By Sulaiman Jalloh
The International Women’s Peace Group (IWPG), chaired by Hyun Sook Yoon has held its International Women’s Peace Conference 2024 in South Korea on Thursday, September 19th, 2024.
The conference was held under the theme “Female Leaders Acting Upon Peace,” a place for women to share the latest examples of peace activities in their communities to ultimately bring an end to war. IWPG introduced its peace achievements, much more fruitful compared to last year, and encouraged the participation of everyone.
In her opening remarks, IWPG Chairperson Hyun Sook Yoon said, “‘Implementation’ is crucial for peace to be realized into practical institutions and culture. If people from all sectors of society fulfill their role, peace can be achieved. Please always think, ‘What can I do at this moment for peace?’”
Ms. Sarah Chong, Director of Femme Solidarity from Australia, outlined some women’s education and their participation in decision making processes, noting as the challenges for women to find their right to peace, the immigrant and refugee women struggle to find peace and safety, emphasizing that “Women’s participation in decision-making processes is not just a matter of gender equality; it is essential for achieving sustainable peace,” while explaining the empowering women through education is essential for building sustainable peace. “Women’s empowerment not only benefits women individually but also have positive ripple effects on families, communities, and societies, driving a movement towards a more peaceful world,” she underscored.
Women’s Peace Education was highlighted under the context of embracing various cultures. Professor Jeong Jee-young, head of Korea Research Institute of Immigration and Multicultural Policy, whispered that, “The transformation into a multicultural society is inevitable, but there is not lot of attention brought to this topic. Now, it is time for us to break away from the current approach and adopt a continuous multicultural education to build a lasting, peaceful society.”
Ms. Maria Theresa Royo-Timbol, Municipal Mayor of Kapalong, Davao Del Norte from the Philippines, said she built a monument hoping that it would manifest as a concrete peace monument for the current and future generation, adding it will have a ripple effect on women and young people while encouraging women to participate in any IWPG peace initiatives so that they will appreciate more the importance of their involvement in peace activities
Participants wrote their own Peace Promise and, in the content, they pledge to share at next year’s conference. IWPG plans to actively work in various fields so that these peace activities can actually become the training material for Peace Education. This year’s conference was held as part of the 10th Anniversary of the Sep 18 World Peace Summit, hosted by Heavenly Culture, World Peace, Restoration of Light (HWPL), a peace cooperative organization of IWPG.
