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L. Tiao: Address to World Summit 2022, Session VIII
Written by H.E. Dr. Luc-Adolphe Tiao, prime minister (2011-2014), Burkina Faso
Saturday, February 12, 2022
Address to World Summit
February 11-13, 2022
Dr. Hak Ja Han Moon; Excellency Samdech Hun Sen, prime minister of Cambodia; Excellency Ban Ki-moon, former secretary-general of the United Nations; Mr. Thomas Walsh, international president of the Universal Peace Federation; distinguished guests:
The present Summit is being held in a global context marked by the persistence, on a large scale, of the COVID-19 pandemic and the resurgence of conflicts in the world marked by the proliferation of increasingly sophisticated weapons of destruction.
This is why, at the very start of my remarks, I would like to commend the relevance of the UPF World Summit 2022, which invites the whole world to reflect on the issue of peace, and more particularly on the Korean Peninsula, which today appears to be the epicenter of struggles for influence and the risk of global conflicts in Northeast Asia, and more specifically on the Korean Peninsula.
How, then, can we not acknowledge or even praise the perseverance, with such love, of Dr. Hak Ja Han Moon, co-founder of the Universal Peace Federation, continuing with determination the fight she has engaged in for decades with her late husband, the Rev. Sun Myung Moon of venerable memory, for their endeavor for peace in the world and in particular for the reconciliation of the Korean Peninsula?
Distinguished guests, Dr. Hak Ja Han Moon has always said that peace on the Korean Peninsula is intimately linked to world peace. She has never separated the reconciliation between the two Koreas from the struggle to bring the world to live in peace. True Mother, the Mother of Peace, is constantly multiplying her initiatives on all continents, involving in her endeavor many leaders in the world and all men and women whose influence can affect peace.
UPF, of which she and her husband are the initiators, has become the largest global network promoting the ideals of peace, love and family in the world. While noting so many sacrifices and dedication of True Mother and all the personalities that accompany her in her mission, unfortunately we notice how difficult it is to build a world of peace, especially at a time when international relations are strained by the race for the most sophisticated weapons, when there are threats on various fronts, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, conflicts between nations, climate change, poverty, family breakdown. Let me tell you that, due to terrorism, which not only threatens to dislocate African countries, especially those of the Sahel, we are unfortunately witnessing the shift of conflicts between the great powers in this part of our continent, which constitutes obstacles to the liberation of our territories and leads to coups d'état, which is a step backward for democracy.
Dr. Hak Ja Han Moon, distinguished guests: This bleak picture should not discourage us, because we share the philosophy of True Parents that invites us to build the Kingdom of God on earth. If we are convinced that this vision is possible, we become tireless apostles of a world rid of everything that propagates evil.
Peace on the Korean Peninsula is of great importance to all of us, as we have previously stated. If we consider that the epicenter of conflicts is in this part of the world, the peaceful resolution of these conflicts, which is simultaneously military, economic and political, the reconciliation of the Korean Peninsula will positively impact international relations.
This is why our continent, Africa, attaches strategic importance to what is taking place in Seoul. We are convinced that the ideas that will be shared will open up optimistic perspectives on peace in Northeast Asia and in particular on the Korean Peninsula. The history of development of the two Koreas inspires us in Africa, in our struggle for economic emergence from the setbacks, poverty and misery.
Distinguished participants of World Summit 2022, despite the complexity of the international situation, a glimmer of hope still shines. This glimmer of hope seems to have been lit more than 50 years ago by True Father and True Mother, whose divine inspiration has guided many people around the world—because it is somehow also a miracle that the conflict that stopped in 1953 has not exploded again in spite of the exasperation of the conflicts and international relations. That is why we said at the beginning of this speech that one must immerse oneself in the religious philosophy and political vision of True Parents in order to be convinced of the reunification of the Korean Peninsula.
But it is obvious that divine inspiration must be accompanied by a pragmatic approach adapted to our times and its realities. This is why we are putting forward the following ideas to fuel the reflection around our Summit: to defend the vision of a quadripolar world as a new axis of international relations; to invest in the de-escalation of tensions in international relations and in particular between the great powers; to initiate a World Summit to relaunch the issue of the limitation of weapons of mass destruction and especially the race to supersonic weapons; to support all the initiatives of Dr. Hak Ja Han Moon in the reunification of Korea; to widen the international agenda to new problems such as health, with COVID-19, and climate change.
I cannot conclude without acknowledging the extraordinary work of UPF around the world. In particular, I would like to recognize the dedication of Mrs. Katherine Rigney, chairperson of the Universal Peace Federation - Africa, and her collaborators for their excellent work in favor of peace and the promotion of human and spiritual values taught by True Parents.
I thank you.
To go to the World Summit 2022 Schedule page, click here.