[HWPL]

[HWPL] 9th Annual Commemoration of the Declaration of World Peace was held Online!

To tackle the current threat of war and conflict on life and peace, HWPL’s 9th Annual Commemoration of the Declaration of World Peace was held online on Wednesday (May 25).

With 3,000 representatives from politics, religion, academia, media and civil society, this event, which was held under the theme of “Institutionalizing Peace: Realizing the Collective Will for Peace”, presented the progress achieved thus far through the global effort of groups for the realization of sustainable peace that will be guaranteed by a legal instrument, according to a press release.

The host organization, Heavenly Culture, World Peace, Restoration of Light (HWPL), proclaimed the Declaration of World Peace in 2013. The Declaration has secured the endorsement of national leaders, the engagement of women and youth, the cooperation of civil societies, and the expansion of media peace coverage. It was later developed into an international legal instrument, in the form of the Declaration of Peace and Cessation of War (DPCW), for the purpose of realizing global peace.

Young Min Chung, the General Director of International Peace Youth Group (IPYG), an affiliate organization of HWPL, said in his progress report, “730,000 citizens from 176 countries have signed in support of the DPCW over the past nine years, allowing them to voice their opinions in the most direct way. Recently, IPYG has been running its Youth Empowerment Peace Workshop (YEPW), where key matters are discussed, including education, human rights, and conflict prevention and resolution, and they are also carrying out joint action and making policy proposals.“

The 10 articles and 38 clauses of the DPCW include conflict prevention and resolution, gradual reduction of war potential and repurposing weapons into daily tools for humanity, promoting peaceful coexistence amongst religious and ethnic groups, and spreading a culture of peace. The Declaration is geared towards engaging governments, international organizations, NGOs, and everyday citizens to take steps for a peaceful world.

With regards to collaborating for peacebuilding, Chairman Man Hee Lee of HWPL appealed to participants to be united as “messengers of peace to bring freedom and peace to future generations.” Chairman Lee said, “This time (Russia) invaded Ukraine and started the war. This is why HWPL and our family of peace have long called for the establishment of international law to eliminate war potential. Therefore, we gathered experts in international law…and formed the Declaration with its 10 articles and 38 clauses.”

As one example of resolving conflict through peaceful means in India, MOUs were signed among religious leaders to further gain an understanding of the other's religion based on a comparative study of one's respective scriptures. In particular, the partnership between HWPL and the World Organization of Religions and Knowledge (WORK) in Rampur led to the erection of a peace monument to convey the values of peace to local citizens.

Educators’ participation in peace-related activities was also introduced during the event. Metaverse was demonstrated as a virtual global teaching platform that enables students to experience peace by reading materials and observing diverse peace activities as they are carried out in many parts of the world.

One student said, “I learned the need for an international law to achieve peace. We need a law that can achieve peace. It is important that people abide by the law and if all people become citizens of peace, we would not even need the law.”

Supalak Ganjanakhundee, Visiting Fellow at the Pridi Banomyong International College of Thammasat University, Bangkok, and former Editor of The Nation (Thailand) spoke during the peace journalist report, saying that the foundation of peace is closely related to a democracy that provides an open channel that “allows the participation of civil society” for peace. Expounding on the current deadlock of the peace process in Southern Thailand, he said, “(A)ny peace process that would lead to lasting peace must address the problem at its root cause and must be conducted along the democratization with the intensive participation of not only stakeholders but also civil society.”

HWPL has been collaborating for peace both on an international and domestic level by garnering the support of global organizations for the DPCW and working hand in hand to reinforce international norms to realize peace. With civil organizations, HWPL has been carrying out activities for the public good to ensure that peace can take root.

Peace!