Universal Peace Federation

OUR WORLD IS IN URGENT AND DESPERATE NEED TO RESTORE AND IMPROVE THE RELATIONSHIPS THAT EXIST NOT ONLY BETWEEN NATIONS, BUT ALSO BETWEEN RACIAL, ETHNIC AND RELIGIOUS GROUPS. THE UNIVERSAL PEACE FEDERATION IS A GLOBAL ALLIANCE OF INDIVIDUALS AND ORGANIZATIONS DEDICATED TO BUILDING A WORLD OF PEACE IN WHICH EVERYONE CAN LIVE TOGETHER IN FREEDOM, HARMONY, COOPERATION AND PROSPERITY.

UPF CONVENED A SERIES OF THREE MAJOR VIRTUAL RALLIES OF HOPE IN 2021. THEY WERE CONVENED ON FEBRUARY 27, MAY 9 AND SEPTEMBER 12, 2021, IN SEOUL, KOREA, AND WERE AIMED AT ADDRESSING CRITICAL CHALLENGES FACING HUMANITY, FROM CLIMATE CHANGE TO POVERTY AND CONFLICT, BRINGING TOGETHER EXPERTS TO DELIBERATE COLLABORATIVELY TOWARDS BUILDING A WORLD OF LASTING PEACE. CURRENT AND FORMER HEADS OF STATE AND GOVERNMENT PARTICIPATED AS KEYNOTE SPEAKERS ALONG WITH PROMINENT INTERNATIONAL LEADERS FROM RELIGION, CIVIL SOCIETY, ACADEMIA, AND GOVERNMENT. THE RALLIES OF HOPE WERE BROADCAST WORLDWIDE AND ATTRACTED MILLIONS OF VIEWERS. IN ADDITION, A SERIES OF THREE THINK TANK 2022 FORUMS WERE ORGANIZED IN 2021 ON OCTOBER 16, NOVEMBER 20 AND DECEMBER 4, ADDRESSING THEMES SUCH AS PEACE ON THE KOREAN PENINSULA, ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, AND GLOBAL ORDER. THESE VIRTUAL PROGRAMS WERE ALSO BROADCAST WORLDWIDE AND ATTRACTED MILLIONS OF VIEWERS. A SPECIAL PRAYER RALLY FOR PEACE ON THE KOREAN PENINSULA WAS ALSO CONVENED ON DECEMBER 4, 2021, AND FEATURED A WIDE VARIETY OF RELIGIOUS LEADERS FROM CHRISTIANITY, ISLAM, BUDDHISM, HINDUISM, JUDAISM AND OTHER RELIGIONS WHO GATHERED TO PROMOTE INTERFAITH DIALOGUE AND MUTUAL RESPECT, AND TO OFFER PRAYERS FOR PEACE.UPF'S INTERNATIONAL LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE SERIES FOCUSES ON THE URGENT NEED FOR NEW VISION AND MORAL LEADERSHIP. THESE PROGRAMS, CARRIED OUT IN VIRTUAL FORMATS IN 2021, OFFER A FRAMEWORK FOR PEACEBUILDING AND DEVELOPMENT GROUNDED IN CORE VALUES AND UNIVERSAL PRINCIPLES. UPF AND ITS GLOBAL NETWORK OF AMBASSADORS FOR PEACE BRING UNIVERSAL, SPIRITUAL PRINCIPLES TO THE TASKS OF RESOLVING CONFLICT AND RECONCILING THE DIVIDED HUMAN FAMILY. THERE WERE THREE MAJOR ILC 2021 PROGRAMS ORGANIZED IN 2021. EACH OF THE THREE MAJOR ILC PROGRAMS INVOLVED EACH UPF REGION CARRYING OUT PROGRAMS SIMULTANEOUSLY, IN THE AMERICAS, THE ASIA PACIFIC, AFRICA, EUROPE, AND SOUTH AMERICA. EACH OF THE THREE ILCS CONSISTED OF APPROXIMATELY 50 PANEL SESSION AND ABOUT 250 DISTINGUISHED PRESENTERS FROM VARIOUS FIELDS. THE ILCS HAD MANY THOUSANDS OF REGISTERED PARTICIPANTS FROM MORE THAN 100 NATIONS WITH HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF VIEWERS ON SOCIAL MEDIA. PRESS RELEASES WERE SENT TO JOURNALISTS ACROSS THE WORLD. UPF ALSO CONTINUED ITS A WEB-CONFERENCING PROGRAM SERIES IN WHICH WE PROVIDE TIMELY AND SIGNIFICANT CONTENT ACROSS A WIDE SPECTRUM OF INTERESTS THAT INFORM, STIMULATE AND EXPAND CAPACITIES OF OUR GLOBAL UPF NETWORK.THE PROGRAMS FIT INTO SEVERAL CATEGORIES:EXPERT SPEAKERS SERIES: LEADING EXPERTS IN THEIR FIELD WHO SPEAK TO SPECIFIC TOPICSUPF REGIONAL PROGRAMS: FOCUS ON TOPICS AND SPEAKERS DIRECTLY RELATED TO ONE OF OUR UPF REGIONS. DURING 2020, WEBINARS WERE HELD IN THE FOLLOWING REGIONS AS FOLLOWS:AFRICA - 4; ASIA PACIFIC - 46; EUME - 64; NORTH AMERICA - 51; SOUTH AMERICA - 39TOPICS INCLUDED: COVID 19 AND POST-COVID 19 RECOVERY, GOOD GOVERNANCE, PEACE AND JUSTICE, STRENGTHENING THE FAMILY, PEACEBUILDING, THE ROLE OF YOUTH, ETC. UPF ASSOCIATION PROGRAMS: FEATURES A FOCUS ON TOPICS AND SPEAKERS DIRECTLY RELATED TO ONE OF OUR PILLAR ASSOCIATIONS OF UPF: ISCP, IAPP, IAPD, IMAP, IAED, IAAP, IAACP, AND IAFLP AS WELL AS CLOSE PARTNERS SUCH AS WFWP/GPWN, YSP/IAYSP, ETC. UPF FRIENDS/PARTNERS PROGRAMS: FEATURES PROGRAMMING AIMED AT UPGRADING CAPACITIES OF ALL UPF LEADERS AND VOLUNTEERS, ADDRESSING TOPICS SUCH AS FUNDRAISING, STRATEGIC PLANNING, DATA-BASE DEVELOPMENT, ADMINISTRATION. THE PEACE ROAD INITIATIVE IS A GOODWILL PROJECT OF UPF THAT PROMOTES GLOBAL COOPERATION THROUGH PEOPLE-TO-PEOPLE DIPLOMACY UNDER OUR CORE PRINCIPLE THAT HUMANITY IS ONE FAMILY UNDER GOD. 2021 PROGRAMS WERE HELD IN AFRICA, NORTH AND SOUTH AMERICA, THE MIDDLE EAST, EUROPE, KOREA, AND JAPAN.MASTER OF ARTS IN PEACE STUDIES: UPF WORKED IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE UNIFICATION THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY IN NEW YORK TO SPONSOR GRADUATE STUDENTS TO PARTICIPATE IN A MASTER OF ARTS IN PEACE STUDIES.

WORK AT THE UNITED NATIONS: UPF UN PROGRAMS AND ACTIVITIES IN 2021JANUARY 28: "STRONG FAMILIES, STRONG SOCIETY: POLICIES SUPPORTING FAMILIES: - COSPONSORED WITH THE NGO COMMITTEE ON THE FAMILYFEBRUARY 25 "ADVERSE CHILDHOOD EVENTS: PROTECTING, PREVENTING, AND HEALING" COSPONSORED WITH THE NGO COMMITTEE ON THE FAMILYMARCH 25 "HE OR SHE AT HOME: GENDER EQUALITY AND THE FAMILY COSPONSORED WITH THE NGO COMMITTEE ON THE FAMILYAPRIL 21 "THE KYOTO DECLARATION: NEXT STEPS FOR CIVIL SOCIETY AND FAITH-BASED ORGANIZATIONS" COSPONSORED WITH THE COALITION OF FAITH-BASED ORGANIZATIONSMAY 14 "FAMILIES AND NEW TECHNOLOGIES" UN DESA IDF SIDE EVENT SUPPORTED BY UPFMAY 19 "FAMILIES AND NEW TECHNOLOGIES: THE CHALLENGING IMPACT OF SOCIAL MEDIA" UPF UN IDF EVENTMAY 27 "PLAYFUL LEARNING LANDSCAPES" COSPONSORED WITH THE NGO COMMITTEE ON THE FAMILYOCTOBER 28 "EXPLORING GLOBAL FERTILITY TRENDS, FAMILY DYNAMICS, AND SOLUTIONS" COSPONSORED WITH THE NGO COMMITTEE ON THE FAMILYNOVEMBER 18 "HARMONIZING CHILDREN'S AND PARENTS RIGHTS IN CHILDREN'S EDUCATION" COSPONSORED WITH THE NGO COMMITTEE ON THE FAMILYDECEMBER 17 "CELEBRATING FAMILY HOLIDAY TRADITIONS" COSPONSORED WITH THE NGO COMMITTEE ON THE FAMILY

UPF ENEWS AND WEBSITE DEVELOPMENT:UPF ENEWS HAS A WORLDWIDE NETWORK OF 10,000 FOLLOWERS. ACTIVITY REPORTS ARE SUBMITTED TO UPF INTERNATNOIAL FROM 7 UPF REGIONS, AND ARE POSTED ON THE WEBSITE, WITH PHOTOS, AND DISSEMINATED REGULARLY AROUND THE WORLD. PUBLISHING DIALOGUE & ALLIANCE: DIALOGUE & ALLIANCE INTERFAITH JOURNAL, A JOURNAL OF UPF, PROMOTES UNDERSTANDING AMONG PEOPLE OF FAITH FOR THE SAKE OF PEACE. THE JOURNAL IS INDEXED AT THE AMERICAN THEOLOGICAL LIBRARY ASSOCIATION (ATLA). FOR THE PAST 30 YEARS, IT PUBLISHES TWO ISSUES EACH PER YEAR, AND MORE THAN 300 PEOPLE ARE SUBSCRIBING TO THE JOURNAL. COORDINATING WORLDWIDE REGIONS AND CHAPTERS: UNIVERSAL PEACE FEDERATION IS COMPOSED OF 7 REGIONS, HEADED BY REGIONAL CHAIRS. THE FOLLOWING ARE THE REGIONS: AFRICA; ASIA PACIFIC; EUROPE, EURASIA AND MIDDLE EAST; JAPAN; KOREA; LATIN AMERICA (CENTRAL AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN, AND SOUTH AMERICA); AND NORTH AMERICA. UPF HAS A PEACEBUILDING NETWORK OF 120,000 AMBASSADORS FOR PEACE WHO WORK TOGETHER FOR PEACEBUILDING, PEACE EDUCATION AND THE STRENGTHENING OF MARRIAGE AND THE FAMILY. UPF INTERNATIONAL COORDINATES ALL ACTIVITIES OF THE WORLDWIDE CHAPTERS.