[HWPL]

[HWPL] HWPL's 7th Annual Commemoration of DPCW and Speech of Chairman ManHee Lee

Chairman ManHee Lee is the head representative of the global peace organization HWPL (Heavenly Culture, World Peace, Restoration of Light), which is striving for the enactment and implementation of the international peace law 'Declaration of Peace and Cessation of War (DPCW)'. The  DPCW is a legal instrument comprised of 10 articles and 38 clauses that can end wars and hostilities throughout the world. HWPL is also spreading a culture of peace and implementing peace education.

Chairman ManHee Lee experienced the cruelty and tragedy of war as a veteran of the Korean War. This is one of the reasons why he founded a global peace campaign as the head of HWPL. He has traveled the globe more than 35 times to meet and persuade politicians, legal experts, journalists, professors, peace activists, civil organization leaders, heads of tribes and others to unite them for the work of peace. The significant fruits borne out of his hard work are the World Alliance of Religions' Peace (WARP) Summit and HWPL Peace Committee. The DPCW was drafted and finalised by the HWPL Peace Committee.

How, you may wonder, do I know this? About 10 years ago, when I had just been discharged from military service, I came to know HWPL and Chairman ManHee Lee while researching the topic of civil conflicts to satisfy my curiosity in ongoing global issues. At that time, the island of Mindanao in the Philippines was suffering from a major civil conflict that lasted more than 40 years, and Chairman ManHee Lee and HWPL resolved this conflict through non-violent means.

Chairman Lee brought an end to the conflict in Mindanao by holding a peace talk between the warring Catholic and Islamic groups. Before the talk, HWPL and Chairman ManHee Lee held a Peace Walk to spread the culture of peace in Mindanao with the many locals who had gathered out of a desire for peace.

Chairman ManHee Lee's pressing appeal today is that humanity unites for sustainable peace in order to pass on the legacy of peace to future generations worldwide. He doesn't just talk peace, but has worked tirelessly for it through practical peace campaigns for over a decade.

I decided to become a supporter of HWPL and Chairman ManHee Lee's peace initiatives because I also desire a world of peace for all posterity. Today, I'd like to introduce ManHee Lee's remarkable speech given at the 7th Annual Commemoration of the Declaration of Peace and Cessation of War. For your information, the event was held in several continents, including Asia, Europe, Africa and the Americas.

More than 7000 dignitaries, including members of the HWPL Peace Committee who had completed the drafting of the DPCW with Chairman ManHee Lee 7 years earlier, gathered in Seoul, Korea to share the progress of peace worldwide.

What follows is Chairman ManHee Lee's entire speech during the event.

“Greetings, participants.

Thank you for joining this peace event. Let's really think about peace so that we can develop the cause so that peace can be achieved as soon as possible. Not long ago, I went on another global peace tour to proclaim peace. That peace is growing and will soon bear fruit. I truly believe it will.

Whichever country it is, if the world is renewed, there will be no more wars or conflicts and it will become a peaceful world that is good for everyone. The world has been suffering from wars and agony for thousands of years. If this world was created by the One who has the power to create all creation, including people, heaven and earth, why would He make all creation live in pain? I am sure many would have given some thought to this question. I also did. However, I came to learn much more about this through religion.

Whether our world becomes a place of peace or war depends on which direction people head in. I mentioned that I went on a world peace tour 32 times, and not a single person rejected peace. Everyone wanted peace. However, simply wanting it does not mean it will happen. As no one says 'no' to peace, we should work toward peace and strive for it.

Only then can peace be established. Even if the heavens and the earth call for peace, it does not mean peace will be established by itself. Only when all people who desire peace jointly put in the effort can peace truly be achieved. This is what I believe.

I believe peace starts from the home. Children need to be educated well at home, and secondly, peace education should be taught well in schools. If we can instill deeply in students the value of peace so that it forms the basis of their thoughts and attitudes, we will move toward peace. Acting recklessly and causing distress and conflict will not lead to peace.

The world is filled with wickedness where people fight each other, but this is not what peace is about. Peace cannot be achieved by one person practicing peace. If all of humanity becomes peaceful and lives together as one in mutual respect, then there will be no more wars or conflicts. Isn't that so? Yes, it is. In order to do that, we need love. Just as the saying goes that one should love one's neighbor as oneself, when we love each other, there will be no more conflict. This is how we should live. We should no longer live divided, but united. Truly, this would be wonderful and great.

Today, we have the members of the International Law Peace Committee (ILPC) in attendance here. Why are we trying to work on an international law for peace? If current international law is faultless, there would be no need for it. I heard that the United Nations was established for peace. How remarkable would a world of peace without war be? However, the reality is that this has not been achieved with current international law.

One of the UN Security Council's permanent members, Russia, launched a war in Ukraine. It was none other than a permanent member of the UN Security Council that created this conflict. As flaws are evident, we are striving for renewal.

What have the members of the ILPC established? They drafted the 10 articles and 38 clauses of the Declaration of Peace and Cessation of War (DPCW) to end wars and prevent the outbreak of wars. Since the declaration has been drafted, the next step is to have it enacted and implemented as international law.

Although the 10 articles and 38 clauses of the DPCW have been drafted, due to COVID-19, we were confined indoors. However, nowadays, we are not hearing about coronavirus as often and it seems the situation has improved. Since the DPCW has been drafted, should it be left abandoned? We should make the DPCW known globally so that the current and new proposed law can be compared as per the standards of international law. Then, we should choose the best step and move forward with it.

This will not only impact others but those who drafted it as well, so it should be regularly reviewed and submitted to the UN for adoption. What will the UN then do? They will put it to a vote, and once the resolution is passed, it will be implemented.

This cannot be achieved by a person simply thinking about it. We should make what is flawed right and seek to improve. The main focus of the DPCW is on ceasing wars and achieving peace—ending wars and building peace. When war breaks out, the lives of the youth are robbed. Why should this happen?

I also served as a war veteran on the frontlines of the fratricidal Korean War. I experienced many things then. When there is a war, you are bombarded by artillery both from your side and that of the enemy. Not even a plant can survive the relentless barrage of artillery. Amid all this, people shout and frantically move in desperation to survive. It is not about survival against an enemy, but the artillery. In such an environment where no one can live, how could people survive?

I experienced this not once or twice but many times as I fought on the frontlines. When we retreat, who waits for you with food? When you march on, who follows you and brings you food? More people die from starvation than from actual fighting. This is what war does. When young people are pushed onto the battlefield, how many die? I even had an event held at the UN Memorial Cemetery in Busan. Those who lay there fought next to me on the battlefield. I said to the people there, ask them what war is like. So we had an assembly there.

Of course, a nation would have gone to war to protect the country and people. However, does this have to be done through war? We can talk through it, and that is also why we have international law. Each country has its own law, but there is also international law. We can utilize these to resolve situations rather than having youth killed in wars. If those who start the wars are told to go into the battlefield themselves and fight, they would have wished they hadn't started the war.

Therefore, we need to end wars and build a world of peace to leave as a lasting legacy to future generations. Who should do this? Us, the people of today. Thus, let's become messengers of peace and make the world one of peace. Everyone, let us do this work. What does it mean to love our children? True love is to leave a world of peace for our children, so let's make this happen.

I've been insisting that the implementation of an international law for peace is something everyone needs to agree on. Hence, once the ILPC reviews it and submits it, it should be adopted at the UN. Once that happens, it will be implemented.

Thank you.”

As mentioned in his speech, we need everyone in the world to work jointly to achieve world peace. We have to speak and shout with one voice so that the leaders in every country and state are determined to agree on the implementation of the Declaration of Peace and Cessation of War in their country.

I hope you work as an HWPL supporter together with me :)

HWPL Official Homepage

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