Heavenly Culture, World Peace, Restoration of Light (HWPL), a leading international peace NGO, hosted its 11th World Peace Summit in Cheongju, bringing together 800 leaders from around the globe. The summit highlighted HWPL’s achievements in promoting peace and outlined a collaborative vision for the future, centred on partnerships between governments, international organisations, and civil society.
Key advances were presented across three core areas. In the sphere of international law, HWPL’s Declaration of Peace and Cessation of War (DPCW) gained notable recognition, with the Latin American and Caribbean Parliament (PARLATINO) and 16 other parliamentary and governmental entities adopting resolutions in support of the initiative.
Peace education featured prominently, with Zambia’s Ministry of Education integrating HWPL’s Peace Education programme into all schools in Lusaka, paving the way for a nationwide rollout. Mongolia has also incorporated the programme into its public education framework, underscoring its growing global reach.
The summit further spotlighted progress in interfaith dialogue with the establishment of the Solidarity of Religions’ Peace Committee (SRPC). Since 2023, the HWPL International Religious Peace Academy has been providing a formally recognised platform for faith leaders and communities in several countries to engage in peace-centred discussions.
Reflecting on the collective responsibility for peace, HWPL Chairman Lee Man-hee stated, “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.”
Former President of Croatia, H.E. Ivo Josipović, extended his congratulations, saying, “all of us must be aware that our activity for banning war throughout the world is more important now than ever,” emphasising that the achievements of the summit reinforce humanity’s hope for lasting peace.
The summit also examined efforts towards peaceful Korean reunification and reported HWPL’s global membership surpassing 580,000. Beyond Cheongju, satellite events will continue across 78 cities worldwide throughout October, including major gatherings across Europe and the United Kingdom, engaging over 15,000 leaders in continued peacebuilding dialogue.
