– Sharing Peace Education and Conflict Case Studies; Seeking Peace Expansion through Women’s Solidarity
The International Women’s Peace Group (IWPG) Global Region 1 (Regional Director: Yeon-kyoung Kang) held the ‘2026 Only Peace Conference’ online on 28 February, aimed at establishing a vision for peace in 2026 and strengthening women’s peace leadership.
Held under the theme “Voices of Peace: How Women Have Upheld Peace,” the conference brought together approximately 80 participants from around the world, including the Republic of Korea, the Philippines, Indonesia, Nigeria, India, Eswatini, and the United States, fostering meaningful international exchange.
Women peace leaders from various countries served as presenters, sharing firsthand experiences in peace education and real-life cases of women in conflict-affected regions. They particularly emphasized practical action at the civil society level, highlighting women’s solidarity as a core driving force for the spread of peace.
Erlinda Olivia Tiu, Vice President of the National Federation of Women’s Clubs of the Philippines, stated: “Violence can never be a lasting solution — only dialogue and mutual respect can build sustainable peace.” She added, “When women around the world unite as one, peace can become the norm, not the exception.” Vice President Tiu shared her experience spearheading the signing of an MOU between Leyte Normal University (LNU) and IWPG, advancing peace education and the empowerment of women and youth.
Athaya Rumaisha, Chairperson of the Lentera Habibi Aceh Foundation (Indonesia), remarked: “Women in Aceh are agents of peace who lead regional transformation based on the values of compassion, empathy, and responsibility.” She called for expanding women’s peace education and international cooperation to promote a culture of non-violence and sustainable peace.
Omgbu Odiri Obukowho Margaret, Representative of Nigeria’s 2nd Batch Peace Committee, emphasized: “Peace without the participation of women cannot be complete.” She stressed that “when women leaders join peace committees, peace can naturally spread from government to citizens,” and urged the urgent establishment of international solidarity and institutional foundations to support this.
In her closing remarks, Global Region Director Yeon-kyoung Kang reflected: “This conference was a meaningful occasion that confirmed how women, centered on peace education, are growing into agents who lead conflict prevention and community transformation.” She also announced that IWPG will officially present its vision and strategy to the international community through an online NGO Forum hosted by IWPG Headquarters on 17 March.
Going forward, Global Region 1 will systematically implement strategies drawn from this conference, focusing on: ▲ expanding peace education, ▲ strengthening the capacity of Peace instructor, and ▲ growing the global women’s network. In particular, leveraging participation in the 70th Session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women (CSW70) as a milestone, the region plans to build substantive cooperative frameworks with international organizations and NGOs worldwide — scaling up peace initiatives that begins in local communities to a global level.
IWPG is an international women’s NGO accredited by the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) and the UN Department of Global Communications (DGC), dedicated to realizing sustainable world peace through women’s peace education and the building of a global peace network. The Only Peace Conference is IWPG’s flagship international peace event, where community leaders come together to explore solutions for peace and share actionable approaches.(****
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