Women for Peace

A Journal of the Universal Peace Federation
Vol. 25, No. 1: Summer 2011
To facilitate further dialogue, feedback is invited and will be posted to this page as appropriate. Email editor@upf.org.

"Reflections on Peace, Women, and the World’s Faiths"
Dr. Ursula King, Professor Emerita, University of Bristol, UK

"The UN Agenda and Interreligious Initiatives"
Astrid Stuckelberger, Scientist and Writer, University of Geneva, Switzerland

"Feminine Qualities of Leadership"
Ingrid Lindemann, President, Women’s Federation for World Peace-Germany

"Religion as a Motivating Force in the Pursuit of Peace"
Lilian M. Curaming, Franciscan Missionaries of Mary, the Philippines

"Building a Global Culture of Service"
Ana Catalina Soberanis Reyes, Director, Central American Institute for Political Education

"Interfaith Cooperation Urged in Sacred Scripture"
Olfat El-Mallakh, Adjunct Faculty, College of DuPage, USA

"The Divine Image in All Humankind"
Dr. Naomi Vogelmann Goldfeld, Professor, Bar Ilan University, Israel

"Forgiveness and the Healing of Nations"
Dr. Eileen R. Borris, President, Global Peace Initiatives

"Women Supporting Reconciliation on the Korean Peninsula"
Lan Young Moon, President, Women's Federation for World Peace International

"Women's Initiatives for Peace and Reconciliation in Cyprus"
Areti Demosthenous, Director, Institute of Historical Research for Peace, Cyprus

"Principles of Peace at Work in Nepal"
Hon. Chitralekha Yadav, Former Deputy Speaker, Parliament of Nepal

"A World Without Wars"
Dr. V. Mohini Giri, Chair, Guild of Service, India

"Pray for a Relief of Suffering"
Fauzia Assifi, American University, Afghanistan

"Humanity Before Gender"
Hadia Saad, Coordinator of Women’s Programs, Alulbayt Foundation, London, UK

"The Way to Happiness Is Paved with Good Deeds"
Dalila Khorava, President, Aid to Refugees from Georgia

"In the Final Stages of Life"
Dr. Elke Preuser Franke, Germany

"Seeking Reconciliation in Israel"
Ven. Shoshu Murei, Priest, Takamitamanomiya Shrine, Japan

"Women as Global Peacebuilders"
Debbie Remengesau, Former First Lady, Republic of Palau

"The Language of Peace"
Geetha Rajan, Trustee, UPF-India

"Peace in the Family"
Galina A. Kharitonova, President, Life NGO, Russia

"Love and Mercy as Forces of Change"
Yun Duk Kim, Government Minister, Republic of Korea

Goodness is always followed by happiness. Happiness inspires us to do good, and love is the motive force of God. Our Lord illuminates our hearts with love and goodness and wants us to do the same to others. The way to God is paved with good actions that are welcome to God. Otherwise, we should not even dream about entering the next world.

The time is now ripe for us to understand that a culture of peace can only arise if both aspects, the masculine and the feminine, work with each other on an equal basis. This will be achieved through an influx of feminine qualities into all areas of society.

If we have the real strength of faith and the will to unite as one human family, we can hope to find all the spiritual power and help needed to respond to the great challenge of creating peace and justice on earth. To weave strong connections between women, faith, and peace provides conditions of empowerment to transform ourselves and the world.

The Women's Federation for World Peace receives contributions from women throughout the world and makes donations to North Korea as humanitarian aid for their children and women. There have also been various opportunities for visits over the years. The more exchanges we have with people from the North, the more we are able to understand each other and overcome the gaps caused by the decades of separation.

In light of the current events that are prevailing in the region extending from Morocco to Iran, over 40 women leaders from the Middle East, North Africa, Gulf States, as well as from Europe and Asia, gathered in Thessaloniki, Greece in May 2011 for the fifteenth annual “Women’s Conference on Peace in the Middle East” sponsored by Women’s Federation for World Peace International and its counterpart in Japan. Participants, including representatives of grassroots organizations, governmental, economic and legal sectors, UN agencies and academia, deliberated on the conference theme, “Women in War and Reconstruction.”

Cap-Haitian, Haiti - A dozen nurses and students from the US spent a week in northern Haiti offering health education and care to people in impoverished sections of Cap-Haitian from May 28 to June 4.

Thessaloniki, Greece - The Women's Federation for World Peace International and its Japanese chapter organized the 15^th Conference for Peace in the Middle East in Thessaloniki, Greece from May 24 to 27. Forty women from 20 countries of the Middle East, Europe, and the Far East gathered to discuss the theme "Women in War and Reconstruction."

London, UK - The Universal Peace Federation and Women's Federation for World Peace-UK organized a symposium on the Centennial International Women's Day at the House of Lords on March 9.

We women want equal rights; we also want the vote; we want improved working conditions for women. This was the historic moment in world history, on March 8, 1911, when the International Women’s Day was born.

Helping women is about helping the whole of society: when you invest in women, they invest that money into their families and you are investing in future generations. Women do not wish to be seen as victims. If we can help support women, they have the ability to transform their societies and can be the most powerful agents for change.

Presentation given at the parallel event of the 55th Commission on the Status of Women, which drew over a hundred women to a day-long seminar concluded by an interfaith peace ceremony. More on the Event.