Promoting Actions for Peace with Love and the Power of Hope
Dr. Hong, Tao-Tze
Zhang-men-ren of Tai Ji Men
Vice President of the Association of World Citizens,
NGO in Consultative Status with ECOSOC and Associated with the UN DPI
President of the Federation of World Peace and Love
June 26, 2024
Distinguished guests, dear friends, ladies and gentlemen, good day!
Today is “United Nations Charter Day.” The United Nations Charter is the cornerstone of international law. Its norms and principles embody humanity’s aspiration for peace and the consensus on ensuring international security. It establishes a benevolent multilateral international order, representing the shared values of global society. It holds substantial significance and importance for maintaining global governance. Through the annual “United Nations Charter Day” events, we are reminded that the United Nations’ original intention is to maintain world peace and sustainable development, with the foremost task of preventing wars and military confrontations between nations and regions.
We live in an era filled with severe global challenges and rapid changes. The world remains turbulent with ongoing human rights violations, armed conflicts, and the threat of nuclear weapons. Extreme climate change, poverty, and inequality also affect everyone’s lives, causing widespread anxiety. At this critical moment concerning the survival of our world, to achieve the purposes of the United Nations Charter, the UN has designated April 5 as the “International Day of Conscience” and September 21 as the “International Day of Peace,” encouraging people to promote a culture of peace with love and conscience. However, the challenges to human survival are increasingly severe. Peace requires people to maintain hope with conscience and perform good deeds. Therefore, on November 19, 2022, I proclaimed the “Declaration of World Day of the Power of Hope,” hoping that people will make wishes with love and conscience. With hope comes power, and with power comes the will to act, leading to success. Together, we can maintain world peace, harmony, and stability, to create prosperous economies and social welfare, achieving a beautiful vision of a sustainable future.
The power of love knows no bounds, and the power of hope surpasses the universe. Action is the key to reversing the situation. For decades, I have led global members of FOWPAL to visit various parts of the world, inviting leaders from different countries and fields to make peace wishes and ring the Bell of World Peace and Love. Former Presidents H.E. Abdoulaye Wade of Senegal, H.E. Leonel Fernández of the Dominican Republic, and H.E. Fradique de Menezes of São Tomé and Príncipe all resolved conflicts and mediated crises after making wishes and ringing the bell during their terms, fulfilling their commitment to world peace. These actions demonstrate the importance of “the power of hope.”
Achieving peace and a sustainable future is the shared responsibility of every global citizen. We should all stand up and unite the power of conscience from people around the world, eradicating evil and being innovative to reform the world. Our actions and attention are urgent. Issues such as nuclear weapons, diseases, and environmental degradation require global cooperation to reverse the current dangerous situation. As AI advances rapidly, everyone needs to maintain a kind and upright heart, balancing the mind and technology, to utilize technology to improve the quality of human life. In a rapidly changing environment, we must stabilize our minds, discern good from bad, right from wrong, and help others as well as ourselves.
The culture of conscience and conscience education are of utmost importance. Conscience is the ark for a sustainable future. Taking a minute of quiet reflection every day, using moral conscience as our guide, correcting wrong behaviors, and actively doing good deeds will spread the energy of goodness throughout the world. The United Nations Charter should not just be a set of clauses; its inherent spirit of peace and human dignity should be internalized as the core ideology of global citizens and put into practical action. Let us join hands and spread the power of conscience like a butterfly effect to every corner of the world, together creating a harmonious and peaceful world.
Thank you, everyone!