10,000 women of India pledged to support the movement led by IWPG (International Women’s Peace Group, Chairwoman Nam Hee Kim) to urge for the enactment of an international convention for the cessation of wars and to join the organization’s work for the empowerment of women and world peace.
The 2015 IWPG Network India was held at the Women’s Christian College, Nagercoil in Kanyakumari, Tamil Nadu, the southernmost area of India hosted by the IWPG Women Leaders’ Peace Committee Kanyakumari District with PURA as the leading organizer.
10,000 women attended the first part of the event themed Happy Women, Healthy Mothers. Participating women leaders from the districts of Tamil Nadu, and from the states of Odisha, Maharashtra, Kerala who discussed women’s role in empowering women and achieving peace. Hon. District Collector, the Superintendent of Police, the Additional Director for Rural Development Tamil Nadu Government, and the Principal of WCC delivered keynote addresses.
In the second half of the event, 200 female university students from Kanyakumari gave performances for peace and received ovations from the audience. IWPG appointed 41 members of the peace committee, advisors, and peace ambassadors.
The conference was followed by a large-scale peace walk across downtown Kanyakumari which was joined by the local citizens.
Nam Hee Kim, the chairwoman of IWPG said in her video message that she wanted most to come together with women in India for peace. “Though women in India are struggling with India’s custom and social norms, I believe those struggles are what we go through on the way to becoming agents of peace. Now it is the time to show the true potential of Indian women,” Kim said.
In his congratulatory message, Man Hee Lee, the chairman of HWPL said, “the entire the global village must join one another to leave a peaceful world as a legacy for our future generations.” He added, “When all women of India word for peace, that will make the world anew.
A university student named G. Evangeline Ashna who attended the event told the reporters that the conference made her realize that women are not mere beneficiaries or ones who need help but women are the ones who can protect themselves and bring peace to Tamil Nadu and India.
Prior to the event on DEC 18, the IWPG Peace Committee Kanyakumari District had hosted the IWPG Peace Forum on the 17th at the Holy Cross Women’s University in Kanyakumari. Approximately 1,000 participants including the principal, faculty, and students of the university, and local women leaders signed a statement to urge the enactment of the international convention for the cessation of wars and the achievement of world peace.
IWPG is an international non-profit organization for women with ten million members across 1000 affiliates and branch offices in 170 countries widely recognized for its convening and campaigning capabilities. It is currently working in cooperation with HWPL for the enactment of an international convention for the cessation of wars and the achievement of world peace.