FOWPAL Attends Summit of the World Protection Forum in San Marino
Dr. Hong, Tao-Tze Advocates Conscience as the Key to Future Sustainability
Human technological advancements have brought about highly developed civilizations, but they have also raised concerns. The increasingly severe climate disasters and ecological pollution, alongside the potential risks of technology misuse, have drawn global attention. On November 11, the 5th World Protection Forum convened at the Kursaal Congress Centre in San Marino, bringing together outstanding figures from various fields worldwide to seek strategies and actions to address global challenges. Dr. Hong, Tao-Tze, president of the Federation of World Peace and Love (FOWPAL), was invited as a keynote speaker, emphasizing that conscience is the ship sailing towards a sustainable future, a message that resonated deeply. On that day, FOWPAL hosted a special ceremony of ringing the Bell of World Peace and Love, inviting San Marino’s Economy Minister Fabio Righi to ring the Bell to pray for the well-being of San Marino and the world, infusing positive energy into the unsettled global situation.
Fabio Righi, Minister of State for Industry, Handicraft and Trade, Technological Research and Regulatory Simplification of San Marino, delivered opening remarks at this year’s summit of the World Protection Forum. A number of distinguished experts from different fields were invited to give speeches as well.
Dr. Hong, Tao-Tze, president of FOWPAL, delivered a speech titled "Conscience Is the Ship Sailing Towards a Sustainable Future," emphasizing, “Conscience is innate. With conscience as our foundation and love as the starting point, we can ensure a sustainable and safe future for the Earth by finding a balanced development of our environment, economy, and lifestyles through innovative technologies and models. This approach involves synchronizing the progress of spirituality and technology, ensuring we avoid repeating the past errors of environmental imbalance that was caused by human nature's excessive greed and demands.”
Dr. Hong was instrumental in the United Nations’ adoption of the International Day of Conscience, and he has led FOWPAL members to promote a culture of conscience, love, and peace around the world. In 2014, Dr. Hong initiated the movement of "An Era of Conscience," which has been widely supported around the globe. Beginning in 2018, FOWPAL, in cooperation with various Permanent Missions to the United Nations, organized a number of conferences at and around the United Nations in New York and Vienna. In 2019, the United Nations General Assembly designated April 5 as the "International Day of Conscience," which serves as a new opportunity to promote environmental protection education globally.
Dr. Hong also pointed out in his speech, “A good culture fosters a quality education, which, in turn, drives a strong economy. A healthy economy leads to a high quality life, which contributes to peace and prosperity. The culture of peace, responsible citizenship, and economic well-being we have witnessed in San Marino reflect the principles advocated by the International Day of Conscience.” He urged all nations to foster a culture centered on conscience and to integrate the strengths of diverse cultures and educational systems to support positive economic growth, harmony, and stability at a national level. This integration aimed to deepen environmental awareness and prompt action.
During the conference on the afternoon of November 11, FOWPAL hosted a bell-ringing ceremony, inviting Minister Fabio Righi to ring the Bell of World Peace and Love and make a wish for the world. He stated, “Che le persone possano riscoprire il desiderio di un impegno attivo e responsabile verso la politica e la cosa pubblica per poter essere protagonisti del cambiamento di cui il mondo ha necessità.” (May people rediscover the desire for an active and responsible engagement with politics and public affairs, so that they can become the protagonists of the change the world needs.)
Minister Fabio Righi said, “I think it's a ceremony that touches our conscience, and our health.” “Thank you very much to the Federation to be here with us today, and to promote two important and basic values all over the world, love and peace, and in my opinion, is the base of our thinking, especially when we take the political decision, and why not economic decision, and only with both values, we can create a better world in the next future,” he added.
Genseric Cantournet, chairman of the Board of Directors and co-founder of KELONY, as well as co-founder of the World Protection Forum, stated, “That was a beautiful moment. It was a moment, in which I guess the feeling was that we all have to work together to make this world a better place to live in.”
Angela Pietrantoni, CEO of KELONY and co-founder of the World Protection Forum, stated, “I want to thank you the organization of peace and love, and your foundation because it is amazing your proposition of peace and love in every part of the world.” She expressed that their founding principle is life first, which is compatible with that of FOWPAL.
Massimo Lucidi, president of the E-Novation Foundation, stated, “We could save the world if we have many allied people. And so for this reason, it's very important to improve this international networking, and I appreciate so much your presence.”
Cafer Okray, vice president of the Marmara Group Foundation and director of UDAS International Consulting, stated that he was very impressed by Dr. Hong’s speech, adding, “As usual he is pushing so hard for peace in the world, and we support him from the heart. And it was a very very good speech, and especially we need such peace in today's world's conditions, which is not good.”
Clara Hawking, head of Artificial Intelligence at Globaleducate, emphasized the need to incorporate an understanding of conscience and one's role within Earth's larger ecosystem into their AI literacy curriculum. This approach enables students to comprehend their environment and prevents them from becoming disoriented in the artificial realm. She continued to say, “We always work on creating a loving and peaceful environment for our students and reminding them as well that we want them to create peaceful and loving environments for each other as well.”
San Marino is the 103rd nation that FOWPAL has visited for cultural exchange. While in San Marino, FOWPAL invited people to endorse the “Declaration of World Day of the Power of Hope," which encourages everyone to use their conscience and power of hope to take action for themselves, others, and global peace and sustainability, and to let positive energy lead the earth towards the path of sustainable development.
In 2023, FOWPAL hosted ceremonies of ringing the Bell of World Peace and Love at the Eurasian Economic Summit in Türkiye, the World Conference of Mayors in New Orleans, the Parliament of the World's Religions in Chicago, and the International Conference of Chief Justices of the World in India. It extended invitations to heads of state and leaders across different sectors to participate in these bell-ringing events.
To date, 530 important leaders from 139 countries, including 60 heads of state and government, as well as 9 Nobel Peace Prize winners, have rung the bell.