea meetings and dialogues in Cambodia, CPCS partnered with GPPAC (Global Partnership for the Prevention of Armed Conflict) Northeast Asia to hold the Roundtable this year with the aim of fostering ongoing conversations that contribute to a strategy for enhanced collaborative efforts for peace on the Korean Peninsula. 

Over the course of two days, participants made presentations on their reflections and observations on local and regional trends and prospects in the Korean Peninsula, where tensions have recently increased. Facilitated discussions focused on developing a strategy for enhanced collaborative efforts among peace actors, addressing humanitarian needs in the DPRK, managing military rivalry in Asia, taking strategic steps for conflict prevention, and identifying critical factors, stakeholders, and strategic channels for intervention. All participants recognized the vital need for continued dialogue and networking among peace practitioners and organizations within the region and beyond for more impactful collaboration in the future. 

The last two days of the visit were dedicated to demonstrating APAY's solidarity with the YMCA and movement strengthening. GS Nam, NGS Kim Kyung-Min from Korea YMCA, and Acting GS Nimey Rin from Cambodia YMCA visited the YMCA Childcare and Learning Center, where the poorest of the poor live in Siem Reap. After visiting the center and a poor hut, NGS Kim promised to find a partner YMCA in Korea that could financially support the center and its valuable activities for children from the poorest areas in Siem Reap. GS Nam also had an in-depth discussion with Acting GS Nimey Rin and NGS Kim Kyung-Min on how to strengthen the Cambodia YMCA movement, particularly in the areas of governance, financial stability and sustainability, the YMCA’s presence in the community, and on how to multiply impacts in improving people's lives there.

By Nam Boo-Won
General Secretary, APAY