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C.S. Yang: Address to World Summit 2014
Written by Dr. Charles S. Yang, Chair, Universal Peace Federation
Saturday, August 9, 2014
Address to World Summit 2014, Seoul, Korea, August 9-13, 2014
On behalf of the Universal Peace Federation it is my honor to welcome you to Korea.
On this occasion, 280 delegates representing a wide range of fields, coming from more than 70 different nations, have gathered to attend this international summit.
I want to especially thank the current and the former heads of state and government, first ladies and cabinet members from each country, for making time out of your busy schedules to attend this historic international summit.
Ladies and Gentlemen, during this international summit, we will celebrate the second seonghwa anniversary of Rev. Sun Myung Moon, the founder of UPF and peace-loving global citizen who ascended from this earth two years ago.
All of you distinguished guests attending today are honored friends of Rev. and Mrs. Moon, as well as colleagues working towards the common goal of world peace.
This World Summit series was initiated prior to his passing. We continue this series in his honor, and in order to fulfill the ideals, principles and objectives which he and his spouse, Dr. Hak Ja Han Moon, promoted.
Although Korea today is a highly developed nation with one of the world’s most dynamic and successful economies, Korea’s history has been filled with suffering. In 1950 the Korean War was fought on this land. Many, many people died. Even now, as you know. North Korea is developing nuclear weapons and has one of the largest military forces in the world stationed only a short distance from Seoul. The situation on this peninsula and throughout East Asia is quite serious. Therefore, this World Summit on Peace, Security and Human Development is extremely important and timely.
We are living at a serious and troubled time in human history. Although the world is turning toward an Asia Pacific era, this region is not entirely stable. There are tensions and the threat of conflict in many places, including the Korean peninsula.
But it is not simply military threats that are to be feared at this time. We also need to find a way to stop the spread of moral decline and family breakdown and the rise of religious extremism. If we cannot solve these problems, we will see an increasing decline in the quality of our lives.
UPF founder Rev. Sun Myung Moon devoted his entire life to creating a united world under God. Rev. Moon held strong to the opinion that world peace could not be brought about without first resolving the conflicts between races and religions. He established UPF in the hopes that it would help him to carry out his vision of peace.
Therefore, what we do today is of utmost importance. I pray that you will use your time well during this conference.
In conclusion, I want to thank you for your participation in World Summit 2014, and I look forward to our ongoing collaboration for peace.
For more information about the World Summit, click here.