[HWPL]

[HWPL] 7th Annual Commemoration of the DPCW in Zambia

Peace as Institution to Change Daily Lives of People : 7th Annual Commemoration of the Declaration of Peace and Cessation of War in Zambia

Under the theme of “Institutional Peace: Strengthening Communication to Build Trust”, an international peace NGO, Heavenly Culture, World Peace, Restoration of Light(HWPL), holds its 7th Annual Commemoration of the Declaration of Peace and Cessation of War(DPCW) on March 18th in Zambia, and 41 countries from Africa, Europe, North America and Asia from March 14th to 19th.

With the foundation of “Declaration of Peace and Cessation of War (DPCW)” as a tool for comprehensive global peacebuilding cooperation, 60 people in the fields of politics, legal profession and religion, education, media, women and youth, will join the event where the participants share the cases of conflict prevention, mediation, and resolution to institutionalize peace as a universal culture and norm.

Salifyanji Silungwe, President of the Salifyanji Silungwe Foundation, began by asking the audience, 'Is peace visible?'. As a symbol of peace, he emphasized the ‘substantial peace’ by referring to the completion of the HWPL's Peace Monument at Zambia's Childhood Joy Academy (CJA) on March 1 and voluntary youth peace promotion activities at communities and schools in Lusaka and Copperbelt areas.

"Zambia is a young country where about 50 percent of the population is youth. We are the pillars of civil society, we are the future of Zambia, we are the voice of Zambia. If the issue of children's rights is left only to the country, this issue will not be resolved even after 100 years. Therefore, young people, let's all unite our hearts and work hard to protect children's human rights. let's work together," he said, proposing practical promotional methods such as social media posting and community visit programs for the promotion of the Children's Code Bill.

Swami Guneshananda, spiritual leader of the Ramakrishna Vedanta Centre highlighted that HWPL has widened their concept and understanding about other religions by saying, "Hinduists, Christians, Buddhists, Mohammedans and all other religious people sitting in their own little well and thinking that the whole world is my little well. I am thankful of HWPL to bring religious leaders on one platform and making them to do good communication between them" he said. In addition, he stressed the importance of communication and cultural exchange between religions for peace, referring to 'help and not fight', 'assimilation and not destruction', 'harmony and peace and not dissension’ as importance values that all religions should pursue.

In the event, action plans to advocate peace in Ukraine were prepared. Participants of this event write “Peace Letters” to denounce Russian invasion of Ukraine as a violation of international law and demand Russian President Putin a total withdrawal from the Ukraine territory. “For you to send soldiers to invade Ukraine is tantamount to contradicting the rules you, yourself has created at the UN General Assembly. If you do not end this war a lot of youths will be killed in it. Therefore, I urge you to stop the war for the good of the world peace,” the letter stated. These letters will be collected and sent to Ukraine, where a peace monument will be erected.

During the speech, Chairman Lee Man-hee of HWPL emphasized, “Peace cannot be achieved alone. If everyone can live together as one, there will be no wars or conflicts. As the saying goes, love your neighbor as yourself, war will disappear only when there is love for each other. Current international law cannot prevent war. Russia, a permanent member of the United Nations, waged a war. The DPCW was introduced to renew the inoperative international law to eliminate war. Now is the time to achieve peace. Just as people learn when they have to create (something), peace must be taught at home and at school to create peace. If people's hearts change, a better world will be created. Let everyone in the global village become messengers of peace.”

Peace!

 [HWPL]

[HWPL] Why DPCW? The Speech from the 7th Anniversary of DPCW Proclamation

Significance and Development Direction of DPCW

Prof. Dr. Md Nazrul Islam
Chairman and Professor, Department of Law, University of Dhaka, Bangladesh , HWPL International Law Peace Committee Member

Hello, everyone. I’m Prof. Dr. Md Nazrul Islam (Asif Nazrul), Chairman of Department of Law, University of Dhaka. First of all, I would like to thank HWPL Chairman Man Hee Lee for inviting me to ‘HWPL’s 7th Annual Commemoration of the Declaration of Peace and Cessation of War (DPCW)’ and giving me an opportunity to give a speech at this session.

After my first visit to South Korea in 2015, I wrote up the draft of the DPCW, and 10 articles and 38 clauses of the DPCW were completed with the efforts of the renowned legal experts around the world and the constant feedback of Chairman Lee. So, in this presentation, let me give you the significance and development process of the DPCW that I witnessed.

Let me bring us back to when I had a meeting with Chairman Lee. When Chairman Man Hee Lee explained to me that HWPL wants to develop their documents of peace, calling for the cessation of war, and spreading the culture of peace, I told him “There are many documents which are passed by the United Nations General Assembly, there is a UN charter and international agreement. Why do you want to add a new document? What will be the use of that?” He just communicated to me that he wanted to develop a document from a global citizen perspective and to also address the deficiencies and what was lacking of the UN charter and UN documents.

HWPL proclaimed the Declaration of Peace and Cessation of War (DPCW) in 2016, which was drafted by the HWPL International Law Peace Committee, which is comprsed of renowned international law experts from 15 different states. This declaration, comprised of 10 articles and 38 clauses, aims to restore the spirit that served as the basis for the establishment of the United Nations and to achieve sustainable peace by promoting the universal values of the global community.

The DPCW contains the message of no war, peace between nations and societies, friendly relations, prosperity, and happiness. This is a simple message and everyone can relate to this message. So the legal language can be a bit complex, but that core message of this document is, I think in everyone’s heart, everyone can feel that they are very close to this document. They can actually comprehend the inner message of this document. The ultimate goal of the DPCW is not only to be introduced at the UN General Assembly as a resolution, but also to establish the articles and clauses of the DPCW as an international law for peace by being practically implemented in each country after passing the resolution. Also, to establish peace around the world and build a legacy of it for future generations.

For these processes, we are knocking on the door of the United Nations and informing civil society of the value of the DPCW at the same time. For this reason, the members of the HWPL International Law Peace Committee had face-to-face meetings every year before the outbreak of COVID-19 but afterwards, they have gathered online to discuss and implement what to do.

In the middle of the meetings and discussion, the necessity for peace education through the DPCW which can be applied in universities and education institutions all around the world was raised and creating the DPCW curriculum started to be discussed at the meeting of the 7th HWPL International Law Peace Committee in 2019. The DPCW curriculum, completed on October 2020, consists of discussion questions which let law professors and law students think of and discuss them. It is a good resource for them to consider the value and necessity of peace and enabling measures in a serious way. Currently, various universities in the world are currently conducting the DPCW Handbook Discussion Project with the DPCW curriculum.

Recently in February 2023, a face-to-face event “Completion of Institutionalization of Peace: Need for the DPCW” was held in University Law College, Bangalore University, Bengaluru, Karnataka, India. Attended by the executives of the university and 90 law students, University Law College, Bangalore University and HWPL held a MOU signing ceremony as well as a launching ceremony of the DPCW Handbook Discussion Project which is going to be implemented from March to June 2023.

In addition, the DPCW Handbook Discussion Project has been conducted with NGOs, Youth organizations, and Law university students in various countries such as Bangladesh, and India, which have signed MOUs with HWPL.

We have to judge in terms of its contribution. Although ultimate impact cannot be measured right now, the question is whether it has added something to the current culture of peace and movement of peace. It has added a new dimension to the global movement for peace, prosperity and happiness.

One of the most notable influences is that the mentor professors of the DPCW Handbook Discussion Project have been introducing the project to law professors and students of other universities and giving them the door to be aware of the 10 articles and 38 clauses of the DPCW. Young generations in various countries and regions are getting involved in the project, which means they are aware of the DPCW.

The DPCW is a declaration made in succession to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Before the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, there was the British Bill of Rights, the French Declaration of Rights of the Man and of the Citizen, and the United States Declaration of Independence, which were products of the struggles of the grassroots people. The 1972 Constitution of Bangladesh, enacted after independence from Pakistan, was also made based on the struggle of the grassroots people. No ideology can move the world without the cries of the people who make up the majority of the world and without the support of the absolute majority. Because we understand the principle well, the DPCW was also created to protect the rights of all citizens of the global village based on the bottom-up approach.

In the webinar, titled “Enhancement of Human Rights Based on Bottom-up Approach in Humanities,” we had a discussion “why human rights are important” and “why we must protect human rights” from the perspective of the basic spirit of the DPCW, the bottom-up approach, by examining the humanities related to the historical facts of the grassroots movement. I gave a speech to the attendees at the time that I hope to fulfill our duties as human beings and remind others of what we have learned through the webinar. Also, I looked forward that another type of human rights movement and discourse based on the DPCW would unfold after this event. And yes, the participants of the event opened the ‘Peace Culture Education Based on the DPCW for Citizens’ to enable not only law experts but citizens to understand and convey the peace message contained in the DPCW with a wider range of people.

As a member of the HWPL International Law Peace Committee, I drafted the DPCW, and seeing the process of the DPCW being known to the world, and developed, I would like to say that peace should be legislated across the whole world. If the values of peace in DPCW become universal, the human rights values of the global citizens will be guaranteed, wars will end, and a world of peace will finally arrive. I kindly ask all of you attending here to unite under the leadership of Man Hee Lee, the chairman of HWPL, and to become messengers of peace and contribute to the institutionalization of peace. Let us all unite for sustainable peace and development, from citizens to heads of state.

Peace!!

 [HWPL]

[HWPL] HWPL holds International Media Workshop for Journalists to Discuss Institutional Peace

On the 18th of February, HWPL (Heavenly Culture, World Peace, Restoration of Light, Chairman Man-hee Lee) held the 1st HWPL International Workshop on Peace Journalism with about 150 attendees from 30 countries. The workshop was focused on encouraging peace journalism and international media networks under the theme "A Road to Institutional Peace for Sustainable Development".

28 media worldwide supported the event by HWPL. The event featured speeches and presentations by prominent journalists of the world.

Dr. Salim Khan, director of News & Views Network (NVN) from India said in his congratulatory address, “Journalists should play important role in spreading the message of love and justice. I expect that this HWPL online event on journalism will bring fresh ideas with regards to the role of media in peacebuilding and raise awareness facilitating the advocacy of peace in the society.”

Mr. Robert Maseka, founder of Rob Youth Foundation from Namibia delivered the message, ”We need to make sure that we promote a global media network that will promote democracy, human rights, and good governance. Through collaboration, we are able to give the right information, we can communicate and unite the world.”

Ms. Frieda Sila Kana, senior reporter of Digicel TV in Papua New Guinea, delivered a message on conflict and violence in Papua New Guinea, saying, “Sorcery and Witchcraft Accusations Related Violence is an emerging trend of violence and enemy of peace (in Papua New Guinea). The actions of inflicting pain causing death is barbaric, intense and inhumane that it cannot be ignored.”

Mr. Igor Shevyrov, the publicity ambassador of HWPL and a journalist from Ukraine, emphasized, “International peace should be built not only by the UN, but also by every country. Democracy, openness and freedom of civil society, the level of protection of the rights and freedoms of every person, as well as peace education and a culture of peace, are decisive for building sustainable peace in any country. All these principles are clearly defined in the 10 articles of the founding DPCW Declaration of Peace. The United Nations needs a new peace convention - the DPCW.”

Ian Seo, general director of the public relations department of HWPL said, “The 'institutionalization' of peace by people having a mind of peace and various organizations collectively supporting and taking actions for peace gradually forms habits, customs, norms, ideas, laws, and ultimately a culture of peace. The HWPL International Workshop on Peace Journalism: A Road to Institutional Peace for Sustainable Development is appealing to all of you to assume the role of the  media as a messenger of peace to help establish peace as the identity of every individual and as a global culture.”

To enhance the international media peace network, HWPL will publish Peace Journalism Studies and host regular events that support journalists to discuss and share opinions to improve peace journalism.

Peace!!

 [HWPL]

[HWPL] Photogenic Moments of HWPL's 32nd Peace Tour

DAY 1
Unveiling of Peace Monument in the Capital City of the Philippines

On January 24, 2023, Filipino citizens were cheering with signboards and balloons in support for peace during the unveiling ceremony of Peace Monument held at Plaza Asuncion in Malate, City of Manila.

On January 24, 2023, Unveiling Ceremony of the Peace Monument at Plaza Asuncion in Malate, City of Manila.

DAY 2
National Peace Convention Press Conference

On January 25, journalists from the various media outlets paid attention during the Q&A session at the 1^st National Peace Convention Press Conference held at the Philippine International Convention Center in Pasay City.

1st National Peace Convention Plenary Session 1 and 2

Participants from various sectors during the 1^st National Peace Convention Plenary Session 1.

HWPL Chairman Man-Hee Lee received the Plaque of Appreciation from Dr. Julieta Paras, regional director of Commission on Higher Education (CHED)-National Capital Region (NCR), during the 1^st National Peace Convention Plenary Session 2.

In the presence of more than 1,500 representatives from various sectors including the government, religion, education, media, youth, and women, a unified resolution was announced to as a call to the Philippine President to designate January 24 as ‘National Peace Day’ – a special working holiday.

 

DAY 3
Visit in MILF’s Camp Darapanan

Chairman Lee and peace delegates of HWPL flew from Manila to Cotabato City. They first visited MILF’s Camp Darapanan in Sultan Kudarat to celebrate the “9th Annual Commemoration of the January 24 Peace Day” which coincides with the Bangsamoro Foundation Day celebration.

Visit in KGI Office

Youth peace advocates from Kutawato Greenland Initiatives (KGI) were participating in the volunteer activities in Cotabato City.

Youth volunteers from KGI were distributing school supplies to children in Cotabato City.

Children raising flags with excitement for the welcoming of Chairman Lee and peace delegates of HWPL from South Korea.

“We are One” Music Peace Festival

The ‘We Are One’ Music Peace Festival was held at the Cotabato State University (CSU) Gymnasium on January 26, 2023, which coincides with the celebration of the Bangsamoro Foundation Day.

DAY 4
Unveiling of Peace Monument in Cotabato State University

On January 27, 2023 HWPL-VIP Peace Monument was unveiled at the school grounds of Cotabato State University.

Salamindanao Dance Troupe from Cotabato State University performing a cultural dance during the unveiling ceremony of the peace monument on January 27, 2023.

Peace!

[HWPL] [HWPL] New HWPL Peace Monument Erected in Hyderabad, India, to Spread the Culture of Peace

[HWPL]

[HWPL] New HWPL Peace Monument Erected in Hyderabad, India, to Spread the Culture of Peace

HWPL (Heavenly Culture, World Peace, Restoration of Light, Chairman Man-hee Lee) has branches and affiliate organizations in almost every country. It also has a branch in New Delhi, India and one of the affiliates of HWPL in India is IPS International, an educational group. These two groups recently worked together to erect a peace monument in Hyderabad.

Then, why did they build the peace monument in Hyderabad? The city of Hyderabad is famous for its abundant culture and linguistic traditions. However, it is also infamous for tragic religious conflicts and local riots between Hindu and Muslim people. To begin spreading the culture of peace in the region, HWPL and IPS International held an unveiling ceremony of the HWPL peace monument from 15th to 17th January 2023 with politicians, educational and religious leaders, journalists, IPS International students, and their parents in attendance.

Ms. Diksha Ranjan, Deputy General Director of WARP Office, New Delhi, India Branch of HWPL, said in her speech during the event that “HWPL Peace monument is a catalyst for creating a new peace culture in India, and it is an important international symbol showing us the firm conviction of HWPL for bringing sustainable peace in the world. Through the peace monument unveiling ceremony in Hyderabad, we are inspired to unite one in heart. This solidified zeal for a noble cause will lead us to overcome our differences and work together as one to achieve peace and cessation of hostilities and violence.”

Additionally, the HWPL Publicity Ambassador appointment ceremony took place. HWPL appointed Mr. Syed Illyas Ahmed, the managing director of IPS International, as the HWPL publicity ambassador for further peace activities in Hyderabad. In his speech about the changes that HWPL can bring to Hyderabad, Mr. Syed Illyas Ahmed emphasized that “I have never gone through such an organization like HWPL, which leads all global leaders and citizens into one for peace. Their approach and peace-realizing ideas like religious discourse searching for the truth, peace education for future generations, and implementation of international law based on the Declaration of Peace and Cessation of War (DPCW) are convincing.”

After he received the certificate as HWPL publicity ambassador, Mr. Syed Illyas Ahmed gratefully presented an honorary appreciation plaque to Chairman Man-hee Lee on behalf of IPS International. He expressed his heart of admiration for Chairman Lee by saying that “Peace is not something that comes from begging or pleading, but from putting in an effort. Chairman Man-hee Lee is proving this to the world with his full devotion even at 91 years old. I will do my best to contribute to the realization of the Chairman’s vision of leaving peace as the eternal legacy to the future generations.”

IPS international students and religious leaders working with HWPL expressed their congratulations on the endeavors of HWPL and IPS International for spreading a culture of peace in Hyderabad. IPS international students performed a fan dance on HWPL’s original song “Make a World of Peace.” Also, Mr. Ashish Barua, Founder and President of Peace Initiatives Foundation, and Prof. Dr. C.S.R. Prabhu, Chairman of Vishwa Yoga Vidyapeeth, shared their expectation on the future change of Hyderabad with the peace work by HWPL and IPS International in their speeches.

Why did they want the HWPL peace monument erected in their region? The HWPL peace monument is a symbol of peace culture that promotes the non-violent and peaceful resolution of conflicts on all grounds. It gives the answer to wars and conflicts through peace education and the WARP (World Alliance of Religions' Peace) Office, which are expected to solve ongoing hostilities in Hyderabad.

Let's wish that the HWPL peace monument delivers the message of peace to the whole of India :)