On September 18th, an UN-affiliated NGO, Heavenly Culture, World Peace, Restoration of Light (HWPL), organized high-level meetings at the 2018 HWPL World Peace Summit ahead of its outdoor peace festival.
Former and current heads of state, government officials, chief justices, speakers of the national assembly, religious leaders, and first ladies gathered by each sector to discuss the concrete peace-building methods by reaffirming the responsibilities as leaders of the society.
HWPL Peace Advisory Council Conference for the Realization of Peace
At this meeting, the members of the HWPL Peace Advisory Council discussed the strategies for the implementation of international law for peace and the peaceful reunification of the Korean Peninsula based on the links between government and civil society.
HWPL Peace Advisory Council comprises 183 dignitaries of former and current heads of state, cabinet ministers, experts in international law, and religious leaders from 75 countries including Hon. Emil Constantinescu, Former President of Romania; Rt. Hon. Hrant Bagratyan, Former Prime Minister of Armenia; Hon. Dr. Adel Omar Sherif, Deputy Chief Justice of Supreme Constitutional Court of Egypt; H.E. Amb. Martin Ihoeghian Uhomoibhi, Former President of The UN Human Rights Council; the Most Rev. Patricio Enrique Viveros Robles, Archbishop of the Anglican Episcopal Church of Chile.
The agendas suggested during the meeting were as followed: To assume the DPCW to UN Resolution with the support of National Solidarity Statement; to promote a culture of peace within the religious harmony; to collect the support for peacebuilding on the Korean Peninsula; to expand the chance of interaction among various sectors.
Hon. Given Lubinda, Minister of Justice in Zambia, highlighted the significant role of the HWPL Peace Advisory in building peace, saying “The Advisory Council must provide a platform through which youths and women can bring their numbers together to demand of their leaders transparent and representative leadership devoid of the vices of corruption and self-aggrandizement. The numerical advantage of the youths and the power of persuasion of the women must be harnessed to demand that all governments in the world and eventually the united nations adopt the declaration of peace and the cessation of war.”
“My view is that the next step is for HWPL and its affiliate organizations to forge collaborate linkages with schools, faith-based organizations and other youth and women groups and associations. We should make it our agenda to inculcate the sense of peaceful coexistence among all members of the human race. This should be at national level, at regional level and at global level,” he added.
High-Level Religious Leaders’ Conference for Alliance of Religions
“There is no reason to fight if all religions are in harmony. To achieve religious harmony, believers must compare and verify the texts in their religious scriptures, searching for the truth. Then, we all need to become one under the truth. Believers have the responsibilities of leading people to a true path.” said Chairman Man Hee Lee of HWPL.
Religious leaders who were invited to this event have been participating at the interfaith dialogue meetings, named WARP Office, in agreement with searching for a trustworthy scripture to overcome the differences in religious ideologies as well as to achieve world peace through the religious alliance.
This meeting presented the outcomes of the comparative study of scriptures and motivated the religious leaders to participate in this peace initiative. The attendees talked about the significance of the role to bring religious harmony and suggested to publish a booklet that contains the results and the progress of the comparative study of scriptures.
H.E. Elias Chacour, Archbishop Emeritus of Melkite Catholic Church, stated the importance of searching for a trustworthy scripture, “I think everyone has to feel the need for others to share their scripture so that it can be enlightened with what the other say. That means we need to feel the need for each other. Unless religious leaders cooperate to spread WARP Office and help increase the culture of religious peace & searching for a trustworthy scripture, there is no way to cooperate together. So, all religious leaders who love peace should participate in WARP Office and build cooperation with leaders of different faiths.”
At the occasion, HWPL Alliance of Religions’ Peace Committee consisted of high-level religious leaders was also inaugurated. Further discussion was made to advance its activities and spread the culture of seeking a trustworthy scripture to the public.
2018 World’s Former and Current First Ladies’ Peace Forum
To discuss the role of women leaders for the realization of peace, former and current first ladies including Dr. Irina Shushkevich, Former First Lady of Belarus, Ms. Shanta Regmi, Former First Lady of Nepal, and Ms. Koling Lanto Italeli, Current First Lady of Tuvalu took part in the discussion on their further activities to contribute for peacebuilding.
The participants presented their ideas on joint efforts to advance the peace initiatives in association with International Women’s Peace Group (IWPG) and to strengthen the women leaders’ network with the women leaders of neighboring countries.
During the session, Chairwoman Hyun Sook Yoon of IWPG delivered the message of the meaning of woman empowerment for peacebuilding and the outlook on the future peace initiatives. “For centuries, there have been countless first ladies in the history. Some remained as great figures in our memory, but some remained nothing after the name. First ladies, gathered here today, gathered for peace in the country of their own as well as in all nations around the world. Your names will be remembered to the people forever as messengers of peace when the peaceful world is completed.”