Another Look at the 2018 HWPL World Peace Summit: 4th Anniversary of the WARP Summit

 

No one expected the meeting of the two leaders of the Korean Peninsula and the celebration of the 4th Anniversary of the WARP Summit, yet these events took place and turned the attention of the world to the Korean Peninsula, causing both passion and expectations to rise greatly for the peaceful reunification of the peninsula. Amidst this shifting environment, the 4th Anniversary of the WARP Summit was held for three days, from the 17th to the 19th of September, in Incheon and was attended by heads of state and religious leaders from 21 countries as well as around 250,000 participants from both Korea and abroad.

Former presidents who came to Korea to attend this event voiced their firm beliefs that the Declaration of Peace and Cessation of War (DPCW) would play a major role in the peaceful unification of the Korean Peninsula.

Moncef Marzouki, Former President of Tunisia
“World Gathering for the Peaceful Unification of the Korean Peninsula”

“ We must know how important civil society is and people from all over the world should come to this place in Korea (the WARP Summit) in order to promote peace. The leaders of the two Koreas should know that the world has come to Korea.
This meeting is of great importance because it has been convened at a very special time (during the Inter-Korea Summit) to discuss peace and the reunification of the Korean Peninsula. In particular, it is important for all people who love peace to stand here united and take action to stop the endless conflict with support from the Korean citizens. I hope the leaders of South and North Korea know that the world has come to Korea. ”

Stjepan Mesic, Former President of Croatia
“Message of the World Peace Summit must be Delivered to the Leaders of the two Koreas”

“ We can achieve peace. Peace requires political will, which can only be stimulated through international conferences. This World Peace Summit is our starting point. Peace can only be achieved if we work together and become one.
No other issues can be discussed until peace is fully guaranteed. Through peace we will be able to talk and reach an agreement. This is exactly what we discussed during this event. The overarching message of the World Peace Summit should be communicated to the leaders of the two Koreas, but not only to them. It should be delivered to the entire world as well. ”

 

The three-day journey of the peace messages of people from all around the world

On September 17th, the first day of the event, the 2018 HWPL World Peace Summit: 4th Anniversary of the WARP Summit began with a press conference that was held in Incheon at the Songdo Ramada Hotel. This was then followed by the Peace Education Development Forum for Global Advancement, Intercontinental WARP Office Meeting and the Global Conference for the UN Adoption of the DPCW.

During the Global Conference for the UN Adoption of the DPCW it was agreed that now is the time when a legally binding document is needed for peace. So, the 10 articles and 38 clauses of the Declaration of Peace and Cessation of War (DPCW) declared by HWPL were explained in detail.

Around 1,000 guests from all different sectors of society, including legal experts, religious leaders and educational professionals, attended this event along with HWPL’s Chairman Man Hee Lee, H.E. Stjepan Mesic, Former President of Croatia, Leonid Kravchuk, Former President of Ukraine and H.E. Mr. Khil Raj Regmi, Former Prime Minister of Nepal.

Chairman Lee explained, “Now is the time for the leaders of the two Koreas to join hands and declare peace. Also, it is a critical time for the global community to return to its original state, which is a world of peace.” He then continued, “In order for Korea to become a nation of peace and for the world to move towards world peace, we need a legally binding instrument that will end war at its source,” calling for everyone to work together to bring peace on the Korean Peninsula and end war around the world as soon as possible.

Participants were given time to reaffirm their resolve to urge for the adoption of the 10 articles and 38 clauses of the DPCW by the UN, to promote official support for this adoption at a national level, to strengthen cooperative public opinion and to resolve the issues of wars around the world and the peaceful reunification of the Korean Peninsula.

For the realization of Article 10 of the DPCW, “Spreading a Culture of Peace”, the Peace Education Development Forum for Global Advancement was held, and it was announced that currently 164 schools in 12 countries have signed MOUs with HWPL. Through close cooperation with education professionals and institutions in various countries, the full implementation of peace education was proven to be possible.

This was then followed by the HWPL Peace Advisory Council Conference for the Realization of World Peace, which allowed participants to have practical discussions on how to work together to resolve conflicts and create sustainable peace around the globe. The members of the HWPL Peace Advisory Council, including former and current presidents, former and current heads of state, legal experts, civil society leaders, education professionals and religious leaders, agreed to organize as a close network and hold regular meetings as a means of establishing lasting peace. Through this meeting, the Council members promised to establish concrete strategies that would allow them to advocate for the implementation of the DPCW through their respective roles and given responsibilities.

On September 18th, the Peace Festival for the 2018 HWPL World Peace Summit was held at Incheon Asiad Main Stadium. This event was also held in 26 major cities within Korea, including Seoul, Busan, Daegu, Daejeon, Gwangju and others, and was broadcast live to 97 cities in 40 countries around the world, including the United States, Germany, the United Kingdom, Japan, many African countries and others, which allowed citizens from those nations to also participate together in the event.

This event included a massive peace festival held under the theme of “The Shouts of One Global Village” along with a ceremony regarding the subject of the “world connected through peace” where messages from political leaders, professionals in various fields and religious leaders overseas were shared.

Hon. Emil Constantinescu, Former President of Romania, proclaimed, “Youth and women can become the most persuasive emissaries of peace in the present and in the future. Avoiding wars and the peace building process require a laborious effort to create a culture of solidarity, outlining a pragmatic style, where not the statements have the power, but rather effective actions.”

H.E. Donald Ramotar, Former President of Guyana declared, “Friends, peace, justice and democracy are intrinsically bound together. In our globalized world, we must build our solidarity so that injustice involving racism, tribalism, the caste system and religious intolerance must be totally rejected.”

On September 19th, the last day of the event, the 2nd Conference for Global Peace Media Network was held to discuss the appointed task of the media for peace and how journalists can cooperate for peace through participation in the International Peace Media Community “Peace Initiative”.

The International Peace Youth Group (IPYG) and the International Women’s Peace Group (IWPG) also held sessions under the themes “The Role of the Youth in Spreading a Culture of Peace for the Realization of World Peace” and “Female Leaders of the World, Find the Role of Women for Peace in the Korean Peninsula and World Peace”.

This year’s Summit also held an even greater significance because it attracted greater attention for “international cooperation for the peaceful reunification of the Korean Peninsula”. Governments and citizens will continue to pay close attention to the future of the peaceful unification of the Korean Peninsula and the advocation of the DPCW, as well as have increasing interest in the peace projects of HWPL that are creating change in the world. In addition, since the winds of peace are now blowing on the Korean Peninsula, expectations are rising as to how HWPL’s actions will align with this trend.