South America—On March 31, 2021, UPF-South America held an International Leadership Conference (ILC) on the following topic: “The Reunification of Korea as a Basis for World Peace.” The event centered on the UPF associations International Media Association for Peace (IMAP) and International Association for Peace and Economic Development (IAED).
UPF has been promoting initiatives and programs to solve critical social and environmental issues of our time, holding a series of panels with representatives from countries in all regions and experts from all areas: parliamentarians, diplomats, academics, journalists, religious people, civil society and economy representatives. Its goal is to publicize this protracted conflict to the international community and to offer proposals and recommendations related to the peaceful reunification of Korea.
The online event was held through the Zoom platform and broadcast on YouTube. 1,340 people from all over South America attended the event.
The event’s moderator was Miguel Werner, President, UPF-Argentina, who explained the vision of UPF, which has been carrying out activities in more than 160 countries over 15 years.
Bishop Obispo Luis Moreno, President, IADP-Ecuador, conducted the opening prayer, saying, “May this work, done by all of us believers, be achieved, which certainly also reflects the aspirations of the majority of our Korean brothers, the well-being and peace of the Korean people, and the whole world.”
After a video about the launching of IMAP, the event proceeded with welcoming words by Rev Dong Mo Shin, Regional Chairman, UPF-South America, who observed that in reality, we face obstacles instead of peace; we believe it is the right time to put our fundamental values into practice in our respective areas of activity.
Special Guest Dr. Nelson Marquezelli, Federal Deputy, Brazil (1991–2018), gave an overview of UPF work around the word under the guidance of the founders and how he helped to launch the International Association of Parliamentarians for Peace (IAPP) in Brazil. “I believe that the peaceful reunification of the Korean peninsula is important not only for peace in Korea and Northeast Asia but also to the whole world,” he commented.
Dr. Simão Ferabolli, Secretary General, UPF-South America and President, UPF-Brazil, spoke about reasons to work for the peaceful reunification of the Korean Peninsula. Although these are difficult times, he said, we must continue to sow good seeds of love and peace because, when they sprout, the world will be changed. UPF is dedicated to the study of the political and economic and also spiritual integration of humanity, because the destiny of Korea and humanity is controlled by God himself.
Dr. Teresa Otiniano, Attorney, Social, Business and Jurisprudential Affairs, Peru, contributed: “If these dialogues happen between both nations, we will be able to see the beginning of Mother of Peace Dr. Moon’s dream so that the peaceful reunification of the two Koreas is achieved in a peaceful world.”
Aldo Centurión López, Economist; General Coordinator of Citizens of MERCOSUL, Paraguay, offered, “We believe in the effective application of an agreement to demilitarize and denuclearize that area. Through that, the long-awaited reunification of South Korea and North Korea will be achieved.”
Dr. Sergio de Azevedo Redó, President, Sao Paulo Press Association, Brazil, observed, “Steps towards this goal of reunification have been taken since the birth of Sun Myung Moon, when his work of unification and pacification of the people, especially eastern people, began in the late 1930s at a very young age. As a journalist, I have to apologize to him because he was wrongly interpreted and much misinformation was spread in the world against him.”
Douglas Romay Lanza, General Director, Group Rolanz Multimedios, Bolivia, noted that all countries see Korea's strength and great potential with admiration, and we would be happy if the different ideological bases disappeared in order to unite its people.
Daniel Wizenberg, Journalist, Argentina; author of the book Two Faces of the Same Korea, worked as an advisor for human rights organizations and as a specialist in the International Center for Journalism in Washington in 2019. The ILC, he said, provides us the opportunity to think about alternatives for the path to achieving a non-armed peace.
We thank the invited panelists and everyone who followed this panel from all over South America.