IWPG Global Region 2 Signs MOU with ASOVIAFOR, Association of Victims of the Colombian Conflict

Launching a Women·Victim-Led Peace Alliance, Opening the Way for Expansion Across South America.

The International Women’s Peace Group (IWPG), Global Region 2 (Global Director Seo Yeon Lee), held an official meeting with ASOVIAFOR, an association representing victims of conflict in Colombia, on January 1, 2026, and signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to promote mutual cooperation.

ASOVIAFOR is a victim-led civil society alliance formed primarily by women who have directly experienced forced displacement, the loss of family members, and sexual violence amid Colombia’s prolonged civil war and armed conflict. Based on networks of women and family victims across various regions of Colombia, the organization has continuously carried out activities focused on community recovery and peacebuilding.

Beyond providing victim support, the organization has played a meaningful role in Colombia’s victim-centered civil society solidarity by building community-based peace practice models. These efforts are grounded in the memories and lived experiences of victims and focus on community healing, expanding women’s social participation, and promoting peace and reconciliation education and dialogue among citizens.

This agreement is significant in that it establishes an official partnership between an international women’s peace organization and a conflict victims’ alliance in South America. In particular, it is expected to serve as a starting point for expanding a collaborative model in which victims and women citizens directly participate as agents of peace, moving beyond state- or institution-centered approaches, across the South American region.

Through this MOU, IWPG and ASOVIAFOR agreed to engage in more in-depth discussions on specific areas of collaboration at a later stage and plan to jointly explore phased directions for cooperation based on mutual trust and shared understanding.

At the signing ceremony, Regional Director Seo Yeon Lee stated, “Peace does not become reality through declarations alone; it is realized only when put into practice through education and solidarity within local communities.” She added, “I hope this agreement will serve as a meaningful starting point for women and communities that have endured the pain of conflict to stand as agents of peace in their own right.”

She further emphasized, “Through close cooperation with local organizations, we will continue to expand peace education and community dialogue and work to firmly establish sustainable, community-based peace initiatives.”

In response, ASOVIAFOR Representative Rosi Albani Perez Belalcazar stated, “Collaboration with IWPG will be an important step in empowering women who are at the center of conflict-related suffering with real influence in the peace implementation process.” She added, “I hope this agreement will provide an opportunity for victims to stand not as subjects of silence, but as active agents in building peace.”

This MOU is highly significant in that it lays the groundwork for expanding women- and victim-led peace solidarity beyond Colombia and across South America. It is also expected to become an important milestone for sharing community-rooted peace practices with the international community.

Meanwhile, IWPG is a global women’s NGO registered with the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) and the Department of Global Communications (DGC). It works with 115 branches and members in 122 countries, as well as approximately 800 partner organizations in 68 countries. With the vision of “realizing sustainable world peace,” IWPG promotes expanded solidarity, the spread of a culture of peace, women’s peace education, and advocacy for the legislation and implementation of the Declaration of Peace and Cessation of War (DPCW).

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