Statement by Heavenly Culture, World Peace, Restoration of Light (HWPL) Regarding Russia and Ukraine
Russia’s current attack on Ukraine stirs disturbance and tension globally and threatens a peaceful future, which all of humanity must build for future generations.
Military aggression against a sovereign state cannot be a solution to any problem, and the perils of such war and violent conflict hit innocent citizens the hardest, including women, the youth, and children. Nothing can repay the lost lives, and the direness of being made refugees overnight cannot be consoled with anything but the cessation of hostilities and peace.
As an international peace NGO listed in UN ECOSOC and UN DGC, HWPL joins the UN and the international community in voicing condemnation against actions that cause a global crisis and violate human rights through the act of aggression.
Russia must withdraw its forces back to its country and ensure the safety of the people of Ukraine. Russia must clearly express the will to join talks and efforts to resolve the current crisis peacefully. At the same time, it must come forward with respect for the principles of international law and manner apt to rectification, with a bearing of peace. Such a decision will gain the support of the entire global community and become a milestone in the journey of building lasting peace.
HWPL calls on the youth around the world to join the voices calling for peace and the cessation of war. It is for the fellow youth citizens who share the same era with us and are made victims in the violence of war, and it is for the future of the global community.
Furthermore, for the peaceful resolution of the current crisis of Russia and Ukraine, we support and urge swift action of the UN and request all nations to demonstrate their love for humanity by offering help to refugees.
HWPL is conducting the “Legislate Peace” (LP) project, an initiative to garner support for the DPCW and achieve its adoption at the international level. Starting this year, we have launched new campaigns to bring fresh energy to our society that has grown weary of the pandemic.
One of the campaigns is an online study group on the DPCW Handbook. This handbook explains the 10 articles and 38 clauses of the DPCW in detail. The study aims to teach citizens about the values and spirit of peace embodied in each article and urge them to support the DPCW.
Replay the video7th Anniversary of the September 18th HWPL World Peace Summit EN: https://bit.ly/918_2021_EN1
Online Study Group on the DPCW Handbook
The handbook was finalized in October 2020 includes content on each article of the DPCW as well as related international issues on why peace is necessary and how it can be achieved.
Below, we will have a Q&A session for DPCW, the key end the war. Shall we check out what you were curious about the DPCW Handbook?
Q. Why did you introduce the DPCW Handbook as a textbook of education? I think that the DPCW Handbook enables us to systematically teach international law and the essence of peace to these students and others. And that enables these students to become lecturers in the following course.
Q. Please tell us how you felt while hosting the DPCW Handbook Discussion Project. It was very interesting to see how these students become lecturers in international [laws] and ambassadors of peace while they talked to others about the DPCW Handbook and how they become ambassadors of peace in the whole world.
Q. Do you have any plans after the DPCW Handbook Discussion Project? Obviously, I do have, because, after the instructions in the DPCW Handbook on peace, I want to become a lecturer in DPCW Handbook and inculcate the message of DPCW peace through my students. So I will be a lecturer not only at my home, but I want to reach out to the students elsewhere in other cities and in the region as such.
The DPCW handbook online study sessions have been held in 20 schools in Bangladesh, India, and Tunisia since November 2020. Students analyzed and explored the DPCW through discussions and presentations, while legal experts and professors participated as mentors.
Q. Please feel free to tell us what you felt special about participating in the DPCW Handbook Discussion Project. Joining the six-month-long DPCW Handbook Discussion Project was a wonderful peace learning experience for me. The whole course was quite special. But one thing that I will always particularly cherish about this course was its particular focus on the importance of peace education. Throughout this Discussion Project, I came to learn about the importance of peace education through the DPCW. And I was persuaded to believe how the importance of peace education can be an effective tool to end the war all over the world.
I joined this course with some brilliant mentors and enthusiastic learners from home and abroad. Throughout this project, I was trained on the importance of peace education by putting the various human rights crisis in context. I believe that the knowledge that I have gained from this course will be great contribution to society and I feel really really great about participating in this course for this reason.
Q. Please tell us what your future plans are. I am currently a final year law student at the University of Dhaka, Bangladesh, and as I have also graduated from the DPCW course, I aim to join the “Peace Education and Culture Based on the DPCW for Citizens” as a lecturer to spread the importance of peace education among the ordinary people. Because I believe DPCW has the potentiality to end the crisis like the ongoing Rohingya crisis we are facing in Bangladesh or the current human rights crisis in Afghanistan. And that’s why I aim to teach ordinary people about peace education particularly people in Bangladesh, Afghanistan, or various other countries like that all over the world. Thank you. Like Arifur Rahman said, HWPL is planning on expanding its educational program on the DPCW Handbook to include the general public. Peace Culture Education will not only enhance citizens’ understanding of international law but also shed light on steps that they need to take to create a peaceful future. emerged during the pandemic. The webinars were held on topics such as domestic violence, women’s rights, and religious minorities, and attended by over 2,300 people in 75 countries.
HWPL is offering a peace platform where governments, local organizations, and citizens can interact and work together to resolve issues that threaten peace in everyday life. We will continue to provide the platform to create a synergy of peace among various sectors and organizations across the globe. In line with implementing the UN Sustainable Development Goal 16, “Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions,” and Goal 17, “Partnerships for the Goals,” in Mali, Africa, HWPL has had discussions with the Malian government officials and civic groups since November 2020. As a result, a peace policy proposal was submitted to the Malian government in September this year.
Mr. Sathit Kumarn, Thailand, President of Ramakrishna Vedanta Association of Thailand
“Actually, you know according to the scriptures, religion is only one, and God is only one, but the paths are different. Every individual has a different path. So, we have to put them together.”
Mr. Sathit Kumarn, Thailand, President of Ramakrishna Vedanta Association of Thailand
WARP Offices were established to fulfill the pledge made during the 2014 HWPL World Peace Summit for the alliance of religions. With 265 offices operating in 129 countries, activities of the WARP Offices have been growing despite the pandemic. For seven months since January in 2021, 3,089 scripture comparison discussions were held, which is a 340% hike compared to the previous year. Such active engagement was possible thanks to the endeavors of countless religious leaders.
I fully support what Mr. Sathit Kumarn said. How about you?
World Peace Summit Calls for Concerted Action for Sustainable Peace in the New Normal Era
How was the HWPL WARP Summit held by the protagonists of peace, also known as the annual festival of peace, during the coronavirus pandemic? Was it a break because of the Corona Pandemic? No. If you look at the article below, you can see more about this year’s event. Please click the article link below.
Over 30 000 people gathered online on Saturday, 18th September, via Youtube live and Zoom, to commemorate the 7th Anniversary of the HWPL World Peace Summit. The organiser of the event, Heavenly Culture, World Peace, Restoration of Light (HWPL), has been conducting citizen-centered peacebuilding activities to create “a culture of peace” advocated by the UN and international community to set up an environment of peaceful coexistence since the World Peace Summit in 2014. This year’s event dealt with the progress of international efforts and the plans to promote the peace agenda in the ‘New Normal’ era shifting from the post-Covid to the with-Covid.
This event presented the concerted action for sustainable peace with cases from various sectors such as international law, religion, education, and the media. Also, it addressed international cooperation to overcome the current crisis that threatens the coexistence and harmony of mankind, which has come to the fore during the pandemic.
Chairman Man Hee Lee of Heavenly Culture, World Peace, Restoration of Light (HWPL)
“Our objective is to end wars in the global village and establish peace and make it a permanent legacy for future generations. Without peace, everything that we managed to build would be destroyed. … We should not let this happen. So, to achieve peace, shouldn’t we achieve our objective with the same spirit?” said Chairman Man Hee Lee of HWPL at the event.
Peacebuilding efforts led by HWPL to establish legal foundations and international norms for peace through connecting global actors are embodied with its effort to advocate the international law for peace by drafting the Declaration of Peace and Cessation of War (DPCW).
“The DPCW Handbook enables us to systematically teach international law and the essence of peace to these students and others. It enables them to become lecturers in the following course,” said Dr. Mizanur Rahman, Chief Advisor of Asian Association of Law Professors (AALP) as well as Former Chair of National Human Rights Commission, Bangladesh (NHRC-BD), highlighting the need to encourage public discourse on peacebuilding by academia.
In addition to the basic principles of peace assigned to nations to uphold, the DPCW has presented principles that should be dealt with in the present era, such as prohibiting the use of force, fostering religious freedom, and civic participation to spread a culture of peace. In particular, it states that efforts for peace come from all members of the global society by identifying not only nation-states but also international organizations and all citizens as the main actors of building peace. Former President of Ecuador, Dr. Rosalia Arteaga Serrano shared:
“We know that it will be hard to achieve peace if we are not all working for it. This is why we need to encourage children, the youth, and adults to prevent verbal abuse and work towards reducing inequalities and eradicating disparities to achieve a more equitable, stable, and peaceful world,”
Hon. Octavia Alfred, Minister of Education, Human Resource Planning, Vocational Training, and National Excellence of Dominica, said that the students learn the necessity of mutual coexistence and cooperation through HWPL peace education and pass on to their friends, parents, and teachers what they have learned. She addressed it also deals with concepts that can develop psychosocial competency skills, such as respect for diversity, order, conflict resolution, and negotiation, so it is being used for teacher’s training.
Former High Commissioner of Lesotho to South Africa, Evelyn Letooane
Former High Commissioner of Lesotho to South Africa, Evelyn Letooane speaking at the event. Former High Commissioner of Lesotho to South Africa, Evelyn Letooane, encouraged women to take up their role in the work of peace, encouraging all women to actively become agents for change.
“Whilethe pandemic chart continues, global war must cease. This is a clarion call to cease all wars and call for peace activities to continue for women and children suffering from war and conflict. Women must immerse themselves into the work for peace rather than letting themselves sit outside of it trying to get work done. Action is the operative word. To this end, women should aim for “working for peace” rather than “protected peace” and peacemaking rather than peacekeeping. It should be emphasized that women are active agents of peace in that process. I am a peace lecturer of IWPG Peace Education having undergone training. My role is to promote peace education, with the spirit of peace, in my country and region.”
Swami Vedanand Saraswati, Spiritual Head at the Arya Samaj in Durban, South Africa
Swami Vedanand Saraswati, Spiritual Head at the Arya Samaj in Durban, South Africa, speaking at the event. Swami Vedanand Saraswati, a faith leader represented Southern Africa WARP Offices in the InterContinenal World Alliance of Religions for Peace panel discussion, saying:
“What we did today, and what HWPL continues to do and has done since its inception, was to selflessly serve through these dialogues. These dialogues help educate and to quash any form of misunderstanding or perception [between religions]. As we get the perceptions cleared, as we dialogue with each other, the heart of the issue lies out there in the community. It is now that we, as faith leaders need to take this out to our congregations so that the fighting stops.”
Click replay button above to watch the entire event(HWPL World Peace Summit) of that day(7th Anniversary of the September 18th) again.
What is the new international law that suggests ways to prevent and resolve disputes and achieve lasting peace?
The Answer is in HWPL Peace Education Chapter 11. I recommend that you read the contents of Chapter 11 of the Peace Textbook below to the end.
Section 1. The Necessity of Law
Social norms are needed for members of society to live in harmony. Social norms include customs, morality, and law. Among them, the law is a norm that must be applied in a mandatory way. What does a society without law look like? Let’s predict what a society without law and order will look like through the life of a fictional tribe called “Troglodytes” in the novel Persian Letters by Montesquieu, Charles Secondat. The Troglodytes did not follow anyone’s words after killing both the king and the administrator. They only cared about their own happiness and agreed that it was none of their business if others were unhappy. These tribesmen who were freed from all regulations lived a free life. However, they soon realize that living without law and order does not benefit them. For example, there was A, who had fertile land, but B and C worked together to kick A out of the house and stole the land. However, C wanted to have the land to himself and killed B. But that did not last long. C was also attacked by D. The Troglodytes had to constantly live a life of anxiety to protect their lives and property. If there is no law in the society, it is obvious that such chaos will occur. If there is no law, how do we resolve when car accidents occur? The same applies when one works hard, but does not receive any wages. These kinds of situations cause conflict. As such, the law is necessary to solve specific problems in society, protect the rights of the members of society, and maintain order.
Section 2. Law-Abiding Spirit
If all members of society know and abide by the law, they can safely protect each other’s lives and property. But even if there is a law, what is the use if no one complies with the law? Therefore, the value of existence and usefulness of the law are in law-abidingness. A “peace citizen” is a person who actively abides by the law based on the law-abiding spirit. They are like a “walking law” that they themselves strictly obey the law and set an example for others. With the rapid development of transportation and communication in the 21st century, the modern people’s area of activity has expanded from their own country to overseas and even to online spaces. The law-abiding spirit is essential for people of different races, religions, and values to coexist peacefully in all these spaces. Currently, the ministries of education and many schools in developed countries are aware that sustainable development is no longer possible only with education focused on knowledge transfer and technology acquisition. Schools are increasing the proportion of civic education, order education, personality education, environmental education, and more. In order for the state and society to achieve sustainable development in the trend of globalization in the 21st century, fostering citizens with a law-abiding spirit is an important and urgent task.
Section 3. Peace Agreement
Salmon Oliver Levinson, an American lawyer who lived through World War I, said that it was mankind’s worst mistake to legalize the war. In any country, murder is universally defined as the worst crime and there are laws that prohibit it. But why is there no law prohibiting war? Salmon Levinson believed that the most fundamental way to eliminate war was to outlaw war itself. At that time, his idea of outlawing war was revolutionary. Levinson’s efforts paid off on August 27, 1928 with the Kellogg-Briand Pact. It was signed by 15 nations outlawing war as an instrument of national policy. Article 1 of the Kellogg-Briand Pact states, “The High Contracting Parties solemnly declare in the names of their respective peoples that they condemn recourse to war for the solution of international controversies, and renounce it, as an instrument of national policy in their relations with one another.” This agreement made war illegal for the first time in history. However, this agreement, which was not binding, failed to prevent World War II. For this reason, there is also criticism that the document does not actually serve its purpose. However, this agreement changed the international community’s view of war. War was viewed legal until the World War I, but after defining war as illegal, a view of war as a criminal act emerged from the World War II. The agreement without coercion is difficult to ensure lasting peace. For sustainable peace, a binding international law suitable for rapid changes in the world is urgently needed.
Section 4. “Declaration of Peace and Cessation of War (DPCW)”
The UN Charter has long been referred to as the starting point of a new international legal system in that it has established a regulation banning war but for two exceptions. It is clear that the UN Charter system has made outstanding achievements so far, but 75 years have passed since it took effect in 1945, and various forms of disputes are still taking place throughout the world. And in recent years, those in academia has agreed that the UN charter system is still significant, but it is not enough to maintain international peace. The DPCW is the first step toward supplementing these issues. The DPCW aims to supplement and improve existing international law to suit the current situation through a fundamental approach to war and peace. Accordingly, the DPCW was drafted to pursue progress in international law based on norms already agreed by state actors. The DPCW comprised of 10 articles and 38 clauses with the preamble suggests ways to prevent and resolve disputes and achieve lasting peace. Articles 1 to 7 deal with the role of the states in creating peace in the international community such as refraining use of force, promoting friendly relations, and more. Articles 8 to 10 suggest that building world peace is a task given to everyone in the global community by emphasizing the participation of not only the states, but also all civil societies such as freedom of religion, strengthening education and welfare, spreading a culture of peace, and more.
After the World War I and II, the UN was launched to maintain world peace and international order, but wars continued due to various reasons such as security dilemmas in the international community and the beginning of the Cold War among other things. Also, lethal weapons have continued to develop for decades. If the world does not want to suffer the same horrors like World War I and II again, then a binding international law is needed. The DPCW drafted as a supplement to the UN Charter system can be an alternative. What the DPCW fundamentally needs in order for it to be effective is the law-abiding spirit of the people around the world. It is difficult to realize world peace and end wars only with the support of leaders from one or two countries or support from some levels of society. From state leaders to citizens, they all have to recognize the need for international law for peace; and when working together to comply with international law, peace can become not just a dream, but a reality that can be held in our hands.
It was really nice when I became an offline HWPL member on September 18 every year and attended the World Peace Summit. However, this time, the World Peace Summit was held online. I brought the news that conveys this news in a wonderful way. Let’s watch it together.
2021, this year’s event dealt with the progress of international efforts and the plans to promote the peace agenda in the ‘New Normal’ era shifting from the post-Covid to the with-Covid.
World Peace Summit Calling for Concerted Action for Sustainable Peace in the New Normal Era
On September 18th, 2021, the 7th Anniversary of the September 18th HWPL World Peace Summit was held online.
This year’s event dealt with the progress of international efforts and the plans to promote the peace agenda in the ‘New Normal’ era shifting from the post-Covid to the with-Covid.
The organizer of the event, Heavenly Culture, World Peace, Restoration of Light (HWPL), has been conducting citizen-centered peacebuilding activities to create “a culture of peace” advocated by the UN and international community to set up an environment of peaceful coexistence since the World Peace Summit in 2014.
This event presented the concerted action for sustainable peace with cases from various sectors such as international law, religion, education, and the media. Also, it addressed international cooperation to overcome the current crisis that threatens the coexistence and harmony of mankind, which has come to the fore during the pandemic.
Peacebuilding efforts led by HWPL to establish legal foundations and international norms for peace through connecting global actors are embodied with its effort to advocate the international law for peace by drafting the Declaration of Peace and Cessation of War (DPCW).
“The DPCW Handbook enables us to systematically teach international law and the essence of peace to these students and others. It enables them to become lecturers in the following course.” said Dr. Mizanur Rahman, Chief Advisor of Asian Association of Law Professors (AALP) as well as Former Chair of National Human Rights Commission, Bangladesh (NHRC-BD), highlighting the need to encourage public discourse on peacebuilding by academia.
In addition to the basic principles of peace assigned to nations to uphold, the DPCW has presented principles that should be dealt with in the present era, such as prohibiting the use of force, fostering religious freedom, and civic participation to spread a culture of peace.
In particular, it states that efforts for peace come from all members of the global society by identifying not only nation-states but also international organizations and all citizens as the main actors of building peace.
“We know that it will be hard to achieve peace if we are not all working for it. This is why we need to encourage children, the youth, and adults to prevent verbal abuse and work towards reducing inequalities and eradicating disparities to achieve a more equitable, stable, and peaceful world.” said Former President of Ecuador, Dr. Rosalia Arteaga Serrano.
Hon. Octavia Alfred, Minister of Education, Human Resource Planning, Vocational Training, and National Excellence of Dominica, said that the students learn the necessity of mutual coexistence and cooperation through HWPL peace education and pass it on to their friends, parents, and teachers what they have learned.
She addressed it also deals with concepts that can develop psychosocial competency skills, such as respect for diversity, order, conflict resolution, and negotiation, so it is being used for teacher’s training.
“Our objective is to end wars in the global village and establish peace and make it a permanent legacy for future generations. Without peace, everything that we managed to build would be destroyed. … We should not let this happen. So, to achieve peace, shouldn’t we achieve our objective with the same spirit?” said Chairman Man Hee Lee of HWPL at the event.
World Peace Summit Calls for Concerted Action for Sustainable Peace in the New Normal Era
Over 30 000 people gathered online on Saturday, 18th September, via Youtube live and Zoom, to commemorate the 7th Anniversary of the HWPL World Peace Summit. The organiser of the event, Heavenly Culture, World Peace, Restoration of Light (HWPL), has been conducting citizen-centered peacebuilding activities to create “a culture of peace” advocated by the UN and international community to set up an environment of peaceful coexistence since the World Peace Summit in 2014. This year’s event dealt with the progress of international efforts and the plans to promote the peace agenda in the ‘New Normal’ era shifting from the post-Covid to the with-Covid.
This event presented the concerted action for sustainable peace with cases from various sectors such as international law, religion, education, and the media. Also, it addressed international cooperation to overcome the current crisis that threatens the coexistence and harmony of mankind, which has come to the fore during the pandemic.
Chairman Man Hee Lee of Heavenly Culture, World Peace, Restoration of Light (HWPL)
“Our objective is to end wars in the global village and establish peace and make it a permanent legacy for future generations. Without peace, everything that we managed to build would be destroyed. …… We should not let this happen. So, to achieve peace, shouldn’t we achieve our objective with the same spirit?” said Chairman Man Hee Lee of HWPL at the event.
Peacebuilding efforts led by HWPL to establish legal foundations and international norms for peace through connecting global actors are embodied with its effort to advocate the international law for peace by drafting the Declaration of Peace and Cessation of War (DPCW).
“The DPCW Handbook enables us to systematically teach international law and the essence of peace to these students and others. It enables them to become lecturers in the following course,” said Dr. Mizanur Rahman, Chief Advisor of Asian Association of Law Professors (AALP) as well as Former Chair of National Human Rights Commission, Bangladesh (NHRC-BD), highlighting the need to encourage public discourse on peacebuilding by academia.
In addition to the basic principles of peace assigned to nations to uphold, the DPCW has presented principles that should be dealt with in the present era, such as prohibiting the use of force, fostering religious freedom, and civic participation to spread a culture of peace. In particular, it states that efforts for peace come from all members of the global society by identifying not only nation-states but also international organizations and all citizens as the main actors of building peace. Former President of Ecuador, Dr. Rosalia Arteaga Serrano shared:
“We know that it will be hard to achieve peace if we are not all working for it. This is why we need to encourage children, the youth, and adults to prevent verbal abuse and work towards reducing inequalities and eradicating disparities to achieve a more equitable, stable, and peaceful world,”
Hon. Octavia Alfred, Minister of Education, Human Resource Planning, Vocational Training, and National Excellence of Dominica, said that the students learn the necessity of mutual coexistence and cooperation through HWPL peace education and pass on to their friends, parents, and teachers what they have learned. She addressed it also deals with concepts that can develop psychosocial competency skills, such as respect for diversity, order, conflict resolution, and negotiation, so it is being used for teacher’s training.
Former High Commissioner of Lesotho to South Africa, Evelyn Letooane speaking at the event.
Former High Commissioner of Lesotho to South Africa, Evelyn Letooane, encouraged women to take up their role in the work of peace, encouraging all women to actively become agents for change.
“While the pandemic chart continues, global war must cease. This is a clarion call to cease all wars and call for peace activities to continue for women and children suffering from war and conflict. Women must immerse themselves into the work for peace rather than letting themselves sit outside of it trying to get work done. Action is the operative word. To this end, women should aim for “working for peace” rather than “protected peace” and peacemaking rather than peacekeeping. It should be emphasized that women are active agents of peace in that process. I am a peace lecturer of IWPG Peace Education having undergone training. My role is to promote peace education, with the spirit of peace, in my country and region.”
Swami Vedanand Saraswati, Spiritual Head at the Arya Samaj in Durban, South Africa, speaking at the event.
Swami Vedanand Saraswati, a faith leader represented Southern Africa WARP Offices in the InterContinenal World Alliance of Religions for Peace panel discussion, saying:
“What we did today, and what HWPL continues to do and has done since its inception, was to selflessly serve through these dialogues. These dialogues help educate and to quash any form of misunderstanding or perception [between religions]. As we get the perceptions cleared, as we dialogue with each other, the heart of the issue lies out there in the community. It is now that we, as faith leaders need to take this out to our congregations so that the fighting stops.”
It’s a day that reminds me of the spectacular event of HWPL’s peace event held offline. However, you can watch the video of the 918 online peace event again. Today, I brought the video and news of the 2021 918 HWPL online peace event. Please join us online.
HWPL summit calls for concerted action for sustainable peace
This year’s event dealt with the progress of international efforts and the plans to promote the peace agenda in the ‘New Normal’ era shifting from the post-Covid to the with-Covid.
The organizer of the event, Heavenly Culture, World Peace, Restoration of Light (HWPL), has been conducting citizen-centered peacebuilding activities to create “a culture of peace” advocated by the UN and international community to set up an environment of peaceful coexistence sincethe World Peace Summit in 2014.
This event presented the concerted action for sustainable peace with cases from various sectors such as international law, religion, education, and the media. Also, it addressed international cooperation to overcome the current crisis that threatens the coexistence and harmony of mankind, which has come to the fore during the pandemic.
“The DPCW Handbook enables us to systematically teach international law and the essence of peace to these students and others. It enables them to become lecturers in the following course,” said Mr. Mizanur Rahman, Chief Advisor of Association of Asian Law Professors (AALP) as well as Former Chair of National Human Rights Commission, Bangladesh (NHRC-BD), highlighting the need to encourage public discourse on peacebuilding by academia.
Peacebuilding efforts led by HWPL to establish legal foundations and international norm for peace through connecting global actors are embodied with its effort to advocate the international law for peace by drafting the Declaration of Peace and Cessation of War (DPCW), which designates essential principles including prohibiting the use of force and fostering religious freedom.
In addition to the basic principles of peace assigned to nations to uphold, the DPCW has presented principles that should be dealt with in the present era, such as prohibiting the use of force, fostering religious freedom, and civic participation to spread a culture of peace. In particular, it states that efforts for peace come from all members of the global society by identifying not only nation-states but also international organizations and all citizens as the main actors in building peace.
HWPL Promotes Conflict Sensitive Reporting Through Peace Journalism Workshop
What do you think a journalist should do to avoid fostering conflict and anonymity? Shall we attend the workshop together? “Your reporting should always be to de-escalate the conflict…….”
On 14 May 2021, various editors, journalists, and media regulatory bodies gathered for a Peace Journalism Workshop to discuss whether the media are peacemakers or conflict makers. The workshop was hosted by Heavenly Culture, World Peace and Restoration of Light (HWPL) and focused on the African Unions’ Agenda 2020 goal of Silencing the Guns. The event is the first of a series of workshops that promote and nurture a conflict-sensitive approach to reporting in Southern Africa.
The panel included Mr. Robert Maseka from the Namibia Daily News, Cape Argus editor Mr. Aziz Hartley, as well as Mr. John Nakuta from the Editors Forum of Namibia who is also the media ombudsman in Namibia.
According to the Africa Centre for Strategic Studies, there was a 43 percent spike in militant Islamist group violence in Africa in 2020. The 4,958 reported events linked to these groups represents a record level of violence, continuing an upward pattern seen since 2016. There were 7,351 murders committed with firearms – which include pistols, revolvers, high-calibre and homemade guns – between April 2019 and March of this year in South Africa.
Aziz Hartley shared on the issue of glamorizing gun possession and gangs among the youth. “In the Cape Town context, the Cape Flats are among the most violent places on earth. Here a low-key war is underway as gangs engage in turf battles. Many innocent lives are lost during the gang shootings – young children are recruited into gangs as drug runners, hitmen and lookouts.” Mr. Hartley also added that “With the socio-economic challenges of poverty, unemployment accompanied by overcrowding – the youth are sucked into a spiral of gangs, crime and drugs. Crime and gangs have become glamorized in many communities.”
As the media ombudsman of the Namibia that has been highly ranked in the Africa Press Freedom Index, John Nakuta gave words of encouragement to the journalists in attendance by saying: “Your reporting should always be to de-escalate the conflict. The words that you speak become the house you live in. The media are not innocent bystanders in conflict, and should thus be careful of the position they take. Are you a peacebuilder or a conflict enabler?” Nakuta also added that reporters should use “accurate and non-judgmental language in reporting, to avoid inciting conflict and anonymity”.
Robert Maseka said, “More workshops should be initiated to enhance the capacity of the African journalists to cover issues of peace promotions on the African continent. Many people have been victims of reckless reporting and misinformation. Through training one can mitigate the risks of the media contributing to violence and conflict.” Mr. Maseka also added that for conflict-sensitive reporting to happen, reporters should get the views of experts in conflict resolution and use those views to try to make the parties in conflict understand that there are ways to resolve their differences.
The Public Relations Division of HWPL has been running peace journalism workshops in African countries, including Namibia, South Africa, Lesotho, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. In 2018, the organization held a Peace Journalism fellowship for 20 broadcast journalists from the SADC region to learn about the value of raising awareness for the need for peace in the continent, and to see how peace journalism not only provides practical solutions for journalists reporting on conflicts, but also aids activists and academics in their analysis of conflict-ridden zones. At the end of the workshop, participants agreed to participate in the forthcoming peace journalism workshops that will be held by HWPL.
What Tigray Portends: The Future of Peace and Security in Africa
The deadly convergence of these two systematic trends — the ineptitude of the African Union and the increasing centrality of Chinese power — points towards a dangerous new era on the continent. While the post-1989 period witnessed a significant decline in the volume, duration, and intensity of African civil wars — due to both the successes of regional and international organizations and the end of the global Cold War — the new international environment threatens to reverse this trend. In this new system, Africa’s most powerful authoritarian governments will likely find themselves unconstrained by the African Union and empowered by Beijing’s emphasis on unlimited “sovereignty.” Escaping from this grim future will require African leaders to stand up to the abuses of the continent’s largest states, and create the kinds of institutions and arrangements that can perpetuate peace and stability or — at the very least — minimize the human suffering caused by war.
HWPL (Heavenly Culture, World Peace, Restoration of Light) is in the stage of completing peace institutions and peace arrangements of peace (DPCW: International Peace Law). Problems such as various international disputes, wars, and armed forces are resolved. I hope you read it carefully, hoping for world peace.
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What does the international failure to stop the atrocities in Tigray tell us about Africa’s future trajectory? With the African Union failing its self-proclaimed duty of non-indifference and the United Nations deadlocked, the structural pathways that helped to generate peaceful conclusions to African civil wars over the previous 30 years are eroding.
In a continental order characterized by a weak African Union, rising Chinese influence, and declining American power, African leaders will find ample opportunities to seek to pursue military solutions to sensitive political or ethnic disputes. As the mechanisms and norms for peaceful conflict resolution erode, the region will likely face further instances of democratic backsliding. A recent spate of coups in West Africa — from Mali to Chad to Guinea — illustrates the importance of collective action to confront this trend.
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Background on a Brutal War
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HWPL, Peace Completion!! 