Dr. Soonok Kang, President of Global Peace Women joined an esteemed line-up of speakers at the International Women Summit 2021. “We celebrate you, women from every sector, striving to seize the opportunities that will bring change for a better me, a better family, a better community, nation and world,” said Dr. Kang, highlighting the courageous and creative action that women have taken to respond to COVID19. Dr. Kang presented a formula for transforming challenges into opportunities based on the 4 core values of leadership in hopes of bolstering women-led efforts to move beyond the disruption of the past year.
The summit convened nearly 1,000 government, inter-governmental, civic, faith and youth leaders on Zoom and Facebook Live on February 26-27, commemorating International Women’s Month in March. Entitled, “Women Global Leaders’ Vision of Tomorrow: Challenges and Opportunities Amidst the Pandemic,” the international forum addressed the unique challenges and setbacks to the UN SDGs in the past year. It also served as a global platform for developing collaborative, multi-sectoral, global partnerships and further empowering women as they continue to rebuild in the wake of the global crisis.
Dr. Nona S. Ricafort, served as the primary convener. She is president of Global Peace Women Philippines and a core pillar of the summit’s hosting partners: Global Peace Foundation Philippines (GPFP), National Council of Women of the Philippines (NCWP) and the YWCA Founder’s Federation of the Philippines Inc. (YWCA FFPI). She noted the crucial role that women have played during the pandemic in sustaining their families, communities and nations. “We are gathered not only to build and strengthen bridges of friendship and partnership, but also share with each other our heroic experiences and successes,” she encouraged.
Women leaders from around the world recognized the unique qualities of women leadership on all levels. Breakout sessions addressed: women and public service, healthcare, mental health, education, and safe spaces. The summit closed with a call for women and men to work together to seize opportunities presented by current circumstances and cultivate women leadership for positive progress in several specific areas.
Global Peace Women was honored to be a part of this important Summit and looks forward to new and continued collaboration for peace and development.