Toward a World Led by Principles, Not Power

As the 80th Session of the United Nations General Assembly convenes in New York on September 9, 2025, the Universal Peace Federation reaffirms its commitment to multilateral cooperation and shared responsibility in a time of profound global challenges. Amid escalating geopolitical tensions, social fragmentation, and humanitarian crises, this historic session carries exceptional moral weight. It marks not only an institutional milestone but also a crossroads for global leadership, a moment to renew our collective commitment to peace, dignity, and sustainable development for all.

This year’s theme, “Better Together: 80 Years and More for Peace, Development and Human Rights,” resonates deeply with UPF’s founding vision. For two decades, UPF has advanced this vision by contributing to UN commemorative days worldwide, including the International Day of Peace and the International Day of Families, bringing together governments, religious communities, youth, and civil society. These gatherings are not merely symbolic; they embody the conviction that peace begins with shared values and flourishes through service.

UPF also welcomes this year’s “SDG Moment” and the renewed emphasis on achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. Our initiatives across education, health, gender equality, economic development, and peace education put these goals into action. For example:

• South Africa: UPF leaders participated in national consultations on sustainable development and ethical leadership, advocating for faith-based perspectives in community transformation and education.

• Nepal: Through the South Asia Peace Initiative (SAPI), UPF convened forums with women leaders and parliamentarians, advancing reconciliation and SDG 5 on gender equality.

• Ukraine: Our Peace School program cultivated youth leadership, social responsibility, and peacemaking skills, in alignment with SDG 4 on quality education.

• Argentina: With the International Association of Arts and Culture for Peace (IAACP), UPF organized interfaith gatherings for the International Day of Peace, featuring music, art, and poetry contests that promoted SDG 16 on peace, justice, and strong institutions.

  
  

We commend the UN initiative to convene a Summit on Sustainable and Inclusive Global Economy. This focus on equity and partnerships aligns with UPF’s International Association for Peace and Economic Development (IAED), which unites ethical business leaders and innovators to promote values-based entrepreneurship, in the spirit of SDG 8.

We likewise affirm the urgency of the upcoming Climate Summit. Through programs in Thailand, Russia, and the Philippines, UPF and Youth and Students for Peace (YSP) have organized tree planting, recycling campaigns, and eco-leadership training – grassroots efforts that reflect our belief that peace includes responsible stewardship of the Earth.

Another highlight of this session is the Youth Summit, marking the 30th anniversary of the UN’s Youth Agenda (WPAY 30). UPF echoes this call through global youth empowerment. Through YSP, thousands of young leaders across Korea, Latin America, Africa, and Europe have engaged in peace education, interfaith volunteering, and civic service.

UPF also underscores the importance of spiritual and academic leadership in sustainable development. Through the International Association of Academicians for Peace (IAAP), we foster ethical scholarship. Through the Interreligious Association for Peace and Development (IAPD), we promote interfaith dialogue to defend religious freedom and counter extremism. And through the International Summit Council for Peace (ISCP), former heads of state work together to address root causes of conflict and restore ethical leadership.

UPF’s vision is rooted in the teachings of our founders, Dr. Hak Ja Han and the late Rev. Sun Myung Moon, who affirmed that peace is not merely political but a spiritual responsibility grounded in the sacred value of every human life. In 2000, Rev. Moon spoke at the United Nations, proposing an interreligious council to complement national leadership, noting that: “Human problems are not entirely social or political. World peace can be fully accomplished only when the wisdom and efforts of the world’s religious leaders work cooperatively with national leaders.”

Dr. Hak Ja Han continues to call for a global transformation rooted in reverence for the divine and a profound moral awakening. She reminds us: “The true owner of the world is God. And if we do not attend God as the true owner, lasting peace cannot be realized.”

Their legacy challenges us to build peace not only through policy but also through conscience, cultivating empathy, living for the sake of others, and restoring trust across the lines that divide us.

Today, we call upon Ambassadors for Peace, national leaders, faith communities, and civil society to see the 80th UNGA not merely as a procedural gathering, but as a moral summons. Let us champion multilateralism not only as governance, but as a posture of conscience. Let us elevate the voices of those too often unheard – the refugee child, the interfaith peacemaker, the grassroots volunteer, the young visionary who dares to believe in peace.

As the gavel opens the 80th Session, let it mark not just ceremony but covenant, a pledge to the founding promise of the United Nations: that all nations, however diverse, can unite around the dignity of the human person. May we walk together toward a world where war is unthinkable, dialogue triumphs over distrust, and every person is cherished as a member of one human family under God with a shared destiny.

Dr. Tageldin Hamad, President, UPF International September 9, 2025