Peace leaders and religious leaders from all over the world gathered in Seoul for the first time in 2014.
It’s a YouTube shorts for less than a minute, so I recommend you watch it. I can feel the excitement wash over me.
In 2013, HWPL declared through the Declaration of World Peace that, to end wars and bring peace to the global community, a new international legal instrument was needed.
At the 2014 World Peace Summit, legal and political leaders from around the world signed an agreement with HWPL to work together on drafting such a document.
In just a year and a half, on 14 March 2016, the Declaration of Peace and Cessation of War (DPCW) was proclaimed, and HWPL is actively committed to the introduction of the DPCW into international law.
Man hee Lee, the Chairman of HWPL, said “If you are a believer who truly desires for peace and loves this global community like his own body, religions must become one. When religions become one, there will be no more war; and if there is no war, there will be peace. Let’s all become one so we can make this global community into a world of peace.”
Man Hee Lee is a man who is showing the way to the path of peace. With a clear vision, many follow in his footsteps. With him and HWPL, peace will come soon enough.
Recently, I’ve been re-motivated about peace. I’ve also been thinking about writing a peace novel. Don’t you think it would be fun?
So we felt it was time to take a look back at what HWPL has been up to since 2014. I also found a YouTube channel called HWPL Peace Magazine. I will be reviewing them one by one.
HWPL hosted the HWPL 918 World Peace Summit (HWPL WARPsummit) in 2014 with leaders in politics, religion, women’s groups, youth groups and the media in attendance.
HWPL and leaders of various sectors convened to discuss conflict resolution, establishing peace, and mutual cooperation and signed landmark agreements on building and implementing solid systems for cooperation.
The agreements covered implementing legal instruments to ensure peace, building religious harmony and creating peace activites by state actors and citizens, respectively.
The legal instruments became the DPCW (Declaration of Peace and Cessation of War) in 2016.
It’s so interesting to trace the past like this. It’s inspiring to see what they decided to do then, and how they realized it years later.
In fact, there’s a HWPL Press Conference that attracts a lot of reporters. The Chairman of HWPL, Man hee Lee, coolly answers the question. These days, reporters are increasingly curious, not aggressively snarky.
As I review each video, I hope you will feel the power of HWPL and become a messenger of peace.
#TheTrueStoryofPeace, #HWPL World Peace Summit, #Manheelee
After declaring the need for an international law in 2013, Man Hee Lee committed to the creation of a peaceful international law on September 18, 2014, by signing the Convention for the Establishment of an International Law of Peace with 29 former presidents, Supreme Court justices, and world leaders at the Peace Parliament.
The Chairman Man Hee Lee believes that practical laws and institutions are needed to end war, and that the causes, means, and ideas of war must be fundamentally eliminated and changed. The Chairman Lee and international law experts from 17 countries have begun laying the groundwork for a peace bill.
Articles 1 through 7 of the DPCW address the role of states in creating an environment of peace in the international community, including restraining the use of force, disarmament, respect for international law, and the promotion of friendly relations.
Articles 8 through 10 emphasize that all communities, consisting not only of states but also of all individuals, should participate in the development of peace, including freedom of religion, the spread of a culture of peace, civic participation, and the strengthening of education and welfare, suggesting that building a peaceful world is the task of the hour for everyone in the global village.
I want you to join the “Legislate Peace” campaign. #LPproject
Do you know a peace documentary? There are still quite a few people in the world who seek peace.
I really admire them. Because they endure things that are difficult for others to pursue easily. I think it’s more noble.
The peace documentary was very touching. As if it were not easy to see plants grow, I felt like I was watching peace bloom like a flower right next to me.
It’s a breakthrough in ending the 50-year bloody conflict in Mindanao, the Philippines
A procession of 10,000 people who filled a total distance of 19.9km is shouting.
Has the peace that men and women of all ages desperately shouted for come?
Mindanao Island in the southern Philippines.
The land where death was closer to life than to say, “When peace comes to Mindanao, world peace comes.”
The armed conflict between the Philippine government and Mindanao militants, which began with the “Massacre in Morocco” in the 1960s, has turned into a confrontation between Catholic and Islamic religions, killing 120,000 people over the past 50 years.
The peace documentary “The Great Legacy” captures the end of the conflict through HWPL’s movement that began in 2014 in Mindanao, Philippines.
In particular, the Philippine locals, who melted the weapons used in the civil war to create an HWPL peace monument and wished for peace on the divided Korean Peninsula, resonated with the hearts of the audience and applauded.
The film highlights the HWPL civilian peace agreement ceremony held in Mindanao General Santos City, Philippines on January 24, 2014.
The Chairman Lee Man-hee brought together leaders and locals from both sides who were at the center of the Mindanao conflict. He asked them to raise their hands if they wanted peace, and when all the participants raised their hands, Lee led the two leaders to sign for peace.
Upon hearing the news of the peace agreement, government forces and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) finally agreed on the final annex of the preliminary peace agreement on January 25, and the civil war was effectively ended with the signing of the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB) in March 2014.
The Chairman Lee Man-hee said “We are a family of peace that will achieve peace born in this era. Do you want conflict or peace?”
All people shouted “PEACE!”
HWPL’s sincere efforts and the Chairman Lee’s sincerity made a dramatic peace, which was considered a challenge that could never be solved.
It’s a dangerous place for terrorism and accidental danger. The situation in the Philippines is not easy to push ahead with work among soldiers with guns. Even in such a place, not everyone can risk death to enter. I was really touched by this.
One field participant said, “The first overseas volunteer destination I went to was the Philippines, and I personally found it fascinating to see the first scene people cheering. Since our country is a divided country, we should be more interested in peace than anyone else.
But I really felt that Filipinos are more interested in peace activities than anyone else. After watching this preview, I felt that peace was really coming, so I thought about various activities, including small things and talking about joining together.”
The miracle of peace achieved by everyone being united is recorded as a “great legacy” in later generations. I hope we can all be messengers of peace.
In fact, I’ve been thinking about this for a long time.
Why should we seek peace? Human nature is often far from peace..
Nevertheless, why should we not give up..? Why should it be?
In fact, I expressed it as a long time, but the moment to think about it is very short. It’s a really short moment.. Do you know the answer?
Nevertheless, would we say it’s a value that we should keep? Is it a key value that a person can remain a person?
That’s true. There are quite a few people who have given up as human beings. Who can determine human qualifications? Does the standard value exist?
I think a lot of things are connected. The agony of peace coincides with spiritual anguish, and our lives are connected to those of people on the other side of the world.
So I love that shout. “We Are One!!” And I like people who risk their lives to keep the peace even if they don’t gain anything. I love them.
But I’m busy with a lot of work to make ends meet. So on the other hand, I’m sorry, but I’m trying to help them somehow. So I write like this. How do you live? I’m curious.
Below is a video that I really want to introduce to you. If you want to feel the culture of peace, please watch it. 🙂
8th Anniversary of the September 18th HWPL World Peace Summit
Subtitle: Peace as an Institution: A Foundation for Sustainable Development Date: September, 18th, 2022 Replay: https://bit.ly/3RRyqUx #918WorldPeaceSummit #DPCW
On September 18th, the 8th Anniversary of the September 18th HWPL World Peace Summit was held online with the theme of ‘Peace as an Institution: A Foundation for Sustainable Development’.
HWPL has proposed peace as an institution to resolve the above global threats. The main goal is to weave the values of peace into our social fabric, allowing mutual respect, harmony, cooperation, and co-prosperity.
HWPL’s vision for peace as an institution goes beyond temporary measures to cease conflict actions and pursues peace incorporated into laws, values, and cultures.
Regarding the cause of peacebuilding at the global level, Chairman Man Hee Lee of HWPL said, “The global village has suffered from the unexpected COVID-19 that has hit every country. People are not alone in the midst of difficulties.”
“We live in the same global village, and we are neighbors and families. Each one of us is the one who are obliged to make our world a better place to live. And shouldn’t we pass on our good world to our descendants?”
Mr. Chung Young-min, General Director of the IPYG emphasized the role of youth as the main player of international action for peace by saying that education programs for 1,500 global youth in 59 countries are hosted to “protect the basic rights of youth around the world so that everyone can live a happy life without being left behind.”
The ‘HWPL Peace Camp’ was held at seven elementary schools in Ivory Coast and Mali from December 9th to the 23rd of last year. The message of ‘Peace and Safety, Respect and Cooperation’ from Peace Camp was significant since both neighboring countries in the Sahel region of West Africa suffered conflicts between French military and Islamic extremism in the same month.
The first five-day activities in Ivory Coast made local educators feel the need for peace-education. Allou Fatimata Marie Christ, Director of the Sainte Marie High School in Abidjan, who attended the Peace Camp, emphasized the role of peace-education as she expressed, “To live in this world as a human being, it is important to learn about peace because we must create a peaceful world.”
▲The conclusion of MOU between HWPL Department of Peace Education and UNESCO National Committee of Ivory Coast/HWPL(Left), The Photo of Peace Camp Activities, Progress High school in Mali
In addition, the UNESCO National Committee of the Ivory Coast immediately organized a meeting between UNESCO officials and educators, as the educators felt that the importance and necessity of peace-education should be understood. The MOU on peace-education with HWPL, which was discussed prior to the meeting, enabled the establishment of a cooperative relationship.
▲Mali, Making Peace Trees, Laureates School(Left), Peace and War Class Photo, Tyekena School
In the meantime, peace camps will be held at four schools in Mali until the 23rd. The government held a meeting with education officials to discuss the future peace-education plan of Mali and to conduct peace-education through mutual cooperation. Students have had time to learn peace by practicing peace on their own, and peace-education will continue to be implemented based on schools’ responses about the hope and need for peace-education.
Where does war come from? Unfortunately, 80 percent of the causes of the war are religion.
Scholars say that violent acts of extremism have the basis on the misinterpretation of religious scripture as means to mobilize the public and incite angers in the mass number of people.
Imam Anas Hajjar, Head Imam of Finland Islam Community, pays a closer attention to religious scripture and points out that “Because many people interpret the scripture with their own thoughts and ideologies without correctly knowing what is the will of God inside the scripture, and if laymen continue to interpret without true knowledge and study, the problems caused by extremists will continue to occur.”
So, what can we do?
The role of leaders in reflecting on religion through scripture to discourage religion as means of violent conflicts
The role of religious leaders is so important. Regarding the role of religious leaders, Imam Anas Hajjar, Head Imam of Finland Islam Community emphasized, “Although political extremism and the hate-speech have been in the rise in Europe, NGOs have a critical role in resisting and opposing this type of breakdown in respect of the laws of religious freedom, peace and harmony in the country. The best way to combat all types of extremism is knowledge and this part of the job is given to scholars and religious leaders.”
“In order to find the truth all the humanity wants religious leaders need to put away the thoughts that only my religion is the best and do the comparative work based on Scriptures without dividing themselves and saying ‘your religion’, ‘my religion’,” said Swami Veetamohananda, Swami (religious leader in Hinduism) of Ramakrishna Veda center.
BIG Questions: “Is what I know always right? Is the other religion always wrong? Or is there something in that religion that mine doesn’t have?”
Let us find the best truth and achieve the ultimate value of peace. 🙂
On December 30, the International Peace Youth Group (IPYG) France Branch hosted the second IPYG “Peace and Me” Forum in Paris, France. Many youth in Paris learned about IPYG and IPYG’s determination for peace through the first forum, which was held in October. Many requested for a second forum, and this event successfully brought people from all walks of life together.
The forum began with “High Hopes”, a special dance performance by the IPYG members, and was proceeded by a live talk show, a discussion panel, and a dinner banquet for networking. The live talk show was on the topic of “Education is the Passport to the Future”.
Live Talk Show
The live talk show’s special guests were Etienne Lemaire, the France coordinator of Plan des jeunes, an international youth group, and two members of the group, Sabrina Touati and Raphaëlle Tanoh. The guests introduced their organizations and activities, and shared their plans for the next year. Plan des jeunes actively holds activities to raise awareness for gender equality in the educational field and it described what kind of education is necessary in current society and what France’s educational system needs to grow further.
Non-governmental organizations, including GRAD Guinée, Association Jeunesse Bara, Association Jeunesse de Madihawaya et Moussala, and fédération des travailleurs africains en France et en Europe were also in attendance and agreed that peace should be fulfilled through education and that it is crucial that children and youth, who are our future leaders, learn about peace. It was also mentioned that peace education is very much needed within Africa as well.
The “Peace and Me” Forum is a platform for youth organizations, big and small, within Paris to share their activities and to create networks among each other. The students showed their maturity throughout the event by taking responsibility for a peaceful future by expressing their thoughts on a peaceful world for the future generations. Many are hopeful that the students in France will continue their peace activities next year as well.
It’s a great pleasure for peace-loving friends to get together so voluntarily. Let’s all speak one voice! We are a small force but we can change the world.
Turkey has a very diverse culture that is a blend of various elements of the Turkic, Anatolian, Ottoman and Western culture and traditions. Also, Turkey is not the only country in the world that is famous for its beautiful textiles, but only Turkey has Tulu, an amazing shop with a myriad of exceptionally colorful goods. Turkish culture is a product of efforts to be a “modern” Western state, while maintaining traditional religious and historical values.
The news of peace is also heard in Turkey, which is so beautiful.
Türk Gençler Sultanahmet’te Barış Etkinliği Düzenledi
The event took place in cooperation with the International Peace Youth Group (IPYG) and HWPL, under the leadership of the Chairman Man Hee Lee. In the event, historical beauties such as Sultanahmet and Hagia Sophia were in the middle of the square. The participants painted the Turkish flag and showed their support for the peace campaign. Turkey was also performed simultaneously with similar events in many places in the world.
Stating the importance of DPCW, the Chairman Man Hee Lee said, “DPCW represents the will of global citizens. Societies want to be at peace and to live together in peace. This declaration advocates that everyone should build peace. The DPCW’s 10 articles and 38 clauses provide the basis for the peace of all world communities.”
About Declaration of Peace and Cessation of War (DPCW)
The DPCW dates back to South Korea, where 150,000 people called for and participated in the Peace Letter Campaign. The declaration focuses on resolving conflicts in many regions around the world through international cooperation. It is also stated that the implementation of international law is of critical importance for achieving world peace and spreading the culture of peace.
KNATCOM is the Kenya National Commission for UNESCO. She is the Secretary General Kenya National Commission for UNESCO Dr. Evangeline Njoka, 5 years ago. Their Mission is “to promote building of peace, eradication of poverty, sustainable development and intellectual dialogue through education, sciences, culture, communication and information.”
@NatcomUnescoKe promoting Peace Education to TVET ASPnet Patrons during a knowledge sharing workshop that was held at the Kenya Education Management Institute (KEMI). pic.twitter.com/1bcQGZyLFE
“1st Peace Educator Workshop for the Kenya National Commission for UNESCO (KNATCOM) in 2019” took place in Kenya Education Management Institute on 11, December. Hosted by KNATCOM HWPL, this workshop was organized by an international NGO named HWPL affiliated with the UN ECOSOC. 34 people including principal education officer of the Ministry of Education, deputy director of programme of KNATCOM and educators from UNESCO associated schools participated in the event.
The workshop was devoted to enabling educators from UNESCO associated schools to experience and practice peace value education in the fields through presentation sessions on peace education materials and pilot class.
A. HWPL says that peace education serves as a global platform with the aim of “leaving peace as a legacy to the future generations” by raising awareness of building peace from citizens and fostering a culture of peace to challenge the threat from war and violence.
Ms. Dorah Kitala, principal education officer of Ministry of Education said, “Peace education textbooks and the curricula are innovative. After the demonstration, I could feel that peace education is necessary for Kenya and would work with HWPL in the future.”
With the need for teaching values of peace to Kenyan students, 20 educators from UNESCO associated schools signed an agreement, which says they teach the right character for those who would carry the future of the country and to disperse peace education in Kenya. HWPL, KNATCOM and the Ministry of Education of Kenya are considering formalizing peace education activities throughout the country.
