FOWPAL’s President Dr. Hong, Tao-Tze Speaks at Eurasian Economic Summit
Following the deadliest earthquake to strike Türkiye in a century in early February, the Marmara Group Foundation, committed to its mission of promoting world peace, overcame many difficulties to hold the 26th Eurasian Economic Summit in Istanbul from March 13 to 15. The event brought together heads of state and other leaders from various fields to discuss solutions to global challenges in different aspects, such as peace, sustainability, and economic growth.
FOWPAL attended the event to comfort people and pray for Türkiye and the rest of the world through bell ringing ceremonies and cultural performances. Dr. Hong, Tao-Tze, president of the Federation of World Peace and Love (FOWPAL), delivered a speech on March 15, highlighting the importance of conscience. He emphasized that when the conscience of people, including heads of state and average citizens around the world, is awakened, they can act with their conscience and do good deeds in their respective positions, preventing the collapse of the globe and changing the course of humanity as a whole.
The Marmara Group Foundation is an NGO member of the U.N., accredited to the Economic and Social Council. It aims to help the world come up with solutions to problems in the areas of economics, democracy, and security. The number of attendees at the annual Eurasian Economic Summit has grown every year. This year, in honor of the 100th anniversary of the founding of Türkiye, the Marmara Group Foundation hosted the 26th Eurasian Economic Summit to identify and explore solutions to the world's current interconnected challenges. These include the energy crisis, issues with the global supply chain, economic recovery, digital technology management, youth thinking, women's rights, and human responsibility in war and natural disasters.
On March 15, the themes of the two sessions were "Human Responsibility in War and Natural Disaster” and "Contemporary Sagacious Men Session,” which focused on the world situation following the first anniversary of the war between Russia and Ukraine. Heads of state and influential leaders from fifteen countries came together to provide their insightful recommendations. Dr. Hong began his speech titled "Promoting Global Solidarity with Love and Conscience: Realizing Peace and Sustainability Through Sincere Hope and Actions,” by quoting the famous words of Kemal Atatürk, the founding father of the Turkish Republic: “Peace at home, peace in the world.”
Love and peace are the common aspiration of global citizens and the shared goal of the Marmara Group Foundation and FOWPAL. Since its establishment in 1985, the Marmara Group Foundation has been committed to fostering peace and dialogue. According to Dr. Hong, Türkiye's 100-year-old republican philosophy is one of peace and is in line with the objectives of FOWPAL to develop love and peace.
Natural and man-made calamities are now happening all over the world, and issues like climate change, the energy crisis, as well as problems with artificial intelligence and digital technology are having a negative impact on everyone's right to life. Dr. Hong believes that for peace to prevail and for global citizens to work together, a philosophical purification rooted in conscience is required and that people must return to the foundation of peace and restore the trust between them and between nations.
Dr. Hong pointed out, “Conscience is the compass in our hearts. Everyone is born with a conscience, but the pollution of the world makes it dusty, causing people to get disoriented in the midst of worldly activities. When all people listen to the call of their conscience and do more good deeds to atone for their mistakes, a culture of love and peace will naturally form, and the well-being of the world will be significantly improved.”
He also stressed, “The key to getting to the root of the problems lies in our hearts. With love in our hearts, we can return to the foundation of peace and act with conscience. Every decision and action made in the present has an impact on the future of our offspring. Every honored guest here today holds in our hands the key to a sustainable future, which is our conscience. Conscience can activate the power of truth, goodness, and beauty within us and open the door to a world of peace.”
For decades, Dr. Hong has led FOWPAL worldwide members to visit more than 100 countries, sowing the seeds of love and conscience through cultural performances, summits, bell ringing and prayer ceremonies, as well as the launch and promotion of declarations about the movement of An Era of Conscience, the International Day of Conscience, World Prayer Day, and World Day of the Power of Hope. Transcending the barriers of nationality, class, religion and race, FOWPAL aims to bring global citizens together, inspire them to work together for the ideals of love, peace, conscience, and human rights, and to create a world of peace and happiness. FOWPAL hopes that through continued joint efforts, people can buy more time and bring a brighter future for the world and future generations.