Chairman ManHee Lee is the head representative of the global peace organization HWPL (Heavenly Culture, World Peace, Restoration of Light), which is striving for the enactment and implementation of the international peace law 'Declaration of Peace and Cessation of War (DPCW)'. The DPCW is a legal instrument comprised of 10 articles and 38 clauses that can end wars and hostilities throughout the world. HWPL is also spreading a culture of peace and implementing peace education.
Chairman ManHee Lee experienced the cruelty and tragedy of war as a veteran of the Korean War. This is one of the reasons why he founded a global peace campaign as the head of HWPL. He has traveled the globe more than 35 times to meet and persuade politicians, legal experts, journalists, professors, peace activists, civil organization leaders, heads of tribes and others to unite them for the work of peace. The significant fruits borne out of his hard work are the World Alliance of Religions' Peace (WARP) Summit and HWPL Peace Committee. The DPCW was drafted and finalised by the HWPL Peace Committee.
How, you may wonder, do I know this? About 10 years ago, when I had just been discharged from military service, I came to know HWPL and Chairman ManHee Lee while researching the topic of civil conflicts to satisfy my curiosity in ongoing global issues. At that time, the island of Mindanao in the Philippines was suffering from a major civil conflict that lasted more than 40 years, and Chairman ManHee Lee and HWPL resolved this conflict through non-violent means.
Chairman Lee brought an end to the conflict in Mindanao by holding a peace talk between the warring Catholic and Islamic groups. Before the talk, HWPL and Chairman ManHee Lee held a Peace Walk to spread the culture of peace in Mindanao with the many locals who had gathered out of a desire for peace.
Chairman ManHee Lee's pressing appeal today is that humanity unites for sustainable peace in order to pass on the legacy of peace to future generations worldwide. He doesn't just talk peace, but has worked tirelessly for it through practical peace campaigns for over a decade.
I decided to become a supporter of HWPL and Chairman ManHee Lee's peace initiatives because I also desire a world of peace for all posterity.
Today I'd like to introduce an article regarding HWPL's affiliate youth group, IPYG's YEPW :)
YEPW in India Plants Seeds of Peace With Eco Ten Minutes
In 2025, a wave of peace is spreading across India, led by the nation’s youth. At the heart of this movement, where universities, local governments, and civic organizations join hands to build peace, is the Youth Engagement & Peacebuilding Working Group (YEPW) in India. By forming diverse partnerships across regions, YEPW in India is working to embed peace as a core cultural value within local communities.
One of the representative initiatives is the Eco Ten Minutes Project, which delivers messages of peace through environmental action. Built on the idea that “anyone can act for peace in just ten minutes,” the project launched earlier this year has already been held more than 40 times. In August, the Eco Ten Minutes Project took place at Tikaram Jagannath College on the 4th, Mahatma Gandhi Rural Development and Panchayat Raj University, Gadag, on the 6th, Akshara Techno School, Gadag, on the 7th, and Vidhana Soudha on the 10th.
Mahatma Gandhi Rural Development and Panchayat Raj University (MGRDPRU) in Gadag District, Karnataka, has been closely collaborating with YEPW in India since last year. Together, they have set a strong example of practical peacebuilding by carrying out street and facility clean-ups across 10 areas of Gadag. In August, the university also held a roundtable during the IPYG Network Meeting under the theme, “The Peaceful City We Want to Live In.” The outcomes of this discussion were delivered to the Deputy Commissioner of Gadag District, prompting the local government to pay closer attention to HWPL and IPYG’s peace initiatives.
The momentum of Eco Ten Minutes is also growing in Bengalore, Karnataka. Maheshwari Vividhoddeshagla Mahila Mandal, a civic organization in Gadag District, partnered with Akshara Techno School in Gadag to host an Eco Ten Minutes event attended by more than 170 participants. Both students and teachers experienced firsthand that nurturing one’s surroundings is the starting point of peace. Another Eco Ten Minutes event was held at Vidhana Soudha, the Karnataka State Legislature building, in collaboration with the Indian Ploggers Army, led by plogging influencer Nagaraj G. Shared widely across social media, this activity helped raise public awareness and contributed positively to the process of introducing a resolution in support of the Declaration of Peace and Cessation of War (DPCW) in the Karnataka State Assembly.
Tikaram Jagannath College (TJ College) in Pune, Maharashtra, has been partnering with YEPW in India since August 2024 to advance peace initiatives. During the event celebrating International Youth Day (August 12), students were invited to reflect on the message that “true peace is not only the absence of physical violence. It is complete when justice, dignity, and mutual respect flourish within our society.” Students expressed their hopes for peace by writing messages on paper airplanes and launching them into the air. Inspired by this event, the university committed to establishing a peace club and promoting regular peace-related programs. In addition, through its campus-based radio station, TJ 89.6 FM, the university helped spread information about HWPL, IPYG, and peace education throughout Maharashtra, bringing the message of peace to listeners across the region.
YEPW in India is more than a campaign; it is a youth-driven working group that continues to grow through collaboration with diverse sectors of society. By demonstrating that peace is a value anyone can bring to life in their everyday surroundings, YEPW is planting seeds of peace across India.
