Nai Kasauh Mon
“It has already been 6 years since HWPL declared the Declaration of Peace and Cessation of War, …. not long after hearing about the bloodshed in Myanmar, we were again exposed to the plight of Ukaraine …” spoke out by a Chairwoman, Yoon Hyun-sook, of the International Women Peace Group (IWPG), on March 14, 2022, on the day of 6th Annual Commemoration of the Declaration of Peace and Cessation of War (DPCW).
Many attendees at Webinar felt sorrowful on the current situation of global conflicts, growth of the dictatorship and major invasion of one country’s soverignty and freedom, have created sufferning to hundreds of thoussands of civilians – women, children, elderly and disabled persons around the the world.
Over one-year bloodshed in Myanmar, resulted from the military coup have forced out a half-million Myanmar people to be displaced and in needs of humanitarian assistance from the international community. There are already existing nearly one-million Myanmar refugees outside of the country.
Russia invasion against independent soverignty Ukarine is miserable and heart-breaking. Three millions of Ukaraine had to flee from their own beloved cities and received as ‘refugees’ in European countries nearby. Russia military striked both hospitals and civilians’ facilities and created a lot of civillians’ casualties with no mercy and no humanitarian ground.
Both Myanmar and Ukaraine militaries have no repsect to interational laws, especially the Geneva Convention and its related International Humanitarian Laws (IHL). The leaders of these countries have close connection in building up miltary strengths, break global peace and created massive human suffering in our age.
However, the global community has lack of Peace Convention and Peace Treaties, in order to have all UN members to respect the laws of peace-building and ceasation of war in any situation. It is a need of strong binding law for all UN-member countries to sign and promise to keep peace around the world and give bright future for our children. However, luckily, we have founded a peace declaration has been occurred since 6 years ago, and it is called ‘Declaration of Peace and Cessation of War’ (DPCW)
The peace loving people around the world cried out for building peace based on the international binding laws, on March 14, 2022, on the day of 6th Annual Commemoration of the Declaration of Peace and Cessation of War (DPCW). The DPCW was developed by a UN-affiliated South Korea NGO, HWPL (Heavenly Culture, World Peace and Restoration of Light). ts DPCW proclaimed in 2016 has provided a guide to citizen-led peace advocacy, in line with international organizations including the UN, the African Union (AU), and the EU that have stressed normative guidance as a standard for substantial conflict resolution with the participation of women and youth.
Although DPCW has been widely advocated around international community, however, it did not become as treaty to enforce its laws to all UN-member countries. HWPL totally objected the current existing international laws, which cannot put an end of war and it believes to institutalize peaec based on DPCW.
Chairman Man Hee Lee of HWPL said that wars and conflicts continue to occur since “wars can be triggered if it is allegedly necessary according to the current international law, which is why this cannot put an end to war.” He highlighted that all members of the global village need to be united as one as “messengers of peace” to “certainly create a thing (international law for peace) that can bring about peace.”
At event, International Law Experts called for the pre-condition kind of action to secure the peace, before the conflict broke out. Dr. Kamal Hossain, the President of International Law Association (ILA) Bangladesh Branch called for “build a legal foundation for sustainable peace”. He said, “”The precondition for achieving peace is securing peoples’ inalienable rights, which include equality before the law, equal protection of the law, non-discrimination, freedom to associate, freedom to assemble, and freedom to express.”
On February 28, HWPL issued a statement on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine that includes refugee protection and global youth solidarity against war and is delivering it to 192 countries. The DPCW presents principles of peace to be promoted by the international society such as prohibiting the use of force, fostering religious freedom, and civic participation to spread a culture of peace. It highlights that sustainable peace can be achieved through all members of the global society by identifying not only nation-states but also international organizations and all citizens as the main actors in building peace.
It clearly founded out that the civilians in both Myanmar and Ukaraine and other war-torn countries never obtain neither pre-conditiioned protection or protection during war. Since the foundation of peace has been shaked in our world, the attempts of global peace-loving people keep their campaigns for sustainable peace.
‘HWPL’s 6th Annual Commemoration of the Declaration of Peace and Cessation of War (DPCW)’ was held online on 14 March 2022 with over 5,000 participants, under the theme, Institutionalizing Peace: Building a Legal Foundation for Sustainable Peace. There are 10 articles and 38 clauses of the ‘Declaration of Peace and Cessation of War’ (DPCW)
The full text of DPCW is: https://www.slideshare.net/RugileButkeviciute/declaration-of-peace-and-cessation-of-war-booklet
