IWPG & Ministry of Women, Family, and Children of Côte d’Ivoire train Women Peace Lecturers… Explore Collaboration for Peacebuilding

Many female peace lecturers will be trained in the Côte d’Ivoire to spread a culture of peace.
From Nov 27 to 29, the Ministry of Women, Family and Children of Côte d’Ivoire and IWPG (Chairwoman Hyun Sook Yoon) conducted the 10 lessons of the women peace lecturer training (PLTE: Peace Lecturer Training Education) at Institution Marie Thérèse Houphouët-Boigny, Adjamé, Abidjan.
The program aims to produce local peace activists in Côte d’Ivoire and train them to become peace advocates who can practice peace in the local and international communities. With elections coming up in October 2025, Côte d’Ivoire will continue to promote the need for peace during the election and expand education for women to contribute to national peacebuilding.

 

Constant Peace Networking Leads to Invitation

The relationship between the two organizations dates back to the 66th session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) in 2022. At that time, IWPG organized a side event with the Ministry of Women, Family, and Children of Côte d’Ivoire, and at the 67th CSW in the following year, the two organizations signed an MOA for further peace cooperation.
The ongoing peace exchange has developed into Côte d’Ivoire, inviting IWPG to engage locally. At the 68th CSW this year, the two organizations participated in workshops to continue exchanges for peace and strengthen partnerships. In particular, they agreed to work together on joint projects in women, youth, peace, and sustainable development.

 

 

A History of Bloodshed during Every Election… “May there be none next year”

Côte d’Ivoire has a history of political strife that has plunged the country into civil war and violence every election season. According to the Ministry of Women, Children and Family of Côte d’Ivoire, every election since 1990 has been accompanied by death and violence, and most of the victims of violence have been women, making it an urgent and important task to develop peace education for women in leadership positions.
The government of Côte d’Ivoire plans to work with IWPG to promote and expand women’s peace education to prevent such bloodshed. Barry Lamarane, Deputy Chief of Staff of the Ministry of Women, Family, and Children, said, “We hope that through women’s peace education, women's rights will be empowered and that violence against women and bloodshed, including conflict during elections, will end.”

 

 

Women Peace Lecturers Flourish Worldwide, Planting Seed to End War

PLTE is an education program launched by IWPG in 2018, which aims to cultivate women peace lecturers with the spirit of peace, promote a culture of peace in local communities, and realize peace in practice. By September 2024, 2,000 participants from 88 countries graduated from the PLTE to actively serve as women leaders with the spirit of peace.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and geographical limits, the program has been mainly conducted online. However, by leveraging education in Côte d’Ivoire as a steppingstone, its offline education is expected to gain momentum.