FOLLOW US
Pacific Nations Develop 2016 Plan of Action
Written by Greg Stone, regional secretary general, UPF-Oceania
Wednesday, December 2, 2015
Sydney, Australia—“Peace, Security and Human Development in Oceania” was the theme of the 2015 UPF-Oceania regional conference.
A total of 53 delegates came from the Pacific Ocean nations of Vanuatu, Solomon Islands, Fiji, Samoa, and New Zealand, as well as from Melbourne, Queensland and Sydney in Australia.
The UPF conference, which was held at the Oceania Peace Embassy in Sydney on December 1 and 2, 2015, was jointly organized and supported by Women’s Federation for World Peace (WFWP), an affiliated organization.
The four sessions of the conference were:
- “Peacebuilding in the Global Village—Multi-faith, Multi-disciplinary Peace Councils in Oceania,” chaired by UPF-Australia Vice President John Bellavance. This session was concerned with the formation of Peace Councils at the state, national and regional levels.
- “Values Education—Human Development in Fiji,” chaired jointly by values education authority Ms. Irene Anania and Santosh Neupane, the president of the Fiji chapters of UPF and Family Federation for World Peace and Unification (FFWPU), an affiliated organization. This session discussed values education with a particular focus on the Fiji government’s invitation for UPF to introduce values education to Fiji secondary-school teachers.
- “New Village Movement—Human Development in Oceania,” chaired by Rev. Jong Deug Yoo, regional chair of UPF-Oceania, who gave a presentation about the New Village Movement and its programs in Vanuatu.
- “Security and Human Development in Kiribati and Tuvalu—How Can We Help?” This session, which dealt with the impact of climate change on low-lying atoll nations such as Kiribati and Tuvalu, was chaired by Rev. Suamalie Iosefa Naisali, a Tuvalu Christian minister and president of the Pacific Island Climate Change Action Forum in New Zealand.
After Oceania Regional Chair Rev. Jong Deug Yoo warmly welcomed the delegates, Regional Secretary General Greg Stone gave an introduction to UPF and an overview of the conference themes.
A conference backgrounder was prepared for each session, with a list of proposed committee members who would be the main discussants in the session. Others would be observers but could contribute comments and ask questions at the end of the session.
Each session began with a presentation and was arranged to allow for a roundtable discussion so that participants could ask questions and put forward their own comments. Through this interactive format, it was hoped that participants would feel more ownership and would be able to work together to form follow-up action committees in each area.
The sessions did indeed stimulate a lot of interaction and discussion. At the end of each session there was a call for volunteers who would like to participate in the follow-up committee about the session topic. These groups were photographed and/or the names were recorded.
At the end of the two days, participants wrote very positive reflections, indicating that they were inspired by the conference topics and wished to support the ongoing projects stemming from the conference content.
The following delegates were awarded certificates of Ambassador for Peace during the conference: Ms. Negin Mansoury, Mr. Timoci Bure, Ms. Louisa Apelu and Ms. Stephanie Mailesi.
Conference Attendees
- Rev. Jong Deug Yoo
- Mrs. Yoo
- Mr. Greg Stone
- Mrs. Reiko Stone
- Rev. Soon Teck Lim
- Mrs. Rika Lim
- Ms. Aila Willitts
- Ms. Jynene Helland
- Mr. Logessan Pillay
- Ms. Ruth Osen
- Dr. Wali Islam
- Venerable Thich Minh Tam
- Dr. Mimmie Ngum Chi Watts
- Dr. Herman Roborgh
- Ms. Negin Mansoury
- Mr. Bill Pontikis
- Dr. Apollo Nsubuga-Kyobe
- Dr. Imran Syed
- Ms. Mary Mahloko-Boardmans
- Mr. Jean Bellavance
- Ms. Anne Bellavance
- Dr. Jacinta Moreau
- Ms. Irene Anania
- Ms. Ye Young Babb
- Mr. Adeniyi Ekine
- Mr. Surendra Prasad OAM
- Ms. Sharon Orapeleng
- Mr. Robert Josifoski
- Mrs. Mamiko Rattley
- Mrs. Sara Folasa-Tuioti
- Mr. Folasa-Tuioti
- Dr. Brian Adams
- Dame Jane Seccombe
- Rev. Suamalie Iosefa Naisali
- Mr. Julius Gicole
- Dr. Sahu Khan
- Mr. Santosh Neupane
- Mrs. Ronzelle Lozano
- Mr. Timoci Bure
- Mr. Wasu Deo
- Mrs. Romila Deo
- Mr. Seti Suafa
- Ms. Louisa Apelu
- Rev. Dae Yeon Goo
- Mr. Peter C. Tome
- Mr. Luke Sisi Cheka
- Ms. Selina Boso
- Ms. Stephanie Mailesi
- Dr. Chit Swe
- Mrs. Chit Swe
- Pastor Va'inga Tonga
- Mr. Jon Soemarjono
- Mr. Mark Burfield
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