At the Universal Peace Federation’s Asia-Pacific Island Nations Summit, held in Tokyo, the chairman of the organization, Rev. Dr. Chung Hwan Kwak, called on the world's great religions to restore and repair damaged relations.

Lasting peace could not be established without this important religious ingredient. Good governance needed the input of the great faiths working for the eternal goal of inter-religious dialogue and harmony. Spiritual and moral dimensions could not be divorced from the socio-economic dimensions of human life, he argued.

Accordingly, the UPF is committed to a renewal process of the United Nations, which must include an inter-religious council of that body.

Drawing on the story from the Bible of the two brothers, Cain and Abel, Dr. Kwak said it was time that the domination of human history by carnal opportunists like Cain came to an end; and instead, an Abel-like transformation of persons and institutions was needed. This 'living for others' would promote reconciliation -- and ultimately peace.

Dr. Kwak’s address had added resonance, considering the current situation of the Christian convert Abdul Rahman who was facing the death penalty in Afghanistan for converting away from Islam, just as the UPF conference met in Japan. Indeed, President George W. Bush’s comments about 'the disturbing violation of the universal values and the inalienable right of an individual to choose,' serve to highlight the need for continual inter-faith dialogue.

The secretary-general of UPF, Dr. Thomas Walsh, said that Regional and National Peace Councils would be formed and peace initiatives in both the Middle East and Northeast Asia -- where the Koreas meet -- would be intensified. In addition, stronger ties with the media, the establishment of special working groups, and the development of formal relations with governments, NGOs, corporations and intergovernmental organizations would follow. "Peace Corps" styled peacemakers would go to trouble spots to negotiate and assist the process of reconciliation.

In addition, UPF’s expanding corps of Ambassadors for peace would continue to be active in character education programs and HIV/AIDS prevention.

Concern was also expressed at the amount of Chinese penetration in the Pacific, with island nations being drawn into the PRC’s web of influence with capital works projects being funded by the Mainland Chinese, in return for votes at international forums. A West Indian delegate described the situation in his part of the world, where only two of the Caribbean island nations now have relations with Taiwan. What follows as a result is the destabilizing effect upon the local economies, with cheap Chinese labor driving down prices, thus impacting local tradesmen and workers.

A keynote speaker, Dr. Tesuya Kataoka (senior research fellow, retired, from the Hoover Institution, Stanford University), in a controversial speech, addressed the sensitive issues of nuclear power for some nations but not others in the region of Northeast Asia, and how it impacted the geo-political relations between governments.

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