HWPL and IPYG Bring Peace to the Table — Literally — in Antwerp, Belgium

What happens when you stop lecturing people about peace and actually invite them into the conversation?

On May 22nd, HWPL (Heavenly Culture, World Peace, Restoration of Light) and IPYG (International Peace Youth Group) gathered at KdG University in Antwerp, Belgium, to find out. Marking the 13th anniversary of the World Peace Declaration, the event brought together students, international law experts, religious figures, and youth leaders under one theme: "Building a Culture of Peace Through Citizen Dialogue."

A Forum That Actually Listens

This wasn't your typical peace conference. No keynote speeches followed by polite applause. Instead, the forum was designed as a citizen-participatory program — one where participants didn't just sit and listen, but rolled up their sleeves and talked. The central question driving the discussion: "Why do cultural differences lead to conflict?"

Tables buzzed with conversation about discrimination, inclusion, social integration, and what it actually looks like to build a community where different people can genuinely coexist. In a Europe where tensions around migration, cultural diversity, and social inequality have been running high, this kind of open, honest dialogue feels not just timely — but necessary.

Voices That Matter

The room was filled with people who brought real weight to the conversation. Serhi Samoilov, Director of the Youth Program at the United Nations Peacekeeping Forces Association, offered a perspective worth holding onto: discrimination chips away at young people's confidence, education, and sense of belonging — but diversity, when embraced, becomes a society's greatest strength. He reflected that the open dialogue of the day felt like a genuine step toward mutual respect and social integration.

Maroun Karam, Representative of the European Maronite Central Council, called it a meaningful experience of embracing diversity across social backgrounds, grounded in peace and respect.

These aren't empty words. They're the kind of reflections that only come from a room where people were truly heard.

What's Coming Next — And Why You Should Pay Attention

The event also looked ahead. Two upcoming programs were introduced that we think deserve your attention:

• Peace Talk — an online peace program launching this June, open to youth around the world
• 2026 One Korea Peace Camp — an international youth gathering in Korea this September, focused on peace, coexistence, and the meaning of reunification on the Korean Peninsula

If you're a young person who believes peace is worth working for, these are exactly the kinds of spaces you should be in.

Peace Is a Practice, Not a Position

As one HWPL representative put it: "Peace is not merely the absence of war, but a communal value created together through the understanding, participation, and solidarity of citizens."

That's the vision HWPL and IPYG are working toward — and Antwerp was one more step in that direction. The conversation is growing. The movement is expanding. And there's room for you in it.

Are you ready to be part of it?

📰 Source: HWPL, 벨기에 앤트워프서 평화 포럼 개최, 브레이크뉴스, 2026.05.26 

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