WFWP International Banquet Celebrates CSW60

This week, the Women’s Federation for World Peace (WFWP) International hosted events for the 60th session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women (CSW60), starting with a forum held at the New York City Salvation Army building on March 15. On Wednesday, March 16, WFWP hosted a celebratory dinner banquet in midtown Manhattan attended by over 100 people, including representatives of over 20 WFWP chapters from around the world. Invitations by WFWP International President, Prof. Yeon Ah Moon, called men and women of all ages to come together to enjoy food, fellowship and entertainment, as the night’s agenda was to relax, mingle, say hello to friends from near and abroad and celebrate everyone’s efforts towards recognizing the value of women.

Prof. Yeon Ah Moon, WFWP International President, and WFWP representatives

The atmosphere was high-spirited and elegant, set in a well-decorated room filled with dining tables aglow with colorful centerpieces of spring flowers and candles. Many young people and couples came for the simple reason to celebrate women, particularly those who have worked closely with the United Nations to bring awareness of the situation of families all around the world and the need for hands-on, everyday efforts to improve their quality of life and expression of love.

Over 100 people attended the celebratory banquet

Carolyn Handschin of WFWP Geneva shared, “WFWP is mediator between ground-level work and the United Nations. Our responsibility is to coordinate efforts so they can have the biggest impact.” She added, “There is so much potential in women to make things happen; they have a unique style of leadership that often doesn’t seek a title but seeks to get things done. Women’s self-confidence is a very powerful force and is exactly what the world needs.”

Dr. Ki Hoon Kim, Continental Chairman of FFWPU North America, gave welcoming remarks and introduced Yeon Ah Moon, the keynote speaker of the evening. He and FFWPU USA President, Dr. Michael Balcomb, presented her with a recognition award as a gift to thank her for all her hard work in leading “one of the best NGOs in the world.”

Dr. Ki Hoon Kim and Dr. Michael Balcomb present Yeon Ah Moon with an award of recognition

Yeon Ah Moon’s message stressed the importance of passing on the work of WFWP to the next generation, and empowering young women to take the lead. “WFWP will be 24 years old in April,” she said. “We have matured enough, if we consider the years, so I think this is really a new stage of life for WFWP. We have to be real mothers for others and for the world. In that way, in the role of mothers, WFWP will focus on raising and educating the next generation. Our co-founder, Mother Moon, is very concerned about the next generation, their education, and also the environmental issue. It’s not for us in the present time. It’s for the future generation. It’s our next step. We really want to prepare a good foundation for the next generation’s peace and happiness. We have done a lot of work in the last 24 years, but it’s a new start again from today.”

Yeon Ah Moon also read a quote from True Father which reminded everyone about gratitude and deeply touched many of the banquet attendees.

“The important point is concern for our neighbors. We first need to develop the heart that when we are eating enough to fill our own stomachs, we think of others who are going hungry and consider how we can help them.”

Read Yeon Ah Moon’s Full Message

Yeon Ah Moon was the banquet keynote speaker

The entertainment was one of the highlights of the evening, as five lively performers took the stage and filled the room with upbeat song. Highly impressive was a group of young cello players and their instructor, Jessica Garand, from the Opportunity Music Project, a non-profit organization that provides youth with free music education. Singers Raoul Joseph and Steve Honey also sang vibrant and passionate numbers, and singer Seiko Lee performed a few opera songs, including the Broadway number, “I Could Have Danced All Night” and received a tearful embrace from Yeon Ah Moon, visibly touched by her performance.

The night closed with everyone standing in a circle, holding hands and singing, “Let There Be Peace on Earth”, a long-held WFWP tradition. While there is always work left to be done, this celebration gave WFWP representatives a chance to connect on a personal level and express gratitude toward each other and people around the world who are working hard to empower women and their role in building strong families and strong societies.

Stay tuned for more from WFWP this weekend, including a retreat which will close this year’s CSW parallel events.