By Our Correspondent
International Women Peace Group Global Region 2(IWPG, G2 Regional Director Seo-yeon Lee) held the ‘5th International Women Leaders Peace Meeting’ online on August 26, inviting female leaders from various fields and backgrounds both domestically and internationally, including Korea, the Middle East, Africa, and Australia.
Under the IWPG slogan in 2023, “Strengthening Global Women’s Partnership for Sustainable Peace,” the meeting was held under the theme of “The role and future of women in change and innovation for a new generation,” With the participation of over 500 individuals from 25 cooperating countries Global region 2, this event was organized to foster sustainable peace by highlighting the practical roles of women leaders and presenting specific approaches.
In addition, panel discussions were held with congratulatory videos from people of various countries, and Q&A was held to broaden the perspective of peace activities. The panel discussion was moderated by Hanan Youssef(Chairwoman, Arab Organization for Dialogue and International Cooperation with Egypt).
At the event, Ghada Shreim Ata (The National Commission for Lebanese Women/Head of political committee), Tahani Abu Daqqa (Former Minister of Youth and Sport and former Minister of Culture, Palestinian Renewable Energy Company /President), Lamia Yahia Al-eryani (Yemen Peace School Organization/President), Shafiqa Saeed Abdo (Yemen Women National Committee /Chairperson), Pascale Isho Warda (Hammurabi Human Rights Organization/President), Mkanibwa Magoti Ngoboka (Ruaha Catholic University/Assistant Lecturer), and Hyeryung Yang (Gwangju Metropolitan City Party Regional Development/Special Chairman) gave presentations. Various proposals were made on the role and education of female leaders for the realization of world peace.
G2 Regional Director (Seo-yeon Lee) said, “The meeting was prepared with the obligations and responsibilities that we must share together in the most noble and valuable work of mankind,” and was emphasized that through presentations by female leaders from various countries, it will bring forth positive inspiration regarding the transformation and innovation of women’s roles.
Ghada Chreim, a head of political committee in the National Commission for Lebanese Women, highlighted, “When it comes to human dignity, rights, and justice for ensuring freedom, the rights proclaimed by the United Nations assert that every individual, without discrimination, holds the rights to life and liberty under the concept of dignity. However, women still encounter violence and discrimination across various sectors of society.” She further stated, “Even with commendable institutional measures for women’s rights, unless our fundamental perceptions change, ensuring full rights remains challenging. To create a global society that guarantees assistance to women’s lives and rights beyond institutional dimensions, it is crucial for us to raise our voices and demonstrate tangible actions through collaboration with NGOs, addressing this issue.”
Tahani Abu Daqqa, the representative of the Palestine Renewable Energy Company, remarked, “The climate crisis presents an immense challenge that necessitates international collaboration and collective efforts. By adopting serious and sustainable measures, we can create a peaceful environment, halt conflicts, share resources, and carefully utilize them to mitigate the impact of this crisis, preserving the planet for future generations.” She emphasized that only through sustained communal endeavors and actions can we bring about peace on Earth, underscoring that sustainable community efforts and initiatives are the key to achieving global peace.
Lamia Yahia Al-eryani (Yemen Peace School Organization/President), gave a presentation titled ‘DPCW in the New Cold War Era’ and said, “In order for us to achieve peace in the New Cold War Era, we must cooperate with the entire civil society, governments, organizations and influential figures in global conflicts.” It is absolutely necessary to formalize the DPCW, which is the key to the solution, as an international law.”
Mkanibwa Magoti Ngoboka (Ruaha Catholic University/Assistant Lecturer) gave a presentation titled ‘The Importance of Peace Activities’ and said, “Until now, mankind has not been able to solve the problems caused by war. IWPG is spreading the spirit of peace by uniting with 3.9 billion women in the global village to resolve peace issues, and the wind of peace is blowing in Tanzania, promoting IWPG’s peace activities and promoting ‘Peace Education’ and ‘International Loving Peace art competition’. She added, “I hope you remember that peace cannot be achieved alone and that we women are beings who can change the world.”
Furthermore, every September, the world comes together for the ‘9th Anniversary of HWPL 918 World Peace Summit,’ where IWPG will host the 2023 International Women’s Peace Conference on September 19th under the theme “The Multidimensional Role of Women for Sustainable Peace.” This event aims to bring forth the necessary strategies, ranging from academic approaches to practical responses, concerning the role of women in achieving sustainable peace. It is anticipated to be a significant occasion that contributes to rewriting the history of peace.
Meanwhile, IWPG, as an international NGO with special consultative status of the United Nations Economic and Social Council (UNECOSOC), has a vision to pass on a world of peace to future generations as a legacy and is actively engaged in Women’s peace education, supporting and urging the enactment of the Declaration of Peace and Cessation of War (DPCW), and propagation of a culture of peace.
