International Summit Council for Peace
One of UPF’s primary associations, engaging current and former heads of state and government in peace, security and human development
The International Summit Council for Peace, known as ISCP, is one of the primary associations within the Universal Peace Federation structure. ISCP engages current and former heads of state and government in UPF’s international work for peace, security and human development. It draws upon the experience of leaders who have carried responsibility for national governance, diplomacy, public institutions, economic development and international relations.
The association convenes consultations, regional meetings, webinars and dedicated sessions within UPF conferences. Its discussions address conflict prevention, regional cooperation, responsible governance, institutional trust, peace on the Korean Peninsula and changes in the international order.
ISCP forms part of the wider UPF association framework, bringing together leaders with diverse experience and perspectives for dialogue on shared concerns. The International Association of First Ladies for Peace is a related project of ISCP.
History of ISCP
Opening of ISCP in 2019
UPF opened ISCP on February 8, 2019, during its World Summit 2019 in Seoul, Korea. The summit was convened from February 7 to 11 and gathered 1,200 participants from 110 nations, including 40 current and former heads of state and government.
The founding resolution was adopted on February 8. It established ISCP as an association within UPF through which current and former national leaders could contribute their experience to peace, security and human development.
The resolution invited participants to offer recommendations to governments, regional organizations, intergovernmental institutions and the United Nations. It also affirmed cooperation with other sectors represented within UPF.
Dr. Hak Ja Han welcomed keynote speakers Hon. Dick Cheney, Vice President of the United States from 2001 to 2009, and Hon. Newt Gingrich, Speaker of the United States House of Representatives from 1995 to 1999. H.E. Anthony Carmona, President of Trinidad and Tobago from 2013 to 2018, read an excerpt from the founding resolution.
ISCP Distinguished Awards were presented to ten current and former leaders during the inauguration. Regional development followed during the same year.
Regional development
The African regional chapter of ISCP was inaugurated during the Africa Summit and Leadership Conference, convened by UPF in Johannesburg on June 7 and 8, 2019.
More than 450 participants from 60 nations attended the conference. Former heads of state and government met parliamentarians, traditional rulers, religious leaders, women leaders, media representatives and members of civil society. Heads of state and dignitaries signed the ISCP resolution and received ISCP Distinguished Awards. Former Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan was appointed chair of ISCP Africa.
The European regional inauguration of ISCP took place during the Southeast Europe Peace Summit, convened by UPF in Tirana from October 25 to 27, 2019. A joint session of ISCP and the Podgorica Club addressed peace, security and human development in Southeast Europe. The regional work later continued through selected leadership conferences involving current and former presidents.
The Asia Pacific regional chapter was inaugurated during the Asia Pacific Summit 2019, convened by UPF in Phnom Penh from November 18 to 21. The main session took place at the Peace Palace on November 19 at the invitation of Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen. The resolution establishing ISCP in the Asia Pacific region was presented to 800 delegates, and eight leaders received ISCP Distinguished Awards.
The international opening in Seoul and the regional inaugurations in Africa, Europe and the Asia Pacific established the initial structure for ISCP activity within UPF.
The first World Assembly of ISCP
The first World Assembly of ISCP was convened within World Summit 2020, held by UPF in Seoul in February 2020.
Each of UPF’s primary associations convened its own sessions within the wider summit program. The ISCP assembly brought together current and former heads of state and government to consider peace on the Korean Peninsula, responsible leadership, international cooperation and the contribution of experienced national leaders to peacebuilding.
The assembly completed the first stage of development outlined at the 2019 inauguration: international opening, regional development and a global meeting of the association within the UPF framework.
Continuing ISCP activity
In September 2020, an ISCP session within a UPF International Leadership Conference connected former leaders from Europe, the Middle East and Africa. The discussion considered cooperation between the regions, economic recovery, governance and prospects for peace and development.
In April 2021, an African ISCP meeting formed the opening plenary of a UPF International Leadership Conference on steps toward a unified Korea. Current and former national leaders considered the international implications of continued division on the Korean Peninsula and the role of dialogue in reducing tensions.
ISCP members from the Americas, Asia, Europe and Africa also contributed to the Summit for Peace Assembly at World Summit 2022. This UPF program featured addresses from 32 current and former heads of state and government, first ladies and senior government officials from 27 countries.
Their contributions addressed peace on the Korean Peninsula, international cooperation and the responsibility of experienced leaders to support dialogue. Former United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon emphasized sustained international engagement and cooperation among governments, institutions and civil society.
In 2023, the Elders’ Roundtable, developed under the auspices of ISCP, gathered senior political and public figures whose experience could continue serving peace after national office. Twelve distinguished members received appointments during UPF Peace Summit 2023 in Seoul.
The Elders’ Roundtable extended the principle of statesmanship beyond office that had guided the Summit Council for World Peace and later ISCP. It emphasized counsel, public responsibility and cooperation between generations of leadership.
The 2026 global webinar
On June 18, 2026, ISCP hosted a global webinar on The Future of the Rules-based World Order.
Four former heads of state or government and a specialist in global leadership addressed more than 360 participants from over 80 countries. The discussion covered global governance, representation within the United Nations Security Council, environmental accountability, artificial intelligence, international finance, sovereign equality and leadership ethics.
Hon. Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, President of the Philippines from 2001 to 2010, addressed geopolitical and economic changes, the growing role of the Global South and the implications of artificial intelligence.
H.E. Goodluck Jonathan, President of Nigeria from 2010 to 2015 and chair of ISCP Africa, examined inequalities within global institutions and the question of permanent African representation on the United Nations Security Council.
H.E. Anthony Carmona, President of Trinidad and Tobago from 2013 to 2018 and a former judge of the International Criminal Court, addressed multilateralism, environmental justice, sovereign equality and the concerns of small island developing states.
H.E. José Manuel Barroso, Prime Minister of Portugal from 2002 to 2004 and President of the European Commission from 2004 to 2014, considered changes in the relationship between the Global North and Global South and the place of human dignity within the international order.
Dr. Tageldin Hamad, President of UPF International, offered concluding reflections on the moral foundations of international law and the relationship between universal values and international institutions.
The webinar demonstrated the capacity of ISCP to convene former national leaders around questions affecting the future of global cooperation.
Historical roots
The roots of ISCP reach back to the Summit Club, established in 1981 as a forum where former national leaders could contribute their experience to international dialogue.
The Summit Club developed into the Summit Council for World Peace, founded in 1987 by Dr. Hak Ja Han and late Dr. Sun Myung Moon. The Council brought together former heads of state and government to consider international security, development, governance and cooperation among nations.
The first Summit Council for World Peace met in Seoul on June 1, 1987. The Seoul Declaration for World Peace followed on June 3. The second Summit Council met in Seoul on February 2, 1990.
The third Summit Council formed part of the Moscow meetings of April 1990. The program brought together journalists, scholars, public figures and 41 current or former heads of state and government during the final period of the Cold War. On April 11, 1990, Dr. Sun Myung Moon and Dr. Hak Ja Han met Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev in the Kremlin. International delegates and 28 former heads of state and government participated in the meeting. The encounter demonstrated the value of bringing experienced political leaders into civic channels of international dialogue.
The Summit Council also supported contacts concerning the Korean Peninsula. In 1991, Dr. Sun Myung Moon and Dr. Hak Ja Han traveled to Pyongyang and met DPRK leader Kim Il Sung. Delegations of former national leaders connected with the Council visited Pyongyang in 1992 and 1994.
These initiatives developed a model of high level civic diplomacy in which former national leaders could apply their political experience and international relationships to dialogue across ideological and geopolitical divisions.
Continuing role within UPF
ISCP is UPF’s primary association for current and former heads of state and government. It brings their experience into consultations on peace, governance, regional cooperation and international affairs.
Its work continues through global and regional meetings, online consultations and dedicated sessions within UPF programs. Through ISCP, experienced national leaders can remain engaged in public service and contribute to dialogue, cooperation and practical efforts for peace.
INTERNATIONAL SUMMIT COUNCIL FOR PEACE INAUGURAL RESOLUTION
February 7-11 at the Lotte World Hotel, Seoul, South Korea
As participants in World Summit 2019 sponsored by the Universal Peace Federation and convened in Seoul, Korea, on February 7-11, 2019, on the theme, “Addressing the Critical Challenges of Our Time: Interdependence, Mutual Prosperity and Universal Values,” we affirm the urgent need for responsible leadership and good governance in bringing about a world of lasting peace, a world in which people of all nationalities, ethnicities, races, cultures, and worldviews may live together in mutual respect, harmony and cooperation as one family under God.
We applaud the leadership of Dr. Hak Ja Han Moon and her late husband, Rev. Sun Myung Moon for their vision and work over many decades to create “one family under God,” and recognize the contributions to peace that have been achieved through the Universal Peace Federation, an NGO in general consultative status with the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations.
We have gathered in Korea, in the year of the Centenary of the March 1st Independence Movement, and we support the Korean people in their quest for peace and the reunification of the Korean Peninsula.
As current and former heads of state, government and world leaders from diverse nations and political systems, we recognize that humanity faces serious challenges that must be met and overcome through cooperation, mutual respect and a commitment to universal values.
We live in an interdependent world. No nation and no government exists in isolation. Many of our most difficult problems—terrorism, cyber-crime, climate change, poverty, inequality, food insecurity, conflict—are transnational in nature. We must work together collaboratively in order to resolve global, regional and national problems. Moreover, in order to carry out a comprehensive approach to peace and development, we must work across various sectors of society, including government, civil society, faith-based organizations, academia and the private sector.
Men and women who have served as heads of state or government are uniquely qualified to bring their wisdom and experience to bear in the search for solutions to humanity’s most serious problems and the effort to provide recommendations—to national governments, to inter- governmental organizations, to regional associations of nations such as the European Union, the Arab Leagues, ASEAN, and to the United Nations—that offer a path to peace and mutual prosperity for the whole human family and generations to come.
On this day, February 8, 2019, at the Opening Plenary of the World Summit 2019, we endorse the proposal to establish a new association of current and former heads of state and government, known provisionally as the International Summit Council for Peace (ISCP). The ISCP will work in concert with the International Association of Parliamentarians for Peace (IAPP), the Interreligious Association for Peace and Development (IAPD) and the International Association of Traditional Rulers for Peace (IATP) throughout the world. We welcome the inauguration of this initiative and trust that it will contribute greatly to lasting peace for the whole human family.
Signed this day, February 8, 2019, in Seoul, Korea.
BACKGROUNDER AND PURPOSE OF THE ISCP
Purpose
The forerunner of the ISCP was the Summit Council for World Peace, founded in 1987 by Rev. and Mrs. Sun Myung Moon as a means to harness the extraordinary wealth of knowledge, experience, intelligence, and goodwill of former heads of state and heads of governments. After a distinguished record of more than two decades working with the world’s top leadership, the Council’s activities were brought under the umbrella of the UPF when it was founded in 2005.
In February 2019 in Seoul, Korea at the World Summit 2019, Dr. Hak Ja Han Moon, who has been integrating and refining the global mission of UPF, relaunched the International Summit Council for Peace as a separate initiative and with a renewed mission to bring together current and former world leaders and develop recommendations for the problems confronting humanity focused on three main areas – peace, security and human development.
International Inauguration
At World Summit 2019 held from February 8 to 11 at the Lotte World Hotel in Seoul, South Korea, 1200 participants from 110 nations, including 40 current and former heads of state and government, enthusiastically responded to Dr. Moon’s challenge “to join hands as one family under God.” Among the many prominent global leaders, she invited keynote speakers, U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney (2001-2009) and U.S. Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich (1995-1999) to share their wisdom and experience on the most pressing issues in our world today.
A resolution was approved to establish a new association of current and former heads of state, heads of government and other world leaders known provisionally as the International Summit Council for Peace (ISCP). The ISCP would work in concert with the International Association of Parliamentarians for Peace (IAPP), the Interreligious Association for Peace and Development (IAPD) and the International Association of Traditional Rulers for Peace (IATP).
Awardees
Dr. Moon presented ISCP Distinguished Award medals to ten current and former world leaders:
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Hon. Dick Cheney, Vice President (2001-2009), the United States of America
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Hon. Ousmane Moutari, Ambassador of Niger to the United Nations
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H.E. Tuiatua Tupua Tamasese Efi, Head of State (2007-2017), Samoa
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H.E. Luis Federico Franco, President (2012-2013), Paraguay
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H.E. Anthony Carmona, President (2013-2018),Trinidad and Tobago
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Hon. Stanislav S. Shushkevich, Chairman (1991-1994), Supreme Soviet, Belarus
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H.E. Alfred Moisiu, President 2002-2007), Albania
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Hon. Iakoba Taeia Italeli, Governor General of Tuvalu
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H.E. Evaristo Carvalho, President of São Tomé and Príncipe
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H.E. Jerry Rawlings, President (1981-2001), Ghana
African Inauguration
At the Africa Summit and Leadership Conference (ASLC), held on June 7 and 8, 2019 at the Hilton Sandton hotel in Johannesburg, South Africa, heads of state and dignitaries from all over the continent were invited to sign a resolution to inaugurate ISCP’s African regional chapter. In recognition of their lifetime of public service and willingness to dedicate their experience, Dr. Moon presented the leaders with the ISCP Distinguished Award medal.
Awardees
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Hon. Gwede Mantashe, Chairman of the African National Congress (Representing President Cyril Ramaphosa of South Africa)
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H.E. Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, President (2010-2015), Nigeria
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H.E. Dioncounda Traoré, President (2012-2013), Mali
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H.E. Mahamane Ousmane, President (1993-1996),Niger
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Hon. Dr. Speciosa Kazibwe, Vice President (1994-2003), Uganda
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H.E. Prime Minister Kwassi Klutse, Prime Minister (1996-1999), of Togo
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Hon.Clara M. Ferreira de Bom Jesus, wife of Prime Minister of Sao Tome & Principe
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Hon. Alex C. Grant, Member of Parliament, Representing President George Weah of Liberia
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Hon. Josiah Dunira Hungwe, Provincial Governor of Masvingo, Representing President Emmerson Mnangagwa of Zimbabwe
Inaugural ISCP programs on the regional and national levels will be held throughout 2019, and the first World Assembly of ISCP will be convened in 2020.
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