100,000 People Flock to the 10th Anniversary of HWPL Peace Summit, Launch Accompanying Campaign

The 10th Anniversary Ceremony will be held in 122 countries, including South Korea, to continue the message of peace. It will be held under the theme of "Building a World Peace Community through Regional Cooperation." Accompanying campaign with 230 civic groups, developing activities tailored to local needs.
 
LONDON, UK. September 24th, 2024 - The 10th Anniversary Ceremony of the HWPL September 18 Peace Summit was held in about 40 countries around the world, including South Korea. On the 10th anniversary, a total of 100,000 people attended the site around the HWPL Peace Training Center in Gyeonggi Province, where the event was held, with a large number of figures and members from both domestic and foreign countries in attendance.

Hosted by Heavenly Culture World Peace Restoration of Light (HWPL, Chairman Man-hee Lee), the ceremony was held under the theme “Building a World Peace Community through Regional Cooperation”. It was organised as a place to commemorate the contributions of world leaders and citizens to peace over the past decade and to seek strategies for world harmony in the future. Korean Buddhist Jogye Order Master Hyechong and Jose Honorio da Costa Pereira Geronimo, Minister of Higher Education, Science and Culture of East Timor were amongst the guests.

"I would like to express my gratitude to all those who attended today's 10th anniversary of the history of peace," HWPL Chairman Lee Man-hee said in a commemorative speech. "Let's not draw the line that you and I are different now, but let's play a role in saving the global community by becoming one with the ingredients of love and peace. Let's cooperate to save each other and leave valuable peace as a legacy to future generations."

The ceremony, which marks the 10th anniversary, examined the practical results of peace projects since 2014 and discussed future plans, especially focusing on establishing a "regional network" to set up a peace strategy tailored to regional characteristics. Through the regional network, each region will actively respond to things that threaten peace and unite common capabilities.

In line with the keyword of the event, "Interregional Cooperation," HWPL signed a partnership with the Group of Seven Plus (G7+), an intergovernmental organisation, and the Latin American and Caribbean Council (PARLATINO), a high-level political forum organisation, to develop peace projects. G7+ was established for peace, stability, and harmony between disputed countries through development, and has 20 member states, while PARLATINO was established to promote development and integration in the foundation of democracy and currently has 23 member states.

In addition, the launching ceremony and MOU for the public campaign “Donghaeng: Connecting the Republic of Korea” were also held at the ceremony. The “Donghaeng” campaign was held on a trial basis in major cities in South Korea in July. Through this launching ceremony, we will work with 230 civil society organisations to connect cultures between generations and conduct various peace activities.

Chairman Lee presented a letter of appointment to Kim Dong-hee, the head of the campaign's promotion division, followed by Kim's reading of the declaration and a ceremony to declare the departure of the campaign.

The declaration included a pledge to narrow the gap between generations and promote mutual understanding for a better future and to provide opportunities for various cultures to respect and understand each other.

In the future, the "Donghaeng" campaign will inherit the spirit of the Saemaul Undong (New village Campaign), which led to economic development and social change in Korea in the 20th century, and carry out various activities across the country as citizen subjects. Just as Saemaul Undong (New village Campaign), achieved national development through modernisation of rural areas and strengthening community consciousness, the accompanying campaign aims to overcome social conflicts caused by generations, regions, gender and ideology based on social solidarity and cooperation.

In addition, with the aim of achieving a "regional network," sessions will be held around various classes in Korea and other countries around the world. Under the slogan, "Let all villages on Earth become messengers of peace," individuals will be given a role to promote peace. Specifically, messages wishing for peace and unity will be collected and shared from citizens from all walks of life at home and abroad.

HWPL, a non-governmental organisation affiliated with the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) and the Public Affairs Bureau, held a World Peace Conference in Seoul in 2014. More than 1,000 political, religious, women's, and youth leaders and journalists from more than 140 countries were invited at the time. This meeting addressed a number of issues, including dispute resolution, religious harmony, and implementation of legal mechanisms to ensure lasting peace. The 10th anniversary celebration commemorates the significant achievements for peace that have been made since that time.