IWPG hosts the ‘5th International Loving Peace Art Competition’ Exhibition at AU Headquarters

Addis Ababa, July 20, 2024 (FBC) – The International Women’s Peace Group (IWPG) Global Region 2 (Regional Director Seo-Yeon Lee) held an exhibition of the winning works from the ‘5th International Loving Peace Art Competition’ on the 4th and 5th of this month at the African Union (AU) headquarters in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

The exhibition took place in the main corridor of the Nelson Mandela Hall at the African Union, with attendance from African education ministers, high-ranking officials from international organizations, and representatives of educational NGOs.

The African Union, an intergovernmental organization aimed at the integration and development of the African continent, has 55 member states. This exhibition was held to commemorate the ‘Year of Education’ selected by the African Union and coincided with the African Union 1st Pan African Conference on Girls and Women’s Education (AU PANCOGEd1), once again highlighting the importance of education and peace.

The exhibition, held under the theme ‘A Peaceful World Learned from Nature,’ brought together diverse artworks from students around the world. These paintings conveyed a message of peace that transcends borders.

African education officials who attended the exhibition responded enthusiastically. A Zimbabwean artist and educational NGO activist praised the quality of the artworks, stating, “It’s hard to believe that these were drawn by students.” A senior AU official from Cameroon shed tears while viewing the paintings and expressed strong support for hosting the competition in Cameroon. 

Regional Director Seo-Yeon Lee said, “It is very meaningful to exhibit children’s paintings at a gathering of education officials from various African countries. We aim to instill the value of peace in more African children through these artworks.”

Meanwhile, scenes from the exhibition were also featured in the highlight video of the closing ceremony of the 1st Pan African Conference on Girls and Women’s Education.

IWPG is an International women’s NGO registered with the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) and the Department of Global Communications (DGC). Headquartered in Seoul, South Korea, it operates with over 110 branches and 660 partner organizations worldwide. They are actively engaged in building a women’s peace network, women’s peace education, spreading a culture of peace, and supporting and advocating for the legislation of the Declaration of Peace and Cessation of War (DPCW).