South Korean Government-Led 'International Peace Conference with Women'... Kang Kyung-wha Emphasizes Strengthening Efforts to Hear Voices of Survivors Under Current Administration

Directions for Enhancing Survivor-Centered Approaches to Sexual Violence Response Under Conflict

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] On the 24th, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs held ‘The 2nd International Conference on Action with Women and Peace’ at Lotte Hotel Seoul in a hybrid format of in-person and online participation. This conference is the second international meeting following the first held last year, as part of the Korean government’s ‘Action with Women and Peace’ initiative launched in 2018.

In her opening remarks, Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha emphasized that the COVID-19 pandemic has had a negative impact on the issue of sexual violence in conflict and presented directions to enhance a survivor-centered approach in responding to sexual violence during conflicts.

Minister Kang stated, "This year marks the 20th anniversary of UN Security Council Resolution 1325 (2000) on sexual violence in conflict, the 25th anniversary of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action (1995) on gender equality, and the 75th anniversary of the founding of the United Nations (1945). However, sexual violence in conflict remains a serious issue, and COVID-19 has further worsened the situation." She emphasized, "To enhance a survivor-centered approach, continuous international efforts are crucial for victim and survivor compensation, ending impunity for perpetrators, realizing justice for survivors, and strengthening the capacities of women’s and civil society organizations."

She added, "In the past, the Korean government’s efforts to resolve the issue of Japanese military ‘comfort women’ lacked a survivor-centered approach, but the current administration has been strengthening efforts to listen to survivors’ voices."

Other key speakers attending the conference also provided in-depth opinions on the conference theme, ‘Ending Sexual Violence in Conflict ? Ensuring Survivor-centered Approach.’

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet mentioned concerns about setbacks in progress due to COVID-19, highlighting restrictions on access to services and judicial processes related to sexual violence in conflict and funding shortages. She stressed meaningful participation of survivors in support programs and ensuring judicial procedures for survivors. Following her, UK Minister of State Lord Ahmad and German Deputy Foreign Minister Annen evaluated the timeliness of the conference, introduced their governments’ efforts and interests in addressing sexual violence in conflict, and Canadian Ambassador for Women, Peace and Security O’Neill noted that the COVID-19 pandemic has worsened the issue and emphasized the need to incorporate diverse women’s and youth voices into policies.

Special Representative Patten introduced trends in normative discussions, including the successive adoption of UN Security Council resolutions related to sexual violence in conflict, and stressed the need to continue supporting survivors amid the COVID-19 situation. Nobel Peace Prize laureate in 2018, Dr. Mukwege, shared efforts to support survivors and highlighted the importance of accountability and ending impunity, while co-laureate Nadia Murad, a women’s rights activist, mentioned the need to realize gender equality and establish platforms to hear survivors’ voices.

UNHCR Special Envoy Jolie congratulated Korea on hosting the conference and pointed out the worsening reality of sexual violence and impunity faced by women in conflict. She emphasized that the international community must act more actively to end sexual violence in conflict, especially by creating changes that survivors can feel.

In the first session, chaired by Korean Ambassador for Gender Equality Jo Young-sook, domestic and international organizations including the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), UNHCR, United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), and Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) participated, focusing particularly on sexual violence in conflict amid the COVID-19 crisis. These organizations presented and discussed △ patterns of sexual violence in conflict during the COVID-19 crisis, △ efforts to support survivors of sexual violence in refugee camps during the COVID-19 crisis, △ innovative measures for survivor support post-COVID-19, and △ KOICA’s ongoing activities to prevent sexual violence during the COVID-19 situation.

In the second session, chaired by Stephan Klingebiel, Director of the Seoul Policy Center of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), survivor support organizations from Asia, including Korea, Nepal, and Sri Lanka, participated to discuss the meaning of a survivor-centered approach and efforts to achieve it. Discussions included survivors’ desired survivor-centered approaches, reflections from Korean civil society on survivor-centered approaches, judicial efforts and limitations for survivor-centered approaches, and opinions on preserving records through survivor documentary production.

Before the conference, three shortlisted videos from the ‘2020 Youth Video Contest’ on the theme of sexual violence in conflict were screened, providing an opportunity to share the creative voices of future generations on the issue.

A Ministry of Foreign Affairs official stated, "The 2nd international conference, held with the participation of various key domestic and international speakers, is evaluated as an opportunity to enhance the Korean government’s leadership and contribution to the global issue of sexual violence in conflict, a universal human rights concern." The official explained, "Especially amid the COVID-19 pandemic, which could limit attention to sexual violence in conflict, it is meaningful that the Korean government led the international community to raise awareness of the importance and seriousness of the issue and gathered diverse opinions on enhancing a survivor-centered approach."