IWPG holds 5th commemoration of April 26 ‘International Women’s Peace Day’ in Ethiopia

ADDIS ABABA: Global Region 2 of International Women’s Peace Group (Regional Director Seo-yeon Lee) hosted a commemorative event attended by over 200 women at Addis Ababa University, Ethiopia’s premier institution, on April 26 to celebrate the fifth commemoration of ‘International Women’s Peace Day’.

The event was held under the theme of ‘Women achieving peace that the world needs’.

Organised by the IWPG headquarters (Chairperson Hyun Sook Yoon) and jointly hosted by Global Region 2 and Addis Ababa University, the event included various activities such as the introduction of IWPG and its activities in Ethiopia, speeches by IWPG Chairperson Hyun Sook Yoon, screening of videos highlighting UN CSW activities, speeches by guest speakers, recitations of the ‘International Women’s Declaration of Peace’, writing of the International Women’s Peace Pledge, and viewing highlights from the fourth commemoration of International Women’s Peace Day.

‘International Women’s Peace Day’ on April 26 was established in 2019 with the aspiration of achieving ‘the end of war and the realization of peace’ by women worldwide, aiming to protect precious lives from war and pass on peace to future generations.

Attendees at the event included Nohel Blacklion, an official of Addis Ababa University Hospital; Meseret Tsegaye, a gender expert from the Department of Women’s Affairs at the College of Natural and Computational Science; Fikirte Shumet, a representative from the Ethiopian Women with Disabilities Network Association; Mistri from the Network of Ethiopian Women’s Associations (NEWA), as well as Desta Kahsay from ENA and Wondensen Aregahegn from FanaBC, along with their media teams.

In addition to university officials, leaders of organisations, journalists, and students also attended to celebrate the event.

Moreover, Addis Ababa University committed to ongoing meetings to discuss the implementation of IWPG’s peace education for female students. They expressed their desire to expand collaboration with IWPG and engage in discussions with peace activists to address significant issues and contribute to future peace initiatives.

In her commemorative speech, Chairwomen Hyun Sook Yoon emphasised IWPG’s commitment to promoting peace based on the Declaration of Peace and Cessation of War (DPCW) and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), ensuring gender equality and empowering women to build a peaceful world for future generations. She urged for the institutionalisation of the Declaration of Peace and Cessation of War, emphasising the collective strength of women in achieving peace through solidarity across various sectors.

Marta Zenbe, the representative, highlighted the role of women in peace building and encouraged students to contribute to a better peace in Ethiopia. The event also witnessed the reading of the ‘Declaration of World Peace for Women’ and the drafting of the ‘World Peace Charter’, aiming to inspire women’s participation in peace movements.

In particular, in commemoration of the fifth anniversary, Ethiopian women aroused interest and participation in the peace movement by supporting and urging DPCW, reading the ‘International Women’s Declaration of Peace’, and writing the ‘International Women’s Peace Pledge’.

IWPG is a special consultative status NGO of the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) and a women’s peace organisation registered with the Department of Global Communications (DGC). IWPG’s vision is to protect precious lives from war and pass on peace as a legacy to future generations with a motherly heart. To this end, it is headquartered in Seoul, Korea and actively works in solidarity with about 110 branches and 660 partner organisations around the world.