The Global Peace Convention is an annual event hosted by the Global Peace Foundation. The Kyunghyang Shinmun sent reporters to cover the Global Peace Convention 2013 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. This is a translation, you may find the Korean version here.
“The greatest challenges facing humanity today cannot be solved without resolving religious issues. A faith-based Peace Council should be established at the United Nations,” Global Peace Foundation (GPF) Chairman Dr. Hyun Jin Moon (44) told reporters after the Global Peace Convention (GPC) 2013 held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
The Global Peace Convention is an international platform hosted by the Global Peace Foundation, a nonprofit organization, to generate innovative responses to resolving conflicts and establishing peace in the world by drawing entrepreneurs and government and religious leaders from a significant number of countries. The 5th annual GPC was held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia this year, following GPC 2012 in Atlanta, USA, GPC 2011 in Seoul, Korea, GPC 2010 in Nairobi, Kenya, and GPC 2009 in Manila, the Philippines. GPF and Malaysia’s Department of National Unity and Integration co-hosted the annual GPC at the Shangri-La Hotel Kuala Lumpur from the 5th to the 8th of December 2013.
“What all the great religions teach is peace. However, in reality conflicts emerge and violence and murder are justified in the name of religion. Religious issues are urgent problems to be solved as soon as possible,” Dr. Moon said. “Faith-based movements guided by the vision of One Family Under God should be able to resolve religious issues,” he said.
Dr. Moon cited supported his argument with statistics. Studies have shown that 80% of the world’s population belongs to a certain religious order or organizations, and 95% of the 7 billion people in the world believed in the existence of a divine being. Dr. Moon has stressed that when humankind realizes that even with different names, the God that they serve is ultimately the same, human beings will be able to live as one family. ”The Nigerian population is divided into 2 even-sized groups by their religions: Christians and Muslims. They have been able to maintain peace so far. However, recently a religious conflict broke out, stimulated by extremists. But a faith-based campaign for a vision of ‘One Family Under God’ began bringing heads of each religion together, that is Catholic Cardinals and Muslim Sultans,” Chairman Dr. Moon said. “The United States Department of State that has to deal with War on Terror and Middle East issues is also showing a huge interest in this campaign,” he said.
Next, “A faith-based Peace Council should be established at the United Nations to support systematically faith-based movements around the world on an international level,” Dr. Moon stressed. The reason for such belief was that the current UN organization was formed centering on different ideological blocks in the Cold War Era.”A faith-based Peace Council should be founded within the UN organization and a campaign for peace should spread across the world through regional religious leaders,” Chairman Dr. Moon said.
“Koreans have experienced the Korean War and territorial separation. They are well aware that development cannot take place without peace and stability. I do not see the fact that the Secretary-General of the United Nations and the President of the World Bank are Koreans as being a mere coincidence,” Dr. Moon said. “There are many problems in the world, yet the religious issue may threaten the very existence of humanity. I will continue to advise that a faith-based issue is what the United Nations must at the top of their priority list,” he said.
