Cheongju, Republic of Korea – September 18, 2025 – Heavenly Culture, World Peace, Restoration of Light (HWPL), an international peace NGO, hosted the 11th HWPL World Peace Summit, bringing together 800 global leaders. The summit, held in Cheongju, showcased the organization’s achievements and vision for peace, with an emphasis on collaboration between governments, international organizations, and civil society.
This year’s summit highlighted major progress in three key areas. In international law, HWPL’s proposed legal framework, the Declaration of Peace and Cessation of War (DPCW), gained significant traction, with including the Latin American and Caribbean Parliament (PARLATINO) and other 16 parliamentary and governmental bodies adopting resolutions in support of the declaration.
HWPL’s Peace Education is being institutionalized into public school curricula. Zambia’s Ministry of Education has implemented the program in all schools in its capital, Lusaka, with plans for a nationwide expansion. Mongolia has also integrated the program into its educational system.
In interfaith dialogue, the Solidarity of Religions’ Peace Committee (SRPC) was launched. Since 2023, the HWPL International Religious Peace Academy has been implemented as an interfaith learning program, formally recognized in several countries as a platform for leaders and citizens to engage in peace-centered dialogue.
Chairman Lee Man-hee of HWPL emphasized global cooperation for peace, saying, “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 gave congratulatory message saying, “all of us must be aware that our activity for banning war throughout the world is more important now than ever.” and stressed that this year’s achievements are the guarantee that humankind will one day achieve eternal peace.
The summit also addressed peaceful Korean reunification and noted a rapid increase in HWPL’s global membership, which now exceeds 580,000. Following the main event in Cheongju, satellite events will continue in 78 cities worldwide through October, with over 15,000 leaders expected to participate in further discussions on peacebuilding strategies.
