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C. Yadav: Address to World Summit 2017
Written by Hon. Chitralekha Yadav, Member of Parliament, Nepal
Saturday, February 4, 2017
Address to World Summit 2017, Seoul, Korea, February 1 to 5, 2017
It is my honor and distinct privilege to be with you today. This February gathering of lawmakers from around the world, brought together on the occasion of the Global Assembly of the International Association of Parliamentarians for Peace (IAPP), is surely the largest and most international gathering of legislators in the history of the world.
Even the United Nations has not brought together this number of democratically elected representatives on a single occasion. There are 120 nations represented here. In terms of the global population, we represent nations comprising85 percent of the world’s population.
Rev. Dr. Sun Myung Moon and Dr. Hak Ja Han Moon are to be congratulated. This is simply amazing! Just being here today is our collective birthday present to you. Happy Birthday! But we honor and celebrate not just two people… we celebrate their ideals, their vision, their selfless sacrifice, and their undying determination to bring about a world of peace. Certainly, no other couple in human history has sacrificed more or done as much to help bring about a world of peace and mutual prosperity.
I personally met the Founders on several occasions. One of my most memorable experiences was officially welcoming them to Nepal in 2005 while I was deputy speaker of Nepal’s House of Representatives. Over the years, I have closely watched, admired and supported the work of the UPF in , which has been conducted under the leadership of Hon. Ek Nath Dhakal.
The Founders advocate a set of universal values that can be applied to every area of life: from the individual, to the family, societal, national and, as we see here today, even to the international level. These values are universal because they are rooted in the most ubiquitous institution known to humankind. This is an institution that:
- is more sacred than any religion;
- has more wisdom than any university;
- is more powerful than any military;
- can protect our health better than any medical institution;
- and brings more happiness than money can buy.
What is this universal institution? The family.
Later in my political career when I was Nepal’s minister of education, I addressed a UPF rally of 70,000 people at the National Stadium in Kathmandu in February of 2015. More than 430 schools participated. It was supported by religious leaders as well as by politicians from all the political parties. Just before leaving the Ministry of Education, I wholeheartedly endorsed the Pure Love Character Education Program that is being taught to Nepalese school children nationwide.
I would like to see the IAPP continue to support marriage and family. We, as lawmakers, should make laws that help protect the family. This is not only something we can do; it is something we must do. There are a number of other unique dimensions I see in IAPP. Of course, there are many parliamentary organizations, but most are aligned with governments and therefore put their own national interests first. Other groups of lawmakers have a very sharp focus, dealing with only a limited issue or working in a small geographical region.
On the contrary, IAPP offers a global vision and a new hope for world peace. It is cross-cultural and international. It is inter-religious. It is spiritually based. It is service-oriented, and it is family-friendly. Because UPF already has a worldwide network, IAPP can quickly have the substantial global impact that is urgently needed in today’s world. The future for IAPP is very, very bright indeed.
I hope each nation sets up an IAPP chapter in their own parliament, then we parliamentarians can support each other in this work of building world peace. This is not only the dream of the Founders; it is also the dream inside each of our hearts. I do not see any other parliamentary organization that has the foundation and vision to take on this noble task.
Hon. Chitralekha Yadav, Member of Parliament, Nepal
Hon. Chitralekha Yadav is a democratic leader and Member of the Legislature Parliament of Nepal and a former Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives of Nepal. Hon. Yadav also served as Minister for Education, Government of Nepal from 2014 to 2015. Hon. Yadav graduated from Tribhuvan University with a master’s degree in English literature. As a top women leader of the Nepal’s largest political party, Nepali Congress, she has been a strong advocate of women rights, peace, inclusive democracy and welfare of the Nepali people.
To go to the 2017 World Summit Conference Schedule, click here.