The Global Partnership for the Prevention of Armed Conflict (GPPAC) is a world-wide civil society-led network aiming to build a new international consensus on peacebuilding and the prevention of violent conflict. GPPAC works on strengthening civil society networks for peace and security by linking local, national, regional, and global levels of action and effective engagement with governments, the UN system and regional organizations.
GPPAC is structured through fifteen regions, each of which has its own Regional Action Agenda and Work Plan, as well as participating in activities at the global level. The Regional Action Agendas fed into the Global Action Agenda, which was launched at the GPPAC Global Conference at UN Headquarters in July 2005.
The Global Secretariat of GPPAC is held by the European Centre for Conflict Prevention (ECCP) in The Hague, The Netherlands; and Peace Boat is co-initiating the Northeast Asia regional process in this global effort to highlight the role of civil society in the non-violent prevention of armed conflict and improve interaction between civil society, government and the United Nations in this field.
Regional Process
The GPPAC process in Northeast Asia is a pioneering initiative, particularly in its goals to forge and strengthen cross-border ties between civil society organizations (CSOs), and to improve communication channels with governments not traditionally responsive to civil society initiatives in the field of peace and security. Moreover, Northeast Asia is a region of the world that still experiences fractured and often tense internal relations due to the prevailing Cold War structures. Thus, the evolution of a Northeast Asian conflict prevention community is a significant means in itself to promoting a culture of prevention.
GPPAC Northeast Asia process - an overview:
- Since its inception in February 2004, GPPAC Northeast Asia (GPPAC NEA) has developed into a fully functional and effective cross-border network, made up of over 200 organizations and individuals.
- GPPAC NEA has "Focal Points" in major cities throughout the region, namely Vladivostok, Ulaanbaatar, Beijing, Hong Kong, Taipei, Seoul and Tokyo. Communication is ongoing with Pyongyang. Peace Boat, based in Tokyo, is currently serving as the Regional Initiator.
- GPPAC NEA carried out an extensive consultation process, held two regional consultation meetings, and a regional conference to launch the 30-page Northeast Asia Regional Action Agenda for Conflict Prevention and take steps towards its implementation. The GPPAC NEA process has been characterized by its round-table efforts to include stakeholders from governments and international organizations, and has been supported by the United Nations University in Tokyo.
- GPPAC NEA followed-up its substantial participation in the July 2005 GPPAC Global Conference with a historic meeting to create and launch the Regional Work Plan held symbolically in North Korea close to the DMZ and in Seoul, March 2006.
- The next regional conference was held in May 2007 in Ulaanbaatar, with GPPAC members meeting in the unique non-nuclear state of Mongolia to hold Civil Society Six-Party Talks for a Nuclear-Weapon-Free-Zone in Northeast Asia. These talks were supported by the Mongolian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the local NGO Blue Banner.
- Peace Boat hosted the inaugural GPPAC Asia Pacific Forum on board the ship from June 15-19 2007, bringing together 20 GPPAC members from the four regions of Asia and the Pacific, to highlight current barriers to peace, look at how to better share information and explore ways to work together more effectively in building peace across the region.
- In May 2008, members of GPPAC Northeast Asia and other GPPAC regions throughout the world gathered in Japan for the historical Global Article 9 Conference to Abolish War, a 30,000 participant event examining the linkages between the nonviolent principles enshrined in Article 9 of Japan's peace constitution and many global issues, such as conflict prevention, disarmament, peacebuilding and the environment. The second GPPAC Asia Pacific Forum was also held as a special event during the Conference, and the Northeast Asia RSG meeting was also held immediately following the main conference.
- GPPAC Northeast Asia Secretariat Peace Boat jointly sponsored a workshop in November 2008 with the German-based Georg Eckert Institute
for International Textbook Research. Here, the connection between
textbook revision and peace education from both an historical and a
contemporary perspective, as well as a European-Asian comparison, were
subjects of discussion for the first time.The conference was held
at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences under the title of ‘Textbook
Revision and Peace Education Revisited: Past Experiences – Present
Expectations – Future Concepts' and was a meeting point for
experts,including many GPPAC members, from Europe, the USA and Asia.
- The 2009 Regional Steering Group meeting was held in April, 2009 in
Seoul, in concurrence with the International Conference against the Asia
Pacific Missile Defence and for the End of Arms Race. The meeting
focused on Momentum for Disarmament in Northeast Asia: The Six-Party
Talks and Civil Society, examining how to revitalise Northeast Asian
civil society towards creating a regional peace mechanism and building
our own capacity as peacemakers.
In 2009 GPPAC Northeast Asia launched the Northeast Asia Online Peace
Forum through the Global Collaborative site of the Nautilus Institute.
This forum aims to be utilized by people working on issues of peace and
security concerning Northeast Asia, and a mechanism for civil society to
communicate, build consensus, and exchange ideas with one another.
Featured on this web site are key GPPAC documents including those from
previous regional and international meetings, news and updates from
regional members and beyond, and more. Visit the Online Peace Forum
here: www.globalcollab.org/gppac-northeast-asia
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