The Global Peace Foundation (GPF) is an international nonprofit organization with a stated mission to promote “an innovative, values-based approach to peacebuilding, guided by the vision of One Family under God.” GPF partners with government ministries, community and faith-based organizations,Piette, Luisa Handem. "PEACE CONFERENCE OPENS IN ABUJA AMID NIGERIA’S SECTARIAN VIOLENCE WITH FOCUS ON INTERFAITH AND YOUTH INITIATIVES." - Peace and Collaborative Development Network. N.p., 7 Nov. 2013. Web. 09 July 2015. <http://www.internationalpeaceandconflict.org/profiles/blogs/peace-conference-opens-in-abuja-amid-nigeria-s-sectarian-violence#.VZ7W3vlVikp >. and United Nations offices"UN Promotes Youth Volunteerism Development and Peace at Asia-Pacific Forum." Unescap.org. N.p., 29 Oct. 2014. Web. 9 July 2015. <http%3A%2F%2Fwww.unescap.org%2Fnews%2Fun-promotes-youth-volunteerism-development-and-peace-asia-pacific-forum>. to develop and execute programs in 20 countries.
GPF programs place special emphasis on values and ideals grounded in the world's faith and wisdom traditions to foster social cohesion, bridge religious, cultural and ethnic divisions, strengthen families, and support youth through values education and entrepreneurial training."[사회]거대담론 아닌 생활형 통일운동." 주간경향. N.p., 19 June 2012. Web. 09 July 2015. <http://newsmaker.khan.co.kr/khnm.html?mode=view&code=115&artid=201206131122271&pt=nv>. GPF programs, which include the Character and Creativity education initiative,Smith, Carla Drumhiller. "Kenya Honored for “Character and Creativity Initiative”." Open Equal Free. N.p., n.d. Web. 09 July 2015. <http://www.openequalfree.org/archives/ed-news/kenya-honored-for-character-and-creativity-initiative >. All-Lights Village project,"올라이츠 빌리지." 올라이츠 빌리지. N.p., n.d. Web. 09 July 2015. <http://www.alllights.org/modules/main/main.php?flag=K >."케냐의 두 줄기 빛." Monthly.chosun.com. N.p., Mar. 2013. Web. 9 July 2015. <http%3A%2F%2Fmonthly.chosun.com%2Fclient%2Fnews%2Fviw_contentA.asp%3FnNewsNumb%3D201303100049%26ctcd%3D%26cPage%3D1>. Latin American Presidential Mission,"6a Convención Paz Global." http://die.itaipu.gov.py/ . N.p., 19 Nov. 2014. Web. 9 July 2015. <http://die.itaipu.gov.py/index.php?secao=noticias_itaipu&q=node/3&conteudo=22341>. International Young Leaders Assembly and Interfaith Alliance to Abolish Human Trafficking (Safe Haven Campaign)."Interfaith Alliance to Abolish Human Trafficking." Interfaith Alliance to Abolish Human Trafficking. N.p., n.d. Web. 09 July 2015. <http://usa.globalpeace.org/USA/interfaith-alliance-to-abolish-human-trafficking >. have been recognized with awards and citations from the governments of Korea,"유경의 GPF 한국 회장, 특임장관 표창." Fnnews.com. N.p., 19 Feb. 2013. Web. 9 July 2015. <http%3A%2F%2Fwww.fnnews.com%2Fnews%2F201302191542462121%3Ft%3Dy>. Nepal and Malaysia, as well as by the United Nations Office at Nairobi, Kenya.
Founded in 2009 by Hyun Jin Moon as the Global Peace Festival Foundation,"Global Peace Leadership Conference at the Historic Landmark Manila Hotel." Tempo News in a Flash. Tempo, 20 Nov. 2013. Web. 24 May 2015. <http://www.tempo.com.ph/2013/11/20/global-peace-leadership-conference-at-the-historic-landmark-manila-hotel/ >. the organization originally sponsored cultural and sports festivals as an approach to promote social cohesion and mitigate religious and ethnic divisions. It was renamed the Global Peace Foundation in 2012 to better reflect the broader scope of activities being implemented worldwide.
GPF is accreditation in UN ECOSOC Special Consultative Status and affiliation to the UN Department of Public Information (DPI) since 2019.
History
Background GPF founder Hyun Jin Preston Moon, an Olympic equestrian, first visited Paraguay in 2007 and travelled on horseback through the remote Chaco region to learn about the life of Paraguay's vaqueros, or ranchers. Impressed by the experience, he later addressed the National Congress on the value of Paraguay's traditions, and the importance of ethics and values in public life. In July 2008 Moon organized a cultural peace festival and city-wide youth service projects in Asuncion. The Global Peace Festival Foundation (GPFF) was then formally incorporated in 2009, with national offices in Paraguay and the Philippines.
In December 2009, the first Global Peace Convention was hosted in Manila, Philippines, drawing participants from government, civil society, and religious institutions from 28 countries."Global Peace Convention 2014." The Lancet 384.9956 (2014): 1-44. Global Peace. Web. 9 July 2015. <https://www.globalpeace.org/sites/default/files/GPC-2014Program-Final_PDF_screen.pdf>."The Global Peace Convention, Manila." Ramadhan Foundation. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 May 2015. <http://ramadhanfoundation.com/home/the-global-peace-convention-manila/>. The convention examined the role of interfaith initiatives, youth activities and service projects in resolving conflict and sustaining peace. Selected participants traveled to Mindanao, a region with a 40-year, ongoing conflict that has claimed the lives of an estimated 160,000 people,Banham, Peter. "The Insurgency Still Tearing Apart the Philippines - A Little View of the World." A Little View of the World. N.p., 27 Apr. 2013. Web. 09 July 2015. <http://www.alittleviewoftheworld.co.uk/the-insurgency-still-tearing-apart-the-philippines/>. on a fact-finding tour of GPF agriculture and aquaculture pilot programs aimed to promote economic livelihoods and to mitigate divisions between Muslims, Christians and indigenous peoples in the region.
2010 - 2012
In 2010, GPFF advanced environmental and youth service projects in Kenya and Nepal, including a clean-up of the polluted Nairobi River that gathered thousands of local volunteers, and establishment of the Rift Valley Peace Initiative in a region that witnessed some of the worst outbreaks of ethnic violence following the disputed elections of 2007–08. The 2010 Global Peace Convention, “One Family under God: Conflict Resolution, Peace and Development,” in Nairobi won the backing of Kenyan President Mwai Kibaki and Prime Minister Raila Odinga, political rivals who governed Kenya in a power-sharing arrangement. More than 1000 participants from 40 nations attended the convention.
Global Peace Foundation expanded its work in 2011 with a conference in Mongolia focusing on Northeast Asia peace and the special role of Mongolia, which has normalized diplomatic relations with both North and South Korea, in reducing tensions and promoting economic development on the Korean peninsula. The 2011 Global Peace Convention in Seoul, South Korea hosted experts and policy makers from 40 countries with a focus on prospects for Korean unification and scenarios for a post-unification culture.
In 2011 GPF Malaysia in partnership with Malaysia's Department of National Unity and Integration, and the Asian Football Confederation sponsored Midnight Football clinics, as well as character, leadership, health and motivation camps to support troubled and unguided youth, “using football as the main platform of change so that they become useful and contributing citizens.”
In 2011 and 2012 Global Peace Foundation organized multiple forums and conferences in Latin America to address underdevelopment, crime, and government corruption in the region. GPF work in Paraguay included the introduction of character education in public schools with support from Paraguay's Ministry of Education, and economic development projects in Alto Paraguay, the largest, poorest, and most sparsely populated region of the country.
GPF also enlisted support from former heads of state from throughout Latin America to advance economic development and good governance in the region. The 2012 Global Peace Convention, “Moral and Innovative Leadership: Building Healthy Families, Ethical Societies, and a Global Culture of Peace,” in Atlanta, USA marked the launch of the Latin American Presidential Mission at the Carter Presidential Center and the participation of nine former heads of state.Four-day Global Peace Conference to draw hundreds to Atlanta, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, November 28, 2012
2013 - 2014
The Global Peace Foundation began work in Nigeria in 2013 in response to growing extremist violence with a series of conferences and meetings that gathered prominent Muslim and Christian clerics and traditional rulers. Just days after a declaration of a state of emergency in three states by Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan, GPF held a Consultative Meeting, “The Role of Religious Leaders and Traditional Rulers in Building a Culture of Peace, National Unity and Integration,” on May 16, 2013, in Abuja, Nigeria's capital. A Global Peace Leadership Conference and festival in November sponsored in partnership with the Institute for Peace and Conflict Resolution, an agency of Nigeria's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, inaugurated the nationwide One Family under God campaign to mitigate sectarian divisions.
Another conference outcome was the launch of the African Peace Service Corps and the Africa Leadership Mission on Peace-building, Young Leadership and Service, co-chaired by Seychelles founding President Sir James Mancham and former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo.
The 2013 Global Peace Convention in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia included a delegation of 40 Nigerian political and religious leaders. Malaysian Prime Minister Najib was presented with the Global Peace Award for Promoting a Culture of Peace at the conclusion of the convention.
In 2014 Global Peace Foundation brought Nigerian Christian and Muslim leaders to Northern Ireland to examine lessons learned from Northern Ireland's experience in ending 30 years of armed conflict.
GPF convened a conference of scholars and political leaders in Seoul, Korea in June 2014 on the theme “Vision, Principles and Values of a Unified Korea,” and supported a range of public education and humanitarian projects to advance prospects for Korean unification."29~30일 ‘지구촌 평화실현 위한 지도자 대회’···통일 원칙과 가치 공감대 형성." The Kyunghyang Shinmun. N.p., 30 Sept. 2014. Web. 9 July 2015. <http%3A%2F%2Fnews.khan.co.kr%2Fkh_news%2Fkhan_art_view.html%3Fartid%3D201409301110591%26code%3D940100>. GPF was a lead organizer of a coalition of more than 400 NGOs, Action for Korea United, to support eventual unification.
The 2014 Global Peace Convention in Asuncion, Paraguay highlighted GPF efforts in Paraguay to build a model of “national transformation” that included the expansion of character education in primary and secondary schools, the establishment of a women's division to support gender equity and affirm the importance of the family in transmitting values, economic development projects in Alto Paraguay, and establishment of a research institute, Instituto de Desarrollo del Pensamiento Patria Soñada, to engage scholars, economists and political scientists in developing a roadmap for national development in Paraguay.
Paraguayan President Horatio Cartes, Vice President Juan Afara, Speaker of the Parliament Hugo Velazaquez"PLENARIA DE APERTURA CONVENCIÓN GLOBAL DE PAZ 2014." Vice Presidencia De La Republica Del Paraguay. N.p., n.d. Web. 9 July 2015. <http%3A%2F%2Fwww.vicepresidencia.gov.py%2F%3Fp%3D4371>. and fourteen former heads of state joined an estimated 3,300 participants from 40 countries for the Global Peace Convention on November 19–21, 2014. The convention included assemblies of more than 1,000 women leaders and youth leaders, and the Second Summit of the Latin American Presidential Mission, with former presidents from Paraguay, Uruguay, Argentina, Bolivia, Ecuador, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, and the Dominican Republic participating in presidential summit and conference sessions.