Peace as Institution to Change Daily Lives of People : 7th Annual Commemoration of the Declaration of Peace and Cessation of War
Under the theme of “Institutional Peace: Strengthening Communication to Build Trust”, an international peace NGO, Heavenly Culture, World Peace, Restoration of Light(HWPL), holds its 7th Annual Commemoration of the Declaration of Peace and Cessation of War(DPCW) from March 14th to 19th in 41 countries from Africa, Europe, North America and Asia.
With the foundation of “Declaration of Peace and Cessation of War (DPCW)” as a tool for comprehensive global peacebuilding cooperation, 7,000 people in the fields of politics, legal profession and religion, education, media, women and youth, will join the event where the participants share the cases of conflict prevention, mediation, and resolution to institutionalize peace as a universal culture and norm.
“This declaration, comprised of 10 articles and 38 clauses, aims to restore the spirit that served as the basis for the establishment of the United Nations and to achieve sustainable peace by promoting the universal values of the global community. The DPCW contains the message of no war, peace between nations and societies, friendly relations, prosperity, happiness, this is a simple message and everyone can relate to this message,” said Prof. Dr. Md Nazrul Islam, Chairman of International Law, University of Dhaka who drafted the DPCW, in the event on March 14th.
In his progress report presentation, Pravin Parekh, President of the Confederation of Indian Bar, presented major activities of overcoming disconnection and distrust and the progress for realizing the introduction of the DPCW to the United Nations. “HWPL has been strengthening trust and communication with youth, women, and civil society around the world in solidarity through activities such as Legislate Peace Project, WARP Office, and Peace Education,” he said.
Emphasizing the need for dialogues among religious leaders to facilitate tolerance and understanding, Ven. Myeong An, Vice President of Yeorae Order of Korean Buddhism, said, “Currently, many conflicts, persecutions, and conflicts among religions are taking place in the global village. It's because of intolerance and a lack of communication. However, what if many religious people come to discuss with scriptures? It will only be a matter of time before a world of peace comes.”
In the event, action plans to advocate peace in Ukraine were prepared. Participants from over 100 countries write “Peace Letters” to denounce Russian invasion of Ukraine as a violation of international law and demand Russian President Putin a total withdrawal from the Ukraine territory. “Future generations of Russians will remember you and this war as an indelible and shameful history, and you will be left in history as the one responsible for sacrificing countless innocent lives,” the letter stated. These letters will be collected and sent to Ukraine, where a peace monument will be erected.
During the speech, Chairman Lee Man-hee of HWPL emphasized, “Peace cannot be achieved alone. If everyone can live together as one, there will be no wars or conflicts. As the saying goes, love your neighbor as yourself, war will disappear only when there is love for each other. Current international law cannot prevent war. Russia, a permanent member of the United Nations, waged a war. The DPCW was introduced to renew the inoperative international law to eliminate war. Now is the time to achieve peace. Just as people learn when they have to create (something), peace must be taught at home and at school to create peace. If people's hearts change, a better world will be created. Let everyone in the global village become messengers of peace.”
Comprehensive Approaches to Build "Peace Governance" at the 3rd Annual Commemoration of the WARP Summit
Regional discussion and sectoral meetings were held to plan peace projects considering local environments
“Establishing collaborative governance" for peace-building has been discussed with world leaders at the 3rd Annual Commemoration of the World Alliance Religions' Peace (WARP) Summit held by Heavenly Culture, World Peace, Restoration of Light (HWPL) under the UN ECOSOC in Seoul, Republic of Korea. On the third day of the summit, September 19th, sessions were held to focus on the region and sector-based peace projects.
At the 3rd International Religious Leaders' Conference, around 300 religious leaders who worked for interfaith dialogues gathered to promote harmony of religions. The participants shared the progress reports of interfaith meetings through HWPL’s WARP offices aiming to enhance mutual understanding and develop peacebuilding by religious leaders.
Rev. Acharya Prem Shankaranand Tirth, Hindu High Priest of Shree Geeta Ashram of Delhi, emphasized the value and importance of the interfaith dialogue based on the scriptures by mentioning, “The WARP Office taught us how to make religions one. The true discussion for harmony is not just comparing the knowledge of each other but it is a discussion in finding one complete truth.”
In addition, Mr. Man Hee Lee, Chairman of HWPL, stressed on the role of the religious leaders in the current global situation and the importance of their mission for world peace. He urged religious leaders to take the lead in realizing religious reconciliation and religious peace through communication. “Religious leaders have to become the just and righteous scale measuring all religious scriptures. They gather all religious scriptures and work to define the trustworthy scripture with a legitimate standard at the WARP Office. Everything that religious leaders discuss must clearly be based on what is written in the scripture, which needs to be comprehensively analyzed and studied for the true alliance of religions.”
At the Region-Specific Discussion for the Implementation of the Declaration of Peace and Cessation of War (DPCW), experts in various fields such as government officials, civil society leaders, and media discussed how implement the peace projects in each region.
The participants conceived peace projects in accordance with local conditions, such as implementing peace education and cultural programs, activating ‘Legislate Peace’ campaigns which are supportive signing campaigns for the DPCW, establishing a peace network, and setting up a road map for peace policy during the roundtable discussion by country or continent. Also, they wrote proposals and signed agreements to implement the projects systematically in their country.
The DPCW, drafted by HWPL advocating international cooperation for global peace, appealed to the participants in terms of inventing peace-specific policy making in countries for the legal foundation to promote peace. “The DPCW serves as a framework of a robust, global infrastructure built by sovereign states on a foundation of tolerance, mutual understanding, and dialogue developed to resist conflict. I believe that we will be able to find out ways to cooperate together with all stakeholders to work toward promoting peace in each of our respective country.” said H.E. Chin Malin, Undersecretary of State of Ministry of Justice.
Representatives of women's organizations carrying out active peace movement from 53 countries shared the role of women leaders in the enactment of the effective international law for peace and the importance of networking for urging the DPCW in cooperation with International Women‘s Peace Group (IWPG) at 2017 IWPG Network Forum.
Ms. Nam Hee Kim, Chairwoman of IWPG, said “Let us all support the implementation of an international law in order to protect our children from the suffering caused by violence and aggression and instead nurture them in an environment of peace. Peace education should start from within the family. We should become the mothers who can proudly say that we work hard to inherit the world of peace.” urging for the power of the world's 3.6 billion women in achieving world peace and their role in each field for the purpose of international law enactment.
Peace Summit Held in South Korea on Constructing Collaborative Governance for Building Peace
3rd Annual Commemoration of the World Alliance of Religions’ Peace (WARP) Summit Discussed on the Practical Approaches to Peace-Building Based on the Declaration of the Peace and Cessation of War (DPCW)
Seoul, 17September - A 3-day peace summit to discuss the implementation of peacebuilding projects at local and national levels began with 1,100 representatives of states, IGOs, NGOs, and experts in international law, education, and media from approximately 120 countries on September 17th in Seoul, Republic of Korea.
Hosted by Heavenly Culture, World Peace, Restoration of Light (HWPL), an international NGO under UN ECOSOC, the 3rd Annual Commemoration of the WARP Summit addressed global peace-building measures through the establishment of collaborative governance among governments, civil society, and international organizations. Development in peace campaigns and projects was endorsed in many parts of the world through the Declaration of Peace and Cessation of War (DPCW) proclaimed in 2016 to advocate international cooperation to establish peace as a norm and culture.
To develop this agenda, four planning sessions: 2017 Conference for the Implementation of the Declaration of Peace and Cessation of War, 5th HWPL International Law Peace Committee Meeting, Peace Education Development Forum for Spreading a Culture of Peace, and Conference for Global Peace Media Network were held on the first day of the event on 17th.
Mr. Man Hee Lee, Chairman of HWPL, emphasized strengthening the international law for peace advocated by the DPCW. “The most urgent need is cessation of war. The DPCW drafted by experts in international law offers practical approaches to preventing conflicts. If leaders love their people, they should work together to implement peacebuilding measures.” He added, “A world without wars applies to every person in the globe, which means that every individual’s dedication as a messenger of peace to peacebuilding will make a peaceful world.”
At the ‘5th HWPL International Law Peace Committee Meeting’, Rt. Hon. Hrant Bagratyan, Former Prime Minister of Armenia, said, “Not only this declaration and HWPL’s peace work are beneficial to a specific level of society but are definite tool to bring peace to all of us. Without having the limit to one sector, more people raised their voice for urging what is necessary at our time”, calling for the cooperation of every sector of the society to implement the DPCW into a legally binding document.
In the Peace Education Development Forum for Spreading a Culture of Peace, Hon. Maria Eugenia Barrios Robles de Mejía, Vice Minister of Ministry of Education in Guatemala, said, “We could contribute in the promotion of the culture of peace in the world. We would help the citizens of tomorrow be more tolerant of each other and that a dialogue or discussion is the way to accept their differences and solve their conflicts. You and I are responsible for promoting the culture of peace to the next generations.”
Also, the ‘Conference for Global Peace Media Network’ with 90 journalists from about 50 countries sought freedom of the press in relation to the role of journalism in the foundation of a global media network for peacebuilding. “Journalism plays a significant role in delivering the collective voice of the global community for the same, common goal of peace. Now is the time for connecting the local and the national by the governance of peace.” said Mr. Ian Seo, Chief Manager of International Press Department of HWPL HQ, introducing the initiative of the peace media network platform of HWPL.
