The Korean War began in 1950, 70 years ago.  The war concluded not with a peace treaty but with an armistice, leaving the once unified Korean peninsula divided, despite being populated by a people with a common history, culture, and language. The fate of the peninsula has been controlled not only by the people themselves, but by the wider geopolitical environment, known for decades as the “Cold War.”

This peace initiative of UPF Europe and the Middle East is dedicated to the peaceful reunification of the Korean Peninsula. With this in mind, UPF organizes a variety of programs that bring together leading experts from a wide range of professional fields—government, academic, civil society, faith-based organizations, the media, business, and the arts—to explore the prospects for improved relations not only between the two Koreas, but among the other stakeholder countries of the region.

The main goal of this “soft power” or “track two” approach to peace is to contribute to the peaceful reunification of the Korean Peninsula through dialogue, scholarly research and civil society initiatives that build personal connections.  Political, military, economic and civil society factors are considered.  Civil society initiatives include conferences, tourism, humanitarian projects and various forms of people-to-people engagement.

Over the next two years, 2021-2022, UPF will carry out a very ambitious slate of programs and projects for peaceful reunification, working through its primary associations: ISCP, IAPP, IAPD, IMAP, IAAP, IAED, IAFLP, IAACP.