11 online sessions will be organized to address various issues under the following 6 themes;

Background and Context

• The year 2023 seems to be the most dangerous time since World War II in terms of international security, due to the war in Ukraine caused by Russia’s invasion of the country, an illegal act of aggression by one of the 5 permanent members of the UN Security Council. The war has already caused over 200,000 casualties, elevated the threat of nuclear war and impacted negatively on carbon emissions, climate commitments and the global economy, especially energy, goods and financial markets in the neighboring countries and in developing countries.
• In Asia, military tensions between China and the USA over Taiwan have recently been escalating. At the same time, the resumed missile tests by North Korea, military exercises on the Korean peninsula by the USA and South Korea, as well as the re-armament of Japan, have increased the possibility of military confrontations in similarity with the year 2017 prior to the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics.
• The year 2023 poses new challenges and opportunities for peace and SDGs on the Korean peninsula and in the world. The year 2023 is the 70th anniversary of the armistice agreement of the Korean War (25 June 1950 to 27 July 1953) between North Korea (DPRK), China and the USA. At the same time, it is a significant year for the UN SDGs as the second SDGs Summit will be held to review the implementation of the 2030 agenda for the first half of the SDGs roadmap (2016-2022).
• 2023 also marks the 75th anniversary of the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), the 30th anniversary of the 1993 Vienna World Conference on Human Rights, and the 25th anniversary of the UN Declaration on Human Rights Defenders (1998).
• The UN Summit of the Future (2024) and its preparatory Ministerial Meeting (2023), along with the UN Social Summit (2025) provide further opportunities to mobilize people’s voices and aspirations globally and locally, and achieve effective policy action for a safer and more peaceful and sustainable future for humanity including for future generations, in accordance with the UN SG’s Our Common Agenda. Civil society organizations (CSOs) are already building cooperation and engagement through events like the Global Futures Forum (GFF) (New York on 20-21 March 2023).
• The Global Futures Forum (GFF) initiated by the Coalition for the UN We Need (C4UN) is expected to add further momentum to mobilize people’s voices and aspirations globally and locally for a safer and more peaceful and sustainable future for humanity including for future generations through the UN processes such as the UN Summit of the Future (2024) and Social Summit (2025) in accordance with the UN SG’s Our Common Agenda in 2021.
• It is also hoped that the forthcoming 2024 Winter Youth Olympic Games (19 Jan. to 1 Feb. 2024) will create another opportunity for peace-building diplomacy through international sport events on the Korean peninsula and beyond.
• Youths, especially PyeongChang Youth Peace Ambassadors appointed by PyeongChang Legacy Foundation who were the winners of the PyeongChang Youth Peace Challenge in 2021 and 2022, are expected to play a proactive leading role in mobilizing youths for peace and SDGs in cooperation with youth CSOs and groups that have participated in the PPF 2019-2022.