The Peace We Choose: A Journey of Conscience & Compassion

On this twenty-first day of September 2025, the Universal Peace Federation joins the world in solemn observance of the International Day of Peace. This year’s global theme, “Act Now for a Peaceful World,” resonates with the urgent need for shared responsibility in addressing the root causes of division, injustice, and violence. Today also marks the conclusion of the UPF 100 Days Campaign Toward the International Day of Peace, a season of reflection and action that mobilized individuals and partners around the world to renew their commitment to peace through education, interfaith dialogue, and service. 

Peace is not merely the absence of conflict. It is a dynamic, moral, and spiritual harmony that arises when individuals, families, and societies align themselves with principles that affirm the dignity of every human life. At the heart of the Universal Peace Federation’s mission is the recognition that we are members of one interdependent human family. We are bound not by blood or geography, but by conscience, compassion, and shared responsibility. 

These ideals, championed by the founders Dr. Hak Ja Han and her late husband Rev. Sun Myung Moon, continue to guide our work across regions, faiths, and cultures. As the founders taught, religion that places its own nation and people first can never fulfill its responsibility on a global level. We must transcend nationality, tradition, and ideology in order to build a society that embraces all peoples and leads humanity toward lasting peace. People of faith and goodwill must reach unity of heart and live together as one family under a common spiritual purpose. This vision is not utopian. It is necessary.

The Universal Peace Federation affirms that the source of true and lasting peace is not merely institutional or material, but spiritual in nature. Peace flows from a higher moral order, a divine origin, and a sense of purpose that transcends individual or national interests. As one of our core teachings expresses, any religion that seeks to bring peace to the world must not be self-centered or consumed by its own importance. It must be open to dialogue and humble in service. This conviction aligns with the spirit of UN General Assembly Resolution 79/316, which promotes interreligious and intercultural dialogue.

The 100 Days Campaign reflected the spirit of Sustainable Development Goals 16 and 4, promoting peace education, dialogue, and inclusive participation at all levels of society. These efforts also support the UN Secretary-General’s New Agenda for Peace, which calls for preventive diplomacy, early warning mechanisms, and investments in peacebuilding before tensions escalate into violence. We therefore encourage all global actors to elevate dialogue, uphold moral leadership, and pursue reconciliation not only through political negotiation, but through service to others, the healing of historical wounds, and the rebuilding of trust.

During the 100 Days Campaign, the Universal Peace Federation reached hundreds of thousands of individuals across continents with a message of peace, harmony, and reconciliation. Through forums, interfaith gatherings, digital outreach, and community programs, this global effort inspired new connections and renewed commitments to shared humanity. Looking ahead, UPF envisions the coming season as the International Year of the Volunteers for Sustainable Development (IVY 2026), during which our supporters and UPF Ambassadors for Peace will continue transforming the message of peace into concrete acts of compassion through humanitarian outreach, service projects, and assistance to those in need. In every region, this spirit of altruism will carry the campaign forward, turning words into impact and solidarity into action.

We call upon heads of state and parliamentarians to strengthen policies that protect human rights, both offline and online, and to address inequality through inclusive governance. We support efforts to advance disarmament, including those marked by the International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons on September 26. We further call for coordinated action to address the climate crisis as a growing threat to peace and security, particularly for vulnerable communities, by promoting ecological justice and environmental resilience in line with Sustainable Development Goal 13.

We urge governments to increase investment in peace education curricula in schools, and to support the creation of interfaith and intercultural councils at the local and national levels. We especially appeal to young people, women, and marginalized communities to rise as builders of peace and mutual prosperity. We call on governments to ensure meaningful mechanisms for youth participation, as outlined in the Youth, Peace and Security agenda. We also affirm the vital role of women in reconciliation and conflict prevention, as recognized in the Women, Peace and Security framework. We particularly support initiatives such as the UN GA 80 High-level meeting on the thirtieth anniversary of the Fourth World Conference on Women on September 22, addressing the call for new models of leadership anchored in compassion and integrity.

As this campaign concludes, the vision of the Universal Peace Federation remains firm: to advance peace grounded in universal spiritual principles, interdependence, and moral responsibility. Our work echoes the spirit of UN General Assembly Resolution 73/329, promoting a global culture of peace with love and conscience through education, service, and multistakeholder cooperation. Our hope is not abstract. It is grounded in lived experience and reinforced by acts of courage and compassion across communities.

Let us act now for a peaceful world. As the United Nations prepares for the Second World Summit for Social Development in Doha this November, the Universal Peace Federation stands ready to contribute perspectives from interfaith and civil society actors committed to justice and inclusion. Drawing upon the outcomes of the Summit of the Future held in 2024, we reaffirm our commitment to implementing the Pact for the Future and advancing a vision of shared human dignity that transcends boundaries.

These efforts reflect not only UPF’s founding ideals, but also the momentum created by the Sustainable Development Goals, the UN Secretary-General’s New Agenda for Peace, and the frameworks outlined in Our Common Agenda. As the international community inaugurates the 80th session of the UN General Assembly, and prepares for its high-level meeting to commemorate 80 years of the United Nations on September 22, the Universal Peace Federation pledges to help shape a more inclusive, sustainable, and spiritually grounded global order. In the words of the founders, the greatest power is not that which conquers enemies, but that which transforms them into brothers and sisters.

Dr. Tageldin Hamad, President, UPF-International September 21, 2025