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Global Youth Summit 2017: “Achieving 2030 Sustainable Development Goals through Youth Collaboration, Leadership, and Innovation”

March 3rd, 2017 – SM Mall of Asia Arena, Manila, Philippines 

Keynote Address: Dr. Hyun Jin Preston Moon, Global Peace Foundation chairman

Hello Manila! It’s a tremendous honor for me to come speak to a bunch of young people. As you all know, we just completed the 7th Global Peace Convention where I had an opportunity to meet many older people from all around the world. Us older guys represent the present and the past, but you young people represent the future.

So when I was given this opportunity, I jumped at it, because if we can inspire the next generation to dream–not just a small dream, but a big dream–it can change and shape the landscape not only of this nation of the Philippines, not only East Asia, but all Asia. And not only all Asia, but the entire world, because the circumstances today allow such dreams to become a reality.

With young people, the most important thing is passion. You have to be passionate about the future you want to create. If you don’t have passion, you don’t have ownership. If you don’t have ownership, you’re not going to make that dream something that motivates and animates your life.

Many times as I speak to people from around the world, I give a quote–a profound quote–given by a very influential figure in the heartland of Asia. His name was Genghis Khan. He said, “If one person dreams a dream, it is but a dream. But if a thousand people, if all the people of the world dreams the same dream, then that dream becomes a reality.” This is a time in which the 7 billion people of the earth should dream the same dream, a dream to bring peace on Earth through a vision that can unite the human family that has been suffering for millennia. It is a visceral vision that’s rooted in fundamental truths that we can all, regardless of culture, background, ethnicity, or nationality, relate with. And what do you think that dream is? One Family under God!

Imagine if everyone can make that dream their dream. That’s what the Global Peace Foundation is seeking to build because its founding vision is “One Family Under God,” one family at a time.

One of the reasons why I like the Philippines is because you already have a culture that resonates with this vision. You’re a nation that is deeply rooted in faith and understands the importance of the family. The family represents the most important social unit in society. If the family goes awry, society goes awry. You recognize this. Thus, you have the foundation in which you can make this truth your own.

This vision can not only have tremendous impact in this nation of the Philippines but eventually Southeast Asia and the world. Why? Because Southeast Asia is going to be that influential. You have everything here. You have moderate governments. You have an inclusive social and religious environment. This is especially relevant at this time with the global war against terror, which is turning into something that looks very much like inter-religious conflict, which is the worst of conflicts that humanity can engage in.

At the same time, you are at the center of the most dynamic regional trade zone in the world. If the Philippines can build a national model of economic, social and political transformation, the impact the Philippine islands can make to the rest of Asia, especially starting from Southeast Asia, cannot be measured. It will have tremendous impact.

Now although I look at the Philippines as my second home in Asia, I was born in Korea. Is Korea a united nation or a divided nation? Of several nations that were divided after WWII, only Korea remains divided. One thing you have to understand is that this division was not the wish of the Korean people. Korea faced many of the experiences that most of Asia experienced, including the Philippines.

Korea was under the colonial dominion of the Japanese. After World War II, the Korean people had the opportunity to fulfill a 5,000-year-old dream, which was to create an ideal model nation rooted in their founding ideal of Hongik Ingan, which stated that the Korean people had a divine mandate from Heaven to build a nation that can serve all of humanity. As a student of history, who studied all the civilizations that are studied, I know of no ancient civilization that had such high-minded ideals, that believed that they were meant to serve the rest of humanity. Thus, the Korean people, although we are an ancient civilization, never invaded others. Although Korea, being sandwiched between China and Japan, was invaded countless times, the Korean people never invaded our neighbors. We tried to build an ideal nation because of this heavenly mandate, and with the end of WWII, for the first time in our history, we received the freedom to be able to do so. But that dream was taken away as Korea was sucked up into the Cold War geopolitics of that age, and an unnatural division was created, arbitrarily separating the Korean people, the Korean family, and the Korean Dream.

This is a time in which the world is moving from the Atlantic sphere to the Pacific sphere. This is a time when Asian stories should stimulate the hearts and minds of people, not only here in Asia, but around the world. And the Korean story is that Asian story. Korean Unification will represent the end of the colonial era that had plagued Asia. It will also represent the end of the Cold War that had plagued our landscape. It will also mark the beginning of a new era, that represents the era of Asia.

I wrote a book recently. It’s called Korean Dream. There, I cite the writings of Tagore, who won the Nobel Peace Prize in literature, where he wrote, “Korea at one time was the lamp-bearer of Asia. And Korea waits for that light to be lit once again for all of Asia and the world”. Well, ladies and gentlemen, this is a time in which that light shall be lit again through all of you dreaming that same dream – a dream to build One Family under God. The greatest impediment to the fulfillment of that dream is peace in the most dynamic region of the world, where the world is now moving towards, which is here in Asia.

The unity of North and South Korea is the civil rights issue of this age. It should not just be the dream of all Koreans, but of all Asians, and most of all, of everyone around the world.

For young people, you need passion and you need dreams. And as I explained, this is a time to dream big, bold, hairy dreams.

Let me explain more in depth the reason why the Philippines was chosen for this year’s Global Peace Convention. Various factors around the world are giving a unique opportunity to this island nation. Just like Korea, the Philippines has a unique role to play. The Philippines is the only other Christian nation in Asia. Korea is a Christian nation in the Northern Hemisphere, and the Philippines is a Christian Nation in the Southern Hemisphere. The history of the Philippines is very tied to the West, unlike Asia proper. It was under Spanish colonial occupation and eventually within the US territorial relationship. So at this time, when there is a shift moving from the Atlantic to the Pacific Rim, these two nations, from the Northern hemisphere and the Southern hemisphere, will play an increasingly important role.

This is where I’m going to inspire you young people here in the Philippines. It is this opportunity that affords you the chance to be leaders in your own right, in whatever capacity, however small or large. But you have to dream. It is dreamers that are able to see opportunities and capture and bring to reality possibilities. It is those who are willing to dream that can make opportunities into substantive reality that brings about transformation in this world. If anything, I’m hoping that this talk will give you the chance to stop and think about whether or not what is motivating me today is really capturing the opportunity that fate has provided, not only to myself, but to this nation, this region, and this world.

We need people who can dream, and who are bold enough to take that dream and make it into something real and profound. We need people of enterprise that can be creative and move issues forward. We need people who can offer new paradigms, new frameworks that can shape and address problems that currently exist in society or in this nation. Those are going to be the movers and shakers of tomorrow.

So young people, be the dreamers that define what this century will be. Be the dreamers that can realize the dreams that have animated humanity ever since our creation. Be willing and bold enough to dream the greatest dream of all – the dream to build One Family under God.

Can you do that, yes or no? Very good. Thank you very much!

See more updates from the 2017 Global Peace Convention in Manila, Philippines here: http://www.hyunjinmoon.com/global-peace-convention-2017/

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The following is the full transcript of the keynote speech delivered by Dr. Hyun Jin Preston Moon, chairman of the Global Peace Foundation, at the 2017 Global Peace Convention opening plenary in the Manila Marriott Convention Center & Hotel.

Excellencies, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen:

It is my great honor and privilege to welcome you to this seventh Global Peace Convention here in Manila, Philippines. This Convention is bringing together leaders from more than 40 nations. They make up all sectors of society, including politicians and government officials, religious and business leaders, educators as well as civil society and youth leaders. What is exciting is that they are coming together based upon a common vision for peace and prosperity, and ready to work together to achieve it.

Many thanks to former President Gloria Arroyo of the Philippines and former President Vinicio Cerezo of Guatemala for co-chairing the international advisory committee in addition to the collaboration and support of so many partners and agencies both internationally and here in the Philippines. I would like to thank my good friend Dr. Edwin Feulner, founder of the prestigious Heritage Foundation in Washington DC, for championing the cause of liberty and the vibrant US-Asian alliance.

I would like to acknowledge from my homeland of Korea, the Honorable Jin Pyo Kim, distinguished member of the Korean National Assembly and former Deputy Prime Minister, and the Honorable Hwa Gahp Han, a statesman and former Chairman of the New Millennium Democratic Party of the Republic of Korea.

I would also like to recognize the members of GPF’s Global Leadership Council from around the world listed in the program. And special thanks to our many convention sponsors and partners here including the Philippines Department of Education, the Commission on Higher Education, the Tourism Promotions Board, the Chamber of Commerce of the Philippine Islands, SM Cares, and all of our media partners, along with the many global partners including IBM, One Korea Foundation, United Nations ESCAP, and many others listed in your convention program.

Dr. Robert A. Schuller and Donna Schuller applauding

We are convening this historic 7^th Global Peace Convention here in Manila, returning to the Philippines – the site of our first Convention in 2009 – for important reasons. As I mentioned more than a decade ago, the Asian continent and the Pacific Island nations are increasingly becoming the center of global influence, economic opportunity and dynamism. Clearly the global center is shifting from the Atlantic sphere, as we are entering what can be called the pan-Pacific Rim era. As a rising Southeast Asian nation with unique geographic, cultural and historic connections, the Philippines is ideally positioned to play an important role for peace in this region and the world.

Throughout past Global Peace Conventions, a reoccurring theme I emphasized was the importance of the southern hemisphere in determining the future of this century. I noted the potential of guiding their emerging political and economic systems to reflect the best models that the developed world has already produced without making the same mistakes that plague those very nations today. In other words, due to their later development, they have the unique opportunity to gain from the best solutions and mitigate the failed approaches to guide their national and regional development.

The Southeast Asian block shows the greatest promise, in this regards. It is strategically situated in the most active global maritime trade zone, replete with abundant natural resources, a huge growing population of industrious people, moderate governments as well as a relatively inclusive social and religious environment. Thus, this block has the potential of being a rapidly growing region with greater global economic, political, social and religious consequences. What transpires here will affect Southeast Asia, the pan-Pacific rim, Asia proper and the rest of the world.

That is why we have come here to the Philippines again, my second home in Asia, at a time it is playing a greater role in determining the future of this region as the Chair of the 50^th ASEAN convening. And most importantly, given the principles and values-based perspective of the Global Peace Convention, it is natural that we are convening here because of the God-centered, family-oriented heart of the Filipino people, as reflected in the Philippines national motto: Maka-Diyos, maka-tao, maka-kalikasan, at maka-bansa – For the love of God, people, nature and country.

Our convening here under the theme Moral and Innovative Leadership: New Models for Peace and Development is timely and relevant. A little more than a year ago, the United Nations and related international entities launched a campaign to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030. This convention is offering innovative and new sustainable models of multi-sector cooperation to the achievement of these goals. At the same time, there are even more fundamental issues that must be addressed, especially as we aspire to achieve not only laudable development aims but also genuine peace based on liberty, individual rights and just governance.

The year 2016 was certainly one of considerable turmoil, challenge and change. We are at a major inflection point in the history of our nations, and have reached a crossroads amidst changes of leadership from Asia to the Americas, and around the world. Failed top down models and the status quo are giving way to the rise of populist movements that champion the concerns of those who feel left out or overrun in rapidly changing social landscapes.

Global trends and technological advances have resulted in the closer engagement of peoples, cultures and economies. That affords us great opportunity for positive development, but also can pose significant challenges in forging cohesion amongst diverse peoples. As the world becomes “smaller” and more inter-connected, how can we build unity within the great diversity of human nationalities, ethnicities, races and religions? How can we reconcile the differences between national interest and the global good?

Any global perspective or approach based solely on political or economic considerations is inherently limited and insufficient. Globalization is being challenged because nations have not developed the ways or means to move beyond narrow self-interest. In short, no one has effectively put forth a moral and spiritual justification for a new dimension of international engagement.

What is required is a simple, clear vision that encapsulates the essence of our common humanity, grounded in universal principles that support fundamental human rights as endowed by the Creator and the spiritual and moral essence of all people. Such principles are practically applied in shared values that guide how we should live and relate with each other. Shared values are the “glue” that can bind together any level of society, whether a neighborhood, a nation, or the entire global community.

We urgently need such a unifying vision; we need to recognize the vital importance of the self-evident, transcendent truths that define our common humanity; and we need to build consensus around shared values to undergird the creation of vibrant, prosperous, ethical societies. It is precisely for this purpose that I founded the Global Peace Foundation, to promote a vision expressing our common humanity, uplifting universal principles and shared values. It is from this broad-based platform that we work to concretely demonstrate the effectiveness of this values-based approach in addressing critical issues of peace and opportunity in communities and nations around the world. That vision statement is simple and clear: that all people regardless of nationality, race, ethnicity or religion belong to One Family under God.

The universal principles that undergird our liberty and define our common humanity may be named differently in various cultures, but nonetheless express transcendent truths. In my native Korea, they are expressed in the millennia-old ethic known as “Hongik Ingan.” In India, it is expressed in the ancient Hindu ideal of “Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam.” In Africa, it is known as “Ubuntu” and, in the United States, it is expressed as self-evident truths in the American Declaration of Independence.

In an ever-shrinking world fraught with the complexities of globalization, we urgently need an expression of universal shared values. Some have called such an expression a “global ethic.” I am happy to report that at this Convention significant efforts are being made to build on and carry forward the decades-long efforts to establish a consensus on a global ethic. I want to recognize and appreciate Dr. Leonard Swidler, a distinguished scholar and one of the noted pioneers of this effort, who will be headlining our Convention’s interfaith peace-building track. This track will be launching an ongoing initiative to further advance a global ethic with counterparts from Christian, Muslim, Hindu and other diverse spiritual traditions.

Moral and Innovative Leadership

Ladies and gentlemen, vision enables us to perceive what is possible, to look beyond the way things are and to see how things could be. Yet, if that vision is not acted upon and ideals are not concretely applied and lived, they remain only as abstractions, lacking tangible form and real consequences. Thus, transformative leaders are those who embrace and internalize noble ideals and set out to create the proper precedents of how they should be manifested.

The unique framework of “moral and innovative leadership” which I first introduced at our Global Peace Convention 2010 in Nairobi, clearly and concisely encapsulates the leadership qualities needed for our time. Though innovative technologies offer enormous potential to solve many of humanity’s most difficult problems, they cannot solve the roots of conflict and corruption. Leadership that is ethical and that has integrity is essential.

A moral leader is guided by a common vision that reflects the most fundamental human aspirations, conforms to universal spiritual principles that govern human life, and is committed to advance the greater good before self-interest. Moral and innovative leadership can tap the wellspring of innate human creativity because as self-governing, responsible and ethical citizens, such leaders are best prepared to address even the most intractable social problems.

Since 2010, GPF has used this framework of moral and innovative leadership in a wide spectrum of conferences, forums, and youth leadership programs. In every context, it keeps the focus on the qualities of leadership needed to achieve our most important goals, tapping our creative potential while guided by clear ethical standards. Likewise, here at the Global Peace Convention 2017, we are examining new models for peace and development within this framework.

Korean Dream

One striking example of peace is being created here in Asia in my native home of Korea. The continuing division on the Korean peninsula, and the actions of North Korea in pursuing a belligerent nuclear agenda, are now the most urgent threat to peace and security facing Asia and the world today. Maintaining the status quo is not an option. A new approach is needed that moves beyond the outdated Cold War framework, and engages the Korean people and their neighbors in shaping their own destiny.

My book the Korean Dream, published in Korean at the end of 2014 and now with a recently released English edition, lays out a roadmap for such an approach, guiding the most significant and comprehensive effort in the world today to realize the dream of one united Korea. It is being implemented by Action for Korea United, an unprecedented alliance of more than a thousand civil society, faith-based and non-governmental organizations, under the One Korea campaign. The Global Peace Foundation is a leading partner in the AKU alliance based in South Korea and is spreading that foundation to Korean diaspora communities around the world.

This ongoing campaign for One Korea has made remarkable progress and impact. We will hear much about the approaches applied and lessons learned in Korea throughout this Convention. Here let me briefly highlight the key elements of the Korean Dream roadmap that are also highly relevant in other nations and contexts around the world.

First, shared vision based on universal principles is the essential starting point. The Korean Dream points to the historic ethic familiar to all Koreans, both from the South and the North, called Hongik Ingan. It is intrinsically linked to the Korean identity, and calls for the Korean people to fulfill a destiny of living for the benefit of all humanity. Like all nations that suffered the yoke of colonialism, post-war Korea sought to define its own unique nationalist agenda but was unfortunately sucked into the geo-politics of the Cold War. It reminds Koreans that the current divide was a foreign construct outside of the aspirations of the Korean people who wanted to create a new model nation with the fall of the Japanese empire after World War II.

Secondly, the familial institution is central to the strength of the nation. Traditional Korean culture has a profound ethos based on the extended family. Those family traditions nurture essential values and provide order, stability and continuity in human relations. Such traditions are vital to the wellbeing of all, and the health of the society at large.

Korea today is a highly developed nation, with world-class infrastructure, and high levels of material prosperity. Tragically, overemphasis on adopting western norms and external development has led to family breakdown and erosion of extended family traditions. As a direct result, Korea now has one of the world’s lowest marriage and birth rates, high rates of elderly suicide and other serious social problems. Safeguarding the institution of family is vital to the health of a nation.

Diverse audience listening intently

Thirdly, a welcoming spiritual environment is essential to building a stable secular nation. I particularly mention the unique spiritual consciousness of the Korean people that enabled them to invite and adopt all the major religious traditions from around the world as well as from within. This is remarkable in that they are a predominately a homogenous people. This consciousness evolved through Korea’s, five thousand year, history to realize its founding ideals of creating a model nation that would serve all humanity. This lofty ideal made the Korean people look to religion and faith as an important resource for gleaning fundamental truths that could guide the destiny of their nation.

Thus, religion was not separate from governance but, instead, informed it. This is especially relevant today in modern western-styled democracies that are mistakenly trying to redefine the purpose of the separation of church and state. Of course, the original purpose was to assure that there was no one state-sponsored religion, but today is interpreted as the exclusion of faith from the public square. Because human beings are essentially spiritual, and naturally seek higher meaning and truths, it is essential that religious and faith activists are included in the larger body politic of a stable, ethical nation.

Lastly, a bottom-up approach to building national identity was essential to South Korea’s rise from abject poverty after the Korean War. A key element was the “new village movement” which tapped into the self-reliant spirit and community resilience of the Korean people. Encouraging self-reliance, promoting high standards of education, and engaging citizens as owners in the vision for the nation are all aspects of strengthening the country’s human capital. Citizens working together in common cause can be a powerful force for positive change.

In that same light the dream of one united Korea is for all Koreans, and working toward that end is not only for government officials or policy experts. Thus Action for Korea United (AKU) focuses on grassroots citizen initiatives and education to engage all levels of Korean society in the cause of Korean unification. “People power” can be tapped in any nation to promote the greater good, including the use of information technology and social media to ignite the spark of freedom in repressive societies like North Korea.

Civil society organizations can serve as important catalysts for change. AKU is making a huge impact because it is a broad-based alliance of organizations that touch every level of South Korean society, as well as outreaching to North Korea and diaspora communities. Likewise, around the world today civil society groups, many of which are motivated by faith and wisdom traditions, are making significant impact on a wide range of issues.

Utilizing these key elements, the movement for One Korea is making tremendous headway on the biggest peace and security challenge facing humanity. Imagine how significant it will be when this movement resolves this tragic division and conflict on the Korean peninsula that still endures after more than 70 years. With this momentum for Korea now led by the Korean people, it is time to add the global support of people and nations around the world. And here at the Global Peace Convention 2017 in Manila, AKU and its partners are substantially launching the One K Global Campaign through the scholarly meetings here and the One K Global Peace Concert at the Mall of Asia Arena on March 2^nd!

Creating synergies; making impact

The Global Peace Foundation and our many partners are working together on the most pressing issues facing the human family. Our convening here in Manila is bringing those comprehensive efforts into focus – highlighting best practices, learning from on-the-ground practitioners, and creating new synergies to empower and energize leaders in making greater ongoing impact. This Global Peace Convention features an impressive array of panels, forums and action-oriented workshops all designed to be a catalyst for the concrete work of peacebuilding on every continent. Let me summarize what we will be addressing in the coming days:

• GPF’s unique interfaith platform is being applied to effectively address identity-based conflict and extremism in hotspots in West and East Africa, to build cohesion among diverse communities, and much more.
• Major faith leaders and practitioners will be discussing peace building strategies, and important issues related with international religious freedom, as well as building a global ethical framework.
• The Korean unification track includes prominent scholars from across Northeast Asia and the US who are applying a roadmap and declaration for unification, together with the grassroots leadership network of Action for Korea United.
• The Economic and Business Track features the 2^nd Global Peace Economic Forum addressing strategies to unleash ASEAN economic development potential, as well as dynamic business sessions organized in partnership with the Chamber of Commerce of the Philippine Islands.
• The Global Peace Women track includes the Women Leaders’ Summit, stimulating panels on leadership, and workshops for practical training, all under the theme of “New Women’s Leadership Culture for Peace and Development: From the Home to the World.”
• The “Transforming Education” track is organized in partnership with the Philippines Department of Education and other partners, and is convening in conjunction with the 5^th International Professors and Educators Conference. Among the highlighted projects is Leap Hubs, a leadership and entrepreneurship program in schools in which students develop businesses and social enterprises. GPF’s partners on this program include Google, Samsung, Intel, Cisco, Airtel Networks, and Fujitsu. In addition Oracle is partnering with GPF in 2017 in Kenya and Philippines to facilitate technical training for high school students and faculty through the Oracle Academy.
• This Convention includes an exciting Global Peace Youth Assembly, and our delegates will also join the exciting Global Youth Summit on March 3, being organized by SM Cares together with GPF Philippines and other partners at the SM Mall of Asia Arena. 15,000 young leaders will join the Youth Summit under the theme of moral and innovative leadership, and building on the momentum both from this Convention and the One K Global Peace Concert.

We commend the Asia Pacific Peace and Development Service Alliance, dynamic corporate partners like IBM that are key sponsors of this Convention, and the many service organizations and Global Peace Volunteers who are advancing a culture of service and citizenship rooted in the ethos of living for the sake of others. These include volunteers from Mongolia who are engaged in extensive tree planting, as well as Rise Nepal volunteers who are healing families from the earthquake tragedy and cleaning up the Bagmati River of Nepal.

They also include those addressing the challenge of hygiene and clean water in India, and other projects across East and West Africa, Brazil, Paraguay and the US. Together they are building a Global Peace Service Alliance that is providing compassion and service where needed in our global human family. Thank you all for your servant leadership, together as torchbearers for a culture of service.

Conclusion

Participants represented 40 different countries

Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for joining us here in Manila to contribute your talents, resources and time for this noble cause – to a build a world in which we substantially live as One Family under God. I congratulate the Philippine people for their progress and growing leadership role in the region and world. I am proud of the foundation built with our partners through many global peace festivals and prior leadership convenings here, as well as character education, youth service initiatives, and community development programs that are setting high standards in implementation and impact.

Your laudable efforts, one act of leadership and service at a time, are ushering in the most transformational work in education, and in your enterprises and homes, the true incubators of love and character. This 7^th Global Peace Convention reflects the most promising models of peace and development forging a greater force for good, that can transform the thunderclouds of warring tensions around us to a new era uplifting our common humanity.

Let us unleash this renaissance of character, service, enterprise, scholarship and peace for the good of our world.

May God bless your families and nations in this noble task.

Salamat Po – Thank you very much.

—

See more updates from the Global Peace Convention 2017: http://www.hyunjinmoon.com/global-peace-convention-2017/

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Select sessions of the Global Peace Convention 2017 will be aired LIVE.
Tune in from all over the world.

Schedule:

February 28
Plenary I:
9:30am – 11:30am

(February 27: 5:30pm – 7:30pm PST / 8:30pm – 10:30pm EST)

Plenary II:
2:00pm – 3:30pm

(February 27: 10:00pm – 11:30pm PST / February 28: 1:00am – 2:30am EST)

March 1
Global Peace Awards Gala:
7:00pm – 9:00pm

(3:00am – 5:00am PST / 6:00am – 8:00am EST)

March 2
Plenary III:
11:00am – 12:30pm

(March 1: 7:00pm – 8:30pm PST / 10:00pm – 11:30pm EST)

Closing Plenary:
2:00pm – 3:30pm

(February 27: 10:00pm – 11:30pm PST / February 28: 1:00am – 2:30am EST)

Time converter: http://www.thetimezoneconverter.com/

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(Photo Credit: Guy Oliver/IRIN ) A young girl at Camp Salahuddin, a fishing village in the Tarragona district of Davao Oriental province on the Philippines island of Mindanao

Mindanao, the southernmost island of the Philippines, is home to three distinct ethnic-religious groups: Muslims, Christian migrant and Indigenous people. What should be the region’s greatest asset, has long been a source of bitter division and violence.

Clashes between Muslims and Christians can be traced as far back as the 1800s. At the turn of the century, the government of the Philippines declared “all-out war” with the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF). The conflict is just coming to a close. On January 14, 2014, an official peace treaty was signed between the MNLF and the Philippine government, an agreement facilitated by the Malaysian government.

For many, including Dr. Estrella Abid Babano, former Department of Education Minister for Mindanao and founder of the Mindanao Peace Initiative, the treaty is just the beginning. “Peace is a process,” she emphasized. “You cannot just sign a paper and expect it to happen.” Dr. Babano has been at the helm of establishing peace through interfaith cooperation.

Dr. Estrella Babano, Chair of the Mindanao Peace Initiative.

According to a recent post by the Global Peace Foundation about  Dr. Babano, her fight for peace in Mindanao is deeply personal. She has watched the conflict tear through her home and robbed an entire generation of peace and opportunity. The post cites a World Bank study that reported more than 40% of households in the area having been displaced and the region remains the poorest and most underdeveloped in the Philippines.

A longtime educator, Dr. Babano, is convinced “education is the permanent solution to our situation.” In her years of experience she has discovered that the foremost task of education is the education of the heart and the formation of a child’s values.

Thus, Dr. Babano has outlined four guideposts for peace education that she presented at the Global Peace Convention 2013 Interfaith Forum. These principles direct the process of “achieving a state of oneness among the tri-people.”

The guideposts are as follows:

1. Harmony with God – Conflict, according to Dr. Babano, begins when individuals do not have peace-of-mind. When they in conflict with the “commandments of God” they are not at peace with themselves.
2. Harmony with Self and Others– She continued to explain that when one “violates their conscious” one cannot be at peace with oneself themselves or with others.
3. Harmony with the environment – Finally, she pointed out that we are borrowing this earth from the future generations, thus to be at peace with each other and our children, we must honor the earth.

The Arms to Farms program has children trade in toy guns for seedlings. Transforming “instruments of death to nurturing of life.”

Based on these principles, the Mindanao Peace Initiative has given birth to many projects.

• The “Guns to Farms” program discourages parents from buying toy guns and encourages children to turn in their toys of violence for seedlings. The program transforms “instruments of death to the nurturing of life.”
• Awareness program like special Madrasah for both Muslim and Christian students, indigenous heritage workshops, and homestay exchanges between Christian and Muslim families. These programs are aimed at breaking the “invisible barriers” in people’s minds.
• Peace gardens and villages cultivate cooperation between community members and offer safe haven for children from the violence in the region.

“It is only by investing the creation of a new culture of peace in the present generation that lasting universal peace can be achieved,” concluded Dr. Babano. Her approach is a developing example of how the Global Peace Foundation’s approach to engaging interfaith cooperation for sustainable peace. The culture of hate can be uprooted and seeds of peace planted in the soil of universal principles native to the world’s cultural-religious identities.

For the original blog post visit: www.globalpeace.org. Dr Hyun Jin Moon is founder and chairman of the Global Peace Foundation.

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U.S. Marines were among first responders to Typhoon Haiyan. “Nations and peoples respond to epic disasters with compassion. Such events affirm the common bonds that unite our human family beyond any barriers of race, religion or nationality.”

Dr. Hyun Jin Moon pledges his support for relief and reconstruction efforts in the Philippines in a recent statement. He said, “I am profoundly grieved by the injuries, loss of life and destruction of property that has resulted from this powerful storm. I extend my sincere condolences to the Philippine people and pledge GPF’s resources and human capacity to bring urgent relief to victims.

Disasters of this magnitude call upon the good will of the entire human family. Indeed—as witnessed in recovery efforts from the great Asian tsunamis that devastated Japan and South Asia and Hurricane Katrina, which brought historic destruction to the U.S. Gulf coast—nations and peoples respond to epic disasters with compassion. Such events affirm the common bonds that unite our human family beyond any barriers of race, religion or nationality.”

The Global Peace Foundation wrote “Headquarters staff and global chapters are deeply saddened by the extensive loss of life and the serious damage to homes and infrastructure in the Philippines as a result of the devastating Super Typhoon Haiyan” (known locally as Yolanda).

GPF President James Flynn also announced that the Global Peace Festival scheduled to be hosted in Manila this month has been postponed. The Global Peace Leadership Conference on November 20-22 will convene as scheduled but will reflect significant efforts of GPF and the international community to provide disaster relief to victims of the Philippine tragedy.

“GPF staff may be alerted to work closely with the Government to support its efforts with other NGO’s to assess the situation and respond rapidly to help people in need,” Mr. Flynn said. “A disaster of this magnitude calls upon the empathy and resources of all, and we encourage the global community to donate to the service organization of their choice to provide emergency aid to the Philippine people.”

An official announcement concerning the upcoming Global Peace Leadership Conference and Festival on GPF-Philippines page outlined the following program for the upcoming leadership conference that will now focus on relief efforts.

Nov.17: Coastal Clean-Up, Manila Bay
Nov.17: Global Peace Leadership Conference, Sultan Kudarat
Nov.18-19: Alllights Village International Service Project, Nueva Ecija
Nov.20-22: Global Peace Leadership Conference, Manila Hotel
Nov.21: GLOBAL PEACE VOLUNTEERS ASSEMBLY, Manila Hotel

The Global Peace Volunteers Assembly will launch a service-oriented initiative with over 2,000 youths who will work to meet the recovery needs on the island. “We extend invitation to all who share this heart of love for our extended family.”

To donate to recovery efforts visit: www.globalpeace.org.

The post Dr. Moon Sends Condolences to Victims of Typhoon Haiyan and Calls Upon “the Good Will of the Entire Human Family.” appeared first on Hyun Jin Preston Moon.

Global Peace Festival in Korea has engaged thousands of Koreans in the season of giving. From raising millions of PhP for solar lights in rural villages in the Philippines, making meals for the elderly, and bringing sports equipment for rising sports stars in Kenya, the culture of service is warming up the peninsula.

Global Peace Festival in Korea has engaged thousands of Koreans in the season of giving. From raising millions of PhP for solar lights in rural villages in the Philippines, making meals for the elderly, and bringing sports equipment for rising sports stars in Kenya, the culture of service is warming up the peninsula.

http://storify.com/onefamily_God/a-season-of-giving-for-gpf-korea

The post A Season of Giving – GPF Korea Style appeared first on Hyun Jin Preston Moon.

Over a 1,000 youth gathered in the Sky Dome in Quezon, Philippines for the Global Youth Summit 2012. Themed 3D: Design, Develop, Deliver, the high energy summit inspired youth participants to become moral and innovative leaders who pursue big dreams.

http://storify.com/onefamily_God/global-youth-envision-the-future

The post Global Youth Envision the Future appeared first on Hyun Jin Preston Moon.