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One of the major concerns of the Universal Peace Federation is how to promote programs that encourage young people in particular with a vision of leadership to build peaceful societies. It is our firm conviction that good leadership requires good character as a foundation, together with well-developed management skills. So often in today’s world, however, management skills and methodologies are emphasized while the fundamental importance of good character and values are overlooked. How, then, does one develop the qualities of good character? We at the Universal Peace Federation believe that the family is a “school of love and ethics” and the foundation stone of a peaceful society.
Since the fundamental issue is one of values, Dr. Moon and UPF have initiated numerous programs in areas such as character education and good governance that stimulate discussion in this area and make people aware of the need to consider the value systems which underlie the way in which we run our politics and economies. I am convinced that through collaborative efforts we can make a vital contribution to the betterment of humankind’s situation and provide a hopeful future for our children and for generations to come.
A fascinating array of women contributed essays and personal reflections to Vol. 25, No. 1 of UPF's interfaith journal Dialogue & Alliance.
Goodness is always followed by happiness. Happiness inspires us to do good, and love is the motive force of God. Our Lord illuminates our hearts with love and goodness and wants us to do the same to others. The way to God is paved with good actions that are welcome to God. Otherwise, we should not even dream about entering the next world.
Women's initiatives for peace and reconciliation in Cyprus are quite important, and one could say that they resemble the pieces of art on the island, which although they cannot work for peace, they speak silently about the peaceful coexistence which has been a noble tradition over the centuries.
The doctrine of the brotherhood of man does not start with the giving of the Torah on Mt. Sinai, nor with Abraham our Patriarch. All men since Adam and Eve were created in the Divine image, and this principle should become a leading principle in the educational attempts of liberal religions. These religions will not negate differences, but will stress the common roots of all of them, starting with the creation of mankind by the holy Creator.
The time is now ripe for us to understand that a culture of peace can only arise if both aspects, the masculine and the feminine, work with each other on an equal basis. This will be achieved through an influx of feminine qualities into all areas of society.
The UN’s global governance can only help to bring a meta-perspective on the human behavior towards religious containment and go beyond the concept of separation to bring religions to speak in one voice with different languages. This common agenda and spirit of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights is without a doubt peace. Keeping this common goal in mind, it is evident that all actors are important for the success of current and future peace initiatives at the United Nations. Let us not forget that peace is the founding principle and guiding force for which the United Nations was created.
If we have the real strength of faith and the will to unite as one human family, we can hope to find all the spiritual power and help needed to respond to the great challenge of creating peace and justice on earth. To weave strong connections between women, faith, and peace provides conditions of empowerment to transform ourselves and the world.
An adequate leader in his domain is the one who has the support of most and fulfills the need of the people and nation without fear of persecution and terror among his/her people. From such an understanding, effective leadership is the ability to successfully integrate and maximize available resources within the internal and external environment for the attainment of organizational or societal goals.
We all agree on the importance of the family as a foundation for interreligious and international peace. The question is how to communicate these values to the families so that they can be the foundation of peace in the world.
UPF-Eurasia organizes practical activities in the 15 nations of the former Soviet Union, Mongolia and China. UPF Peace Ambassadors strive to bring about concrete changes in all realms of society: politics, religion, economy, education, the media, etc.