Women’s Federation for World Peace Celebrates 30th Anniversary

“Women have the magical power to create harmony and to soften hearts,” said True Mother, co-founder of the Women’s Federation for World Peace (WFWP). “Brides build bridges,” she said. “This is the true power of womanhood. The time has come for the power of true womanhood to save the world.”

Sunday, April 10 marks the 30th anniversary of True Parents’ launch of WFWP. This historic day in 1992 was a new turning point for peace, and a new age for women, said True Mother. In her inaugural address before the packed Seoul Olympic Stadium, True Mother stated that WFWP “must someday develop into a federation of families for world peace.”

In the span of the last three decades, WFWP has become a premier global women’s organization with members in some 143 countries. In 1994 alone, more than 200,000 Korean and Japanese women came together to create “sisterly ties” through 38 WFWP events. In 1995, WFWP’s “sisterhood ceremonies” transformed into “bridge crossings” that, to date, have brought together hundreds of thousands of women from around the world. 

Many distinguished WFWP participants, including former U.S. First Lady Barbara Bush and her husband, former U.S. President George H.W. Bush, have supported True Mother’s efforts to bring about global unity through families, with women as the cornerstone of peace.

WFWP, which received general consultative status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) in 1997, has since led numerous world conferences, seminars, and various initiatives under True Mother’s guidance and vision. From True Mother’s global speaking tours to local community gatherings, WFWP’s mission to educate, uplift, and empower women as “leaders of the heart” forges on.

“It seemed as if just a few days had passed since the Women’s Federation was taking its first steps to establish itself in the world,” recalled True mother in her memoir, Mother of Peace (2020). “In that moment, WFWP’s spirit of peace and service, which we had practiced with devotion throughout the world, shone brightly ... This was not to be just one more women’s organization, but a mirror reflecting this new age.”

“To be a clear mirror that reflects this age, each woman first needs to be clear and pure within herself,” wrote True Mother. “Each needs to find the indomitable power within that is necessary to overcome self-centeredness. She needs to become a true daughter who attends her parents with filial piety, and a true wife who completes her husband with fidelity and devotion. Moreover, she needs to become a true mother who raises her sons and daughters with love and dedication. She needs to form a family of the love that attends God. God will raise up such true women as leaders on the path to world peace.”

You can learn more about WFWP USA here.