By Our Correspondent
The International Women’s Peace Group (IWPG), Global Region 2, led by Global Director Seo Yeon Lee, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with ASOVIAFOR, an association representing victims of conflict in Colombia, to strengthen mutual cooperation in peacebuilding efforts.
The agreement was formalized during an official meeting held on January 1, 2026. ASOVIAFOR is a victim-led civil society alliance, composed mainly of women who have directly experienced forced displacement, the loss of family members, and sexual violence during Colombia’s prolonged civil war and armed conflict.
Drawing on networks of women and families affected by conflict across various regions of the country, the organization has consistently carried out initiatives focused on community recovery and peacebuilding.
Beyond providing direct support to victims, ASOVIAFOR has played a significant role in strengthening victim-centered civil society solidarity in Colombia by developing community-based peace practice models. These initiatives are rooted in victims’ lived experiences and collective memory, with a focus on community healing, expanding women’s social participation, and promoting peace and reconciliation through education and citizen dialogue.
The MoU marks an important milestone as it establishes an official partnership between an international women’s peace organization and a conflict victims’ alliance in South America. It is expected to serve as a foundation for expanding a collaborative peacebuilding model in which women and victims actively participate as agents of peace, moving beyond state- or institution-centered approaches across the region.
Under the agreement, IWPG and ASOVIAFOR committed to holding further in-depth discussions to identify specific areas of cooperation and to jointly explore phased and sustainable collaboration strategies based on mutual trust and shared understanding.
Speaking at the signing ceremony, Regional Director Seo Yeon Lee emphasized that peace must be built through action at the grassroots level.
“Peace does not become reality through declarations alone; it is realized only when put into practice through education and solidarity within local communities,” she said. “I hope this agreement will serve as a meaningful starting point for women and communities that have endured the pain of conflict to stand as agents of peace in their own right.”
She added that IWPG will continue to expand peace education and community dialogue through close cooperation with local partners, with the aim of firmly establishing sustainable, community-based peace initiatives.
In response, ASOVIAFOR Representative Rosi Albani Perez Belalcazar described the partnership as a crucial step toward empowering women affected by conflict.
“Collaboration with IWPG will be an important step in ensuring that women, who have borne the brunt of conflict-related suffering, gain real influence in the peace implementation process,” she said. “I hope this agreement will enable victims to move from silence to active participation in building peace.”
The MoU is widely viewed as a key step toward expanding women- and victim-led peace solidarity beyond Colombia and across South America, while also creating opportunities to share community-rooted peace practices with the international community.
IWPG is a global women’s non-governmental organization registered with the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) and the Department of Global Communications (DGC). The organization operates through 115 branches in 122 countries and collaborates with approximately 800 partner organizations in 68 countries.
Guided by its vision of “realizing sustainable world peace,” IWPG promotes global solidarity, a culture of peace, women’s peace education, and advocacy for the legislation and implementation of the Declaration of Peace and Cessation of War (DPCW).
