Bangkok, Thailand—Organized monthly by UPF, an Asian Leadership Conference (ALC) was held in Bangkok, Thailand from September 27 to 29, 2019 and records were set in three areas. It had (1) 107 guests, the largest number ever to attend an ALC; (2) the largest number of guests from a single nation, with 70 delegates from Cambodia; and (3) the largest number of delegates that ever came from China, 19.
Participants repeatedly expressed their delight and amazement at the clarity and focus of UPF co-founder Rev. Sun Myung Moon’s universal principles of peace. The numerous UPF activities that support this global vision of peace and sustainable development were also highlighted and appreciated. (See reflections below.)
The three-day conference drew an exceptionally large number of guests from Cambodia because this nation is preparing to hold the Asia Pacific Summit 2019 from November 18 to 21, at which UPF co-founder Dr. Hak Ja Han Moon will be speaking. Many of the participants are directly involved in preparations for the Summit.
Dr. Moon has been personally invited to Cambodia by the prime minister, H.E. Hun Sen. In addition, the prime minister himself directed his government to hold the Summit inside the Prime Minister’s office. This beautiful building in the center of the capital, Phnom Penh, is called the Peace Palace.
Dignitaries attending the ALC included two current members of Parliament from Cambodia and one former senator from Thailand. Participants also included the mayor of Dhangadhi, a major metropolitan city in western Nepal, and from China, the former vice president of the International Sunzi Art of War Research Center.
Eleven participants received an Ambassador for Peace award. Delegates came from six nations in the Asia-Pacific region: Bangladesh (1), Cambodia (70), China (19), Malaysia (2), Nepal (2), and Thailand (13).
Reflections from the participants:
“Hon. Ek Nath Dhakal invited me here and I’m so grateful because I feel as if I’m reborn today. During Nepal’s 10-year insurgency I spent time in jail, but realized how Rev. and Mrs. Moon struggled throughout their lives and their incredible sacrifices…. I didn’t know how important marriage was and how it can really address so many social problems. From now on, I will educate our youth to be moral and parents in our families to be ideal husbands and wives. And I’ll completely support UPF programs.”
Hon. Nirpa Bahadur Odd, Mayor, Dhangadhi, Nepal
“I’d like to extend my deepest gratitude to UPF. We could listen to the very wonderful presentations and have a great experience together. This gave us a great vision for the global level; we can see it is possible for this world to be better. I completely agree that the beginning of world peace starts with the family….All the participants should bring back the knowledge and inspiration from this conference to their home countries...”
Hon. Sumol Sutaviriyawat, Senator (2008-2014), Thailand
“We are so honored and pleased to be here; we have learned a lot from all of you. We need to express the culture of gratitude to each other, even to our spouse because it is so important to become a loving couple…to practice true love not only in our family but also in our institutions and our country….We need to have a vision for peace, which starts in our hearts. Once again, I’d like to thank Mrs. Moon and Rev. Moon for their vision and leadership…”
Mrs. Ek Sophanna, wife of Mr. Doung Virorth, Permanent Vice Chairman, Civil Society Alliance Forum
“Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen, we have been greatly inspired and impressed by UPF’s philosophy and efforts for peace promotion, co-founded by Rev. and Mrs. Moon. We learned a lot about universal principles of peace, the culture of love, living for others, and the importance of the family for society as well as the many grand activities of UPF for peace….We really appreciate the ‘living for the sake of others’ philosophy initiated by Rev. Moon.”
Hon. Ty Sokhun, Member of the Commission on Foreign Affairs, International Cooperation, Information and Media of the National Assembly of Cambodia