UPF International: Women's Day - Dignity, Justice and Peace for All Women — Tageldin Ibrahim Hamad

On International Women’s Day, observed in 2026 under the theme “Rights. Justice. Action. For ALL Women and Girls,” the Universal Peace Federation honors women whose qualities and service strengthen families, communities, and nations.

As the international community prepares for the 70th session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW70) - whose priority theme is ensuring and strengthening access to justice for all women and girls, including by promoting inclusive and equitable legal systems, eliminating discriminatory laws, policies, and practices, and addressing structural barriers - and as the United Nations marks the International Year of the Woman Farmer 2026, designated by the General Assembly, and the International Year of Volunteers for Sustainable Development, this day calls for respect, seriousness, and practical partnership with women who sustain peace in their work and daily life.

The modern international meaning of March 8 did not begin as a seasonal custom. It grew from women’s long effort to secure fairer conditions, fuller civic participation, and respect for their equal dignity. When the United Nations began observing the day in 1975, and in 1977 called on member states to proclaim a United Nations Day for Women’s Rights and International Peace, the date gained a wider and more universal framework.

For UPF, this history points not to ideological division, but to a simple and durable truth: peace becomes stronger when the rights, conscience, gifts, and contributions of women are taken seriously.

With deep respect, we recognize Dr. Hak Ja Han, whose public life has been marked by perseverance and by the patient building of institutions that outlast individual lifetimes. Together with her husband, the late Rev. Sun Myung Moon, she helped shape a broad vision of peace grounded in human dignity, the moral strength of the family, and the demands of public service. She stood beside him in difficult moments of public mission, and in later years carried that work forward with discipline and clarity.

In April 1992, they founded the Women’s Federation for World Peace, an older sister organization to UPF. In the eight months that followed, she delivered inaugural addresses in 113 cities in 12 countries and in three languages. During her 1993 world tour, she spoke at the United Nations in New York, the Kremlin in Moscow, and the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, highlighting women as peacebuilders and moral voices in public life, while affirming peace among nations and the ethical role of the family. WFWP also helped prepare the ground for the later International Association of First Ladies for Peace, which UPF developed as a framework for women in public leadership.

Dr. Han’s later work expanded this institutional foundation. In 2013, she proposed the Sunhak Peace Prize, whose first award ceremony was held in 2015. From 2016 onward, she also helped initiate and shape UPF’s primary associations. These included the International Association of Parliamentarians for Peace, the Interreligious Association for Peace and Development, and the International Association of First Ladies for Peace. They also included the International Association of Academicians for Peace, the International Media Association for Peace, the International Association for Peace and Economic Development, and the International Association of Arts and Culture for Peace. Through these platforms, UPF widened its work through summit diplomacy, parliamentary engagement, interreligious cooperation, academic exchange, media responsibility, cultural dialogue, and development oriented partnership.

UPF also extends warm congratulations to the leaders and activists of the Women’s Federation for World Peace. WFWP remains closely aligned with UPF, and its record of service has been especially meaningful in vulnerable settings. We express particular admiration for the many WFWP activists from Japan who have served in conflict affected regions. Their devoted work has fostered dialogue, education, and humanitarian action in the Middle East and across Africa and Asia. Their investments illustrate the principle of living for the sake of others as a daily practice of care, where trust is scarce and needs are urgent. Their example shows that peace is built not only in summit halls, but also in families, schools, local partnerships, and steady service to vulnerable communities.

We also express regret that Dr. Hak Ja Han continues to face ongoing legal proceedings in the Republic of Korea and intense public attacks related to her public mission. We hope these matters reach, appropriately, a fair and impartial conclusion consistent with the rule of law and human dignity. This concern is especially meaningful as the United Nations and civil society prepare for CSW70, where access to justice for women and girls, through inclusive and equitable legal systems, stands at the center of discussion. It is also timely during UPF’s 100 Days of Serving Community campaign, launched on February 20 and running through June 1, 2026, with March focused on partnerships that strengthen trust, service and family life at the local level.

This conviction reflects the teaching of our founders that humanity is one family under God. They affirm that peace begins in the family as the first school of love, responsibility, and conscience, and grows outward into the community, the nation and the wider world.

In that spirit, we see International Women’s Day as a fitting occasion for governments, civil society, faith communities, and citizens to deepen their cooperation with and appreciation of women whose steady work keeps reconciliation possible.

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DR. HAK JA HAN

Dr. Hak Ja Han, widow of the Rev. Sun Myung Moon [1920-2012], is the co-founder of t he Universal Peace Federat ion. Together with her husband, she has devoted her life to peace, founding many organizat ions and init iatives in a wide range of fields.

Childhood and Family Life

Hak Ja Han was born in Anj u. South Pyong-an Province, now in North Korea, on the 6th day of the first lunar month (February 10) in 1943. Her mother, Soon-ae Hong, w as an earnest Christian and her father, Seung-un Han, was the disc iple of a famous preacher, Rev. Young-do Lee. Toe North Korean Communists were bent on suppressing religion, and in 1948, when she was five years old. her mother and grandmother were arrested by Communist police and j ailed for 11 days.

After their release, Hak Ja Han. her mother. and her grandmother fled their village in t he middle of t he night. They went to Seoul. later moving further south to Taegu. where they lived through t he Korean War. The family later moved to Chuncheon, where Hak Ja Han’s uncle was living, and she soon graduated from elementary school in that city.

During t his period, she, along with her mother. j oined the newly formed Unification Church. Five years after joining, on April 11. 1960, the young Hak Ja Han married the church’s founder, the Rev. Sun Myung Moon. She stands as co-founder of t he Unification Church, now known as the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification. Since the passing of her husband, she has taken full responsibility for the affairs of the worldwide movement the two worked tirelessly to establish.

Devoted Wife, Mother, and Grandmother

Or. Han is a devoted wife, the mother of 14 children and the grandmot her of m ore than 40 grandchildren. She is know n for her extraordinary compassion, capability, grac e and charm. Above all, she is exemplary as a w oman w ho has a created a God-centered marriage and family of three generations.

Leadership to Strengthen Families The heart and soul of Rev. Moon and Dr. Han’s lifelong ministry is the re-establishment of God’s ideal of the family as the foundation for harmonious societies and the cornerstone of world peace. The Marriage Blessing movement. which began with the marriage of three couples in 1960. has reached millions of couples worldwide. Or. Han and her husband presided over marriage blessings in Madison Square Garden in New York in 1982, in Seoul’s Olympic Stadium in 1992, in RFK Stadium in Washington, O.C. in 1997. and ot her venues over many years.

(Right: Marriage Blessing at RFK Stadium. Washington. □CJ

AWoman of International Peace and Good Will

In 1968. Rev. Moon est ablished the Professors World Peace Academy in Korea, and in 1972 the first International Conf erence on t he Unity C. ~ of the Sciences was held. These and similar organiza tions have attracted the part icipation of scholars, scient ist s, and leaders in the B fields of religion. the media, government. and t he art s. including numerous Nobel Laureates. Or. Han played a crucial role in all of t hese ~ <.> developments, w here her compassion and kindness complemented her husband’s vision and drive. ca a:, By addressing informal gatherings of women at t hese act ivities. Or. Han became more visible in the public sphere. Her speeches included the Address to t he Wom en of t he World Media Conference (October 1981) and t he Address to the Women of the Int ernational Conference on the Unity of the Sciences (November 1981). She moved forward on the w orld stage for the promot ion of God-centered values in 1989, when an int erview wi th Soviet media appeared in t he Religion and Society sect ion of Za Rubezhom (June 12. 1989).

Meeting with Mikhail Gorbachev in the Soviet Union and President Kim II Sung in North Korea

The following year. Rev Moon and Pr Han met with Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev. This extraordinary event, which t ook place in t he Kremlin on their 30t h wedding anniversary, April 11, 1990, init iat ed an educational exchange that brought hundreds of Russian st udents t o st udy in the Unit ed States.

Then, in December of 1991, Or. Han put her life on the line w hen she and her husband t raveled t o Nort h Korea t o m eet w ith President Kim II Sung for the purpose of uniting the two Koreas. That meet ing led to ongoing proj ects to facilitate t he peaceful union of Nort h and South Korea.

Founding the Women’sFederation for World Peace and Universal Peace Federation

In 1992, Dr. Han, t oge ther w it h her husband, founded t he Women’s Federa tion for World Peace (WFWP), of which she became internat ional chairwoman. She invested all her energy into developing a global base for t he new organizat ion, giving the federat ion’s inaugural speech in 113 cities in 12 count ries and in t hree different languages within an eight -mont h period.

Her first w orld tour in 1993 t ook her to 44 c ities in t he United St ates, 27 cities in Japan, 40 un iversity campuses in Korea, and 41 nations around the world. She spoke in such notable venues as Capit ol Hill in Washingt on, D.C.. the United Nat ions in New York City, t he Kremlin, t he Great Hall in Bejing, and congressional buildings in Japan, Korea, and Canada.

A furth er t urning point came with the inaugurat ion of the Universal Peace Federation on Sept ember 12, 2005. The years t hat follow ed were a period of intensive joint out reach and instit ut ion building. Or. Han accom panied Rev. Moon on a worl d speaking tour of 100 international ci t ies in 100 days.

The follow ing year, accompanied by her adult children and grandchildren, she undertook tw o worl d t ours for peace at t he incredibl e pace of one country per day. She and her family s poke t o enthusiasti c audiences in 120 countries in Asia, Europe, Africa, the Middle East. Oceania and Latin America. She w as received as a dignitary and met with m any heads of states. prominent religious leaders and

political leaders.

Perhaps no other woman leader has addressed so many large audiences in as many countries as Dr. Han. Today, after years of intense international work, she is recognized as one of the most effective woman leaders in the world.

(Above loft: Or. Hoon cpcaki:: in tho Tokyo Dome and right: United Nation~)

In July of 1993, after speaking throughout America, Or. Moon’s tour culminated with addresses on the US Capitol Hill and at the United Nations, delivering amessage of peace andinterreligious reconciliation.

Taking on the Mantle of Leadership

After Rev. Moon’s passing in September 2012. Dr. Hak Ja Han assumed full responsibility for the worldwide movement and entered a new phase of leadersh ip marked by consolidation, modernization, and the creation of international platforms designed to outlast any single generation.

The Sunhak Peace Prize

In February 2013, she proposed the Sunhak Peace Prize in memory of Or. Sun Myung Moon, framing it as a public instrument to recognize leadership for peace and human development. A preparatory committee was formed in January 2014. the first laureates were announced in June 2015, and the inaugural award ceremony was held in Seoul on August 28. 2015. The first laureates were former President Anote Tong of Kiribati and Indian aquaculture pioneer Dr. Modadugu Vijay Gupta. The same year, Dr. Han visited India and Nepal in November 2015, where she met government leaders and addressed public meetings, reflecting her emphasis on peacebuilding that combines high level dialogue with grounded community development.

The Sunhak Peace Prize continued on a two-year cycle. with the second award ceremony in February 2017, honoring Italian humanitarian surgeon Dr. Gino Strada and Dr. Fatema Hameed. The third award ceremony, in February 2019, honored women’s rights activist Ms. Waris Dirie and African development leader Hon. Dr. Akinwumi Ayodeji Adesina. lhese choices reflected the prize·s stated focus on sustainable human development. conflict resolution, and ecological conservation, and they placed women’s leadership and social solidarity at the center of peacebuilding.

UPF’s Primary Associations and the World Summit

From 2016 onward, her leadership included the establishment of UPF’s primary associations as standing platforms for sector specific cooperation. The International Association of Parliamentarians for Peace was inaugurated in February 2016. and in November 2017. UPF launched t h e ~jgious Association for Peace and Development offering a structured framework for interfaith cooperation that has particular relevance in societies shaped by migration and religious diversity.

World Summit 2019 in Seoul was another milestone, convening current and former heads of state and government. parliamentarians, and civic leaders. In that context, UPF also established the International Summit Council for Peace a platform intended to sustain dialogue among national leaders beyond electoral cycles and regional divides.

In February 2020, UPF convened World Summit 2020, an expanded framework for high-level dialogue that also served as a launch point for additional sector platforms including the Interna tional Association of Academicians for Peace the International Association tor Peace and Economic Develoom.e.n.t. the International Media Association for Peace. and the International Association of Arts and Culture fQ.r..P.e.a.c.e. During the COVID-19 years. UPF adapted its convening model through initiatives such as the global online Rally of Hope series, and in May 2021 launched Think Tank 2022 to generate practical policy proposals through cross-sector collaboration.

World Summit 2022 in Seoul was an international gathering hosted by Dr. Hak Ja Han that combined in-person participation with global virtual engagement. Within that summit framework, the Sunhak Peace Prize Award Ceremony honored Professor Dame Sarah Catherine Gilbert of the University of Oxford andjiayj. the vaccine Alliance for contributions linked to vaccine development and equitable immunization. In May 2023, UPF convened Peace Summit 2023 where Dr. Han addressed global participants and continued to frame peace as a long-term, values- based project that requires leaders, institutions, and citizens to cooperate across dividing lines of nation, religion, and ideology.

Dedication of the Cheon Won Gung

Since the 1970s, Rev. Moon and Dr. Han have worked to establish a permanent base for the Unification community in the district of Gapyeong in South Korea. They purchased land and built numerous buildings, including a training center, a hospital. a middle and high school, a graduate school and Korean language academy, a retirement home. residential apartments. and a world-class stadium. After her husband’s passing, Dr. Han directed the construction of an office complex and the imposing Cheon Won Gung, or Peace Palace. On April 13, 2025, Dr. Han dedicated this beautiful building to God, as a place where people, including world leaders, can come to meet their Heavenly Parent and join together in seeking pathways to peace.

Through the decades of Dr. Han·s public life, the core narrative has been continuity in buil ding families dedicated to the public good, as well as partnerships among individuals and groups striving for harmony and peace. Since her husband’s passing in 2012, she has focused on institution building to ensure these efforts endure. She continues to advance a vision of peace grounded in the dignity of the person, the strength of the family, and the belief that humanity is one family under God.

Q Universal Peace Federation Universa l Peace Federation is an NGO in General • Consultative Status w ith the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations.

We support and promote the work of the United Nations and the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals.

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