[Seoul=Newsis] Former U.S. Ambassador to Korea Christopher Hill gives the congratulatory address at the opening banquet of the “World Summit 2017,” held on the first of the month, in the Crystal Ballroom of the Lotte World Hotel in Jamshil-dong, Sonpa-gu, Seoul.(Photo Source=UPF) 

[Seoul=Newsis] Reporter Jung-Hwan Kim = The Universal Peace Federation (UPF) will hold the “World Summit 2017” with 800 participants, including parliamentarians from 120 nations, at the Lotte World Hotel in Jamshil-dong, Sonpa-gu, Seoul, from the 1^st to the 4^th with the theme of “Addressing the Critical Challenges of our Time: Peace, Security and Human Development.”

Politicians, economists, journalists and religious leaders, etc., will participate in the event.

The events were attended by many VIPs from all over the world, including H.E. Milan Dunovic, Vice President of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina; H.E. Dashamir Shehi, former Prime Minister of Albania; H.E. Rahim Huseyno, former Prime Minister of Azerbaijan; H.E. Anote Tong, former President of Kiribati; Hon. Kessai Note, former Senator and President of the Marshall Islands; Rt. Hon. Parmanand Jha, Vice President of Nepal; Hon. Emilia Alfaro de Franco, Senator and former First Lady of Paraguay; H.E. Messan Agbéyomé Gabriel Kodjo, former Prime Minister of Togo;  Hon. Dan Burton, former member of the U.S. House of Representatives and Co-Chairman of the International Association of Parliamentarians for Peace; Hon. Jose de Venecia, Jr., former Speaker of the House of Representatives of the Philippines and the Co-Chairman of the International Association of Parliamentarians for Peace; Hon.  Jong-Seong Lim, National Assemblyman of Korea and Christopher Hill, former U.S. Ambassador to Korea, etc.

The guests were greeted by Sun-Jin Moon, Chairwoman of UPF International; In Sup Park, FFWPU Vice-President; Yeon-Ah Moon, International President of Women’s Federation for World Peace and Dr. Thomas Walsh, President of UPF International.

The opening banquet held on the 1^st included an invocation by Dr. Wu-Hsien Chu, Chairman of the Taiwan Interfaith Foundation; a welcoming address by Dr. Thomas Walsh, President of UPF International; congratulatory remarks by Cynthia Tarrago Diaz, a Congressional Representative from Paraguay and Christopher Hill, former U.S. Ambassador to Korea.

In his welcoming address, Dr. Thomas Walsh, President of UPF International, stated, “Leaders from 120 nations, including Asia, Oceania, Africa, Eurasia, Europe, North America, South America and more have gathered here. The second Sunhak Peace Prize Award Ceremony; the International Association of Parliamentarians for Peace Assembly; the International Conference on the Unity of Sciences, which will be attended by recipients of the Nobel Peace Prize, as well as events honoring the contribution to peace made by UPF founders Rev. Sun Myung Moon and Dr. Hak Ja Han Moon, are some of the events that will take place during the World Summit. Let us work together to achieve world peace.”