World leaders and experts joined millions of global participants for the launch of “Think Tank 2022,” a global multi-sector network, by Mother of Peace Dr. Hak Ja Han Moon during the 6th Rally of Hope for the peaceful reunification of the Korean Peninsula. The virtual event, held May 9 KST, reached an unprecedented 1.7 billion people worldwide, according to a recent report compiled from global media data.
“There is no question that the time is ripe for such an initiative,” said Ban Ki-Moon, former United Nations Secretary-General and chairman of Think Tank 2022. “This network will make a difference for peace on the Korean Peninsula through international unity… I applaud Dr. Moon, UPF, and the thousands of experts who endorse Think Tank 2022.”
The Rally of Hope, sponsored by the Universal Peace Federation (UPF), was streamed live from South Korea to 194 nations and translated into 14 languages. There was stunning entertainment by the Little Angels Children’s Folk Ballet of Korea while prominent leaders, including the rally’s 12 keynote speakers, affirmed and enhanced the concept of Think Tank 2022.
A global multi-sector network, Think Tank 2022 comprises more than 2,000 experts from a wide range of fields—government, business, academia, faith, media, arts and culture—dedicated to the collaborative search for solutions to the world’s most critical challenges. “As leaders from around the world who cherish the values of faith, family, democracy and justice under law,” said former U.S. Vice President Mike Pence, “I commend you for coming together at this event to continue to sow the seeds of peace, believing that in time we will reap a harvest of peace that will benefit the people of Korea, the United States and all mankind.
Born in present-day North Korea, UPF co-founders Dr. Moon and her late husband, Rev. Dr. Sun Myung Moon, fled to the south during the Korean War and have devoted their lives to advancing a more peaceful world and reuniting Korea. Think Tank 2022, which will develop “Expert Working Groups” linked to UPF’s seven international associations, will spearhead peacebuilding initiatives such as a UN Peace Park on the DMZ; building a Korea-Japan undersea tunnel; boosting Geumgang Mountain tourism development; and helping separated Korean families find their relatives. Think Tank 2022 will also carry out fact-finding consultations, international leadership conferences, a major World Summit 2021 in South Korea, and implement a “One Million People’s Relief Association.”
“A reunified, denuclearized Korean Peninsula will bring massive peace and prosperity to the peninsula and to the region,” said Mike Pompeo, former CIA Director and U.S. Secretary of State. “Religious freedom is indeed the foundation of all freedoms.”
Ten governors of South Korean provinces, where Think Tank 2022 will be presented in five regions, congratulated Dr. Moon, who hosted the rally. Many speakers, including former Republic of Korea Prime Minister Chung Sye-Kyun and Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, praised the timeliness of Think Tank 2022 where “international cooperation and solidarity is needed now more than ever,” said Chung.
From Africa, Zanzibar President Dr. Hussein Ali Mwinyi recalled that Africans took part in the Korean War and long for peace and democracy in that region. The peaceful reunification of Korea will lead to “explosive growth,” said renowned American businessman and investor Mr. Jim Rogers, chairman of Rogers Holdings, Inc.
Mr. David Beasely, executive director of the United Nations World Food Programme, the world’s largest humanitarian organization and 2020 recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize, said, “This rally is reaching across continents, uniting people all over the world in a spirit of peace, mutual prosperity and public service.” Governments have failed because they couldn’t go beyond “their bureaucracies, their biases, and their fears,” said Newt Gingrich, former U.S. Speaker of the House of Representatives. Think Tank 2022 offers a new way for people from multiple nations to work together “outside the traditional, formal structures” he said.
“Times of crisis often tend to be the moments of greatest opportunity,” said Mark Esper, former U.S. Secretary of Defense. “As in the past, so too in the future; a strong and ready military, one embedded in a network of alliance and partnerships will be critical in this new era of great power competition that is now upon us.”
Peace wishes were given by Rev. Jonathan Falwell, senior pastor of Thomas Road Baptist Church in Virginia; Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani; El Salvador Vice President Felix Ulloa; Prof. Sarah Gilbert, a virologist who co-developed the Oxford Vaccine in response to COVID-19; former European Commission President José Manuel Barroso; and former Nigeria President Olusegun Obasanjo.
Dr. Moon and world leaders from all continents signed a resolution formally establishing Think Tank 2022, which aims to make impact over the next 18 months. The 6th Rally of Hope, part of a digital series started by Dr. Moon in August 2020, has brought together millions of people from all backgrounds who embrace freedom, peace, and unity based on the shared ideals of interdependence, mutual prosperity, and universal values.
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