What’s happening in 200 cities in 110 countries? It is a Peace Festival!! Beginning on August 27th, Washington D.C., New York, Los Angeles, Paris, France, Mindanao, Philippines, Suva, Fiji, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, Cape Town, South Africa, and more, hold “2019 World Peace Summit” to support the DPCW for sustainable development. There are so many people who want peace. They are confident in the DPCW, a new international law aligned with SDGs and UN Charter and are about to achieve peace with their voices.
Today we looked at five cities. Finally, I want to introduce you a boy, born in South Sudan, a country suffering from a sustained civil war.
This young boy is Immanuel Lovizo Justin. When he saw 150 people die horribly before his eyes in a civil war in 2016, he decided to start the work of peace. He already knew his life could be threatened.
He started to encourage people to realize the DPCW, which is a new international law called the “answer to peace” and is supported by former/incumbent Presidents, and he collected 5,000 signatures of support for DPCW by himself. He also held a peace concert and was reported in the local newspaper.
The peace-loving young boy is now in a hurry to collect 10,000 peace letters for the Presidents and has already collected more than 1,000. What value did this South Sudanese boy see in the DPCW? Why is he risking his life in the battlefield to call for the DPCW?
Do you think this world is peaceful? Or are you too busy making a living in front of us to think about? Everyone lives in their own world. The size of the world is only different. Of course, I know that unless it’s God, I can’t count everything. It could be hypocrisy. Nevertheless, there are those who risk their lives and do the work of peace. Who are they?
First of all, I’m going to see if it’s peaceful.
Ongoing Conflicts (2018-2019)
Ongoing armed conflicts have caused at least 181,000 fatalities(2018-2019). It included only battle-related death or intentionally targeted civilian casualties. Overall damage would be magnitudes greater if injuries and lasting aftermath from conflicts are considered.
Communal conflicts in Nigeria (1998~) : 3,162 (total 17,156)
Iraqi conflict (2003~) : 5,750(total 288,000)
Boko Haram insurgency (2009~) : 2,457(total 51,567)
South Sudanese Civil War (2011~) : 1,685(total 383,000-400,000)
Libyan Civil War (2014~) : 1,727(total 29,859–42,253)
In two years, so many people died. Fatalities are over 181,000. This number is not a small. Can you handle the grief of their family or friends? We can’t feel anything, because we’re far from psychological. The closer you get to them, the more you will live a life of helplessness, sad and unable to do anything. If you’ve had a similar experience, you know it.
But we can’t just sit still and do nothing. Now, we’re trying to find out who’s risking their lives for peace. They are HWPL.
HWPL, DPCW.. and Man Hee Lee
2018 HWPL World Peace Summit: 4th Anniversary of the WARP Summit
HWPL 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.
HWPL is considered by experts and foreign media to be the most accomplished peace organization in a short period of time. Among them, the key role is DPCW, the answer to peace.
What is the problem of existing international law? It is not legally binding and it partially allows war. S0, the Declaration of Peace and Cessation of War (DPCW) was drafted by prominent international law experts from 15 different countries.
The 10 articles and 38 clauses of the DPCW is a comprehensive documentation of the principles of peace that are required in this current era through an inclusive approach to ban, prevent, and resolve conflicts. Based on the DPCW, the common global yearning to achieve world peace and cessation of war can be accomplished with the core principles of peace.
It can be established in the form of international law, not just for individual societies, but in relationships between countries and in the entire globe as a universal standard and value. To achieve this goal, the DPCW needs to become a resolution at the United Nations – which represents the international community – and become an internationally binding legal document for every country and citizen to abide by it.
H.E. Viktor Yushchhenko, Former President of Ukraine
“I am deeply grateful to be able to implement the cause of peace in a specific way. This is truly a worthy cause. I was deeply impressed to see the DPCW with its refined and profound wisdom. I think it is worth the support from all leaders of the world. This is because the DPCW is a perfectly balanced document that was drafted through the great effort of international legal experts and is of fundamental value.”
What is the core of HWPL?
HWPL is said to have brought together the voices of citizens from all over the world. What is the driving force that makes things possible that no one else has done? It is the Mr. Man Hee Lee, who is supported by 1.8 billion young people around the world. He is also a veteran of the Korean War and is working harder for peace than a young man, despite his age.
His life-threatening moves touched many young people. What is surprising is that many people have seen the light from him. He is also called the president of the world. If you listen to his speech, you will find out why. The whole family in the world follows him, because he has a clear answer and leadership.
H.E. Emil Constantinescu, the former president of Romania
Q. What do you think of Chairman Lee?
A. “I believe Chairman Lee is a leader in the true sense of the word, which is easy to see in the way he wins the hearts and the minds of the younger generation, in particular because of his destiny: a man who fought in the Korean War which, like all wars, pits man against man; but what is even more striking is that, in the case of the Korean war, it was pitting brother against brother.
When youth and women’s associations were established, I think Man Hee Lee astutely picked up on the fact that herein lay the key, as youths are sent to die in wars by populist and ultranationalist leaders with dictatorial tendencies while women during war are not only victims but also suffer for their parents, children and brothers. We must never forget that while 20.000.000 soldiers died in World War II, 40.000.000 civilians, mostly women, children and the elderly, perished in that conflict as well.”
Romanian Parliament House / 31st HWPL World Peace Tour
2019 World Peace Summit: 5th Anniversary of the WARP Summit
The 2019 HWPL World Peace Summit: 5th Annual Commemoration of the September 18th WARP Summit will be held over three days, from 17 to 19 September 2019, in Seoul, Republic of Korea. The Summit has been held annually since 2014, providing a platform for leaders in politics, religion, youth and women’s groups, journalism, and civil society around the world to discuss the ideas and practices required to achieve peace, a common goal of the global community.
Outcomes from the past year – in which various fields focused on solidifying peace networks – will be shared this year, along with a more detailed direction of the advancement for actualizing world peace. Peace Festival will be held at not only Korea, but also 110 countries and 200 cities worldwide. Peace is the timeless, invaluable asset for humanity. Your presence and support will be sure to make this event even more meaningful.
1) Expanding support at international level for introducing the DPCW to the UN General Assembly as a draft resolution 2) Spreading a culture of interfaith understanding and dialogue based on religious scriptures 3) Strengthening the ability of youth and women’s peace network 4) Implementing peace education for building the character of global citizens with peace values 5) expanding a global peace media network: changing the public’s awareness of peace
Actually, DPCW has been consistently supported by the world. It already has national supports such as Seychelles, Eswatini, and Comoros. In 2017,the central american parliament (PARLACEN)passed a resolution in support of the DPCW. Also, the Pan-African Parliament (PAP), which represents all citizens of 55 countries of the African Continent, the International Centre for Black Sea-Baltic Studies and Consensus Practices (Centre BBS), which consisted of former European Presidents, and 145 United Nations officialsalso supported the DPCW.
What is #LP Campaign?
The support of citizens is also continuing constantly. Already, 734,098 signatures from 176 countries are collected. What is LP Campaign? “Legislate Peace” project is a comprehensive cooperation campaign around the globe in support of the DPCW’s introduction to the UN as a draft resolution, and for it to become an international, legally binding document.
This project lists all of the support received from 2016 to now from over 180 different countries and includes institutional support from various international organizations and governments, with individual support and activities from political leaders, religious leaders, and community activists. At this year’s event, the projects’ specific cases in individual expert fields will be shared with a discussion for future plans. Young people are also moving to achieve faster.
IPYG all over the world is urging presidents from around the world to sign the DPCW. In less than a year, 165,782 Peace Letters were collected. On March 14, 2019, citizens from all over the world wrote letters of peace and sent them to the Presidents of 192 countries and Prime ministers to urge the need for DPCW. It is a part of the “Legislate Peace” Project. What a great thing! You can join online right now. There are not many opportunities to work for peace. Together, Peace.
Timor-Leste, or East Timor, is a Southeast Asian nation ringed by coral reefs teeming with marine life. It has really beautiful natural scenery. But crime continues to be a problem in Timor-Leste, including gang-related violence, robbery (in some cases armed), and assault. There have been attacks on foreigners in Dili during the hours of daylight and darkness. Also, the citizens who live there have suffered a lot.
East Timor genocide (1975-1999)
East Timor was colonised by Portugal in the 16th century, and was known as Portuguese Timor until 28 November 1975, when the Revolutionary Front for an Independent East Timor (Fretilin) declared the territory’s independence. The East Timor genocide refers to the “pacification campaigns” of state terrorism by the Indonesian government during the US-backed.
From the start of the invasion in August 1975 onward, the wholesale massacre of Timorese civilians happened. At the start of the occupation, FRETILIN radio sent the following broadcast: “The Indonesian forces are killing indiscriminately. Women and children are being shot in the streets. We are all going to be killed…. This is an appeal for international help. Please do something to stop this invasion.”
Amnesty International estimated that one third of East Timor’s population, or 200,000 in total, died from military action, starvation and disease from 1975 to 1999. In 1979 the US Agency for International Development estimated that 300,000 East Timorese had been moved into camps controlled by Indonesian armed forces.
Also, Indonesian military abuses against women in East Timor were numerous and well-documented. Amnesty International USA wrote: “Women are reluctant to pass on information to non-governmental organizations about rape and sexual abuse, let alone to report violations to the military or police authorities.” University of Oxford held an academic consensus calling the event genocide and Yale university teaches it as part of their “Genocide Studies” program.
However, a strong wind of peace is blowing again these days.
HWPL Peace Walk In Timor-Leste
On June 8, 2019, Peace Walk event of HWPL was held on May 25 at the Radio Community Atoni Lifau in the Oe-Cusse area together with government officials, the heads of NGOs and school students. Every year in Timor-Leste, HWPL has held the event in Dili, the capital city. This year, it was the first time in Oe-Cusse, not in Dili. Do you know Oe-Cusse? UN troops and the “Sangnoksu Unit” of Korea were dispatched together to fight for the independence of Timor-Leste in the past. After the war, there is a lot of exchange with Korea.
During the Peace Walk, they walked to the memorial stone for the sacrifice of Sangnoksu Unit who sacrificed for the independence of East Timor. Independence… What a heart-wrenching word? The smiling children don’t know anything, but the ancestors who achieved independence must be really happy. It’s hard not to forget that gratitude, but… Youth must do it. And the most important thing we need to do is to stop the war from happening anymore. Let’s leave peace as a legacy for future generations!
They made a promise to work together with HWPL for peace from now on. The event was also broadcasted on the national broadcasting station GMNtv on June 12.
Tunisia is a North African country bordering the Mediterranean Sea and Sahara Desert. The FCO says: “Terrorists are still very likely to try to carry out attacks in Tunisia. Security forces remain on a high state of alert in Tunis and other places. You should be vigilant at all times, including around religious sites and festivals.”
Conflicts of Republic of Tunisia
Bizerte crisis(July 19, 1961 — July 23, 1961)
Tunisian revolution(December 18, 2010 — January 14, 2011)
ISIL insurgency in Tunisia(June 26, 2015 — ongoing)
On 27 June 2019, two suicide blasts took place in Tunis, the capital of Tunisia. The first explosion on Thursday involved a suicide bomber who targeted a police patrol on Tunis’s central Charles de Gaulle Street. One police officer was killed, while another was wounded as well as three civilians, according to the interior ministry. In total, 127–173 were killed and 84–126 were wounded.
What is ISIL (ISIS, IS)?
The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) is also known as the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) and officially known as the Islamic State (IS). They are under a lot of criticism. The UN estimated that 5,000 Yazidis were killed by ISIL during the takeover of parts of northern Iraq in August 2014. The problem of child soldiers, sexual violence and slavery is so serious. In 2018, Nadia Murad (Yazidi girl) awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for “their efforts to end the use of sexual violence as a weapon of war and armed conflict”.
In late December 2015, nearly 70,000 Indian Muslim clerics associated with the Indian Barelvi movement issued a fatwa condemning ISIL and similar organisations, saying they are “not Islamic organisations”. Approximately 1.5 million Sunni Muslim followers of this movement have formally decried violent extremists. Regardless of religious beliefs, human rights violations are too serious.
In Tunisia, Peace must be Coming
Bibliothèque Nationale de Tunisie, @Nawaat/Références
On May 29th, 2019, Mohamed Riadh Aissaoui presented the HWPL True Story to Ms. Raja Ben Slama, the chief director of the National Library of Tunisia. Mr. Aissaoui currently lives in Tunisia and is the director of the OUDH(University Organization of Human Development). He explained to her about HWPL, the IPYG, and the DPCW, an answer to peace. As a response, Ms. Raja Ben Slama expressed her gratitude. And she said HWPL’s Legislate Peace Campaign and IPYG Peace Letter Campaign will make constructive influences on future generations.
Why is HWPL an “Answer to Peace”?
Mohamed Riadh Aissaoui presented the HWPL True Story to Ms. Raja Ben Slama, the chief director of the National Library of Tunisia.
The new international law DPCW made by HWPL is supported by continents around the world. It is supported by former and incumbent presidents, ministers, professors and heads of organizations, who want to make peace as soon as possible. The problem with existing international law is that it is not legally binding. HWPL, supported by 3.7 billion women (IWPG) and 1.8 billion young people (IPYG), is bound to be the answer to peace. Let’s do it together~
The June 16 1976 Uprising that began in Soweto and spread countrywide profoundly changed the socio-political landscape in South Africa. It is estimated that 20,000 black students took part in the protests. Deaths are 176 (~700) who are killed by police. So, 16 June is now a public holiday in South Africa, named Youth Day.
What was the reason? Policies of the Apartheid government are the problem. Finally it resulted in the introduction of the Bantu Education Act in 1953. Despite the inequality and oppression caused by apartheid, many heroes were born. Who are they? The “Youth of 1976” played a really important role in fighting.
One photo shocked the world
This photo by Sam Nzima is displayed on Hector’s memorial outside the Hector Pieterson Museum in Orlando West, Soweto. Mbuyisa Makhubo is carrying the dying Hector and Hector’s sister, Antoinette, is running beside him. / Hector Pieterson / flickr
During the fracas the 12-year-old Hector Pieterson was shot by the police. He was covered in blood. Pieterson was rushed to a local clinic and declared dead on arrival. This photo became an icon of the Soweto uprising.
“The uprising means different things for different people,” says Khwezi Gule, chief curator of the Hector Pieterson museum and memorial in Soweto. “There are different generations and varying constituencies. Even those who were there in 1976 were affected differently: parents, students, leaders, people just caught in the crossfire.”
Nelson Mandela said “The events of that day reverberated in every town and townships of South Africa. The uprising triggered riots and violence across the country. Mass funerals for the victims of state violence became national rallying points.
Suddenly the young people of South Africa were fired with the spirit of protest and rebellion. Students boycotted schools all across the country. Bantu education had come back to haunt its creators, for these angry and audacious young people were its progeny.”
South Africa’s Youth Discusses NDP 2030 on Youth Day
Commemorating the heroes of Soweto from June 1976 young, South Africans were challenged to chart their own solutions for dealing with the struggles the youth face today. So, the International Peace Youth Group (IPYG) is collaborated with the Gauteng Province, the City of Johannesburg Library and Information Services, South African Council of NGO’s, Green Peace Africa, IWPG, Save the Children and HWPL.
Also, the Specialized Agency of the African Union and the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) helped these passionate young peace activits. IPYG was established in 2013 with 805 affiliate organisations in 110 countries. What is their purpose? It is the “National Development Plan (NDP).”
NDP 2030: Youth CAN do it!
The NDP aims to eliminate poverty and reduce inequality by 2030. According to the plan, South Africa can realise these goals by drawing on the energies of its people, growing an inclusive economy, building capabilities, enhancing the capacity of the state, and promoting leadership and partnerships throughout society. Lets all work together to make the National Development Plan (NDP) a success and build a better South Africa for all, it is up to each one of us.
In dealing with International and Regional Peace and Security, Editor of Zimbabwe Digital News brought about the need to create a culture of peace and referenced the Declaration of Peace and Cessation of War (DPCW) as an instrument that the President of South African to put an end to armed conflict. (What is DPCW?)
Because Africa has great potential, countless young people can surely achieve peace with IPYG. At IPYG Peace Letter Campaign, more than 200,000 young people from each country have sent handwritten letters to the heads of 193 countries of the United Nations. We Are One!
Jayathma Wickramanayake, United Nations Secretary-General’s Envoy on Youth, addresses the Security Council meeting UN Photo/Loey Felipe
On 17th of July 2019, Jayathma Wickramanayake, the UN’s Youth Envoy, visited the Security Council on Wednesday with a simple message “young people care about peace.” She said especially young women can be labelled on a “small minority” easily. These stereotypes and myths skew young people’s full potential for peace. The fact is that most young people are in fact not involved in violence.
“In the past months I have noticed with grave concern, incidents of young peacebuilders and young human rights defenders being subjected to threats, intimidation, violence, arbitrary arrest and retaliation by State and non-State Actors.” She emphasized the need to protect these young peacebuilders.
A wide view of the Security Council meeting 17 July 2019 UN Photo/Loey Felipe
She reminded the Council that the Youth, Peace and Security agenda is being recognized and institutionalized within the UN as “core” to the Organization’s priorities for young people. So, the UN Youth Strategy, Youth 2030, will promote an environment that recognizes young people’s important and positive contributions to peace and security, while creating safe spaces and expanding opportunities for young people.
I totally agree with her. Young people have enormous potential. Protect them and help them grow tremendously. There’s something she and the young men of the United Nations are pushing now, and I think it’s so good that I’d like to introduce it. #Youth4Peace #Youth2030
At the First International Symposium on Youth Participation in Peace Processes, which was held last March in Finland, the youth envoy officially launched the policy paper “WE ARE HERE: An Integrated Approach to Youth-Inclusive Peace Processes.”(Here)
António Guterres, Secretary-General of the United Nations, said “It analyses how young people can influence such efforts using diverse and innovative approaches. Around the world, young women and men are striving for justice, inclusion, gender equality and human rights. We must make the most of their power as drivers of a culture of peace.”
Ms. Wickramanayake said “I hope this is the beginning of a process… for concrete actions to bring peace. Sustainable peace must be democratized to include the communities most affected. Young people are our best chance in succeeding at that.”
International Youth Peace Movement
In the last two decades, over 1,000 peace agreements have been signed globally. It is estimated that 408 million youth live in a state or province affected by armed conflict. The co-authors, Ali Altiok and Irena Grizelj, said “No comprehensive studies have assessed the role and impact of young people in these peace agreements. This paper takes the first step towards providing emerging evidence that youth inclusion in peace processes can yield positive results.”
All we need for ‘We Are Here’ is ‘We Are One’
I’m reading this paper. Looking at it, I feel confident that peace can be achieved. How? Only, it would be necessary for all of us to work together as one. All we need for ‘We Are Here’ is ‘We Are One’. I also remember International Peace Youth Group (IPYG), a youth peace organization that is emerging most recently. It is a subsidiary organization of HWPL, international peace NGO affiliated with the UN ECOSOC and the UN DGC.
IPYG shouts “We Are One!!!”
IPYG, which represents 1.8 billion young people, is affiliated with 805 organizations of 110 countries. The number of total members is 4,600,000. In IPYG Peace Letter Campaign, youth of 23 countries have participated and the handwritten peace letters have been delivered to 9 former/current presidents and prime ministers in 8 countries.
On 14th of March 2019, all youth of the world had sent to their respective President or Prime Minister in 192countries with the expectation of a response from these heads of state. On 25th of May 2019, the “6th IPYG Peace Walk” was held in around 126 locations in 77 countries around the world, including Australia, China, Germany, India, Russia, South Africa, the Philippines, and United States of America. (What is Peace Walk?) There is enthusiastic support from young people all over the world, and this huge flow is unstoppable.
6th Peace Walk / Santa Monica, LA
These young people are now doing all they can to get the DPCW, the best international law to put an end to the war, to the U.N. (What is DPCW?) Like UN Youth Envoy, the world is full of young people of passion for peace. Their potential can never be ignored. If all the peace groups of each country come together, and all of them shout in one voice, which country can start a war? No one will suffer any more.
On 11st of July, more than 25 Caribbean ambassadors and heads of states, including former Prime Minister of Belize the Honorable Mr. Said Musa, gathered in Washington D.C. Why did they gather? These incredibly famous people don’t move for no reason. They want to support the implementation of international peace legislation, the Declaration of Peace and Cessation of War (DPCW). Where? “Within their each countries.”
DPCW has global support, especially for young people and women. There were well over a million supporters and the DPCW has already been enacted as a National Declaration in several countries around the world, including Antigua and Barbuda.
Mr. Said Musa, Prime Minister of Belize, said “I want to pledge my support for adoption of the DPCW which I find to be the most comprehensive legal framework that will serve to spread a zone of peace within the Caribbean region and across the world.” Caribbean Peace Movement is growing so rapidly.
Among the event, delegates committed to advance the passing of the DPCW through theCARICOM and the Coalition of Caribbean Leaders for Peace (CCLP). The CARICOM is an organisation of fifteen Caribbean nations and dependencies having primary objectives to promote economic integration and cooperation among its members. It is home to approximately sixteen million citizens, 60% of whom are under the age of 30. Caribbean countries have tremendous potential.
Their Headquarter is on Georgetown, Guyana. Guyana’s CARICOM Youth Ambassador and Regional Director for the United Nations Caribbean Global Peace Initiative, Ms. Samantha Sheoprashad, also gave remarks. According to a report from the Borgen Project, roughly 43 percent of Guyana’s population lives below the poverty line, the youth unemployment rate is over 30 percent but the current estimates are closer to 40 percent.
Mr. Musa, a founding member of the CCLP, urged other Caribbean leaders to participate and serve as a “beacon to guide the important work of the [CCLP] to spread the message of peace not only in our region but globally as well.” After all, they know it’s the DPCW that can solve all of this. This is the answer to peace. It is currently being presented to pass as law through the United Nations. Let’s have one voice! We Are One!
On 29 May 2019, the 6th Annual Commemoration of the Declaration of World Peace and the Peace Walk took place at Ecole Fondamentale Lafia De Kalaban-Koro in Bamako, Mali. The event was hosted by the International Peace Youth Group (IPYG) and supported by a peace advocate group called Peace One Day. Leaders from various sectors, including government and NGO and more than 300 youth, participated in the event.
The Peace Walk event was hosted for the first time in Mali and it filled the hearts of the youth and event participants with an overwhelming sense of hope. Due to the recent breakout of civil war in Mali few months ago, Malian people have been in urgent need of peace. Afterwards, those students had an opportunity to write their own peace letters. A total of 85 hand-written peace letters are to be sent to the president of Mali, together with other hand-written peace letters.
Let’s find out about Peace One Day who helped HWPL.
Peace One Day Press conference with SESG Mary Robinson / flickr CC BY-SA
Peace One Day is a non-profit organisation that was founded in 1999. In 2001 the member states of the United Nations unanimously adopted the first ever annual day of “global ceasefire and non-violence” on 21 September – Peace Day. Since 2001, Peace One Day’s objective is making it a day that is “self-sustaining”, an annual day of “global unity”, a day of “intercultural cooperation on an unprecedented scale.”
UN GA Resolution – A/RES/55/282 / Peace One Day
The founder is an actor turned filmmaker Jeremy Gilley. After a carrer as an actor, Jeremy began making films in 1995 and in 1999. And making a movie was a big boost to Peace One Day. In 1998, Gilley began to make the Peace One Day documentary, eventually deciding to aim for a UN resolution formalising the idea. This goal was reached in 2001. In 2004, the Peace One Day documentary premiered at the Edinburgh International Film Festival (EIFF) and the BBC.
He and his friends, who had nothing at first, recklessly wrote letters. He said “And we wrote to heads of state, their ambassadors, Nobel Peace laureates, NGOs, faiths, various organizations — literally wrote to everybody. And I remember the first letter. One of the first letters was from the Dalai Lama, saying ‘This is an amazing thing. Come and see me. I’d love to talk to you about the first ever day of peace.'”
That’s how it continued to evolve and results began to emerge. In Afghanistan, 70% reduction in violent incidents was recorded by United Nations Department of Safety and Security on Peace Day 2008. In 2016, after several years work with global management consulting firm McKinsey & Company, it was estimated that 2.2 billion people had been exposed to the Peace Day message, that 940 million were aware of the day and that 16 million behaved more peacefully as a result. It’s a brilliant idea and has a distinct ripple effect. But there is an international peace NGO that has developed this a little bit.
“The Complete End of War and Eternal Peace”It is the goal of the HWPL. Heavenly Culture, World Peace, Restoration of Light (HWPL) is affiliated with the UN ECOSOC and the UN DGC. And International Peace Youth Group (IPYG) is its youth organization. In order to achieve its goal, HWPL is trying every year, with a higher growth rate than any other peace organization. Experts and journalists evaluate HWPL as a practical and powerful organization.
On May 25th, “6th Annual Commemoration of the Declaration of World Peace and the Peace Walk” was held at about 126 places in 77 countries around the world including Australia, China, Germany, India, Russia, South Africa, the Philippines, and United States of America. These millions of people gathered to urge Support for the Declaration of Peace and Cessation of War (DPCW). It is the HWPL‘s most groundbreaking answer to peace.
Introduction of the DPCW to the UN
What is the problem of existing international law? It is not legally binding and it is allowing war in part. So 21 prominent international law experts from 15 different countries made 10 articles and 38 clauses of the DPCW. DPCW has only been proclaimed for three years, but it’s been a startling development of national and global support for citizens around the world.
It has received formal support from the Pan-African Parliament, the Council of Ministers of the Pacific Islands, the Central American Parliament (PARLACEN), and the former presidents of Eastern Europe, as well as MOUs and official documents. Also, when the Chairman Man Hee Lee introduced the DPCW at UN headquarters, delegates from 145 countries gave a standing ovation.
31st HWPL World Peace Tour in Parliament of Romania / HWPL PHOTO
From a civil society perspective, more than 1.3 million citizens around the world support DPCW with signatures and IPYG Peace Letter Campaign. On March 14, citizens from all over the world wrote more than 200,000 letters of peace and sent them to presidents and prime ministers of 192 countries to urge the need for DPCW and support from countries. And the media from around the world reported it extensively, and the world cheered when they heard the news.
In my personal view, every peace organization seems to be absolutely wonderful. Wouldn’t world peace be too easy if all the world’s peace organizations were united, regardless of their own interests? But the core will be needed. I’m sure it’s HWPL that has the power to bring everyone together. We Are One!
To commemorate the 6th Peace Walk, a Peace Letter campaign along with a Peace Walk festival was held for 4 days from May 16th to 20th at Bačko Gradište and Liberty Square of Bečej in the South Bačka District of Serbia. Over 700 youth and students from all around Serbia gathered under the direction of Aleksandar Đekić, president of Bečejsko Udruženje Mladih, for the Peace Walk festival. They gathered to urge their head of state to support the DPCW. (What is DPCW?)
Aleksandar Đekić, president of Bečejsko Udruženje Mladih, who planned the event, suffered through two wars in his childhood and currently resides in Serbia. He stated that, “when I was a child, I was in two wars growing up. One in Croatia and one in Bosnia. Because of this, I accept to participate in the work of peace.”
Let me introduce you to the two wars and the Yugoslav war, which includes these two wars.
Croatian War of Independence
Croatian War 1991 Vukovar street / Wikimedia Commons
The Croatian War of Independence was fought from 1991 to 1995. An estimated 20,000 people died during Croatia’s four-year war of independence, during the breakup of Yugoslavia. Several hundred Vukovar citizens were murdered by the Yugoslav army and Serb paramilitaries in 1991. In total, the war caused 500,000 refugees and displaced persons.
Bosnian War
The cemetery at the Srebrenica-Potočari Memorial and Cemetery to Genocide Victims / Wikipedia
The Bosnian War was an international armed conflict that took place in Bosnia and Herzegovina between 1992 and 1995. During the war, an estimated 100,000 people were killed, 80% of whom were Bosniaks. In July 1995, Bosnian Serb forces killed as many as 8,000 Bosniak men and boys from the town of Srebrenica. It was the largest massacre in Europe since the Holocaust. Bosnia peace efforts fail, war breaks out between Muslims and Croats, previously allied against Serbs.
Lists of Yugoslav Wars
Date: 31 March 1991 – 12 November 2001 Total deaths: 130,000 – 140,000 Displaced: 4,000,000
Ten-Day War, Slovenian Independence War (1991)
Croatian War of Independence (1991–1995)
Bosnian War (1992–1995)
Kosovo War (1998–1999)
Insurgency in the Preševo Valley (1999–2001)
Insurgency in the Republic of Macedonia (2001)
6th Peace Walk with IPYG
No one knows the need for peace as well as anyone who has experienced the war in person. Thank you for the courage and dedication of the leaders who are now working for peace. You guys fought really well. It’s our turn now.
Aleksandar Đekić said, “Before IPYG, our organization never knew that a project like this existed, and we never heard about the DPCW, even though we do projects regarding human rights. This motivated us to research more about this topic, and encouraged us to participate, and try to make new changes in our society.
IPYG helped us a lot during the planning process, especially with education about the 10 articles and DPCW. We managed to organize a major event in our city that gathered the attention of Bečejs citizens and inspired them to think about this topic more. We hope that the head of our country will notice us and our message we presented through our peace walks.”
6th Peace Walk was held in around 126 locations in 77 countries. IPYG will surely achieve peace with young people all over the world. I want you to be a witness.
On May 14, Heavenly Culture, World Peace, Restoration of Light (HWPL) and the International Peace Youth Group (IPYG) hosted a conference with the theme: “Youth, Let’s Voice Out” in the National Library of Romania. With the cooperation of MasterPeace, a youth peace organization, many peace-loving youths gathered.
Jeni Sendroiu, a founding member of MasterPeace Romania, stated “HWPL, current and former heads of state, legal experts, and heads of the organization (MasterPeace Romania) raised a voice together to support the DPCW. Starting from today’s event, it is time for Romanian youths to raise their voices for a better world, a world of peace and justice”
During the event, IPYG gave a progress report about the delivery of 370,000 peace letters to leaders in 33 countries, and Romanian youths wrote peace letters in the honor of the 6th Annual Commemoration of the Declaration of World Peace. For the media coverage, ANTENA 1, ranked No. 1 in private broadcasting stations, sent their reporters to participate and cover the news of peace throughout Romania.
Beginning with Emil Constantinescu, former Romania President, Romania and HWPL have deep relations. For examples, Early in April, about 700 people from various sectors of society such as education experts, women and youth groups, global peace activists and journalists gathered at Pentagon Events in Bucharest to discuss practical approaches for the realization of peace through peace education. With the title of ‘The Role of Teachers for Peace Education’, the 2019 Peace Education Conference was held.
Mr. Dragomir Marian, President of Master Peace, said “My belief, which made me work with HWPL and its peace education curriculum, is that education in personality, skill, value, and attitude is important for social, economic, and political development in any country. This role is well articulated in the ‘Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)’ No. 4 which emphasizes a quality education for all to promote lifelong learning.
This is also shared by Article 10, ‘Spreading a culture of peace’, of the Declaration of Peace and Cessation of War (DPCW) which mentions that education is important in promoting respect and mutual understanding among different religions, ideologies, and ethnic groups.”
