IWPG 2024 August Newsletter

     69th

Aug 2024  

The preliminary round and follow-up events of the 6th International Loving-Peace Art Competition (ILPAC) of the International Women’s Peace Group (IWPG) were concluded successfully, promoting a culture of peace and strengthening the solidarity of peace in Korea and overseas. Additionally, IWPG proceeded with ▲signing MOU/MOAs ▲advocating for the legislation of the Declaration of Peace and Cessation of War (DPCW) ▲promoting the activation of the Peace Lecturer Training Education (PLTE) ▲networking with civil society, and ▲conducting promotional activities as a foundation for achieving global peace throughout July.

IWPG Promotes Peace Culture through the International Loving-Peace Art Competition All Over the World

– Held in 130 cities across 53 countries… Over 23,400 children and youth participants

– Follow-up events featuring joint exhibitions with established artists and mentor partnerships
– IWPG: “We feel the spirit of peace… We hope the world prays for peace and acts together”

The preliminary rounds of the 6th ILPAC were completed in 130 cities across 53 countries. The total number of participants was approximately 23,400, and this year, special follow-up events were held in Korea. As part of IWPG’s peace initiatives, the event contributed to promoting a peace culture in local communities. 

IWPG (Chairwoman Hyun Sook Yoon) announced that the preliminary round of the ILPAC proceeded all around the world for over two months from May. In September, the final round of judging will take place, featuring the best works selected from 53 countries.

ILPAC aims to foster talents of peace who can express their heart for peace through paintings and practice it in their lives. IWPG holds ILPAC every year in major global cities to provide children and youth with opportunities to imagine and depict a world of peace. Through this, they intend to instill the spirit of true peace in the hearts of the next generation and establish a culture of peace in their regions through their works. 

Because of conflicts all around the world, the number of child deaths is continuously increasing. According to a report from Save the Children in June this year,  more than 21,000 children are believed to be missing, detained, or killed in the Gaza district. Mary Uzochukwu, a Biafran child who lost her country due to war (17, female, participant of ILPAC Netherlands preliminary), said, “Art allows me to express my dream and wish for a world without war or conflict where everyone can live peacefully. I tried to show the image of hope for a peaceful future. I hope for peace and dream of a time when we can live without fear and pain.”

IWPG continued with follow-up events in 20 cities across South Korea where the preliminary round was held, including mentor partnership ceremonies, award ceremonies, exhibitions of winning works, and MOUs with civil organizations. 

“Mentorship partnership” is a project to foster and support the talents of peace and art in local communities. Based on the talent donation of art experts, the ILPAC awardees are given chances to receive mentoring from the experts. A total of 53 artists have joined in donating their talents and proceeding with the exhibition under the theme “Sharing a Peaceful Worldview Across Generations,” which showcased their artworks with those of award-winning students.

IWPG, which has signed MOUs with over 70 civil organizations, companies, and the press, is moving forward to nurture talents in local communities and spread a culture of peace. So Won Kang, Project Manager of the Department of External Affairs and General Manager of ILPAC, remarked, “I could deeply feel the earnest desire for peace in the paintings expressed by students from around the world. This year, especially through the exhibition and various follow-up events, the competition was remembered longer. Through the ILPAC, I hope the world will continue to wish for peace and take action together.”

The ILPAC Preliminary Rounds, Final Judging and Follow-up Events in July

Johor Bahru Branch in Malaysia

Johor Bahru Branch in Malaysia (Branch Manager Woo Sow Pheng) held the ILPAC in Sultan Ismail Library on July 13. The event, attended by a total of 70 individuals, including contestants and personnel, reaffirmed the value of peace through the artworks.

India

The final judging of ILPAC India preliminary round, organized by Global Region 3·5 (Regional Director Eun Ju Heo, Su Jin Park), was successfully held on July 20, with Mini Suboth, Maadhavi Bhaskar, Shamika Nilesh Deshpande, Tanuj Samadar and M.Balamurugan serving as judges. “It is delightful to observe young children and youth in India being able to convey their messages of peace creatively,” the judges said. They also expressed their wishes for international activities of the IWPG to continue indefinitely.

Berlin Branch in Germany

Berlin Branch in Germany (Branch Manager Yingyang Cao) delivered a total of 45 pieces to the judges for the preliminary judging of ILPAC on July 1. Kani Alavi, a German peace artist who was one of the judges, commented, “I can feel the empathy and compassion towards friends affected by war. I wish there were no more children suffering from war.”

Jakarta Branch in Indonesia

Jakarta Branch in Indonesia (Branch Manager Ana Milana Puspita Sari) hosted the preliminary round of ILPAC on July 8. For the month of June, the preliminary round was held in five cities in Indonesia, and over 700 pieces were judged on that day. 
The judging was proceeded by Ni Ketut Ayu Sri Wardani, Supriyanto, a.k.a. Sentot Season, and Defvi Kurniawati Wijaya.
Defvi Kurniawati Wijaya said, “The works of participants are love letters to the friends suffering from war. The participants should create artworks as a heartfelt message of peace, a love letter sent to friends suffering from war. This is the key standard of judging.”

Tanzania

Global Region 2 (Regional Director Seo Yeon Lee) hosted the award ceremony of the preliminary round of the 6th ILPAC at Bongoyo Conference Hall, Sea Cliff Hotel in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania on July 13.
The award ceremony, attended by more than 100 participants, including students and their parents, began after watching a highlight video of the preliminary round and was followed by an appreciation award ceremony. George Magambo, an attorney and notary public from the Tanzania Institute of Education (TIE), who attended the event as a proxy for Dr. Aneth A. Komba of TIE, presented the award along with Seo Yeon Lee, the regional director.
Georgia Magambo commented, “Through the IWPG International Loving Peace Art Competition, I learned it is essential to be taught the mind of peace without violence from a young age.”

Annagrace Malamsha of UN Women Tanzania remarked, “It’s an honor to be part of the awarding ceremony,” and expressed her will to support next year’s competition. 
Ndendekisye Mwayohojo, a student of Mikocheni Alfa High School who participated in the competition, said, “To depict peace with a pigeon as a symbol of peace, I drew hands holding each other,” with a message for his colleagues to come and join together next year’s event to spread peace around the world.

The awarding ceremony included an exhibition of the winning works from the 5th ILPAC and a peace message campaign, ‘Do Not Hit Even with a Flower.’ The message was also displayed in the 6th ILPAC Gwangju and the follow-up exhibition.

Incheon Branch Union of the Republic of Korea

Global Region 9 (Regional Director Mi Sook Lim) hosted a Mentor Partnership Ceremony as a follow-up to ILPAC at KIMYEONJAE EL Research Institute on July 20 in collaboration with the Incheon Branches of the Republic of Korea. 
Under the theme of ‘Sharing insight for peace transcending generations,’ it was planned to foster talents of peace and art in the local community. An event where participants placed handprints on a peace butterfly illustration, symbolizing the message ‘Peace Begins with Me,’ was held as well. 

Daejeon, Cheongju, Cheonan, Seosan and Asan in the Republic of Korea

Global Region 10, in collaboration with six branches in South Korea, held a special exhibition of ILPAC from July 17 to 21 at Seogu Cultural Center Gallery in Daejeon Metropolitan City. The exhibition was attended by 450 people, including personnel from the Daejeon Metropolitan Office of Education, directors of societies and organizations, ILPAC contestants and their parents, judges, the representative and members of the IWPG Peace Committee, exhibition visitors, and media liaisons.

Sang Hee Woo, IWPG Peace Committee Representative, remarked, “I was amazed by how the children expressed their ideas about peace. As a peace committee representative, I realized I had much work to do.” Also, they held a ceremony of MOU signing with Federation of Community Safety Precautions Daejeon City, (Incorporated Association) Chungbukdoui Shenyanghoe, Citizens’ Council for Cheonan Development, Corporation Gongju City Development Council, Green Environmental Monitoring Group, Korean Red Cross Asan District: Hope and Hope volunteer society. Through the partnership of peace, they agreed to cooperate to foster talents and establish a culture of peace for the advancement of the local communities.

MOU/A Signing for Peace Projects

– Women Around the World Uniting Under Peace

Global Region 3 signs MOA with Voice 7 News of Bangladesh

On July 5, Global Region 3 signed an online MOA with Voice 7 News, a Bangladesh Media company. To realize peace, both organizations decided to form a partnership to promote peace activities widely by sharing information and strengthening their networks. Through the MOA, Voice 7 News promised to report various peace activities of IWPG and upload promotional posts on social media to encourage women in Bangladesh to participate in IWPG’s peace education and events. Global Region 3 representative mentioned, “Since we have been running PLTE and ILPAC with the Peace Committee in Dhaka, Bangladesh, our peace initiatives will be promoted more actively through the MOA.”

Peace Lecturer Training Education (PLTE)

– Peace Realized through Female Peace

Rwanda

Global Region 4 held a PLTE completion ceremony at Rwanda Consumer’s Rights Protection Organization on July 21. Four participants graduated with outstanding results and were given a chance to practice teaching in class as peace instructors of the future. 
PLTE lecturer Jeanne d’Arc Nyirajyambere, Director of Cultivating New Frontiers in Agriculture, remarked, “IWPG has been working for peace initiatives with various members, partners, and organizations in many countries around the world alongside HWPL for the last ten years. With ten years of experience, IWPG is building and reinforcing the peace network in regional communities. Congratulations on your graduation. I hope you could contribute to promoting peace worldwide through your work with IWPG for yourself, family, local communities in Rwanda, and the rest of the world.”
Another lecturer, Nyiraneza Charlotte, from Streeat Ahead Children’s Centre Association, said, “It was a precious and wonderful experience to teach the students one by one. It was inspiring to see each student`s passion for peace and devotion to making a difference in the world. It was an honor to be a part of the education, and I am very proud of the graduates. I am sure they will make outstanding achievements and spread the message of peace. I hope they make the world a better place.”
One of the graduates, Bayisenge Elevanie, said, “The ceremony was beautiful and well organized. Listening to all the speeches, I found new impressions and inspirations. Munezero Antoinette commented, “The ceremony was great. It was a good opportunity to share each other’s thoughts and feelings. I thank all partners for trying so hard to run PLTE.” Rose Marie Uwineza said, “I was glad we could meet in the Rwanda Peace Team. We shared our emotions and reflections, and promoting peace will become our legacy from now on.”

India, Pakistan, Maldives, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, Sri Lanka

Global Region 3 hosted PLTE from sessions 4 to 7 online in July, with students from India, Maldives, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan. Lesson themes included instructor qualifications, the consequences of war, and the limitations of the peace movement. Students studied and carried out speech assignments actively together. All sessions are to be completed by August, and the PLTE trainees are to plan how to work as peace instructors in their local communities.

Republic of Korea, South Africa, U.K, Switzerland, New Zealand

On July 6, Global Region 6 (Regional Director So Yeong Park) hosted the 6th PLTE Joint Completion Ceremony online. It was conducted as a joint event involving South Korea, South Africa, the United Kingdom, Switzerland, and New Zealand, with a total of 46 trainees completing the program.
Evelyn Letooane, IWPG Lesotho Peace Committee Representative, stated that “Peace education is a milestone that stands for the commitment to promote peace and understanding within communities and beyond. Cherish the results of your hard work, spread the message of peace widely, and become influential advocates for peace. Let’s work together to create a peaceful world for everyone.”

Czech Republic

In the Czech Republic, PLTE was conducted online a total of four times. The participants were mainly Ukrainian women who had experienced the destructive damage of war directly. Despite the destruction and brutality they endured, they demonstrated a strong determination to promote peaceful values and to make the world a better place. They aspired to become PLTE instructors to nurture a new generation that would lead the way to peace and help Ukraine, and they expressed a heartfelt hope that the horror of war would never be repeated.

India

On July 15, Global Region 10 conducted the fourth session of PLTE India Class 24-2 online. Queenthus, one of the trainees, said, “I never realized that soldiers are the greatest victims of war. As long as there is war, we are all victims.” Rosy Samson said, “Through the fourth session, I saw people who are desperately in need of peace, and, reflecting on my own situation, it felt terrifying. I became to understand how crucial the work of peace is. I also learned how much tax is being wasted on war through the defense budget of major powers.”

Networking and Cooperation

– Meeting with citizens who want peace

Global Region 5 meets with Maadhavi Bhaskar in India

Global Region 5 recently had its first meeting with freelance artist Maadhavi Bhaskar. At the meeting, they watched a video about IWPG’s vision and activities, and then introduced main peace activities. Bhaskar agreed to join the peace work as a judge of ILPAC and said, ”I will actively collaborate with IWPG to spread peace widely, moving forward.”

Tokyo Branch in Japan holds July International Women’s Peace Network Regular Meeting 

Tokyo Branch in Japan (Branch Manager Ohki Kazumi) held an online International Women’s Peace Network Regular Meeting. Takayuki Nakano, the director of Peace of Syria, expressed empathy for IWPG’s peace activities and hope for mutual cooperation. As an NGO, Peace of Syria provides children from war-damaged regions with the education they need to help them build a better future. A participant from Pakistan, Natinya Pervaiz, remarked, “Attending the meeting, I could think about the hardship that humanity suffers due to war and learn about activities leading toward the way of true peace.”

Global Region 4 hosts July International Women’s Peace Network Regular Meeting

Global Region 4 hosted an International Women’s Peace Network Regular Meeting online on July 18, and another at Myanmar National Young Women’s Christian Association on July 25. 
Cameroon and Burundi shared the works they conducted for the last four months since the February meeting. They first congratulated 14 graduates from PLTE and listened to the reflections and resolutions from the lecturer and a graduate representative, and had a MOA signing ceremony with Malu Nembo Pauline, Founder of Rural and Urban Grassroots Business Women Association (RUGBWA). Then, an awarding ceremony followed to award the first prize of each division in the ILPAC that took place at Yaounde, Buea, and Bamenda in Cameroon and Bujumbura in Burundi.
Umenjoh Vania Andoumbeni, the president and founder of Association for the Promotion of Gender and Disability Issues (APGDI)- Cameroon, said, “The event was awesome. Great thanks to IWPG for this opportunity and to our able facilitators who made this possible. We are equipped to spread the culture of peace to our community and the world at large.”
“Thank you so much for this incredible opportunity. It was an amazing exercise and I hope to share this new skill with everyone in my community and the world. We appreciate your patience and support throughout this period.”
Yangon Branch in Myanmar discussed the 2024 mid-year review and plans for the second half of the year. The branch manager Crystal Po Gyaw said, “The participants became to work more systematically and able to understand one another better. We are going to plan more advanced programs from now on.” Yin Yin Mya, the operation manager, said, “We had warm discussions among the members of Yangon Branch and it was enjoyable.”

Global Region 4 holds Timor-Leste-Burkina Faso Welcoming Meeting

Global Region 4 held an online meeting to welcome new members of Timor-Leste and Burkina Faso on July 27. Combined with a PLTE graduation ceremony, the meeting offered a chance for all new members to learn about IWPG and PLTE. 
At the PLTE graduation ceremony, a total of three individuals graduated from PLTE with outstanding results: the president of Genit Care Africa from Burkina Faso, the general director of Village of Hamade Ouedraogo Foundation, and the account of President University Student Union.
Felicidade Victoria Timora Dos Santos Takeleb, a member of Laudatos Si Animators Timor-Leste who is the first PLTE graduate of Timor-Leste, remarked, “I am grateful to IWPG for giving me this opportunity to learn about peace and realizing peace. Thanks to PLTE, I could tell my friends, families and neighbors on peace. Moving forward, I am willing to discuss peace with female leaders of the world.”
Josiane Ouedraogo, the president of Genit Care Africa, remarked, “What impressed me the most is that peace begins with me. I learned so much through PLTE, and I feel I received a gift from IWPG. At the moment, we are in a very difficult situation due to the war in Burkina Faso. I hope many women in Burkina Faso will be able to take PLTE.”
Sabine Ouedraogo, the general director of Village of Hamade Ouedraogo Foundation, expressed her gratitude, saying “I would like to express my heartfelt thanks to IWPG. I am happy to graduate from PLTE and would like to share what I learned from PLTE with many people.”