SEOUL, South Korea, Tues. Sept 24, 2024: The 10th Anniversary of the HWPL World Peace Summit is being celebrated in South Korea and across 122 countries globally. Under the theme ‘Creating World Peace Community Through Regional Collaboration,’ this momentous event honors the ongoing commitment of global leaders and citizens to peace over the past decade, while exploring future strategies for enhanced global harmony.
Chairman Lee Man-hee highlighted the significant loss of life resulting from religious division, calling for faith communities to spearhead dialogue and understanding.
Organizers aim to reflect on accomplishments since 2014 and outline future initiatives. Various regional sessions are taking place worldwide to harness local talent and form essential networks tailored to peace strategies, fortifying regional cooperation to address local peace challenges and amplify collective capabilities.
Heavenly Culture, World Peace, Restoration of Light (HWPL), headquartered in Seoul, is an international NGO recognized by UN ECOSOC. Over the last decade, HWPL has expanded its membership to 500,000 across 170 nations and collaborates on peace projects through agreements with 1,014 organizations in 105 countries.
Chairman Lee Man-hee reiterated the need for united efforts to foster global peace, stating, “We must work together to create a world of peace and leave it as a legacy for future generations. Our mission is to serve as a light that nurtures the global community. Only through love and peace can humanity unite.”
As part of its commitment to regional cooperation, HWPL has partnered with the intergovernmental organization G7+ and The Latin American Parliament (PARLATINO) to advance peace initiatives. G7+ aims to unite conflict-affected nations to foster peace and stability, while PARLATINO promotes development and integration within a framework of full democracy, representing 23 member states.
A notable peace initiative was presented in Timor-Leste, where Minister of Higher Education, Science and Culture, Dr. Jose Honorio da Costa Pereira Jeronimo, announced a collaboration with HWPL to introduce peace education across eight higher education institutions in the nation. “Peace education will be fundamental in shaping students into responsible global citizens and in laying the groundwork for societal peace and stability,” he stated.
H.E. Prof. Dr. Emil Constantinescu, former President of Romania and current President of the Institute for Advanced Studies in Levant Culture and Civilization, reminded participants of the 2014 HWPL summit advocating international peacebuilding cooperation. He reflected, “The collective commitment to global peace transcends mere initiatives; we are united in this profound calling for peace.”
This peace summit actively involves social representatives in diverse countries’ peace projects. In South Korea, the ‘Together: Connecting Korea’ initiative has been launched as a national campaign for social harmony. Collaborating with 230 civil society organizations, this campaign aims to connect generations and cultures while promoting various environmental protection initiatives.
