Washington, DC - From December 16-19, 2007 the Universal Peace Federation held an International Leadership Conference entitled “Toward a New Paradigm of Leadership and Good Governance” in Washington, DC. It was dedicated to two issues: the development of an “Abel UN” and the unity of North and South America.

Delegates came from more than 50 nations, numbering in total 140 people. They included a great diversity of government officials, political, religious and NGO leaders, media representatives, etc. The Eurasian delegation consisted of 12 people from Belarus, Estonia, Russia, Mongolia, and China.

The keynote address by Dr. Hyun Jin Moon on December 17 made a particular impression on one Russian delegate, Dr. Kamilzhan Kalandarov, who was attending an international UPF conference for the first time. On December 18, Rev. Sun Myung Moon’s speech emphasized that is an era for women to take the leadership in peacebuilding, and that statement inspired the women from the Eurasia delegation. Mrs. Lyudmila Kuznets, who was attending an international UPF conference for the first time, was struck by the theme “One Family under God” and expressed hope that it could be taught in schools.

Every day, the conference started with interreligious prayer and meditation. One day, Ven. Munkhbaatar Batchuluun from Mongolia offered a Buddhist prayer along with representatives from other religious.

Following the final session there was a banquet and an opportunity for delegates to express their musical talents. The Russian delegation sang the traditional song, “Moscow Nights.”