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UN International Day of Families 2021
UPF-Asia Pacific Observes International Day of Families
Written by UPF-Asia Pacific
Saturday, May 15, 2021
Bangkok, Thailand—UPF-Asia Pacific commemorated the UN International Day of Families 2021 on the regional level by convening the Opening Session of the 6th online Asia Pacific Leadership Conference (APLC) on May 15. The theme of this year’s Day was “Families and New Technologies.” A total of 330 participants, which included 124 people from 13 nations who registered for the 6th APLC, enjoyed the two-hour event.
The emcee, Rev. Gregory Stone, deputy secretary general of UPF-Asia Pacific, warmly welcomed all the participants and invited a group of students from the Pacific island nation of Tuvalu to perform a colorful Tuvaluan dance to the delight of everyone. He then introduced five distinguished speakers whose presentations focused on the importance of the family in our lives and society.
In his opening remarks, Mr. Demian Dunkley, regional president of the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification (FFWPU), an affiliated organization, in Asia Pacific-1, described the family as the first and eternal place to experience joy, which is the foundation for joy in everything we do. Technology helps us to connect to family members who may live in different time zones. UPF co-founder Dr. Hak Ja Han Moon reminds us that we need to love and respect each other as members of one global family under God, our Heavenly Parent.
Mrs. Sabitova Sagadat, former advisor to the prime minister of Kazakhstan and a UN expert on gender issues, urged leaders of all fields to form, instill and develop family values so that there can be peace in the world. It is a battle for the right values in this world of relative and self-centered values.
Mr. Lim Tat Kuan, an advocate and a solicitor with the Supreme Court of Singapore, emphasized that the family is the basic building block of society that nurtures values in the hearts of children. We need to preserve the family since all efforts to substitute the family have failed.
In his chairman’s remarks, Hon. Ek Nath Dhakal, chair of UPF and the International Association of Parliamentarians for Peace (IAPP) in the Asia Pacific, briefly introduced UPF’s programs for peace and affirmed UPF’s commitment to support the UN and its initiatives, such as the International Day of Families and Global Day of Parents. UPF seeks to work in partnership with like-minded organizations to strengthen the family as the school of love and ethics and the core unit of society.
In his presentation, Dr. Robert S. Kittel, senior advisor and director of education of UPF-Asia Pacific, spoke on the need for universal principles as the foundation for peace and harmonious cooperation among humanity. He outlined two fundamental principles described by UPF co-founder Rev. Sun Myung Moon: “living for the greater good” and “honoring marriage,” which are first learned in the family and later practiced in society.
Participants commented on how much they learned about family relationships and family values in this event. Some attendees determined to go through the entire course again and invite their adult children to take it as well. One woman said, "I fell in love with the speakers. I have been practicing this content for a long time, but I didn't know the theory behind it and it's just amazing to hear it more clearly for the second time."
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