International Peace Organization HWPL Hosts 8th Anniversary Commemoration to Introduce Peace During the Pandemic

    SEOUL, KOREA, May 26, 2021 /24-7PressRelease/ -- One of the world's largest peace organizations, HWPL (which stands for Heavenly Culture, World Peace and Restoration of Light) celebrated its 8th Anniversary of the Declaration of World Peace on May 25, 2021. This Commemoration was held online to celebrate the proclamation that took place in front of the World Peace Gate in Seoul, South Korea on May 25, 2013.

The 8th Commemoration gathered about 3,000 attendees from over 150 countries including citizens, religious leaders, political leaders and international law experts. According to HWPL, the goal of this year's event was to "diagnose the risk factors that threaten peace at a global scale and urge for solidarity and mutual support through the cooperation of civil society across borders." It also aimed to design citizen-led peace movements to help in creating harmony among people living in the pandemic era and suffering from the effects of hatred, conflict, misunderstanding and lack of communication. While previous Commemorative events have been held in-person, this event was held online for COVID-19 safety precautions.

Special projects during the Commemoration included an introduction of a legislation project brought forth by the Chairwoman of the HHRO (Hammurabi Human Rights Organization) of Iraq to prevent violence against women and children in cooperation with HWPL's partner IWPG (International Women's Peace Group). The General Secretary of All Burmese Monks Representative Committee in Norway announced that three HWPL Peace Libraries were established in Payapon, Myanmar to help with Peace Education of children. Additionally, a tree-planting campaign beginning in the Ukraine with 1,000 participants from 21 countries was discussed aimed at bringing a peace policy to Mali where a recent coup triggered social unrest.

Chairman Man Hee Lee of HWPL highlighted at the Commemoration event: "It is we in this day who have to do all the necessary things to make peace and prevent our globe from being destroyed. War does not end with words, but it comes to an end with our practical actions. I believe that this can be achieved since no one in our global village is not willing to see peace."

This Declaration of World Peace proposed by HWPL in 2013 is "an effective and practical measure to achieve world peace and cessation of war in which the entire world can implement." The Declaration was also accompanied by a Peace Walk which garnered 30,000 citizens. This Peace Walk event then sparked an international peace movement for the Declaration of Peace and Cessation of War that now involves supporters in almost 200 countries and has almost 750,000 citizen signatures. HWPL also has partnering organizations called IPYG (International Peace Youth Group) and IWPG (International Women's Peace Group) that are working together to present a plan for citizen-led peace development.

The Declaration includes ways to solve international war by gradual reduction of war potential and repurposing weapons as tools for public welfare. More preventively, it aims to deter future conflict by approaching religious and ethnic issues with dialogue instead of violence and sharing peaceful culture. HWPL also implements peace education around the world in various educational institutions to allow future generations to understand practical steps toward peace.

Many believe that HWPL has reason to celebrate this achievement as it has participated in other peace-making activities around the world in the past. One notable event in early 2015 made possible by HWPL was a peace agreement in Mindanao, Philippines that ended a 40-year dispute between Catholic and Muslim citizens. The conflict had caused over 100,000 casualties since it began and multiple attempts to resolve the conflict had been made over the course of the dispute to no avail. However, HWPL's Chairman Man Hee Lee was able to help Catholic and Islamic leaders of the country come together and work toward the solution of peace. HWPL has also worked to establish peace in Myanmar in the midst of recent social unrest by advocating for a peaceful dialogue among leaders to minimize further violence and deaths in the country.

Through this eighth peace Commemoration HWPL hopes to "March on Toward Sustainable Peace in a Pandemic Era" despite the challenges that the pandemic has presented for maintaining peace around the world.

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