Kabul, Afghanistan - About 25 people gathered in the Serena Hotel in Kabul on December 15 for a forum on "Innovative Approaches to Sustainable Development and Peace." Afterwards, UPF leaders paid a courtesy call on H.E. Mohammad Karim Khalili, Vice President of Afghanistan.
After an opening recitation from the Holy Qur'an by Mr. Ahmad Sear Suhail, Mr. Umberto Angelucci, Director of UPF-Afghanistan, presented the 37-year history of the Unification Movement in Afghanistan demonstrating UPF’s commitment through continuity.
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Hon. Sayed Ishaq Gailani, Member of Parliament, addressed the gathering, saying that he had personally met UPF founder Father Sun Myung Moon twice. He said he would welcome a stronger UPF presence in Afghanistan.
Dr. Chung Sik Yong, Regional Chair of UPF-Asia, explained UPF's principles of peace and sustainable development, which are based on the motto of living for others. UPF President Dr. Thomas G. Walsh described UPF's global work promoting universal and moral values.
Women leaders from three nations addressed the gathering: Mrs. Fatana Gailani, Founder and Chair of the Afghan Women's Council, said that women and children are the real victims of violence. Mrs. Sreerupa Chaudhury Miyra, Chair of the Committee for National Policy for Empowering Women (India), highlighted the historical role of women in peacebuilding. Mrs. Keiko Kawai, liaison between the Women's Federation for World Peace in Japan and in Afghanistan, read a speech given by Mrs. Hak Ja Han Moon to an international women's assembly in Korea in July 2012.