Collaboration for Peace Development:
Building a Peace Community through the Declaration of Peace and Cessation of War(DPCW)
H.E. Viktor Yushchenko, Former President of Ukraine

Dear friends, dear Korean nation, dear Mr President Lee.

First of all, I sincerely thank you for the opportunity to be with you today in this wonderful forum. I thank you for the opportunity to become better acquainted with the work of your organization, and even better to see your beautiful country.

I would like to begin my brief speech from the country from which I came – Ukraine.

Ukraine is the largest country in Europe in terms of territory, which was located at the crossroads between east and west over the past century, Ukraine has 45 million people, we have the most prolific land in the world, many thousands of hardworking, happy, beautiful people.

Unfortunately, it is also a country with a very tragic history, full of wars and destruction. Only in the 20th century, as a result of two world wars, famines, communist repressions, Ukraine lost more than 40 million people. Today, like 70, 100 and 200 years ago, we are waging a war for our independence.

We, like our brotherly Korean people, know the true value of peace. Together with you I feel the pain of your people, which was once unfairly divided by two empires. We, Ukrainians, know well what it is to be enslaved nation of the communist empire.

Together with you, we pray every day for the unification of your country, which, I believe, is approaching every day thanks to the tireless work of Mr. Lee and his organization and the sincere desire of millions of people in Korea and abroad.

I am sincerely grateful to your organization for the fact that for you the work of peace is certain projects and actions that you commit every day with a great goal, and which deserve the support of all the leaders of all countries of the world.

I am sincerely impressed by the depth, simplicity and wisdom of the Declaration on Peace and the Cessation of War, developed by the best lawyers that have been invited by your organization.

This is a full and measured document that can become the basis for the joint peacemaking of all countries of the world. Everything that is needed for its implementation, the political will of the leaders of the world, the broad support of the citizens of these countries and God’s will.

I thank the chairman, Mr. Lee – the great prophet of peace, who dedicated his life to the greatest of all the world’s affairs – ending wars, world peace, dialogue between nations and peoples. These days I heard from him his personal peacemaking stories, worthy follow-up and worthy of becoming part of world history. I thank Mr. Lee for the opportunity to become part of your activity, thanks for the opportunity to become part of the joint peacemaking.

As president of Ukraine, I witnessed how the war began and ended in Georgia – a small country in the Caucasus, between Europe and Asia. I remember well when we, the 5 presidents of Eastern Europe, arrived in the capital of Georgia, demonstrating solidarity, and helped stop Russian tanks. We were able to return Georgia to peaceful life in 2008. 24 years ago, my country voluntarily gave up nuclear weapons, setting the world a unique example of peacekeeping. However, this is only a rare case of such a contribution to peace throughout the world.

I sincerely believe that peace will soon come to Ukraine, the conqueror will leave our lands.

I also sincerely believe that very soon Korea will be united, as it was 100, 200, 1000 years ago. There is no single reason to divide a single nation that has one language, religion and culture.

Peace – is air, without which it is impossible to breathe and live. Every person in the world has the right to a peaceful life and hope for a better future.

Today at this stadium thousands of people have gathered to express their desire to live in peace in Korea, in Ukraine, in the whole world.

Because we all understand that the world begins with each of us, with our responsible attitude to the world.

Thank you for the opportunity to be with you today.

The Role of HWPL Peace Advisory Council Members for the Adoption of the DPCW and the Peaceful Reunification of the Korean Peninsula
H.E. Stjepan Mesić, Former President of Croatia

Mr. Chairman, Excellencies, Ladies and gentlemen, Esteemed guests

It’s an honor to be able to address this distinguished gathering. I shall first extend my congratulations to the organizers. I’m afraid that promoting World peace has never been more important a task since the end for WW2.

World peace is threatened by the efforts to forcefully redefine and redraw new spheres of interest.

The peace in question is not just some regional peace, but the whole World peace. We have to be very well aware of that. That’s why our gathering is potentially important. I use the word potentially because results depend on how well will those who literally hold the fate of the World in their hands comprehend our messages. They also depend on how the media will convey our messages to the global public.

Let me be precise: the World is on the verge of global conflict. Not thermonuclear conflict but a string of local conflicts in which leading powers will take part. The main cause is the desire to create new spheres of interests under the guise of fight for democracy and freedom, which is actually a rather transparent fight for energy resources and creation of subjugated regimes that will provide cannon fodder for new and current conflicts.

Post-1945 World was based on the balance of fear. Superpowers and their respective blocs—NATO and Warsaw pact refrained from anything that could lead to danger of direct confrontation because they believed it would inevitably lead to mutually assured destruction.

Today, we live in a different World.

Yalta declaration fell with the fall of Soviet Union. The West mistakenly understood this for an open hunting season. By that time, the perception of conflict between great powers has changed.

It was widely understood and practiced that big countries can collide through their allies in proxy wars or even direct albeit limited clashes. The fear of nuclear war and MAD disappeared.

All this lead to the current state of affairs. We believe that the World is becoming more open and more democratic. But in fact, it is a disaster waiting to happen because there is actually less freedom while democracy turned into a prescription that is copied and issued to all patients whether they like it or not, regardless of results. It’s only important that it suits the issuer.

That’s why there was the so-called Arab spring, which in fact was nothing more than a fight for oil by means of forceful regimes collapse and executions of its leaders. However, that’s nothing new. We remember what happened to Salvador Allendee in Chile.

The task of ‘bringing order’ comes down to unilateral actions of certain countries with the help of so-called coalitions (subjugated countries). Even international sanctions, which can be legitimately issued only by the UN, are transferred to domain of only one great power and the EU, which in turn, grudgingly ad unevenly, follows, suit.

Today’s World is on the verge of global conflict. Certain countries are denied the right to choose their own path. Their specific traits are consciously neglected. Yes, among these countries there are a few authoritarian regimes and dictatorships. However, no one has the right to topple these regimes for the sake of their interests and install incompetent puppet regimes who then threaten the very existence of such states.

To sum up, I am deeply convinced that the World cannot take a turn towards peace, cooperation and development as long as the right of every nation to choose its own fate will be denied. Furthermore, peace cannot be achieved until we abandon the practice of imposing regimes which—truth be told—are efficient in some countries but highly inefficient and even harmful in others.

I am equally convinced that we need to restore confidence in the UN, and that we need to start reforming it. It needs to once again become the only, albeit not perfect but irreplaceable and unavoidable instrument for the benefit of all nations and safeguard for peace.

During his campaign, Donald Trump suggested that US doesn’t need to topple regimes it dislikes, and that it needs to cooperate with Russia, not confront it. However, after the elections, old tunes kicked in.

Still, to everyone’s surprise, after a dangerous escalations with the DPRK, the two leaders met for a talk. It’s a good sign and a statement that emphasizes peaceful resolution of conflicts. Separated Korean families met again. It was a small, but very significant signal.

For the leaders of the two Koreas this small step nevertheless carried a very profound message that prompted sides to begin talks on normalization that could someday lead towards reunification.

The role of HWPL is important more than ever. The political will for normalization exists on both sides. Now HWPL can find new substance and open new processes. Time will provide necessary answers.

All world wars ended with peace. Consequently, now is the time to start the process for Korean reunification and establishing peace.

I would highly recommend that UN General Assembly puts forth the motion to include HWPL’ message for peace on its agenda at least once per year.

Freedom is kept through peace. Progress and development are sustained by peace.

Development and progress, including closing the gap between the rich and the poor, are the only safeguard against spontaneous revolutions that could throw the world into anarchy with unforeseeable consequences.

Peace cannot fall prey to anyone’s interests, no matter how well disguised.

Peace is indivisible and each human being has a holy right to live in peace and freedom. To live a life worthy of a human being.

If we succeed in sending our message to the World, than we will not have met in vain.

Thank you!

The way to increase the national support for DPCW
H.E. Samuel Sam Sumana, Former Vice President of the Republic of Sierra Leone

Your Honor Chairman Lee, Your Excellency‟s, Ministers, Government Representatives, Religious Leaders, Distinguished Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen.

After two very violent World Wars that subjected millions of innocent people across the globe to unspeakable suffering and gruesome deaths, people from different faiths, backgrounds and cultures came together with the aim of “saving humanity from the scourges of another world war”, leading to the establishment of the United Nations in 1945. A family of nations determined to promote global unity, stability, security and peace.

However, since its establishment, the world has witnessed horrendous conflicts and even genocide in countries such as Rwanda, Cambodia and Former Yugoslavia. With the end of the Cold War in the late 1980s, the nature of armed conflicts largely changed from intra to inter-state conflicts, in which women and children are used as weapons of war, and in other capacities such as sex slaves and bush wives.

As we speak, millions of women and children are subjected to the most abysmal conditions, left with no hope and are conditioned to abandon their families and homes to seek safety in faraway places.

Coupled with this, almost half of the world‟s population are victims of inequality and social injustices, which affects their relationship with the state, and has implications for global peace and security. Millions of people have never known love, joy or hope. In the midst of this despicable circumstances, nation-states continue to invest in the development of sophisticated weapons rather than in health, education, lifting the poor out of poverty and sustainable development.

Speaking out against inequality and social injustices during his Rivonia Trial on 20 April 1964, Nelson Mandela stated “I have cherished the ideal of a democratic and free society in which all persons live together in harmony and with equal opportunities. It is an ideal which I hope to live and achieve. But if needs be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die.”

Your Excellencies, Distinguished Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen, the “Declaration of Peace and Cessation of War‟ could not have come at a better time than this. Let me take this opportunity to thank Chairman Man Hee Lee for this brilliant, timely and history making initiative. The world will always remain grateful. Thank you Sir.

Your Excellencies, for this declaration to leave its footprints on the sands of time, make a positive difference in the lives of ordinary people, take hope where there is despair, promote love where there is hate, it has to be owned and led by national and local actors in every country across the world. A bottom-up approach has to be employed to get states and their citizens buy into, own and lead the process.

To ensure this, a set of people committed to global peace and security have to be mobilized to constructively engage members states in ensuring that this declaration is adopted by the United Nations. However, the essence of this declaration should not be limited to its adoption by the UN but rather to help transform mind-sets and change the conversations and narratives around global peace and security.

Countries adopting the declaration have the moral responsibility to engage its citizens and global actors on the inextricable links between global peace and security and the respect for human rights, the rule of law and human dignity. The secretariat of the DPCW should also establish platforms through which dialogue, synergy and harmonization of efforts would be promoted at the Inter-governmental, national and local levels.

Your Excellencies, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen, in concluding, let me remind each and every one of us gathered here today of UNESCO‟s mantra, “Since wars begin in the minds of men, it is in the minds of men that the defenses of peace must be constructed”. We are faced with a moral call that we should stand up to. It is our responsibility to make this world a better, safer and much more peaceful place for the sake of our generation and the next generation.

We should not fail in this drive, we have to succeed and we must succeed. I therefore call on all global political and religious leaders across the world, to do their utmost to ensure the adoption of the 10 Articles and the 38 Clauses of the Declaration, at the United Nations.

May God grant us the global peace, security and harmony we pray and work towards achieving!

I thank you all.

What We are Missing
H.E. Ivo Josipović, Former President of Croatia

Distinguished guests and all peace messengers,

My name is Ivo Josipović and I am the 3rd president of Croatia in period 2010-2015.

As a part of the HWPL peace advisory council, I have participated in the WARP Summit since 2016. For the last two years, HWPL has acquired a reputation throughout the world for its peace activities. Now, it has become truly one of the most influential peace organization in the world, It is playing the role as a hub for connecting the whole world as one to fight for everlasting peace. In all counties we have friends noticing HWPL and its peace work and giving enthusiastic supports to peace.

The history of the world was full of war and murder and pain. Even today, so many people are losing their lives in every corner of the world due to unjustifiable war and terrorism. Each time a war ended, we established many international organizations and implement various actions to maintain the state of peace. But, humanity is not learning from the history. Again and again, all around the world, leaders push their people in new fights, more horrible, with more suffering, destroying and killing. Sentence – never again – is again and again forgotten and new circle of war is opened.

Ladies and gentleman, how can we achieve permanent peace? As professor of criminal and international criminal law and as a politician I had numerous speeches and lectures all over the world for more than 25 years. My lectures were always to promote peace activities and to advocate need to punish all war criminals who have given so much pain to humanity.

After the second world war, the UN was established with main task to keep peace. UN Charter and other legal instruments and important decision, such as international involvement in war in Korea, establishment of the International Criminal tribunal for Former Yugoslavia and Rwanda, Genocide Convention, Geneva Conventions with additional protocols, and many other regulating international legal order, among other jus ad bellum and jus belli, have given important results, but not enough. The most weakness of international legal order is that still the war is not forbidden as such.

Every day world is more and more armed and fight in different forms of conflict and terrorism. Even forbidden weapons are openly produced and misused.

So, fundamental rights, human rights and national sovereignty are guaranteed by the UN Charter but they are not actually protected in reality. As a result of various conflicts and wars occurring all around the world, most of people think that it is not possible to achieve everlasting peace.

But, there is hope! DPCW proclaimed by the HWPL is serious attempt to strengthen international order and to introduce a new era of sustainable peace. The DPCW has been prepared by distinguish experts and HWPL made it known to many political and religious leaders, influential individuals and the public all over the world. Intensive activities significantly raised awareness of the need for action to end wars and bring peace to whole humanity. All people supporting the DPCW become peace messengers and join this campaign in good will to realize the spirit of the DPCW in their respective field. Their faith accompanied by tangible actions will bear the fruit of peace in the near future.

Dear distinguished guests,

Today many people think that our mission is impossible. Definitely, we have not an easy task. In the world in which states and politicians still think of war as a politic performed by “other means”, for many eternal peace sound as utopia. We are decisive to fight for the peace, and I am sure that we or next generation are going to take victory over the war.

In Sept. 2017, HWPL held a peace and hope festival in South Korea even though we were under the threat of nuclear war. Not only in Seoul, but also 45 cities of the world became one and called for peace. At the end of the war between light and darkness, the inter-Korean summit and North Korea-United States summit took place in April and June respectively and this is clear sign that a climate of peace has emerged in the Korean Peninsula. Tomorrow, the third inter-Korean summit of the year will take place. I believe that the summit will be another promise and hope for the achievement of permanent peace.

We are here today to discuss our roles to get the UN to accept the DPCW and to turn the promise of peace into reality. In August, HWPL already succeeded in receiving national support for the DPCW from two countries. During this conference, we will establish a tangible and practical plan to increase the number of countries in support of the DPCW.

Distinguished guests, dear friends!

We have moral obligation to continue our work, to promote peace and the DPCW till final victory war. We are not only peace messengers; we must be peace creators as well.

Like in my all previous speeches in Korea, I shall conclude: Let light win over darkness, let be peace! Fiat pacem, fiat lux!

We are one, and we shall win! Thank you!

Collaboration for Peace Development:
Building a Peace Community through the Declaraton of Peace and Cessation of War(DPCW)
H.E. Donald Ramotar, Former President of Guyana

Ladies and Gentlemen, Comrades and Friends.

I wish to congratulate the organizers of this important event, the Collaboration for Peace and Development: Building a Community of Peace through the Cessation of Wars. For mankind, this is a relevant topic as one of the dream of all people, especially those in war zones, is to live their lives in a conflict free environment. I applaud your determination, efforts and energy in pursuing this dream and making this event possible.

This meeting is most timely for, without doubt, the question of world peace is the most important problem of our time. Today, the issue of peace has a qualitative difference. We have lived through two world wars which mankind has survived and re-built societies, economies and our world in general. Although, at that time leaders of the world had committed to ‘never again’! Never again allow for the world to be involved in such destruction, we see today that even though there is relative peace in many parts of the world, many developed and transitioning countries are involved in a race for the accumulation of deadly weapons especially nuclear weapons and with the advance of technology, experts today are almost unanimous in the view that, any new world war involving nuclear weapons will not just eliminate hundreds of millions of people but can very well be the end of intelligent life on earth.

This is so, because of mankind’s own ingenuity. The development of science and technology has not only developed fabulous creations to enhance material and social production, but also created the capacity to destroy all of humankind’s creation, over millennium of labour and life itself.

For this reason, I am particularly happy that one of the emphasis of your work is to get the ordinary women and men involved in the work and struggle for world peace. Many times we have seen that it is through our collective voices and representation of progressive leaders that changes can be made and resources can be diverted to raise the quality of life and standards of living of human kind.

It should be noted that the masses of a country do not initiate wars Indeed, they are often not consulted when leaders go to war, yet it is they, the common women and men who suffer the most. They shed their blood and give their lives: they lose sons and daughters as well as their personal possessions. The Second World War saw over 2 percent of the world’s 1940 population being wiped out. Right here, the Korean people lost about 10 percent of their overall population during the Korean war. With this destruction, it is then only just, that the voices of those who are sent into battle, those whose lives are directly affected, be heard.

The ravishes of war continue to create unimaginable sufferings. Looking at war refugees, the UNHCR in its 2017 report noted that an unprecedented 65 million people were uprooted from their homes due to conflict and persecution, to put this into perspective, this is the population of France being completely displaced!

Yet, despite all of this we continue to pursue the acquisition of more powerful weapons, One of the more important threats that is affecting humanity is the race to accumulate, modernize and develop more powerful, nuclear weapons. Today, we must call for the immediate cessation of the production of nuclear weapons and their liquidation as soon as possible. Those with nuclear weapons proclaim that nuclear weapons have kept the peace, but I ask, what kind of peace are we talking about? Is it the peace of a person holding a gun to your head? That is certainly not peace that could be enduring.

Whilst many in the world agree that there should be nuclear disarmament, more and more of these weapons are produced. The great fear is eventually those weapons WOULD have to be used to justify their production. The danger though is that this time it can cause total catastrophe.

Looking at the conventional weapons’ being produced, they are no more ‘gentler’ on mankind. Just let us look at the Middle East where thousand years old civilization lie in ruins. Many have died, and those who have not, suffer lifelong injuries. Yet the race for more powerful destructive weapons continue.

In 2017 alone the top eleven countries spent one trillion, three hundred and sixty billion dollars on military ‘defence’. This number is only spending for one year and it is growing. It is unfortunate that many who control the leavers of power in the developed world seem totally oblivious to this situation. Even though the US spends more than the next seven highest military spenders combined, it is still speaking about ‘being threatened’ and, therefore, spending even more on developing more weapons. Obviously the “threat” is a hoax. The main problem is increasing profits for a few private people the super-rich and multinational corporations. Let us not ignore the fact that it is the socio-economic system in some of the most developed countries that perpetuate the production of more and more destructive weapons.

All of these resources have been diverted to weapon production and waging wars at a time when every person from the richest to the poorest are confronted directly with the impact of climate change. Climate change is becoming more and more destructive. The floods in India and raging wild fires in California are some of the most recent example of its destruction. We are faced with rising sea levels and people living on coastal planes in my country Guyana, the United States and most of Western Europe are all endangered. Small island states are immediately threatened.

While the developed world is spending USD300 million dollars a day on nuclear weapons, we have more than 3 billion people living on less than $2.50 per day, more than 1 billion children living in poverty, and more than 400 million children have no access to safe water. In addition, more than 1 billion people are unable to write their names. At the same time, we still have hundreds of millions of children out of school. Undernourishment, adult illiteracy, lack of medicines and people living in unfit housing are urgent problems devastating people mainly in the developing world. If we want real results, peace summits like this one hosted by the HWPL is important in raising the global cry for peace and development. However it is rather disheartening to observe the attitude of “leaders” in the developed world on the question of peace.

We only have to look at their elections campaigns to see the great lack of appreciation of the dangers these highly militarized world is posing. The campaigns are focused on who is more tough, who would be ready and have the guts to go to war. Egoism and greed continue to fuel the arms race.

In 1960 President Eisenhower warned the American people of the growing power of the Military Industrial Complex, i.e. the merger of the state/military and the huge corporations, particularly, those in the arms production business, usurping their will and diverting their country’s resources from activities that allow for human development and better quality of lives of their nation’s people to destruction. Unfortunately President Eisenhower’s worst fears have been realized. Profits trump lives for the rich and powerful.

Those developments, more than ever, demands the full participation of the world’s peoples, to bring common sense to bear before it is too late.

Friends, peace, justice and democracy are intrinsically bound together. We must fight against all dictatorships, whether it is a military dictatorship or one emerging from crooked, rigged elections, as has happened in my own country. Such regimes are not accountable and wallow in corruption. Politicians of that ilk are willing tools in the hands of the war merchants. They are ready to sacrifice sovereignty for corrupt money.

In our globalization world, we must build our solidarity so that injustice involving racism, tribalism, cast system and religion must be totally rejected.

In the spirit of solidarity allow me to extend my congratulations to the people of Korea, North and South, for achieving a great relaxation of tensions. The division of this great people is one of the consequences of the cold war. This generation must work to remove that.

It is most gratifying to see Korean people united in sports and families are once more able to meet and greet each other.

I wish to extend my support to all of you working for this unification of this great land. I am happy to be here at this time and hope to return to see the border which now separates the two Koreas, will be turned into a line of unity of your people and century.

Dear friends let us go from here more determined to work with all peoples, with the masses for Peace!

Our immediate demand must be and all nuclear weapons product and eliminate all stockpiles!

We must not rest until all weapons of mass destruction, nuclear and conventional are completely destroyed!

Let us build our world on the sound basis of Peace, Justice, Democracy and Freedom!

I thank you all!

2018 HWPL World Peace Summit:
4th Anniversary of the WARP Summit
Hon. Emil Constantinescu, Former President of Romania

The first Summit of the World Alliance of Religions for Peace organized in Seoul in September 2014 was one of the most important events dedicated to peace during times when many new bloody conflicts threaten different regions of the world. The Summit in Seoul aimed to achieve much more than solving punctually and temporarily those conflicts. It aimed to create a culture of peace through restoration of harmony among people and between people and nature, as they were offered us by God, no matter how religions or beliefs praise Him.

I truly admire the exceptional endeavors that Chairman of Heavenly Culture, World Peace, Restoration of Light – Man Hee Lee has made in order to organize such popular manifestations of youth in several places of the world and the support that Chairman Man Hee Lee offered to promoting the cultural diplomacy, through his personal participation in the meetings with different world religious leaders and important representatives of the academic medium, in the several countries’ Parliaments, during the conferences held under the aegis of the UN in Washington, UNESCO in Paris or in the Parliament of Romania, and I have been honored to work together for this noble mission.

Four years later, we are together again for discussing how we can implement the Declaration of Peace and Cessation of War. Any meeting in South Korea, a country that bears the suffering of a people divided into two states due to an aggressive atheist ideology, has a special significance for our world, that is torn by so many ideological, ecumenical, social and, not least, religious divisions.

The event which is taking place on this Stadium is mainly addressed to the youth, who do not want to be forced by their country leaders to fight against each other and to women, who would like to protect not only themselves, usually innocent victims, but to protect also their husbands, children and brothers from the horrors that any war inevitably bring about. Youth and women can become the most persuasive emissaries of peace in the present and in the future.

Avoiding wars and peace building process require a laborious effort to create a culture of solidarity, outlining a pragmatic style, where not statements have the power, but effective actions. The fact that so many distinguished representatives of the world public opinion, religious leaders, politicians, diplomats and cultural personalities are today in Seoul represents such a beneficial action.

I believe that the Declaration of World Peace proclaimed in Seoul can gather around it everyone – no matter that they are men, women, youth and children – ready to unite and endue the mantle of peace, taking responsibility to promote the message of peace to the entire world.