As of August 2019, a book named “True Story of HWPL: Peace and Cessation of War” with the record of peacebuilding efforts by millions of global citizens and social leaders has been displayed in public institutions including libraries, schools, museums in 195 countries.
According to HWPL the publisher, the purpose of this book is to implant the values and spirit of peace that lead “every individual to become a messenger of peace.”
Chairman Man Hee Lee of HWPL who experienced the war as a war veteran prefaced the book by saying “We have worked together with all our hearts and strengths to achieve world peace and cessation of war transcending all borders of nation, ethnicity, and religion. Let us all become messengers of peace and leave peace as an everlasting legacy for future generations. Our work of peace will shine as an eternal light in history.”
Regarding the value of this book, Vice mayor of Târgu Mureş in Romania, Dr. Makkai Grigore, told “This book is a model and a call to peace. Readers can find models that are worthwhile to follow and can be stimulated to maintain peace. Through this book, I can come into contact with a lesser-known reality and meet world leaders who have a say about peace. I think this book can be considered a symbol of peace education, a history fragment for the 21st century.”
In this current century, the UN’s sustainable development goals (SDGs) set out key points for harmonious coexistence and development of the global community, including the economy, poverty eradication, education, welfare, equality and justice. The precondition for achieving this goal is the sustainable state of peace without war based on the complete cessation of violent conflicts such as hostile actions and wars throughout the international community.
UN Ukraine / flickr
However, conflicts and actions of war between countries have not ceased, and the possibility of war is further increased by the spread of violent extremism by non-state actors based on religious and ethnic identity. Just as such, today’s conflicts are becoming worsened by the everyday fears that can directly affect individuals, going beyond what affects one’s country.
Therefore, a comprehensive approach of prevention and solution is required to respond to violent forms of disputes, including wars that threaten the lives of mankind. This comprehensive approach is based on the participation of non-governmental organizations and individuals – as well as governments and intergovernmental organizations (IGOs) in this current international community – where the response to disputes in non-political areas such as culture, religion, ethnicity, economy, and the environment is required with the cooperation between various actors. This increases the possibility of establishing global peace as a new approach to respond to conflicts by transcending national boundaries with shared, common effort for peace from around the world.
The HWPL Peace Summit sets the source of power to create a world of peace to include every agent of action – from an individual to a country – to become a peace messenger. The 10 articles and 38 clauses of the Declaration of Peace and Cessation of War (DPCW), drafted by HWPL along with international law experts from around the world, reconfirms the core values included in the existing international documents discussed and drawn in international communities including the UN Charter and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR).
The Declaration also clarifies the role of the members of international society, including civil societies and countries, to ban, prevent, and resolve conflicts. Based on the global support shown through “Legislate Peace” campaign, the 10 articles and 38 clauses of the DPCW should be introduced to the UN as a resolution with the goal of the principles of peace represented in the Declaration should be established as international law for peace which should be protected as a legally binding document in the world today.
HWPL, the host of this event, is an NGO associated with the Seoul Metropolitan Government and the UN Department of Global Communications and in Special Consultative Status with the UN ECOSOC. The organizers are the IPYG, an affiliated organization of HWPL, and the IWPG, a UN ECOSOC-affiliated NGO with Special Consultative Status. Mr. Man Hee Lee is the chairman of HWPL. In fact, everything here has nothing to do without him. That’s how important he is.
All of these can be seen as Man Hee Lee’s peace biography. I think it would be nice to read another article because I’ve posted so many posts about who he is. (more info)
1. On 17-19 September 2014, HWPL hosted the September 18th HWPL World Peace Summit for world peace and cessation of war. At this event, the world’s political leaders recognized the need for an international legal instrument that ensures peace and promised to cooperate, and religious leaders promised to become one according to the teachings of God and contribute to peace. As a token of their promise, they signed the Agreement to Propose the Enactment of International Law for the Cessation of Wars and World Peace and the World Alliance of Religions Agreement on 18 September 2014 at the 63 Building in Seoul.
2. In 2015, the 1st anniversary of the September 18th HWPL World Peace Summit was held at the World Peace Gate in Seoul Olympic Park. At this event, the HWPL International Law Peace Committee was officially inaugurated, and its members entered the stage of discussing an international legal instrument to settle and prevent armed conflicts.
Then on 14 March 2016, the Declaration of Peace and Cessation of War (DPCW), comprising of 10 articles and 38 clauses, was proclaimed. The fundamental spirit of the DPCW is the fair governance based on law, not power. Articles 1 to 7 pertain to the role of States while Articles 8 to 10 aim to empower the participation of global citizens in establishing a global order of peace through politics, religion, media, education, and civil society.
3. At the 2nd Anniversary of the September 18th HWPL World Peace Summit of 2016, discussions were held to turn the DPCW into legally binding form. As a result, “Legislate Peace” Project was launched to advocate the DPCW and mobilize support for its implementation globally, and over a million people in 170 countries participated in just one year.
4. In 2017, 2017 Anniversary of the September 18th HWPL World Peace Summit was held under the theme, “Establishing Collaborative Governance for Development and Implementation of the DPCW.” Building on the momentum from the adoption of the DPCW by the Central American Parliament (PARLACEN), the Summit aimed to increase awareness of the DPCW among intergovernmental organizations including the United Nations.
Furthermore, the agreed standards for determining a trustworthy religious scripture, which is the key of the comparative study of scriptures, were presented and ideas for a global peace media network were developed. Overall, the Summit provided an opportunity to seek ways to establish a cooperative network among international organizations, governments, and civil societies.
5. Through the 4th Anniversary of the September 18th HWPL World Peace Summit that convened with the theme of Collaboration for Peace Development: Building a Peace Community through the DPCW in 2018, the following topics were discussed: 1) Plans of action to support the DPCW to be introduced as UN resolution as a national and regional level; 2) Plans of action to establish and expand peace networks with various fields in the core including politics, religion, education, media, youth, women, etc.
With the youths’ Peace Letter activities that urged for a peaceful unification on the Korean Peninsula in 2018, the Peace Letter campaign expanded during March to May in 2019 for the citizens and leaders from around the world in various sectors to urge support for the DPCW. As a result of this campaign, peace letters were written and sent to the heads of state from 192 countries.
The theme of the 2019 World Peace Summit: 5th Anniversary of the WARP Summit is “Legislate Peace”– Implementation of the DPCW for Sustainable Development. This year the outcomes from the previous year’s work – in which various fields focused on solidifying peace networks – will be shared, along with a more detailed direction for the advancement of actualizing world peace. For this purpose, there will be events held in 200 cities in 110 countries with 300,000 citizens with the goal of establishing a universal order and standard that is applicable internationally, and to establish an international, legally binding document for peace.
As Romania holds the presidency of the Council of the European Union for the first half of 2019, a peace conference was held on 1-2 April in Bucharest. The conference was hosted by the ISACCL in cooperation with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Romania, HWPL, Centre for BBS, University of Bucharest, SNSPA, FRD and Inter-Parliamentary Coalition for Global Ethics.
HWPL was on 31st World Peace Tour. I’ve never heard of a private organization in a far and small country doing this. This is really a huge thing.
Hon. Emil Constantinescu, Former President of Romania, said “It is necessary to have political and military cooperation based on the mutual trust for the unification. If we plan with the foundation of the precedents of Eastern Europe’s transition from communism to democracy, along with international exchange, it will be of great help for us to establish worldwide governance that the whole world needs.”
Mr. Man Hee Lee, Chairman of HWPL, said “How would the world think of a people who point guns at each other? North and South Korean leaders should bear this in mind. As seen in the case of Germany, reunification should be achieved by the people, not politics or law. If North and South Korean people come forward to reunify, nothing will stop them.”
Mr. Dragomir Marian, President of Master Peace, said “Through Peace Education over 5 terms, we have educated children how to prevent and resolve conflicts and violence. Peace exists in the context of family, fellow groups, and societies. Through education, we have realized that teaching the principles of peace in the early stage of life can transform the youth to embrace peace.”
Mr. Man Hee Lee, Chairman of HWPL, said “Who should first be the teacher of children in the world? It is their families, their neighbors, and the society. For a peaceful world, it is not too late to start this work of peace now.”
HWPL Special Edition: The Beginning of Change towards Peace
Chairman Man Hee Lee of HWPL has traveled around the world 30 times and visited more than 100 countries in the last seven years for cessation of war and world peace. [Photo: HWPL]
Senior reporters with a high position at the newspaper office came and asked questions about his ” Peace Scenario.”
Q. What is the significance of the peace work that you have done so far for cessation of war and world peace?
The Chairman Man Hee Lee of HWPL said “More people died from starvation than from combat injuries during the Korean War. Many people struggled to live, eating anything from dirt to gunpowder in bullets. When could they ever take off their blood-stained military uniforms?”
“To do so, war had to come to an end. Wars must never happen again. Peace is not just a matter of one individual or one country. It matters to all people of the world, so everyone in the world must support this work of peace. I invite everyone to become messengers of peace, transcending the borders of nationality, ethnicity and religion.”
Q. Could you comment on the Peace Letter Campaign that HWPL is engaging in together with many youth, women and social organizations around the world?
The Chairman Lee said “If heads of state truly love their citizens and their countries, they will not be able to ignore the will of the people. Young people are sacrificed in the frontlines of war without getting a chance to blossom. Has anyone compensated for their sacrifices? Now the youths are saying they will protect themselves. Women are saying they will not send their children to battlefields. Their Peace Letters will certainly move the world.”
Q. What could be a path forward for peace education?
He answered “Someone once offered to award me a peace prize, but I rejected the offer. Instead of receiving the peace prize, I made a book that contains all the peace work that we have done so far and distributed the book in libraries around the world, so that the future generations can know about this work of peace. I believe that this is a true peace education that we need.”
“No one has yet been able to achieve cessation of war and realize world peace, and this work may seem impossible even in the future. However, this is a work that needs to be done by someone for all mankind, and maybe the DPCW, which is about to be introduced in the UN General Assembly, could be the last hope we have.”
I was most impressed with his last words. I don’t want to miss this chance, which may be the last hope. It’s not just for me, it is for all of us. Since IPYG Peace Letter Campaign has already become an international campaign involving 200,000 people, I’d like to keep trying to write peace letters. Let’s write together. 🙂
Press Conference for the 3rd Annual Commemoration of the DPCW
On the day of the press conference that was attended by 57 media outlets from Korea, HWPL’s Chairman Man Hee Lee stated, “Everyone, despite being busy, by gathering here together like this I can understand that you have come with the same heart that believes peace is better than war. I sincerely ask you (members of the press) to focus on reporting and working hard so that peace can be achieved (in both Korea and the rest of the world)”.
Finally, in regard to the meaning of the 3rd anniversary of the proclamation of the DPCW, HWPL’s Chairman Man Hee Lee, explained, “It is to put an end to war around the world, and if there is no war, then the world of peace can be realized. That is why we want to achieve a world of peace that is free from war, which can then become a shining legacy for future generations. If you stop doing this for even a short while, then it will just cool down. We must do it until the time when it is completely finished. If it is done in this way, then you will not be still but will continue working hard.
One more thing, the cessation of war or the realization of peace are not things that are the personal work of a single person. If we are called as the family of the world, then it goes without saying that this is relevant to each one of us. If we truly value this world and ourselves and love the citizens of our own countries, then not only leaders but everyone should acknowledge this. It doesn’t make sense to not give unconditional support. If there is something wrong, then the reason must be stated clearly, but just refusing to do (without giving a reason) is not right. Do not be like that. If all us together become one in heart and have the same will, then we must create a world without war”.
He then directly addressed all the reporters and members of the press present stating, “Try reading the 10 articles and 38 clauses of the DPCW. All of this work will be done quickly only if the reporters take the lead. Please remember this,” reiterating the importance of the role that the media plays in the achievement of peace.
On February 21st, 1,000 social representatives including youth and women from ASEAN member states, religious leaders, and NGOs participated in the ‘2019 Southeast Asia Peace Forum’ held in Phnom Penh, Cambodia to discuss practical approaches to peace building in the region.
The participants, both national leaders and students and citizens, wrote supporting letters for the DPCW, which will then be presented to their respective national leaders and international organizations to advocate for the implementation of the declaration at the UN.
Mr. Parlindungan Purba, S.H., MM., Chairman of the Second Session of Regional Representative Council in Indonesia, urged for the UN adoption of the DPCW, saying “We will establish clear and practical plans to increase the number of countries which are supporting the DPCW. There is also a moral obligation to fulfill our mission to urge for peace and the DPCW. We must be peace creators.”
Mr. Man Hee Lee, the chairman of HWPL, said “Now we have the answer within the 10 articles and 38 clauses of the DPCW to achieve peace and end war. There is no one who doesn’t want peace. The leaders of the nations should do what their people want them to do. This is the true politics that lead us from death to life. There shouldn’t be anyone who disturbs this work of peace. We all have to put our efforts together. When we work together for peace, it will be the light that shines all over the world”.
On February 19th, the ‘2019 Pacific Leaders’ Summit for Peace, Sydney’ was held at the New South Wales Parliament House in Australia with HWPL, an international NGO under the UN ECOSOC. It was held for the South Pacific leaders to call for the introduction of the Declaration of Peace and Cessation of War (DPCW) at the UN General Assembly in 2019. During this conference, 12 high-level government leaders from eight countries in the South Pacific showed their support for DPCW.
Mr. Man Hee Lee, the chairman of HWPL, urged for joint efforts towards the enactment of the DPCW by saying, “Now we have the answer within the 10 articles and 38 clauses of the DPCW to achieve peace and end war. There is no one who doesn’t want peace. The leaders of the nations should do what their people want them to do. This is the true politics that lead us from death to life. There shouldn’t be anyone who disturbs this work of peace. We all have to put our efforts together. When we work together for peace, it will be the light that shines all over the world”.
On February 18th, 2019, HWPL held a conference called‘Religious World Without Discrimination, Religious Leaders Becoming one’in Sydney, Australia. Along with about 370 audience members, 30 religious leaders representing 7 different denominations, including Christianity, Buddhism, Islam, Sikhism, Hinduism, Zoroastrianism and Caodaism, are gathered to discuss the Role of Religion.
Regarding the role of religious leaders in establishing a world of peace, Chairman Man Hee Lee of HWPL said, “I came to Australia to tell that the 10 articles and 38 clauses of the Declaration of Peace and Cessation of War (DPCW) are necessary to make a world of peace and leave a legacy of peace for future generations. This is more important than anything else, and we have to all become peace messengers.”
During the conference, the theme of ‘religious discrimination’ was also discussed. 4 keynote speakers delivered messages regarding unfortunate cases of religious discrimination and the need for concrete action plans.
Especially, one pastor read a letter that will be sent to the United Nations Human Rights Council, “I am a Pastor working in Australia and Pakistan. Pakistan is a dominantly Muslim country where religious tension and discrimination exists. I understand how we must all work to bring about true harmony between people of different faiths and cultures. The acts of the Christian Council of Korea (CCK) in relation to Ms. Gu Ji-In who was killed in the aftermath of coercive conversion in Korea should never be ignored and what they do should be stopped.”
30 religious leaders signed the Statement Denouncing Coercive Conversion Programs and Religious Discrimination and proclaimed their support for the Declaration of Peace and Cessation of War (DPCW).
These are the speeches given by the many presidents who passionately spoke regarding their support of the Declaration of Peace and Cessation of War (DPCW) and some of the important methods for its adoption to the UN at the 2018 HWPL World Peace Summit.
H.E. Samuel Sam Sumana, Former Vice President of the Republic of Sierra Leone, said “Speaking out against inequality and social injustices during his Rivonia Trial on 20 April 1964, Nelson Mandela stated ‘I have cherished the ideal of a democratic and free society in which all persons live together in harmony and with equal opportunities. It is an ideal which I hope to live and achieve. But if needs be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die.’
Your Excellencies, Distinguished Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen, the “Declaration of Peace and Cessation of War‟ could not have come at a better time than this. Let me take this opportunity to thank Chairman Man Hee Lee for this brilliant, timely and history making initiative. The world will always remain grateful. Thank you Sir.
Your Excellencies, for this declaration to leave its footprints on the sands of time, make a positive difference in the lives of ordinary people, take hope where there is despair, promote love where there is hate, it has to be owned and led by national and local actors in every country across the world. A bottom-up approach has to be employed to get states and their citizens buy into, own and lead the process.
To ensure this, a set of people committed to global peace and security have to be mobilized to constructively engage members states in ensuring that this declaration is adopted by the United Nations. However, the essence of this declaration should not be limited to its adoption by the UN but rather to help transform mind-sets and change the conversations and narratives around global peace and security.
Countries adopting the declaration have the moral responsibility to engage its citizens and global actors on the inextricable links between global peace and security and the respect for human rights, the rule of law and human dignity. The secretariat of the DPCW should also establish platforms through which dialogue, synergy and harmonization of efforts would be promoted at the Inter-governmental, national and local levels.
We should not fail in this drive, we have to succeed and we must succeed. I therefore call on all global political and religious leaders across the world, to do their utmost to ensure the adoption of the 10 Articles and the 38 Clauses of the Declaration, at the United Nations.”
On September, 2018, the Peace Education Development Forum for Global Advancement was held. The Peace Education Project, which is one of the core initiatives of HWPL, was initially proposed as a groundbreaking way to achieve the realization of Article 10, “Spreading a Culture of Peace”, of the Declaration of Peace and Cessation of War (DPCW). As a result, 164 schools in 12 countries have signed MOUs with HWPL.
On this day, ministers and vice ministers representing the Ministries of Education in Sri Lanka, Cambodia, Guatemala and Iraq signed an MOA with HWPL and 30 schools in nine countries also signed an MOU simultaneously.
Chairman Lee of HWPL stressed the mission of global families to implement peace education: “This world is not only for adults but also for young children. War and conflict should no longer occur for children who are born in the future. There is a saying, “If the water above is pure, the water below will be pure”. Everyone in the global village should become a messenger of peace. Then our children will see the peaceful environment and learn from it naturally. If we walk all the way to peace together, the children who are born will also walk along the path of peace together, and peace will automatically be passed down as a legacy to future generations. There is no use in passing down a world of conflict.”
He also added, “Everyone has biological parents, but those who create their hearts are educators. I sincerely plea for educators to take the lead in creating a world of peace,” enlightening the educators who conduct peace education.
The Chairman Man hee Lee is a really powerful messenger of peace. It is why 3.6 billion Women and 1.8 billion Youth support him. Everything is up to you!
