International nonprofit, Heavenly Culture, World Peace, Restoration of Light (HWPL) marked the 11th anniversary of its World Peace Summit in Cheongju, South Korea, from September 18 to 19 bringing together hundreds of prominent world leaders to deliberate on sustainable peace as global crisis takes a peak.
The Cheongju gathering was held under the theme “Together for Peace: Fulfilling Our Shared Responsibility” with similar events celebrating the milestone to continue in 78 cities worldwide through October. This will cover 15,000 leaders from governments, international bodies, and civil society engaging in strategies for regional peace.
The summit itself gathered over 800 global figures, including former and current heads of state, government ministers, lawmakers, judges, and leaders from education, faith communities, media, and youth organisations.
“Conflict can never be good. Only the achievement of peace is truly good. If we fail to establish a peaceful world in our time, we will burden future generations with conflict. What we leave behind must be a world of peace, not one of conflict. The work before us today is to commit ourselves to acts of goodness,” emphasised Lee Man-hee, Chairman of HWPL, calling for a global cooperation for peace.
HWPL since its inaugural summit in 2014 has fronted actionable solutions for resolving conflicts through international law, interfaith collaboration, and peace education. This year, the organisation showcased its recent efforts, particularly in forging public-private partnerships to embed lasting peace in varied national contexts.
A major focus was promoting the Declaration of Peace and Cessation of War (DPCW), HWPL’s proposed framework to eliminate armed conflicts and sustain peace. The DPCW outlines principles like banning the use of force, mediating disputes, and ensuring long-term stability.
In the past year, 17 regional and international entities, such as the Latin American and Caribbean Parliament, parliaments in Paraguay, the Dominican Republic, and South Sudan, and local governments in places like the Philippines, Mongolia, Georgia (U.S.), Madagascar, Mali, and India, endorsed the DPCW through resolutions.
HWPL’s peace advocate, and founder of TheAfricanDream LLC, Mr. Oral Ofori, was present at the event declaring his support for the summit’s reinforced efforts towards promoting a peaceful global village.
“As a supporter of this peace summit, I believe that unity and understanding among nations is not just a goal but a necessity for our shared future. This is why I have flown halfway across the world to support HWPL, and I will support others like it if the need arises,” said Mr. Ofori at the peace event.
The summit also included the 2025 International Conference on Preparing for Peaceful Korean Reunification, which explored “Inter-Korean Free Movement Through Public-Private Partnership.”
Building on the March launch of the Preparatory Committee for Peaceful Unification on the Korean Peninsula (PCPUK), discussions focused on cross-border exchanges, unification education, and global cooperation.
HWPL’s global membership surged by 140,000 in the past year, exceeding 580,000. Secretary-General Kang Tae-ho attributed this growth to a universal yearning for peace amid ongoing conflicts.
“Citizens worldwide, suffering from wars and conflicts, strongly yearn for genuine peace beyond the current order. This collective aspiration has directly led to the rapid growth of HWPL’s membership,” he noted.
HWPL’s Peace Education program has gained traction in public schools. Zambia implemented it across schools in Lusaka and is working with its Ministry of Education to expand it nationwide. Mongolia has also made progress in incorporating the program into public and lifelong learning systems.
HWPL has also highlighted the creation of the Solidarity of Religions’ Peace Committee (SRPC). With 292 WARP Offices operating in 132 countries, HWPL encourages interfaith dialogue rooted in sacred texts.
Since 2023, its International Religious Peace Academy has been adopted in several nations as a platform for leaders and citizens to engage in peace-oriented discussions.
Former President of Croatia Ivo Josipović passionately expressed that, “all of us must be aware that our activity for banning war throughout the world is more important now than ever.”
Written by Abeeb Lekan Sodiq
Abeeb Lekan Sodiq is a Managing Editor & Writer at theafricandream.net. He’s as well a Graphics Designer and also known as Arakunrin Lekan.
