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Drawing Hope: Children Reimagining Peace Across Borders

1st December 2025

In a world often divided, Drawing Hope is a trans-local peace project that uses children’s art to remind us of our shared humanity. Through artwork created by children, the exhibit sends messages of hope, peace, and reconciliation. After being displayed in venues around the world, Drawing Hope arrived at the United Nations in New York City in early November. QUNO worked closely with the American Friends Service Committee, Okedongmu Children, and the Permanent Mission of Ireland to ensure the exhibit could be displayed inside the UN. From 10 to 21 November, diplomats, UN officials, and guests were able to view drawings created by children in eight countries: North Korea, South Korea, Japan, South Africa, Colombia, Cambodia, Ireland, and the United States. Visitors were inspired by the simple example of children working to connect, transcend barriers, and use creativity to build understanding and empathy across divides.

Drawing Hope began on the Korean Peninsula, which in 2025 marks 80 years of division between North and South Korea. Over the past eight decades, cross-border interactions have been strictly prohibited, with both sides dehumanizing the other through propaganda, influencing adults and children alike. As a result, many children grew up surrounded by narratives of fear and animosity. However, in 1996, Okedongmu Children in Korea (OKCK) launched a campaign called “Hello, My Friend” in an effort to break down these divisions. South Korean children drew self-portraits and messages to children in North Korea, eventually leading to a historic visit of children from the South to the North. In 2023, the Drawing Hope: Children’s Art for Peace Exhibition debuted in Los Angeles, later travelling to other locations to facilitate mutual learning between societies experiencing protracted conflict. As the collection grows, the exhibit aims to involve more countries, amplifying the voices of future generations, fostering intergenerational dialogue, and spreading messages of hope.

The arrival of the Drawing Hope exhibit at the United Nations coincided with the 80th anniversary of the creation of the UN in 1945. The original purpose of the UN includes maintaining peace and security, promoting international cooperation to address global problems, and fostering friendly relations among nations. While UN member states wrestle with efforts to revitalize the global institution and ensure that it lives up to the original vision laid out in the UN Charter, Drawing Hope demonstrates how creativity and empathy can support the UN’s founding goals.

QUNO’s role in bringing Drawing Hope to the United Nations reflects our core commitment to peacebuilding through dialogue and inclusion. Rooted in Quaker values, QUNO works to address the root causes of conflict by elevating marginalized voices, forging trust, and promoting multilateral cooperation. Through youth-focused activities like Drawing Hope, QUNO reinforces its approach to peacebuilding—prioritizing empathy, understanding, and the involvement of those who will inherit the future.

Areas of work: New York | Supporting the UN’s Role for Peace in Regional Contexts | Supporting the UN’s Role for Peace on the Korean Peninsula

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