Speeches
- Written by: Hon. Antero Flores-Araoz, President of Congress, Peru (2004-2006)
Nowadays, Latin American governments make huge purchases of war material while at the same time there are portions of the population living in extreme poverty. … This leads us to the big question: Why is that? Why do Latin American countries continue to invest considerable amounts of money in weapons when there’s so many diverse and much more important problems like lack of basic services such as electricity, clean water, roads or medical care, that governments should be more concerned about?
- Written by: Dr. Jan Figel, European Union special envoy for the promotion of freedom of religion or belief outside the EU
Freedom of religion or belief is an essential human right and an expression of the deepest personal freedom—freedom of conscience.
- Written by: Dr. Tong Yun Kai, chairman, International Confucian Association and president, Hong Kong Confucian Academy
I firmly believe that the Confucian principles of benevolence, faithfulness, compassion and harmony can be fundamental to building a harmonious world.
- Written by: Hon. Bhubaneswar Kalita, member of Indian Parliament
People all over the world look forward to peaceful solutions to all their problems, and I reiterate that parliamentarians the world over have a major role to play, as they cannot disappoint the people and they have to rise to the occasion.
- Written by: Dr. Slawomir Redo, senior adviser, Academic Council on the United Nations System, Vienna, Austria
This conference has clearly demonstrated its relevance to the major objective of the United Nations as stated in its Charter, namely to save succeeding generations from the scourge of wars.
- Written by: Lynn Walsh, director of UPF Office of Marriage and Family Education
Our Creator knows the purpose of sex, marriage, family and the principles that we need to follow create true love. All religions see marriage as having a divine purpose.
- Written by: Fr. Georges Iskandar, President, Inter-eparchial Tribunal, Melkite Greek Catholic Church, Lebanon
The political repressions, authoritarian rulers, and the absence of democratic governments in the Arab world over the past six decades, contributed directly to the demise of these countries and over the past seven years, the spread of illiteracy, the schism among ethnic, sectarian and even political groups and thus resulted in political intolerances, religious persecutions, unemployment, poverty and a miserable way of life.
- Written by: Hon. Mohamed Anass Al Shami, Assemblyman, Syria
Peace is the wider door of a dignified life. As you know, every door has a key, and the key to the door of peace is love.
- Written by: Vice Chairman, UPF-Asia
Without solving fundamental sociocultural and human development issues we will not be able to realize and sustain peace and security in Asia or anywhere in the world.
- Written by: Hon. Vijay Jolly, Senior Leader, Bharatiya Janata Party, India
Peace should be brokered. Talks, walks, dialogue, understanding and friendship should be encouraged.
- Written by: Dr. Vladimir Petrovskiy, chief researcher, Institute of Far Eastern Studies, Russian Academy of Sciences
The 70-year experience of inter-Korean relations teaches that normalization of the situation on the Korean Peninsula is possible only on the basis of a stable and irreversible dialogue between the North and theSouth of Korea.
- Written by: Rev. Dr. Igor Onyshchuk, Patriarchal Curia Communications Officer, Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church; Chairman, Public Council for Cooperation with Religious Organizations at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine
Openness to the dialogue between religions and cultures and their awareness of the urgent need to combine efforts for justice, brotherhood, peace and development of the human person is a real sign of hope.