WFWPI New Year General Assembly: A New Year with Continued Dedication

In Eastern philosophy, the year 2024 is known as the "Year of the Blue Dragon," which symbolizes courage and signifies new beginnings. In the spirit of the Blue Dragon, WFWP hopes that all members, friends, and volunteers will embody courage and creativity and demonstrate the ability to focus and grow together as a community,” stated, Dr. Paris Moon, International Secretary General, at the 2024 WFWPI New Year General Assembly.

The year 2024 kicked off with a special virtual gathering that brought together 230 WFWP leaders, members, and guests from around the world. Mrs. Jacqueline Sou Aber, a WFWPI Global Committee member from Burkina Faso, presided over the event and welcomed all participants with heartwarming words, wished them a great start to the year, and hoped that this time would be informative and beneficial for them as they work in their respective fields throughout the year.

Opening remarks were made by Dr. Paris Moon, who said, "Last year was a challenging year, but our dedicated members and volunteers have been working on a variety of projects and assisting individuals in need. We are looking ahead to the rest of 2024. I hope that you will take away value and insight from today's General Assembly and apply the learnings to practice within your own reach."

In her welcoming remarks, Mrs. Moriko Hori, WFWP International President, said "At the beginning of my term, I met with the co-founder Dr. Hak Ja Han Moon who was concerned about the world situation, including conflicts and natural disasters. As a mothers' organization, she asked WFWP to foster mothers who can educate their families to become peace-loving global citizens. Mothers are the ones who bring harmony and unity to their families with their unconditional love. When the mind and body are at peace, the family will be at peace, and society and the nation will be at peace. So this year, let us join forces and use our talents to bring peace to this chaotic world." She also mentioned WFWPI's four global themes for 2024: women's peace and security, women's leadership through the Global Women's Peace Network, and climate change action and environmental sustainability.

A special video was then shown to thank the seven great women who had retired in 2023 for their deep dedication and love as peacemakers and respected leaders. The International President, Mrs. Hori also thanked each leader and announced a special request for raising young generation of leaders: “I would like to emphasize the importance of raising a new generation of young leaders who can inherit and carry on the missions of elder leaders in our organization. Commencing in 2024 WFWP International Headquarters seeks your valuable support and cooperation in fostering a culture of a graceful and smooth integrational transition for WFWP Leaders in your regions and nations with guidance, mentoring, and teachings.”
The 10-minute Meet & Greet Breakout Session provided time and networking opportunities for WFWP colleagues from around the world to share their goals and New Year's resolutions with each other. This time was a very powerful encouragement to audience members, bringing a spirit of unity and friendship.

Two speakers then presented the WFWP educational curriculum developed by WFWP Europe and WFWP Portugal: Mrs. Kefilwe Lebepe, leader of the WFWPI Young Professionals Team, presented "Building a World of Peace - The Woman's Way." Mrs. Lebepe read through a three-module curriculum divided into chapters on "Empowering the Self," "Empowering the Family," and "Empowering Society." She concluded by saying, "Every action has to take into consideration the environmental impact! Don’t make it a burden, or a judgment on others, but a service to humanity and our planet."

Dr. Isabel Costa of WFWP Portugal presented the "Teachers for World Peace" project developed for Portuguese-speaking countries in Africa and Brazil. The objective was to introduce a peace curriculum and literacy program into the training sessions so that members would be equipped with tools to help them in their personal and professional lives, to practice and embody the values of the WFWP co-founders, to become teachers of peace by being role models in their lives, and to pass these values on to others. She shared the testimonies from the participants and added “It is evident from these testimonies that the course has truly borne wonderful fruit. Starting with our own peace is what the co-founders have been teaching us for years, and from there we can truly bring the ideal family into a world of beautiful peace for all.”
Before the next program, WFWP IHQ had prepared a special video featuring WFWP's activities from 2023 to see activities and projects in various fields that affect the lives of millions of people around the world, and the steps that WFWP volunteers are taking to achieve a peaceful world.
A unique aspect of this assembly was the special education on "Empowering Women in the Generation Gap" given by Taiwanese Professor Lih-Rong Wang. She explained the importance of empowering women to reduce the generation gap from a gender perspective and how NGOs can achieve this goal. Based on the best practices of the Taiwan WFWP, she highlighted four pillars, with a particular focus on empowering young women. She said it is essential to support women of different ages and backgrounds to reach their full potential and overcome the barriers they face due to gender inequality, as well as to promote intergenerational dialogue and solidarity among women and recognize the diverse experiences and contributions of intergenerational women. She explained “The benefits of women's empowerment are not only for women themselves, but also for everyone. It bridges generational gaps in education, health, economic participation, and political representation; enhances the well-being and resilience of women, their families, communities, and society; and fosters innovation and creativity as women of different generations."

After a break, the 2024 International and Regional Action Plans were presented. The regional plan focused on the 2024 global themes and detailed plans for projects to reach more people and families in need this year. The International Secretary General presented plans for the WFWP International Headquarters, including educational sessions and administrative support for leaders in their respective fields. The WFWP UN Action Plan was presented by Ms. Srruthi Lekha, WFWP UN Representative, Geneva, and shared goals at the three main offices in Geneva, New York, and Vienna.

The event concluded with closing remarks from the International President, who summarized the event and encouraged the participants to collect data from each project and follow up to achieve more effective results and develop the organization. She said, "Thank you for your great work and dedication. Let's work together and change the world to a better place!"