Newsletter

The 2011 International NGOs Conference on History and Peace was held from August 17 to 22 at Yonsei University in Seoul, co-hosted by the International NGO History Forum for Peace in East Asia, Northeast Asian History Foundation, and Yonsei University Institute for Korean Studies. NGOs from 12 countries, including Japan, China, Cambodia, Kosovo, The Netherlands, UK, US and Canada, participated in the conference, and more than a hundred presenters from home and abroad, including 22 teachers and experts, took part in 31 different programs.

Through the 1^st to 3^rd International NGOs Conferences, scholars and activists working for NGOs from Korea, China, Japan, Americas and Europe were able to explore the possibilities of history reconciliation movement. Based on past achievements, now is the time to come up with action plans, resolving history disputes and promoting reconciliation. In this context, the 4^th International NGOs Conference on History and Peace was held under the title, "Rewriting the Next Hundred Years of East Asia History."

Last year, the International NGO History Forum for Peace in East Asia selected topics which require research for the next five years: discovering cases of grassroots activities, promoting education on history and peace, setting the standards for history reconciliation. Amid escalating tensions regarding historical and territorial disputes in East Asia, it is important to reach agreement on reconciliation and present prospects for the community based on the agreement. Conflicts between Korea and Japan over the issue of Dokdo resurfaced recently, and there were some worries that they might hamper NGO's efforts so far to improve bilateral relations. However, it is meaningful that we have once again demonstrated civic groups' will to resolve disputes at the International NGOs Conference this year.

Presenting the possibilities for reconciliation and alternatives in terms of history education

This year's conference programs are focused on education and history reconciliation. Since the 2000s, Korea, Japan and China have made efforts to have a shared understanding of history, by publishing common history textbooks. However, these efforts were put into the content side, and there was little progress in terms of how the joint textbooks are taught in schools, and what students think of them. At the International NGOs Conference this year, model classes were held for teenagers with Korea-China-Japan common history textbooks, and there were joint lectures which provided students with a chance to seek ways to resolve historical disputes.

We wondered whether students would sign up for model classes, but the enrollment for the classes was finished in one day, and teenagers showed great interest in the programs. Students who attended the model classes said that they would like to have more such classes in the future, and teachers said that they were challenged by the model classes. One Japanese teacher who taught model classes reported that it was a meaningful experience to have lively discussions with students, and proposed that such model classes should be held in Japan. The model classes with Korea-China-Japan common history textbooks offered us the possibilities and alternatives for education on history reconciliation for future generations.

Another important theme of the conference was grassroots activities for reconciliation and cooperation, and there were five case study sessions. In Case Study 1, "Support for War Victims", participants engaged in discussions regarding countries' support for the "comfort women", victims of forced conscription and war victims including those suffered under the Nazi rule. In Case Study 2, "Truth and Reconciliation", presentations were made on the cases of Cambodia's Killing Fields, Kosovo, South Africa and Korea, and the common approaches and different stances of individual countries for truth and reconciliation were discussed. In Case Study 3, "Division and Unification", participants had in-depth discussions regarding Germany's unification experience and the current situation on the divided Korean peninsula. In Case Study 4, "Memories of History", attendees shared experiences of making Korea-Japan/Korea-Japan-China common history textbooks as well as Euroclio's experience of developing common history textbooks with multilateral cooperation. In Case Study 5, "Interregional Exchange for Youth", participants shared experiences of various grassroots youth exchanges in East Asia, including Korea-Japan/Korea-Japan-China camps, and exchange programs between Uzbekistan and Korea.

Cases of grassroots activities covered experiences in East Asia, focusing on Korea, China and Japan, and also included Europe's experience. This way, we could present East Asian issues in the global community, and identified the common and different aspects of East Asian and European cases. In particular, participants from other countries said that discussions in each Case Study sessions were very useful, and they shared their experiences and learned a lot from others. Director Youk Chhang (Documentation Center of Cambodia), who made a great contribution to bringing to justice those who are responsible for Killing Fields crimes, said that he could learn about Korea and other countries' experiences and think about what kind of activities should be done in Cambodia. In addition, Korean participants appreciated the opportunity to understand the need for educational programs through Euroclio's conflict adjustment program for former Yugoslavia.

First conversation regarding code of conduct for citizens in the East Asian community

Coming up with code of conduct for reconciliation of history is our long-term goal, because it is in line with reaching an agreement in the civil community. We initiated the first discussion on this issue at this year's International NGOs Conference. We invited Dennis Sammut, who served for the UN and EU, and had in-depth discussions on European integration, accomplishment of the European Social Charter, and the role of the civil society. Participants had a very meaningful time to learn about European experience and further explore possibilities.

The format of the 4th International NGOs Conference on History and Peace was different from traditional academic conferences. We tried new programs including 100-minute debate, model classes, and Korea-China-Japan joint history lectures. The organizers' will to engage the participants and communicate with them was clearly demonstrated at the conference. We will make continued efforts to connect to a wider group of people and enhance the awareness of the conference in the community.

The 4^th International NGOs Conference would not have been possible without the endeavors and devotion of numerous people, including more than 100 volunteers, interns, and committee members. I truly appreciate the efforts of our co-hosts, the Northeast Asian History Foundation and Yonsei University Institute for Korean Studies, for the success of the conference.