There are many ways to remember peace. Some learn about peace through education, while others put it into practice through action. At times, a symbol carrying the meaning of peace can be placed in an everyday space where people come and go.

In 2023, a peace monument was erected in Mongolia through voluntary donations from citizens of South Korea and Mongolia. On June 22, an unveiling ceremony for the International Women’s Peace Group (IWPG) Peace Monument was held at Citizens’ Park in Bayanzürkh District, Ulaanbaatar. A monument symbolizing peace was established in a park visited by local residents every day.

If hundreds of women gathered to speak about peace at the 1st Mongolia Peace Assembly on June 20, a space to remember that commitment was established just two days later. Moving one step beyond learning and discussing peace, its meaning was given a lasting form in an everyday space.

The World’s 2nd Peace Monument

The peace monument erected in Bayanzürkh Citizens’ Park is the second IWPG Peace Monument established in the world.

The first monument was erected in Davao de Oro Province, Mindanao, Philippines, in September 2022. Mongolia’s monument followed as another space dedicated to commemorating peace.

Approximately 100 people—including Bayanzürkh District officials, IWPG Peace Committee members, and Ulaanbaatar citizens—attended the unveiling ceremony. As the curtain covering the monument was lifted, participants applauded and cheered, sharing the moment a new symbol of peace was unveiled.

The monument is particularly meaningful because it was completed not through the initiative of a government or a single institution, but through voluntary donations from citizens of South Korea and Mongolia. IWPG Peace Committee members, individual members, partner organizations, and others contributed donations and joined together to help establish the monument.

“So That Peace Can Always Be Thought of Like Air”

Bayanzürkh District, where the peace monument was erected, also welcomed its significance.

Bayarsekhan Enkbold, Head of the 4th Sub-district of Bayanzürkh District, which has a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the IWPG Mongolia Branch, expressed his hope at the unveiling ceremony that residents would embrace peace as a part of everyday life. He stated, “I am truly happy that with the Peace Monument established in this beautiful park, our district residents can think of peace as naturally and obviously as they think of air and daily life. Moving forward, I want to proactively carry out more peace activities in close cooperation with the wonderful women in our community.”

Peace Advisor Bude Munkhtuya also expressed her gratitude for the voluntary donations from citizens of South Korea and Mongolia. She stated, “We Mongolians feel immensely proud that a very beautiful and clean place of peace has been created here where the monument stands. As it embodies the warm donations and hearts of South Korean and Mongolian citizens, I express my deep gratitude to everyone who participated in its establishment.”

A Day of Peace Completed by Children’s Song

A special stage for Mongolia’s next generation was also arranged at the unveiling ceremony.

Students from Monterosa School took the stage for a celebratory choir performance. The song they performed was Good Future, written and composed by their teacher, Amgalang.

A song carrying a message about passing down a future free from war and fear to children echoed across Citizens’ Park. With young students directly participating in an event centered on peace, the performance underscored that peace is not a value meant only for the present generation, but one that must also be passed on to the next.

In June 2023, movements for peace continued to unfold across Mongolia. Women gathered in one place to discuss peace, Peace Committees were established in different regions, and a monument created through the voluntary contributions of citizens took root in an everyday space.

The seeds of peace sown on the steppe were beginning to take physical form as a place that could remain in people’s memories.

Even after the monument was erected, Mongolia’s peace journey did not stop. At the center of that journey were female leaders who lent their strength to peace and continued to carry out peace activities.

In the next article, we will meet Peace Advisor Bude Munkhtuya, who has continued to contribute to Mongolia’s peace initiatives since her first meeting with IWPG in 2022. She will share her perspective on peace and the role of Mongolian women.

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