Unification News for March 2001

IIFWP Panel Sessions

Session One A: "Co-sponsors’ welcome." Speakers included: Amb. Hadi Nejad Hosseinian, Islamic Republic of Iran; Amb. Hussein A. Hassouna, League of Arab States; Amb. Rashid Alimov, Mission of Tajikistan; Amb. Mokhtar Lamani, Organization of the Islamic Conference; and Amb. MakarimWibisono, Republic of Indonesia. The session moderator was Mr. Tajeldin Hamad, organization co-chair, Convocation of World Leaders.

Session One B: "Opening Plenary." H.E. Azali Assoumani, current president of Comoros; Rev. Dr. Chung Hwan Kwak, Chairman, WCSF; the Hon. Dan Quayle, former U.S. Vice President; Nobel peace prize laureate and leader of the Solidarity Movement, H.E. Lech Walesa; Mr. Ridha Bouabid, Office of the International Organization of la Francophonie to the UN; and Rev. Dr. Sun Myung Moon, co-founder of WCSF. The moderator was Amb. Makarim Wibisono, Mission of the Republic of Indonesia.

Session Two: "The Family, Universal Values and the UN," was chaired by Rt. Hon. Edward Schreyer, former governor general of Canada. Panelists included: H.E. Luis A. Lacalle, former president of Uruguay; H.E. Jacob Nena, former president of Micronesia; and the Rt. Hon. Lloyd Sandiford, former prime minister of Barbados.

Session Three A: "The Relationship among Religion, Culture, and Civilization: A Multi-Religious Inquiry," was sponsored by the Inter-Religious Federation for World Peace. Dr. Frank Kaufmann, director, World Peace Institute chaired the session. Speakers included Iman Haitham Bundakji, Islamic Society of Orange County; Dr. Yudit K. Greenberg, Rollins College; Dr. Jameson Kurasha, University of Zimbabwe; Rev. Junsei Terasawa, Buddhist monk; and Dr. Andrew Wilson, Unification Theological Seminary.

Session Three B: "The Role of the State in the Economic Transformation of Society to Build a Culture of Peace," was co-sponsored by the Summit Council for World Peace and the Federation for World Peace. Chaired by Mr. Antonio Betancourt, president, World Institute of Development and Peace; panelists included: Dr. Norman Bailey, former White House economic advisor under President Reagan; Rev. Walter Fauntroy, former U.S. delegate to congress; and Dr. Norman Kurland, president, Center for Economic and Social Justice. The session analyzed the role of the nation-state in economic development to encourage the transformation of our societies based on distributive justice, economic empowerment, and broad ownership.

Session Four A: "Dialogue and Harmony Among Civilizations: Scholarly Perspectives," was sponsored by the Professors World Peace Academy. Dr. Hans van der Giessen, University of Bridgeport chaired the session. Panelists included: Dr. Stephen Healey, director of the world religions programs at the University of Bridgeport; Dr. Harold Saunders, Kettering Foundation; and Dr. Hernan Lopez-Garay, Universidad de Los Andes, Venezuela. The panel evaluated the view of Samuel Huntington’s The Clash of Civilizations, and discussed alternatives in the form of political liberalism which promotes dialogue among civilizations.

Session Four B: "The Global Environment: Trends, Challenges and Opportunities," was sponsored by the Waterland Research Institute and chaired by the Rt. Hon. Edward Schreyer, former governor general of Canada. Panelists included: Dr. Karim Ahmed, president of Global Children’s Health and Environment Fund; Dr. David Schmidtz, professor of philosophy, University of Arizona; and Dr. Elizabeth Willott, assistant professor of entomology, University of Arizona. The panel evaluated various global trends shaping our civilizations and the fundamental issues of environmental ethics and conflict resolution.

Session Five A: "The University and the Hierarchy of Values," was sponsored by the World University Federation and chaired by Dr. Marcelo Alonso, Florida Institute of Technology. Speakers included: Dr. William Kilpatrick, professor of education, Boston University; and Dr. Larry Phillips, associate professor of counseling and human services, University of Bridgeport. The scholars discussed the critical role of the university in modern society in the dialogue among the civilizations and peoples.

Session Five B: "Dialogue Among Civilizations: The Role of Women," was sponsored by the Women’s Federation for World Peace, and chaired by Mrs. Motoko Sugiyama, vice president, WFWP International. Speakers included: Prof. Lan Young Moon, associate professor, Sun Moon University; Amb. Purificacion Angue Ondo, ambassador of Equatorial Guinea to Cameroon; Dr. Unna Huh, congresswoman, Korea; Ms. Dawn M. Lemonds, Soroptimist International; Ms. Annanad Jasani, BBC London; and Prof. Angela Remane, University of Mozambique. The session discussed ways for women to take initiative and be actively involved in decision-making areas that particularly affect women, such as war, violence and conflict.

Session Six A: "The Empowerment of Youth through Character Education," was sponsored by the Youth Federation for World Peace and chaired by Alan Saunders, director of education, Free Teens. Speakers included, Dr. Gilda Alarcon Glasinovich, UN representative of World Information Transfer; and Mr. Mussie Hailu, regional liaison office of the World Peace Society. The speakers addressed the importance of the character education movement in the context of contemporary morality and ethics.

Session Six B: "The Dark Side of the Internet," was sponsored by the International Conference on the Unity of the Sciences, and chaired by Prof. Tor Ragnar Gerholm, professor of physics emeritus, University of Stockholm. Panelists included: Donna Rice Hughes, vice president of marketing and public relations, Enough is Enough; and Dr. Richard Rubenstein, president emeritus, University of Bridgeport. The discussants reviewed how parents, citizens, and the legal and technological communities can protect itself from the subversive effects of the internet with its ability to corrupt the social and moral fabric of any society.

Session Seven A: "Forging Workable Partnerships in Development," was sponsored by the Religious Youth Service and the International Relief Friendship Foundation. Dr. Kathy Winnings, IRFF was the moderator. Speakers included Dr. Marie Rene, founder and director, Haitian Academy; and Rev. John W. Gehring, international director, RYS. Working in small teams to draw from the experience and expertise of panelists and international participants, this session studied the dynamics of how to create successful models for partnership and development.

Session Seven B: "Values, Science, and Unification Thought," was sponsored by the Unification Thought Institute. Dr. Cheryl Lau, teaching fellow, Harvard University was the moderator. Panelists included: Dr. Sung-Bae Jin, president, Unification Thought Institute of Korea; Dr. Yoshiyuki Amemiya, professor of physics, University of Tokyo; Dr. David A. Carlson, associate professor of world religions, Unification Theological Seminary, New York; and Dr. Jonathan Wells, senior fellow, Discovery Institute. A new model of science, Unification Thought was the reference point for the panelists who discussed issues of conscience, and the evolution-creationism controversy.

Session Eight A: "Island Nations and the United Nations in Partnership for Lasting World Peace: Exploring Issues in Education, the Environment and Sustainable Development," was sponsored by the Federation of Island Nations for World Peace. Mr. Hiroshi Matsuzaki, president, FINWP was the moderator. Speakers included, H.E. Steingrimur Hermannsson, former prime minister, Iceland; Sir James Mancham, founding president, Seychelles; and Sir John Compton, former Prime Minister, St. Lucia. The panel discussed the feasibility of a confederation of the 50+ island sovereignties, which belong to the UN, particularly in dealing with global warming and the HIV/AIDs epidemic.

Session Eight B: "Dialogue Among Civilizations: Peninsular Nations Perspectives," was sponsored by the Federation of Peninsular Nations for World Peace, and chaired by Dr. Gordon L. Anderson, secretary-general, Professors World Peace Academy. Speakers included, Dr. Mustapa Bin Kassim, school of educational studies, University Sains Malaysia; and Dr. Heung-Soon Park, chairman, department of international and United Nations studies, Sun Moon University, Korea. The panel discussed the unique value of peninsular nations as bridges of peace between the continental powers of the world.

Session Eight C: "Continental Nations and the Furtherance of World Peace," was sponsored by the Federation of Continental Nations for World Peace and chaired by Amb. Phillip V. Sanchez, publisher, Noticias del Mundo and Tiempos del Mundo. Panelists included, H.E. Sixto Duran-Ballen, former president, Ecuador; and Dr. Thomas Ward, dean of the International College, University of Bridgeport. The panel analyzed points of commonality between the continental nations in terms of language, ethnicity, religion, trade, ideologies, etc., and sought to identify geo-ties based on these common challenges for the new century.

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