Message of Dr Charles S. Yang, Chairman of UPF International

Commemorating the 19th Anniversary of the Founding of the Universal Peace Federation

September 12, 2024

Distinguished leaders who are working tirelessly to realize peace for humanity around the globe:

The Universal Peace Federation (UPF), founded on September 12, 2005, in New York, USA by Rev. Sun Myung Moon and Dr. Hak Ja Han Moon, in the presence of 1,200 leaders including current and former heads of state from around the world, has now reached its 19th anniversary.

The 20th century was an era of turbulence for humanity, encompassing intense colonial competition, two world wars, subsequent colonial liberation movements, the war on the Korean Peninsula, the East-West Cold War that divided the world in half, along with rapid advancements in science and technology and various social and political revolutions that swept the globe. As we entered the 21st century with new hope for peace, humanity witnessed the advance of globalization through growing economic interconnectivity, the digital revolution, the expansion of the internet, and the spread of social media. The world has entered an era of hyper-connectivity. This has accelerated information sharing and cultural exchange, breaking down barriers between nations and regions, and giving rise to cooperative multilateralism. However, the COVID-19 pandemic paused this process, forcing people into isolation and erecting barriers between nations once again.

In 2000, leaving behind a century of turbulence, the United Nations adopted the ambitious Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) to address various challenges facing humanity. In 2015, it adopted the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), setting more specific objectives such as eradicating poverty, ending hunger, ensuring health and well-being, providing quality education, reducing inequality, addressing climate change, preserving ecosystems, promoting peace and justice, and fostering global partnerships. However, the UN faces limitations in achieving these goals. Although it was founded as an international organization for peace and has expanded to nearly 200 member states, it has become evident that the United Nations cannot resolve global conflicts or realize world peace as long as UN member states primarily advocate for their own national and regional interests.

In his inaugural address in 2005, Rev. Sun Myung Moon proclaimed that the mission of UPF was to provide a new level of leadership, focused on service to others, that would help to renew the United Nations through its example. Furthermore, to advance the cause of peace, Rev. Moon proposed the providential and revolutionary project of building a World Peace King Bridge and Tunnel across the Bering Strait, connecting the former Cold War protagonists, Russia and the United States. This project represented a new paradigm: advocating the use of science, technology, and economic cooperation to advance the philosophy of peace and substantiate the concept of one global family.

A tragic legacy of the Cold War is the division of the Korean Peninsula into North and South. Potential military conflict between North and South Korea remains a serious threat to this day. Rev. Sun Myung Moon and Dr. Hak Ja Han Moon have persistently advocated the resolution of this conflict as an important step toward bringing peace and security to the Asia-Pacific region and to the world. In a speech at UN Headquarters in New York in 2000, Rev. Moon proposed that a World Peace Park be set up in the demilitarized zone (DMZ) between the two Koreas. UPF continues to advocate for this project, as a means of easing tensions in the region and opening the way toward global cooperation that can lead to world peace.

The year 2025 is a special year. It marks UPF's 20th anniversary, and also the 80th anniversary of the founding of the United Nations, and 80 years since Korea's liberation from Japanese colonial rule. We cherish the hope that it will be the year that brings an end to the historical pain and division of the Korean people.

On this 19th anniversary of UPF, as Ambassadors for Peace, as righteous men and women, and as heavenly envoys, let us strengthen our resolve to work toward ending the historical conflicts that obstruct the emergence of peace in our world. Holding in our hearts the noble vision of our founders, Rev. Sun Myung Moon and Dr. Hak Ja Han Moon, let us strive to fulfill that vision.

Thank you.

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