IWPG Global 10 Branches Hold Graduation Ceremony for the 7th Coalition of Women in Peace Education

The International Women's Peace Group (IWPG) Global 10 branch held an online graduation ceremony for the 7th Women's Peace Education Coalition on the 19th.

The graduation ceremony was attended by over 300 graduates from 15 countries, including South Korea, Japan, Turkey, Pakistan, Kazakhstan, Mexico, Venezuela, Paraguay, Argentina, Bolivia, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, and Guatemala, as well as over 100 members and guests.

Through systematic peace education, IWPG helps women, who are important members of society and caregivers at home, to develop into peace leaders for the global village.

In her opening remarks, Kim Hwa-jeong, Director of the Global 10 Bureau, said, "Today's peace education graduation ceremony, held amidst the current serious situation of war and conflict in the global village, can be seen as a courageous first step by women who have chosen peace. I hope that the seeds of peace planted in your hearts will become a great force in spreading peace to your families, society, and countries."

In her congratulatory speech, Ivonne Adriana Gaitan-Bertruy, professor at the Autonomous University of Tabasco Juarez (UJAT) in Mexico and chair of the IWPG Peace Committee, emphasized, "As agents of change, you who have completed peace education will write a new chapter in the history of peace, one filled with harmony and justice. I hope that you will work together with IWPG to illuminate the world with your light and peace."

Ayse Belgioğlu, an elementary school teacher from Biltes, Turkey, who completed the program, shared her thoughts, saying, "Through peace education, we can teach the new generation how to build dialogue instead of conflict and suffering. Peace can be achieved through joint efforts by individuals, societies, and nations. I am grateful to IWPG for adding value to my life through this education."

Peace Committee Chair Karen Elizabeth Leon Romeo, a student at the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM), emphasized, "Today is not the end of education, but the beginning, the starting point, of projects, networks, and quiet peaceful revolutions that will begin in each community. Let's pass on the energy of this revolution, teach, and support each other."

On this day, the more than 300 graduates took the time to resolve to play their role in creating a lasting peace system and a sustainable culture of peace in their respective local communities.

Prior to the graduation ceremony, the Global 10 branch signed a peace education MOU with Mexico's UJAT last November.

In the future, we plan to work in solidarity with UNAM and other universities in Mexico to continue various activities to expand women's participation in peace and to establish a culture of peace through peace education.