International Women’s Peace Conference (IWPC) 2023: Lee Man Hee: Jadilah Terang Cahaya bagi Seluruh Dunia

[INCHEON, KOREA SELATAN] Dunia saat ini masih berada dalam “kegelapan”. Banyak masalah yang dihadapi manusia, termasuk dialami para wanita, yang jumlahnya lebih banyak dibanding pria. Perang masih terjadi, konflik, permusuhan dan banyak ketidakdamaian.

“Tuhan menciptakan pria dan wanita, karena itu kita harus bersatu dalam mewujudkan perdamaian. Bagi para wanita IWPG, jadilah terang cahaya bagi seluruh dunia, pembawa perdamaian,” kata Ketua  Heavenly Culture World Peace Restoration of Light (HWPL) atau Budaya Sorgawi, Perdamaian Dunia, Pemulihan Terang, Lee Man Hee.

Hal itu dikatakan Lee Man Hee pada acara International Women’s Peace Conference (IWPC) 2023 dengan tema “The Role of Women for Sustainable Peace”.

IWPC diadakan di The Grand Hyatt Incheon West, Korea Selatan, Selasa (19/9/2023). Acara ini disiarkan secara bersamaan dalam 8 (delapan) bahasa, termasuk Bahasa Korea, yaitu Bahasa Inggris, Prancis, Spanyol, Arab, Mongolia, dan Ukraina. Tujuan konferensi kali ini adalah untuk lebih fokus pada pencapaian IWPG selama ini dan mendiskusikan apa yang bisa dilakukan perempuan untuk perdamaian di setiap posisinya. Acara ini juga merupakan bagian dari Peringatan KTT Perdamaian Dunia ke-9 setiap tanggal 18 September, yang diselenggarakan oleh organisasi yang berafiliasi dengan IWPG, yaitu HWPL.

Menurut Lee Man Hee, perdamaian bukan hanya milik segelintir orang atau milik sebuah negara. Jadi, kedamaian itu harus jadi milik seluruh manusia di dunia, dengan mengikuti tatanan yang baik di setiap negara.

“Jika negara bermasalah, wargalah yang jadi korban. Perbaikan kondisi ini harus dimulai dari diri masing-masing. Hal utama yang harus dimiliki setiap manusia adalah keamanan dan perdamaian dalam konteks cinta. Kita yakin, hal ini akan berhasil, sehingga para wanita menjadi  terang cahaya bagi seluruh dunia,” katanya.

Menurut Lee Man Hee, dia bersama Ketua IWPG, Hyun Sook Yoon sering mengunjungi kantor Perserikatan Bangsa-Bangsa (PBB) untuk mewujudkan Declaration of Peace and Cessation of War (DPCW) yaitu Deklarasi Perdamaian dan Penghentian Perang, menjadi sebuah undang-undang (UU) di PBB. Jika DPCW menjadi undang-undang di PBB, maka perang tak akan ada lagi di sisi mana pun di dunia ini.

Pada kesempatan yang sama, Ketua IWPG Hyun Sook Yoon mengatakan, dunia tidak akan pernah bisa terbebas dari perang, selama tidak memiliki sistem untuk membangun perdamaian berkelanjutan di seluruh dunia. “Kita harus memikirkan perdamaian yang benar-benar kita perlukan,” katanya.

Selain itu, IWPG harus bersatu dengan perempuan di seluruh dunia dalam berbagai cara untuk mencapai perdamaian yang dibutuhkan dunia. “Saya menantikan rencana terobosan dan pelaksanaan aktif dari para peserta konferensi ini,” katanya.

Berlari Cepat

Pada kesempatan itu, hadir Ibu Negara Republik Demokratik Sao Tome and Principe, Maria de Fatima Afonso Vila Nova. Ibu Negara tersebut mengungkapkan berbicara tentang perdamaian dunia sangat penting, sebab tanpa perdamaian akan selalu terjadi kemiskinan, kelaparan, konflik, dan korban-korban yang berjatuhan. “Masih ada sistem yang menghalangi terjadinya perdamaian. Para wanita harus ikut serta mengubah sistem itu, dimanapun kita berada dan apapun profesi kita,” katanya.

Maria de Fatima Afonso Vila Nova mengutip ungkapan “Jika berlari sendiri akan lari cepat, namun jika berlari bersama akan berlari lebih cepat lagi”.

Pembicara khusus, Aya Benjamin Libo Warille, Ahli Gender, Anak, dan Kesejahteraan Sosial Sudan Selatan, menekankan perlunya dan pentingnya perdamaian berkelanjutan. “Kami mengalami langsung peperangan, yang memecah-belah bangsa kami. Banyak penderitaan yang kami alami. Suami saya meninggal karena perang dan konflik. Saya tak bisa menguburkannya. Saya tidak sendirian mengalami hal ini, tapi juga dialami banyak wanita lain di dunia ini,” katanya.

Dikatakan, dengan semangat perdamaian, Wanita Sudan tak akan pernah dikalahkan oleh berbagai jenis penderitaan. “Kita harus menjadi korban aktif, bukan pasif. Kita perlu tempat yang aman untuk berdialog, kita butuh perlindungan dan kesempatan untuk mengoptimalkan potensi diri,” katanya.

Acara ini diisi dengan diskusi dengan tiga thema, pendidikan perdamaian, budaya perdamaian, dan pelembagaan perdamaian. Pada sesi pertama, Dr Kadia Maiga Diallo, Sekretaris Jenderal Komisi Nasional Mali untuk Unesco dan Organisasi Pendidikan, Keilmuan, dan Kebudayaan Islam (ISESCO), hadir sebagai salah satu Ketua Kelompok Referensi Regional Masyarakat Sipil PBB untuk Afrika. Dr Kadia memberikan pidato bertajuk “Memberdayakan Masa Depan: Pendidikan Perdamaian Perempuan di Dunia yang Berubah.”

Komisi Pelayanan Sosial Spesialis Kesehatan Masyarakat Tanzania, Lilian Benedict Msaki menjelaskan terjadinya perubahan besar bagi para Wanita di Tanzania, dengan hadirnya Peace Lecturer Education Program (PLTE) atau Pelatihan  Pengajar Perdamaian Perempuan, salah satu program pendidikan IWPG. “Kami sangat merasakan perubahan setelah mengikuti PLTE. Meski infrastruktur terbatas, antara lain minimnya internet, namun para wanita di Sudan berusaha belajar langsung tatap muka (offline),” katanya.  

Pada sesi kedua, koordinator Hubungan Internasional dari Kantor Pusat IWPG. Charleen Hull, menjadi moderator diskusi dengan tiga perempuan Filipina, yang membahas  tentang bagaimana kehidupan perempuan berubah secara damai di Mindanao, Filipina, pasca perdamaian di Mindanao, yang diprakarsai oleh HWPL, IPYG, dan IWPG. Tampil tiga Wanita yang terlibat langsung dalam mengatasi konflik itu, yaitu Maria Theresa Royo-Timbol, Walikota Mangudadatu, Maguindanao, Ruby Banares-Victorino, aktivis wanita Filipina, mantan Presiden Zonta Club Metropolitan Pasig dan Elizabeth Mangudadatu, Wakil Walikota Mangudadatu, Maguindanao.

Digambarkan betapa hancurnya Mindanao saat konflik sekitar 40 tahun. Turis tidak ada, investor juga tidak ada. Ratusan ribu korban manusia. Setelah adanya perdamaian, Mindanao berubah drastis. Wajah kota juga berubah dengan beberapa monumen perdamaian, termasuk jembatan damai dan banyak hal yang selalu mengingatkan warga akan pentingnya perdamaian.

Topik pada sesi ketiga adalah keterbatasan hukum internasional yang ada dan makna Declaration of Peace and Cessation of War (DPCW) yaitu Deklarasi Perdamaian dan Penghentian Perang. Dr Ahlan Beydoun, Mantan Profesor di Fakultas Hukum, Ilmu Politik dan Administrasi, Universitas Lebanon, Beirut, menilai keterbatasan hukum internasional yang mengemuka dalam urusan internasional saat ini, membuat sulit untuk menghapuskan perang.

Lee Kyou-sun, Direktur Jenderal Pendidikan Perdamaian Kantor Pusat IWPG memperkenalkan arti dan poin utama DPCW. Sedangkan penasihat IWPG dan mantan Anggota Parlemen Mongolia, Budee Munkhtuya, yang juga merupakan Presiden Association of Mother with the Order of Famous Mother, berbicara tentang topik peran perempuan dalam pelembagaan perdamaian berkelanjutan.

Pada kesempatan itu, ditunjuk Duta Penasihat dan Publisitas IWPG dan penganugerahan IWPG Peace Achievement Award kepada Aya Benjamin Libo Warille (Sudan Selatan). Sedangkan Pascal Esho Warda (Irak) ditunjuk sebagai Anggota Dewan Penasihat IWPG, dan Warda Sada ( Israel) ditunjuk sebagai Duta Publisitas. Laji Balghis (India), Vinithaput Phophet (Thailand) dan Wanja Cheon (Republik Korea) dianugerahi IWPG Achievement Award. [NR]

International Women’s Peace Conference (IWPC) 2023:Lee Man Hee: Be a Light for the Whole World

[INCHEON, SOUTH KOREA] The world is currently still in “darkness”. There are many problems faced by humans, including women, who are more numerous than men. Wars still occur, conflicts, hostility and much unrest.

“God created men and women, therefore we must unite in realizing peace. “For IWPG women, be a shining light for the whole world, bringers of peace,” said the Chair of Heavenly Culture World Peace Restoration of Light (HWPL), Lee Man Hee.

Lee Man Hee said this at the 2023 International Women’s Peace Conference (IWPC) with the theme “The Role of Women for Sustainable Peace”.

IWPC was held at The Grand Hyatt Incheon West, South Korea, Tuesday (19/9/2023). This event is broadcast simultaneously in 8 (eight) languages, including Korean, namely English, French, Spanish, Arabic, Mongolian and Ukrainian. The aim of this conference is to focus more on IWPG’s achievements so far and discuss what women can do for peace in every position. This event is also part of the Commemoration of the 9th World Peace Summit of September 18, which is organized by an organization affiliated with IWPG, namely HWPL.

According to Lee Man Hee, peace does not only belong to a few people or to a country. So, peace must belong to all people in the world, by following good order in every country.

“If the country has problems, the citizens are the victims. Improving this condition must start from each individual. The main thing that every human being must have is security and peace in the context of love. “We are sure that this will be successful, so that women will become a shining light for the whole world,” he said.

According to Lee Man Hee, he and the Chairwoman of the IWPG, Hyun Sook Yoon, often visited the United Nations (UN) office to make the Declaration of Peace and Cessation of War (DPCW) into law at the UN. If DPCW becomes law at the UN, then war will no longer exist anywhere in the world.

On the same occasion, IWPG Chair Hyun Sook Yoon said that the world will never be free from war, as long as it does not have a system to build sustainable peace throughout the world. “We have to think about the peace we really need,” she said.

Additionally, IWPG must unite with women around the world in various ways to achieve the peace the world needs. “I look forward to the breakthrough plans and active implementation from the participants of this conference,” she said.

Run Fast

On that occasion, the First Lady of the Democratic Republic of Sao Tome and Principe, Maria de Fatima Afonso Vila Nova, was present. The First Lady said that talking about world peace is very important, because without peace there will always be poverty, hunger, conflict and casualties. “There is still a system that prevents peace. “Women must participate in changing that system, wherever we are and whatever our profession,” she said.

Maria de Fatima Afonso Vila Nova quoted the saying “If you run alone you will run fast, but if you run together you will run even faster.”

Special speaker, Aya Benjamin Libo Warille, South Sudan Gender, Children and Social Welfare Expert, emphasized the need and importance of sustainable peace. “We experienced war firsthand, which divided our nation. We experienced a lot of suffering. My husband died because of war and conflict. I can’t bury him. “I am not alone in experiencing this, but it is also experienced by many other women in this world,” she said.

It is said, with the spirit of peace, Sudanese women will never be defeated by various types of suffering. “We must be active victims, not passive. “We need a safe place for dialogue, we need protection and opportunities to optimize our potential,” he said.

This event was filled with discussions on three themes, peace education, peace culture, and peace institutionalization. In the first session, Dr Kadia Maiga Diallo, Secretary General of the Mali National Commission for Unesco and the Islamic Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ISESCO), was present as one of the Chairs of the UN Civil Society Regional Reference Group for Africa. Dr Kadia gave a speech entitled “Empowering the Future: Women’s Peace Education in a Changing World.”

Tanzania Public Health Specialist Social Services Commission, Lilian Benedict Msaki, explained that major changes have occurred for women in Tanzania, with the presence of the Peace Lecturer Education Program (PLTE), one of IWPG’s educational programs. “We really felt the change after participating in PLTE. Even though infrastructure is limited, including lack of internet, women in Sudan are trying to learn face-to-face (offline),” she said.

In the second session, the International Relations coordinator from the IWPG Head Office, Charleen Hull, moderated a discussion with three Filipino women, who discussed how women’s lives changed peacefully in Mindanao, Philippines, after peace in Mindanao, initiated by HWPL, IPYG, and IWPG. Three women appeared who were directly involved in resolving the conflict, namely Maria Theresa Royo-Timbol, Mayor of Mangudadatu, Maguindanao, Ruby Banares-Victorino, a Filipino women’s activist, former President of the Zonta Club Metropolitan Pasig and Elizabeth Mangudadatu, Deputy Mayor of Mangudadatu, Maguindanao.

It depicts how devastated Mindanao was during the 40-year conflict. There are no tourists, there are no investors either. Hundreds to thousands of human victims. After peace, Mindanao changed drastically. The face of the city has also changed with several peace monuments, including the peace bridge and many things that always remind citizens of the importance of peace.

The topic in the third session was the limitations of existing international law and the meaning of the Declaration of Peace and Cessation of War (DPCW). Dr Ahlan Beydoun, Former Professor at the Faculty of Law, Political Science and Administration, Lebanese University, Beirut, assesses that the limitations of international law which have emerged in current international affairs, make it difficult to eliminate war.

Lee Kyou-sun, Director General of Peace Education at IWPG Headquarters introduced the meaning and main points of DPCW. Meanwhile, IWPG advisor and former Member of the Mongolian Parliament, Budee Munkhtuya, who is also the President of the Association of Mothers with the Order of Famous Mother, spoke on the topic of the role of women in institutionalizing sustainable peace.

On that occasion, the IWPG Advisory and Publicity Ambassador was appointed and the IWPG Peace Achievement Award was awarded to Aya Benjamin Libo Warille (South Sudan). Meanwhile, Pascal Esho Warda (Iraq) was appointed as Member of the IWPG Advisory Board, and Warda Sada (Israel) was appointed as Publicity Ambassador. Laji Balghis (India), Vinithaput Phophet (Thailand) and Wanja Cheon (Republic of Korea) were awarded the IWPG Achievement Award. [NR]