International Women’s Day Spotlight: Mother of Peace

Today, March 8, we celebrate women worldwide as we observe International Women’s Day, which was established in 1907 and honors women’s achievements, recognizes their challenges, and spotlights women’s rights and equality. A prominent woman leader known around the world, Dr. Hak Ja Han Moon, co-founder of Family Federation for World Peace and Unification (FFWPU), has been at the forefront of numerous organizations and initiatives for women, children, families, and greater society for more than six decades. 

A devoted wife to the late Rev. Dr. Sun Myung Moon, co-founder of FFWPU, Dr. Moon is the mother of 14 children and more than 40 grandchildren. Known for her extraordinary compassion, capability, grace and charm, Dr. Moon—the Mother of Peace—is an exemplary woman of family values and God-centered marriage.

“My grandmother and mother taught me the duties of heavenly love,” Dr. Moon wrote in her bestselling memoir Mother of Peace (2020). “They set the example for me, obeying God absolutely and wholeheartedly… Their generous and happy spirits moved me and shaped my character as I grew up.”

Leadership to Strengthen Families

Born to a devout Christian family in war-torn Korea, the heart and soul of Rev. and Dr. Moon’s lifelong work is “establishing God’s ideal of the family as the foundation for harmonious societies and the cornerstone of world peace.” The Marriage Blessing movement, which they began in 1960, has reached millions of couples worldwide, including global leaders and heads of state, parliamentarians, faith leaders, and citizens of all races, cultures, and ideological backgrounds.

Leadership to Strengthen Women

In 1992, Dr. Moon launched the Women’s Federation for World Peace (WFWP), a global organization with an international base of women leaders spearheading peace projects and programs across six continents and more than 50 U.S. chapters.

“Thanks to such devoted efforts, in the first year of its founding WFWP already had a solid organization and foundation for activities in Korea and the rest of the world,” said Dr. Moon in 2012. “Our [WFWP] members around the world are working hard to realize our founding spirit, ‘Let us form families of true love based on the maternal love of women and construct sound societies and a peaceful world.’”

A Woman of International Peace and Goodwill

For more than half a century, Dr. Moon joined her husband in peace talks with global figures worldwide. She and her husband met with Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev at the Kremlin on their 30th wedding anniversary in 1990 for an educational exchange, and met with North Korean leader Kim Il Sung the following year to facilitate the peaceful union of North and South Korea in 1991. 

To this day, Dr. Moon continues to work toward world peace, strengthening families, empowering women, and bringing reunification to the Korean Peninsula through various avenues. She exhibits the International Women’s Day 2021 theme, “Choose to Challenge,” through her heart of service and lifelong dedication to go beyond challenges to bring about a world of peace. Let’s celebrate this day and recognize the achievements of all women across the globe!

To learn more about the Mother of Peace, you can get your copy of the book here.

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