The Universal Peace Federation (UPF) held its first conference (following its inauguration in this country in November, 2005) in the Netherlands on March 31, 2006, with the theme "Good Governance, Inter-religious Cooperation and World Peace." The venue was the Crown Plaza Promenade Hotel, Den Haag, much used by the diplomatic community. Speakers included:

Dr. Willem Koetsier, Secretary General, UPF-Netherlands

Mr. L.W. Carp, President of the Sufi Movement in The Netherlands - http://www.soefi.nl, President of the World Conference on Religion and Peace (WCRP) in The Netherlands.

Dr. Irma E. Loemban Tobing-Klein, former Permanent Representative of the Republic of Suriname to the United Nations

Mr. Mark Brann, Secretary General, UPF-Europe

Mr. Djauhari Oratmangun, Chargé d'Affaires of the Indonesian Embassy

Dr. Erhard R. Blankenburg, sociologist of law and criminologist

Mr. Abdullah Haselhoef, Islamic counselor and publicist

Mr. Christopher Davies, serving as MC for the day, introduced Dr. Willem Koetsier who welcomed the guests and read from a speech by Rev. Chung Hwan Kwak, Chairman UPF/IIFWP, entitled the "Three Heartaches of God." Essentially, these were the lack of cooperation between religions, the threat of atheistic, materialistic philosophy and youth immorality. Though inter-religious dialogue and cooperation has only recently, in general, become an issue of serious concern, Rev. Moon had been stressing the need for it and had been striving to encourage it from the very beginning of his ministry over 50 years ago.

After a short video presentation that introduced ideals of the UPF, Mr. Carp spoke on "The Need for Inter-religious Dialogue," stressing how vital he considered it to be. He said that religious people are in danger of thinking their religion was the best, which can "cloud and limit their vision... but, if we're serious about universal peace, we must make the effort to meet the other person: so I admire your efforts." He mentioned three obstacles: firstly, the more orthodox, who were often not interested or prepared to take part in inter-religious dialogue; secondly, fundamentalists, who needed to understand that while religions may differ, "we all believe in a Higher Being and in his guidance in the lives of individuals and mankind as a whole"; and terrorists, who "disregard the universal law to love and respect your neighbor…" He stressed the need for dialogue to understand.

Dr. Tobing-Klein's speech was entitled "The Millennium Development Goals: an Instrument for Good Governance, Inter-religious Cooperation and World Peace." She is Executive Director of MDG Gobal Watch, "Ensuring that every Country in the World meets the U.N. Millennium Goals." She explained the work of her organization, which can be investigated at www.mgg-globalwatch.org.

Mr. Mark Brann's overview of "Core Values and Purpose of UPF," briefly captured the core spiritual essence of UPF. He explained how the United Nations falls short of the ideals expressed in its founding charter. The lack of a role for religious leaders is a major concern. With regard to the aspirations of UPF, he stated, "people think of peace as an absence of something -- conflict and war -- but in UPF, we feel the vision must go deeper -- to what is going on in the heart of the individual."

After a short coffee break, Hans Campman provided a "Musical Meditation on Peace" inspired by the vision of building a Bering Strait tunnel connecting America and Russia.

The second part of the conference began with the speech on "Indonesia-Netherlands Interfaith Dialogue." The Indonesian Minister Charge d'Affaires, Mr. Djauhari Oratmangun, said he had immediately accepted Mr. Koetsier's invitation to speak when they met at a two-day interfaith dialogue at the Indonesian Embassy. His government had been active in participating in, as well as hosting, interfaith dialogues and seminars in the context of regional and bilateral forums. There are conflicts, large and small, all stemming from ignorance, parochialism and narrow-mindedness," he explained, saying that these "have pitted nations, tribes, ethnic groups, and faith-based communities against each other." In Indonesia, "since ancient times, we have understood that disputes can be settled through dialogue. In the context of Indonesian culture and tradition, we call this dialogue musyawarah untuk mufakat, which means consultation towards consensus. This is our way of life, which we are struggling to implement up to this very day.

He explained Indonesia's communication difficulties statistically: more than 17,500 islands; a total area of almost 10 million square kilometers, stretching as far as the distance from London to Moscow; a population of about 220 millions; some 500 ethnic groups; home to five of the world's largest belief systems: Islam, Christianity, Hinduism, Buddhism, and Confucianism. It is "through a continuous dialogue among these different ethnic and cultural groups and religions that we have managed to keep our common sense of nationhood intact. The recently attained peace deal between the Indonesia government and the Aceh rebels, and the solution of Papuan issue through Special Autonomy, show how dialogue works at the policy level."

In contrast with Mr. Oratmangun's pragmatic optimism, the next speaker, Dr. Erhard R. Blankenburg shared how his experience with the Middle East Peace Initiative resulted in difficulty sleeping after he had returned to Amsterdam. This had nothing to do with UPF's organization, but with his personal experiences in Israel and Palestine when he had left the conference venue to visit "ordinary people in the streets." He said he found the people -- Israeli and Palestinian, Jewish and Moslem -- afraid.

He said he did not agree with those who advocated "doing away with religion; but it's not enough to just talk about inter-religious harmony." He later expressed support for UPF's promotion of sporting activities as a way to bring people together.

Mr. Abdullah Haselhoef spoke on "Good Governance is Creating Harmony" and he went to the core of the matter: "many Heads of State have a disastrous way of running their own home; if you're not capable of handling your family; what are you doing in the rest of the world? Starting with yourself must be the precondition to trying to govern others. You need to be in control of yourself."

He had traveled to Israel and Palestine twice with MEPI, and he shared his conclusions with the audience: "it is absolutely not true that 'religion is the root of problems.' People are ready to kill for any ideology; even a football team... religion is hijacked by people who want to possess the minds of others. We need to give justice to others, but also feeling good from inside, and the only way to feel tranquility within is to find peace with a Higher Being. In the home, there are two things to remember: get in touch with the real you... and your family: that is the first step to universal peace."

Certificates of Appointment as Ambassadors for Peace were presented to a number of distinguished participants coming from a wide range of professional, national and religious backgrounds. Each new "Ambassador for Peace" was invited to speak and it was obvious that all were deeply committed to service to others beyond their organizational responsibilities and felt honored that their efforts were recognized by UPF. Everyone then rose to offer a toast to World Peace, a short ceremony that has become a fixture at events organized by UPF and associated organizations. In closing, UPF-NL Secretary General Willem Koetsier thanked all for coming and mentioned further activities planned this year. One guest asked to sing, and thus the afternoon ended with all joining hands and singing the gospel song "We Shall Overcome."

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