Heavenly Culture, World Peace, Restoration of Light (“HWPL”), together with Freedom Park and the National Interfaith Council of South Africa (NICSA) will host the second Annual Commemoration of the Declaration of World peace at Freedom Park, Pretoria. The purpose of the event is to bring all Africans together under one banner of peace and promote the message: AFRICA – we are one!

This event is a commemoration of the day when the Declaration of World Peace was proclaimed by the Chairman of HWPL Mr. Lee in South Korea on the 25th of May 2013 in front of 30 000 youths from all around the world.  Since this day, the declaration has become the standard and goal of HWPL around the globe and its members and affiliated organizations are making united efforts to achieve them.  The efforts of the South Africa branch of HWPL are being felt as this culture of peace is spreading around all the provinces of the country.

The first part of this event will host the “Peace This Together” Interfaith Dialogue where youth, women, political, and religious leaders will gather to discuss their religious texts regarding the topic of creation.  Speakers will include Dr Mathole Motshekga from NICSA representing Karaism, Guru Nadarajah Sarma from the Hindu faith, Mr Xolile Dawids from Rastafarian United, Venerable Kitsakol Phaenoi, the Director of the Johannesburg Meditation Centre, Commissioner Sheila Mbele Khama representing African Religion and Ms Aadila Amod the CEO of Muslim Youth in Dialogue.

The dialogue will be followed by a peace walk through grounds of Freedom Park, a symbol of South Africa’s heritage and leading icon of humanity and freedom in South Africa and internationally. As the commemoration of the Declaration of World Peace is celebrated, the young people, religious and political leaders of South Africa will walk to demonstrate that they too undertake to implement the vision of this peace declaration by picking up the mantle of peace and promoting a culture of peace in their direct environments.

The peace walk will lead into part three of the program where the World Peace Monument with the words of the World Peace Declaration engraved eternally on the stone will be unveiled. The Secretary General of NICSA and the Acting CEO of Freedom Park together with the Regional Director of HWPL South Africa will unveil the monument with one heart.  This will be the second World Peace Monument on African soil which will be unveiled after the first when Chairman Lee, on his 17th trip around the world, unveiled a monument during the Royal Bafokeng Peace Festival which took place on the 28 March 2015 where over 1000 people participated.

On May 25th 2015, 200,000 youth and women from all around the world are expected to participate in the 2nd Annual Commemoration of the Declaration of World Peace and Peace Walk Festival led by International Peace Youth Group (IPYG) and the International Women’s Peace Group (IWPG), both HWPL’s affiliated organizations.

Issued by Government Communications (GCIS) on behalf of Freedom Park