Peace in our time

The Heavenly Culture World Peace Restoration of Light (HWPL) is a peace organisation that recently opened its Namibian chapter a year ago in Windhoek with the aim of connecting youth organisations to get involved in peace-seeking activities within the country.The members of the chapter have already met with various organisations dealing with youth rights, women empowerment and other organisations which are centred on peace and development for their members. The group met with Phil ya Nangolo of Namrights as well as members of the Sister Namibia organisation to give the HWPL organisation the context of developmental and peace issues in Namibia. The group told The Zone that they recently had a consultative gathering in Windhoek that was attended by several prospective HWPL affiliates, where the members of the organisation established a rapport with organisations in attendance.“We want the youth voice to be represented in matters pertaining to peace and interfaith dialogue, as well as the protection and development of rights and opportunities for women. We need to have tangible discussions, consultations and plans around maintaining and creating more peace in our societies, and young people are an integral part of making that vision a reality,” one of the HWPL Namibian representatives said.HWPL’s branch in Namibia seeks to introduce and disseminate peace education, as well as establish peace academies around the world where the schools can be used to educate various members of society on matters involving peace. The office in Windhoek is manned by four members who at the moment work together to strengthen ties with local youth, religious and women’s organisations. The members have met with representatives of the Jewish faith in Namibia, as well as some members of the Muslim faith and are consulting with Catholic clergy on how to attain and maintain peace in a world with so many different religions. In the preamble the Declaration of Peace and Cessation of War (DPCW) which is a document that speaks to the ideals of the organisation, is a document that states that it acknowledges that all members of the human family enjoy human rights and equal and inalienable rights and that these rights represent a necessary tenet of the preservation of freedom, justice and peace throughout the world. The preamble also states that the organisation aims to maintain international peace and is determined to pass on to future generations a world that is free of war, thus ensuring the acceptance of principles and the institution of the ideal that armed forces should not be used, save in accordance with the limitations prescribed by international law. HWPL is a peace organisation officially registered in Seoul a Metropolitan City under the regulation of a non-profit organisation specified by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and transcends differences in culture, belief and religion to engage leaders and youth in sustainable and comprehensive solutions for peace.To that end, HWPL is committed to community development through volunteer outreach, women advocacy, and cultural and religious exchange through International Women’s Peace Group (IWPG) and youth engagement through International Peace Youth Group (IPYG). “We strive to facilitate comprehensive grassroots peace building that involves diverse voices of community: leaders in education, governmental and religious sectors as well as non-profit organisations and youth to create sustainable solutions and empower individuals and communities to be an integral part in global peace building,” the organisation says.The organisation has stated its creed and purpose as wanting to end war and have world peace, achieve the integration of women’s and youth organisations of every nation around the world and fulfil what was proclaimed in the Declaration of Heavenly Culture, World Peace and Restoration of Light.“In the entire universe, life in its vast splendour exists only in our world. The life that grows on the earth is sustained from above - by light, by the rain and by the air provided unconditionally to all living beings. We have received the precious gift of life from above, let us give glory to heaven, and live in peace on earth. This is the truest teaching of heaven,” said a statement from HWPL’s website. One of the teachings of the organisation is that we as a species cannot claim to desire peace and continue to provoke one another, causing conflict for the sake of valuing our own national interests above those of others. This will only take the lives of the youth, wasting them in the futility of war.This is not a legacy we can leave to future generations according to HWPL. “Of what use is a young life, born in our day and age, if it is thrown away in this manner - thrown away without having had a chance to bloom? What price can compensate for the loss of a life? Do these young souls have another chance at life? As emissaries of world peace; as people who are working towards the restoration of humanity through a new and heavenly culture, we declare the following:“We call on the heads of state of every country to sign an international agreement - a commitment to bringing all wars to an end. We ask them to do this from a spirit of deep-seated love for the people of their country. We call on all youth to unite in an effort to stop wars and pursue the restoration of peace by agreeing not to fight one another. For world peace to become a reality, this is the duty of all youth, everywhere. The only way to stop the fighting and pointless tragic deaths, is to stop fighting.“Nobody can ask for anything greater than this and know that your efforts - the efforts of the young people of the world today in pursuit of peace - will remain as a never fading light of life for all future generations. Furthermore, we call on every person, every man, woman, and child in the world, to pick up the mantle of peace. In whatever way you can, we ask that you work to further the cause of world peace and restoration, making it a reality in your direct environments.”Lastly, the organisation called and continues to do so, on the media to report responsibly and promote a message of peace to the world. HWPL also declared that, “World peace and restoration has begun at the same time this declaration is proclaimed”.On 25 May 2013, before the Peace Gate of the Olympic Park in Seoul, South Korea, HWPL hosted the Walk for World Peace and Restoration. This event marked the official proclamation of the Declaration of World Peace, announcing an era of change and most importantly, of peace. The declaration presented an outline to achieve what centuries of wars and peace efforts have failed to establish. The words of the declaration inspires every person to envision how peace might be achieved, sparking a responsibility in the hearts of the youth - a spark which quickly grew into a blaze of hope, bringing light and warmth to communities and opening the door to a new outlook.Over 30 000 youth representing 130 countries including the United States, Portugal, Greece, Morocco, Kazakhstan, Jordan, Belarus and Columbia gathered to participate in the event. Following the Declaration of World Peace, they hosted a peace walk along the main road, calling for the cessation of all wars.International media from every country broadcasted coverage of the declaration and peace walk. Since its official initiation last year, the news of this peace walk continues to spread globally and inspire youth groups to actively pursue the Declaration of World Peace.Recently hosted by the International Peace Youth Group alongside numerous youth groups and educational institutions the Third Annual Commemoration of the Declaration of World Peace was hosted at the Harare Gardens, in Zimbabwe on 4 June. Showing their commitment to the youth, youth from the Female Student Network, Global Youth Foundation and the Centre for Peace and United theological College all came together to help promote global peace advocacy through the Legislate Peace Campaign.The campaign was recently launched to bring all wars to an end by establishing an enforceable law compatible with the Declaration of Peace and Cessation of War (DPCW). The speakers included Claris Maduku, Director of The Platform for Youth Development Trust (PYD), Chido Mpemba, Regional Representative for Peace if Possible and Dr Mohsen Shojakhani, the Cultural Counselor of the Cultural Centre of the Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran. Drafted by the HWPL International Law peace Committee and proclaimed on 14 March of this year, the DPCW has steadily received public attention. It represents the voices of all those who yearn for peace and urges states to protect their citizens’ rights to peaceful lives. The ‘Legislate Peace’ campaign calls on global citizens to unite as one to speak out their demands for peace by adding their signatures. World leaders and governments are also being called on to make and enforce a national law based on the principles of the DPCW. Around 500 000 signatures were collected through on and offline peace law platforms worldwide in approximately three months. Keith Vries

Peace in our time

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Namibian Sun 2025-05-02

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Peace in our time

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Namibian Sun 2025-05-02

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