Women Peacemakers hope their message is heard at North Korea summit
Peace delegates gather in Vancouver to hold shadow conference alongside foreign ministers' meeting
As high-ranking diplomats gather in Vancouver for a summit to discuss reducing the threat from North Korea's nuclear weapons program, a multinational coalition of women representing the peace movement will be delivering a message of peace.
The Women Peacemakers hope to move politicians from a discourse of conflict and increased militarization, to one of peace, reconciliation and genuine security.
"The women that are in our delegation represent not just individuals but networks, movements, groups that really bring a whole kind of creativity, passion and commitment to this work toward peace," said Patti Talbot of the United Church of Canada.
The group has delivered a letter — signed by 216 peace organizations from 47 countries — to the Vancouver foreign ministers' summit.
A candlelight vigil is planned for the Vancouver Convention Centre Monday evening. On Tuesday morning a gathering called Witness for Peace will be held outside the Convention Centre while the summit is taking place.
Canada's Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland and U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson are hosting the 20-nation summit that begins with a pre-summit dinner this evening.
Foreign ministers from China and Russia are not invited to the Vancouver summit but Freeland and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau have already said those two countries will be vital in managing the security and stability of the Korean Peninsula.
With files from Cory Correia