The Women’s Federation for World Peace International (WFWPI) opened the year by convening some 777 WFWP leaders, members, and friends from around the world for its New Year Annual Gathering 2026.

Moderator and National President of WFWP Austria Renate Amesbauer reminded participants in her welcome remarks that this first global meeting of the year was more than a tradition. “It is a visible sign that we are connected across regions, cultures, and time zones, serving a shared purpose together.”

WFWPI President Moriko Hori acknowledged the complex realities that many chapters face - conflict and polarization, economic uncertainty, environmental crisis, and the erosion of trust, often while working with limited resources or under social pressure.

In her welcome address, she emphasized the unique strength of the WFWP: peace is not built only through high-level agreements, but through daily efforts in families, communities, and relationships, where women serve as educators, advocates, peacemakers, and bridge-builders.

Hori highlighted the importance of setting concrete, measurable goals, not just describing what we did, but what changed as a result. She called the global network to move forward with three shared commitments: Honesty (facing realities without denial or discouragement); Solidarity (remembering no chapter stands alone); Hope and action (translating hope into service, advocacy, and solutions).

The gathering then moved to “Regional Priorities for 2026,” with brief, focused messages from regional leaders that showed how each region will advance aligned priorities while responding to local needs.

Highlights included:

Africa emphasized strengthening women’s leadership through the Global Women’s Peace Network (GWPN), expanding outreach to women leaders, educating them toward WFWP’s vision, and growing membership and its database for stronger collaboration.
Asia-Pacific centered on enhancing women’s education and leadership under the global theme Global Development, Aid and Service. She explained this focus supports stronger economies and communities by increasing participation in education seminars and engagement with women leaders across sectors, targeting 2,000 participants from Q1 to Q4 of 2026.
EUME selected Women’s Leadership through GWPN, aiming to harness women’s leadership to drive peace and prosperity across borders. Two actions were highlighted: strengthening cross-border engagements/partnerships and developing financial stability through strategic networking.
Japan focused on developing educational modules to strengthen family capacity, addressing family breakdown as a root cause of social instability. Japan will launch a family capacity program and train family educators to deliver it in vulnerable communities.
Korea prioritized strengthening women’s global advocacy through the UN Commission on the Status of Women, moving from national voices to global women’s leadership. Korea will expand UNCSW-based leadership training and support women delegates’ participation in UNCSW forums.
Latin America introduced a Human Dignity-Centered Leadership Initiative through GWPN, inspired by the WFWP peace curriculum. Two concrete actions were shared: monthly GWPN “meet and greet” sessions across Latin America and the first annual Latin American Peace Ambassadors Convention in Colombia (December 2026) in partnership with local governments and strategic partners.
North America focused on GWPN under the theme “from inner awakening to global connection.” Building on the success of recent programs, they will cultivate women’s leadership circles within GWPN and integrate GWPN leaders into Awaken Retreats as speakers and attendees.

The segment reinforced a shared direction for the 2026 global purpose and personalized how it is lived out through action in every nation.

A defining feature of the gathering was the interactive breakout session, designed to ensure participants not only listened but also contributed. Participants joined one of four theme-based rooms and worked to identify one key action for 2026, one simple measurement of progress, and a collaboration idea across countries.

The four global themes and focus areas for 2026 are:

Women, Peace and Security: promoting the Bridge of Peace through reconciliation and women-led peacebuilding
Women’s Leadership through GWPN: advancing intercultural/interfaith leadership for shared action
Climate Action and Environmental Sustainability: climate resilience, nature-based solutions, stewardship
Global Development, Aid and Service: education, capacity building, and community programs supporting women, youth, and children

When participants returned, each group offered short, practical takeaways:

Women, Peace and Security: emphasis on inclusive peace processes, addressing gender-based violence, security sector reform, and peace education/awareness.
Women’s Leadership through GWPN: a strong call to expand shared knowledge through a central resource space, build wider awareness, and create expert panels/webinars to connect women across chapters.
Climate Action & Environmental Sustainability: focus on reducing plastic pollution, promoting permaculture and environmental education, and scaling successful recycling and “no-plastic” initiatives supported by sharing project videos and building a usable database of good practices.
Global Development, Aid and Service: stories and ideas centered on practical support for children and communities, such as long-running efforts to provide transportation access to education and plans to provide lunch boxes for children, supported through partnerships. The sharing also highlighted the need for stronger community-based integration so that more countries can develop peacebuilding visibility and practical local impact.

To close the gathering with reflection and heart, participants were invited into a short poem, “I Alone Bloom,” a reminder that one sincere step can feel small, but together, many steps can change the whole “meadow.”

This flowed into a meaningful “Commitment Moment,” where everyone wrote in the chat: “In 2026, I commit to ____.” Commitments ranged from serving through action, continuing peace work, strengthening families, and deepening cooperation with communities, governments, and the UN/SDGs.

May 2026 be a year of strengthened families, courageous leadership, and peace - built step by step together.

WFWPI New Year Gathering 2026: Strengthening Families, Fortifying Courageous Leadership