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T. Walsh: Address to Peace Summit 2023, Opening Plenary
Written by Dr. Thomas Walsh
Wednesday, May 3, 2023
Address to Peace Summit 2023
May 2-5, 2023
Respected Dr. Hak Ja Han Moon. Thank you for your vision and commitment to building a world of universal and lasting peace. Congratulations on the occasion of your 80th birthday.
Distinguished leaders from across the world. Welcome and thank you for participating in Peace Summit 2023.
UPF was founded by Rev. and Dr. Moon in 1999 as the Interreligious and International Federation for World Peace, and in 2005 became the Universal Peace Federation. I recall the time in the year 2000, the time of the millennium General Assembly, both Rev. Moon and Dr. Hak Ja Han Moon spoke at the UN to share their vision of a renewed United Nations, one that that would have political leaders and religious leaders working together collaboratively, within the UN system, as a kind of a bicameral institution consisting of both government officials and religious leaders.
This was a bold vision, but it proved to be prescient, for it has become increasingly clear over the past decades that interreligious peace is a critical and necessary aspect of any effort to achieve the goal of lasting world peace. After all, we are not merely political or economic beings, but we are also moral and spiritual beings.
Over the years, UPF has emerged as a highly respected international and interreligious NGO. It has developed partnerships and MOUs with not only the UN ECOSOC, but African Union, ECOWAS, CEN-SAD, the Asian Vision Institute, Alliance of Civilizations, Coalition of FBOs, and others. UPF works across all sectors of society, working to build effective networks among not only leaders in government, including current and former heads of state and parliamentarians, but also among religious leaders, as well as leaders in the business sector, the private sector, civil society, the media, academia and the spheres of the arts and culture. Underlying this work is a recognition that peace has to be approached comprehensively and holistically.
UPF’s work is rooted in a moral and spiritual vision. At its core, this vision affirms the existence of God as a divine creator, our common origin, the Heavenly Parent, with the will and intention to create a world of goodness. With this in mind, UPF strives to create one worldwide family under God, a holy community where all people live together in harmony and cooperation. In this world, the family becomes a school of love where we learn to live together in peace. Nations, religions, cultures, ethnicities, learn to live together cooperatively and respectfully. Such a world does not come about by magic. It requires human effort. As we all know, there are obstacles to overcome. Human beings are not entirely good, and are in fact often prone to do evil.
As such, I hope that we will all do our part during this Peace Summit to contribute to building a world of peace.
Our program seeks to bring out the wisdom, insight and recommendations of the leaders gathered here.
One set of sessions will feature perspectives from the major regions of our world: one with focus on Africa, another on the Asia Pacific, then Europe and the Middle East, North America, and Latin America. Panelists will offer their recommendations for a way forward beyond conflict and division and toward harmony and cooperation.
In addition, there will be a series of sessions that feature insights from the various sectors of our society, including the political, the religious, academia, the media, and business. These sessions will be coordinated by each of UPF’s primary Associations.
Finally, there will be a number of new initiatives presented over the course of our three days together. We will hear more about that later in this opening session.
In closing, I want to thank you for being here, for contributing to this most noble effort. Our present world appears most regrettably to be moving toward conflict and division. It is no easy task to try to reverse this trend. Let us therefore do our best, and work together for the sake of each other, for the sake of our children and future generations.
God bless you.
To go to the Peace Summit 2023 Schedule page, click here.