o address the current threats to life and stability posed by wars and conflicts, HWPL's 9th Annual Commemoration of the Declaration of World Peace was held online on May 25th, 2022. The event gathered 3,000 participants who represented various sectors including politics, religion, academia, media, and civil society. The theme of the event was "Institutionalizing Peace: Realizing the Collective Will for Peace," and it showcased the progress of international cooperation aimed at achieving sustainable peace through legal instruments.
For more information, you can visit the following link: HWPL 9th Annual Commemoration.
Heavenly Culture, World Peace, Restoration of Light (HWPL) proclaimed the Declaration of World Peace back in 2013. The declaration addresses the endorsement of national leaders, engagement of women and youth, cooperation among civil societies, and expansion of media coverage on peace. Subsequently, it was developed into the Declaration of Peace and Cessation of War (DPCW) as a process to establish international legal instruments for global peace. Young Min Chung, the General Director of the International Peace Youth Group (IPYG), an affiliate group of HWPL, stated 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 express their opinions in the most direct way. Recently, the IPYG has been running the Youth Empowerment Peace Workshop (YEPW), where they discuss agendas such as education, human rights, and conflicts, and conduct joint actions as well as propose policies.”
The 10 articles and 38 clauses of the DPCW include the prevention and resolution of conflicts, the gradual reduction of war potential and the transformation of weapons into daily tools, the respect and resolution of conflicts based on religion and ethnic identity, and the promotion of a culture of peace. The declaration is geared towards engaging nations, international organizations, NGOs, and individual citizens in taking actions for a peaceful world. Regarding collaboration for peacebuilding, Chairman Man Hee Lee of HWPL appealed to the participants to unite as “messengers of peace” to bring freedom and peace to future generations. He mentioned, “This time (Russia) invaded Ukraine and started the war. This is why HWPL and families of peace have long called for the establishment of international law to prevent war potential. So, we gathered experts in international law globally … and created the DPCW with 10 articles and 38 clauses.”
As an example of peace activities to resolve conflicts in India, Memorandums of Understanding (MOUs) were signed among religious leaders to facilitate further cooperation and promote understanding of religions through comparative studies of religious scriptures. In particular, the partnership between HWPL and the International Organization for Religion and Knowledge in Lampur 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. A teaching methodology using the Metaverse was demonstrated as a virtual world platform where students can experience peace by reading materials and observing diverse peace activities carried out in various parts of the world.
One of the participating students said, “I learned the need for 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.” Mr. Supalak Ganjanakhundee, a Visiting Fellow at Thammasat University’s Pridi Banomyong International College and former Chief Editor of The Nation in Thailand, said during the journalist report at the event that the foundation of peace is closely related to democracy, which serves as an open room for "allowing participation of civil society" in the peace process. Elaborating on the current deadlock of the peace process in Southern Thailand, he said, “Any peace process that would lead to lasting peace must address the problem at its root cause and must be conducted in conjunction with democratization, involving not only stakeholders but also civil society.”
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