The international delegates to the 2017 World Summit and over 30,000 Koreans on Thursday were bused to the snowing mountains in the northern part of South Korea near the Demilitarized Zone( DMZ) at the border with North Korea, to take part in the activities at the Cheongshim Peace World Center to celebrate the birthdays of the late Rev. Sun Myung Moon, founder of the worldwide unification movement and his wife, Dr. Hak Ja Moon, president of the Universal Peace Federation (UPF). UPF is the sponsor of the annual summit this year with the topics on Peace, Security, and Human Development.
[restrict]
A large Oceania (Pacific) delegation including 4 delegates from Palau attended the first full day on Thursday of the 5-day 2017 World Summit attended by over 600 delegates including over 300 congressmen and senators, former presidents, and prime ministers, religious, academic, and media leaders from 120 countries from every region of the world.
The activities on Thursday were held the Peace World Center included remarks by UPF officials, documentaries, songs, and musical numbers about the lives of the Rev. Moon and Dr. Hak. Messages from world leaders sent to the 2017 summit, were read with their pictures splashed on the giant screens in the 4-story gym including President Remengesau to the applause of the thousands in attendance. “ I convey my best wishes and am confident of the success of the 4th World Summit on “Peace, Security, and Human Development,” stated part of the President’s message. Later in the day, the delegates were divided into three groups to attend different sessions on principles of peace and with the members of the Korean National Assembly (Congress).
On Friday and Saturday, delegates will take part in the Sunhak Peace Award Ceremony to give awards to individuals or organizations around the world who contributed substantially to peace and human development for the sake of the future generations. It will be followed by three plenary session on “Addressing the Critical Challenges of our Time: Peace, Security, and Human Development” including environmental degradation, violent conflict, extremism, extreme poverty with the emphasis on practices and action steps in order to transform our world into a world of peace and mutual prosperity. The summit will conclude Saturday evening.
Rev. Moon is a Korean preacher who was converted to Christianity at the age of 15 and who said Jesus appeared to him while praying at a mountain of what is now North Korea and directed him to spread the faith. Imprisoned during the early 1950’s in North Korea, he escaped to South Korea and started a Christian church in small shack that evolved into a world wide church, movement, and organization with many activities in most countries preaching and promoting peace among countries, churches, marriages, families, sports, and in education. Rev. Moon had authored many books and writings on his philosophy and ideas about life, Christianity, peace, and families and died four years ago. He is known for speaking for hours without notes and he visited Palau several years ago and spoke at the Ngarachamayong Cultural Center for three hours straight.
The Palau delegation includes retired Senator, Universal Peace Ambassador, and new TV newscaster Joel Toribiong and wife Sandy, Senate Committee on Youth and Culture Chairman and family-first advocate Uduch Senior, and Palau Media Council Chairman, Universal Ambassador of Peace and Special Envoy of the President, Moses Uludong. [/restrict]