Declaration of Peace and Cessation of War

DECLARATION
OF
PEACE
AND
CESSATION OF WAR

Declaration of Peace and Cessation of War
Copyright© 2016 Heavenly Culture, World Peace, Restoration of Light (HWPL)
All rights reserved. No part of this volume may be reproduced in any forms or by any
means, except for the brief quotations, without permission from HWPL.
Published by
Heavenly Culture, World Peace, Restoration of Light (HWPL)

Contents
Foreword 2
Declaration of Peace and Cessation of War 5
Preamble 6
Article 1 8
Article 2 8
Article 3 9
Article 4 11
Article 5 12
Article 6 13
Article 7 14
Article 8 14
Article 9 15
Article 10 16
Explanation of the Declaration 18
Take Action 30
Contacts 32

2
Greetings,
I am Man Hee Lee, the peace advocate of Heavenly Culture,
World Peace, Restoration of Light (HWPL).
It is an honor to be speaking with like-minded believers of
peace who dedicate their lives serving their people, country,
and creed. As people who share this earth together, the duty
appointed to us is to preserve the natural principles and rights
of mankind. As we have seen from the past memories of our
forefathers, to ensure that our future generations do not enter
such periods of darkness depends on how active we remain to
protect what is right and just for humanity.
It is for this reason that I, to this day, continue to act upon the
vision I have received, a vision of life, peace, and harmony.
What I desire to share with you is the Declaration of Peace
and Cessation of War. Drafted by renowned legal experts,
the declaration’s purpose is to cease all wars on earth. What
makes this newly-designed declaration unique is its inclusion
of provisions designed to prevent religious conflict, often times
excluded from legal projects. However, a provision addressing
religious issues proves to be crucial in achieving peace; as
much as 80% of wars stem from religious roots.
If every country in the world adopts legislature inspired by
the Declaration of Peace and Cessation of War, I have faith
Foreword

3
that war will no longer break out. Peace, our long-awaited
objective, will be achieved, and the world will be transformed
back its original and perfect design.
Adopting this declaration ensures achieving a world of safety
and peace. Not only will citizens support its provisions, but
when the heads of state become aware of the declaration,
how can they go against its message? Going against the
Declaration of Peace and Cessation of War is going against
peace. Therefore, if a head of state rejects this declaration,
wouldn’t their future descendants question their leader’s stance
on morality? Thus, a head of state who encourages war instead
of peace will fall into disfavor with the global community,
causing an urgency by the people to adopt the declaration.
However, when heads of state practice politics based on the
declaration, the scourge of wars and conflicts will end, and
peace will blossom around the world.
When heads of state around the world sign the Declaration of
Peace and Cessation of War, surely this will gain the United
Nations’ attention, causing the implementation, through the UN
and its Security Council, of the declaration on an international
level to be much more possible.
Fellow workers of peace, this is my declaration to you: to
support this movement, and show your support for what life
has desired since the beginning. I urge you to show your
commitment to establish harmony throughout the world by
Foreword

4
advocating the Declaration of Peace and Cessation of War to be
incorporated in all nations.
I thank you for your time in reading my message for the world.
Our efforts in restoring this earth are beyond what man desires,
but instead the hope of all sources of life. Even the beasts and
trees yearn of a day when justice will reign, and this work lays
in our hands.
I look forward to working together towards the hope that our
citizens dream of.
Most respectfully,
Man Hee Lee, Peace Advocate
Heavenly Culture, World Peace, Restoration of Light
Foreword

Foreword
DECLARATION
OF
PEACE
AND
CESSATION OF WAR

6
Preamble
Recalling the purposes and principles of the Charter of the
United Nations and other international instruments, including the
Universal Declaration of Human Rights,
Acknowledging that all members of the human family enjoy
human dignity and equal and inalienable rights, and that these
rights represent a necessary tenet of the preservation of freedom,
justice and peace throughout the world,
Aiming to maintain international peace and security and
determined to pass on to successive generations an invaluable
inheritance of a world free of wars,
Ensuring the acceptance of principles and the institution of
methods, that armed force should not be used, save in accordance
with the limitations prescribed by international law,
Reaffirming faith in fundamental human rights, in the dignity
and worth of the human person, in the equal rights of men and
women, the promotion of social progress and better standards of
life for people and future generations and the need to facilitate
peaceful coexistence among the world’s religions, beliefs, and
ethnicities;
Recognizing that the principle of equal rights and self-
determination of peoples constitutes a significant contribution to
contemporary international law, and that its effective application
is of paramount importance,

7
DeclarationofPeaceandCessationofWar
Bearing in mind the universal commitment of the world’s
religions to the promotion of peaceful coexistence, tolerance and
mutual respect, and the common spirit that permeates all religious
scriptures and holy texts,
Bearing in mind the sovereign equality of states, and
Convinced that judicial and other dispute resolution measures can
replace the rule of war with the rule of law
Call upon states
to establish conditions under which justice and respect for the
obligations arising from international law can be maintained, and
in accordance with the common spirit that permeates all
religious scriptures, and the rules of international law including
fundamental rights guaranteed, to undertake to prosecute and
sanction gross and systematic acts of violence undertaken in the
name of religion
to bring about gradual disarmament of weapons of mass
destruction and weapons capable of causing widespread
and unnecessary suffering and weapons incompatible with
international humanitarian law.
The signatories to the present Declaration do hereby urge that all
efforts be made so that this Declaration is adopted and respected
by all states.

8
Article 1
Prohibition of the threat or use of force
1. States should solemnly reaffirm that they refrain from the
use of force in all circumstances, save where permitted
by international law, and should condemn aggression as
constituting an international crime.
2. States should refrain in their international relations from the
threat or use of military force against the territorial integrity
or political independence of any state, or in any other manner
inconsistent with the purposes of the United Nations Charter or
international law in general.
3. States should prohibit any act or threat of violence, whatever
its motives or purposes, that occurs for the advancement of an
individual or collective criminal agenda.
4. States should abstain from interference in the internal conflicts
of other States.
Article 2
War potential
1. States should co-operate with a view to the gradual global
reduction of armament production.

9
2. States should not produce, assist in, encourage, or induce; the
production of weapons of mass destruction, inter alia, chemical,
biological, and nuclear weapons, or weapons capable of causing
indiscriminate or widespread and unnecessary suffering, or
weapons incompatible with international humanitarian law.
3. States should take measures to ensure that existing weapons
of mass destruction, weapons capable of causing widespread
and unnecessary suffering and weapons incompatible with
international humanitarian law are gradually dismantled
or destroyed. States should cooperate in disarmament and
the reduction of arms stockpiles, ideally under international
supervision. Decommissioned weapons manufacturing facilities
should be repurposed, so that they may serve purposes that are
beneficial to humanity in general.
4. States should strive to reduce excessive standing armies and
military bases.
5. States should cooperate to gradually diminish trade in weapons
and attempt to reduce the flow of small arms to non-state actors.
Article 3
Friendly relations and
the prohibition of acts of aggression
1. In accordance with United Nations General Assembly
Resolution 2625 (XXV), States should develop friendly relations

10
based upon respect for the principle of equal rights and self-
determination of peoples, and should take appropriate measures
to strengthen universal peace.
2. States have the duty to refrain from any forcible action that
deprives peoples of their rights to self-determination.
3. States should condemn the illegal occupation of territory
resulting from the threat or use of force in a manner contrary to
international law.
4. States should promote accountability, including by investigating
alleged violations of international law, in particular, grave
violation of the Geneva Conventions and their Additional
Protocols, and should take measures to ensure that states,
citizens and corporations do not contribute to the commission
of violations of international law.
5. States should condemn, and should criminalize in their
domestic law, the planning, preparation, initiation or execution,
by a person in a position effectively to exercise control over, or
to direct, the political or military action of a State, of an act of
aggression which, by its character, gravity and scale, constitutes
a manifest violation of international law, thus amounting to a
crime of aggression.
6. States should refrain from allowing their territories to be placed
at the disposal of other actors, whether States or otherwise, to
engage in armed force against a third State.

11
7. States should bear in mind the principle of sovereign equality of
states, and should seek to consult all other states, on the basis of
reciprocal respect, on issues that may relate to them, in order to
resolve and pre-empt disputes which may arise. This provision
should apply without prejudice to human rights law and human
dignity.
Article 4
State boundaries
1. In accordance with United Nations General Assembly
Resolution 2625 (XXV), every State has the duty to refrain in
its international relations from military, political, economic, or
any other form of coercion aimed against the territorial integrity
or political independence of any State, or in any other manner
inconsistent with the purposes of the United Nations. This is
without prejudice to instances when such forms of coercion
may be lawfully applied, inter alia, to induce states to cease
internationally wrongful acts, or when sanctioned by the United
Nations Security Council.
2. Every State has the duty to refrain from the threat or use of force
to violate the existing internationally recognized boundaries
of another State, or as a means of resolving international
disputes, including territorial and frontier disputes, in a manner
inconsistent with international law.
3. Every state has the duty to refrain from any act of incitement,

12
planning, preparation, initiation or commission of an act of
aggression by a state, a group of states, an organization of states
or an armed group or by any foreign or external entity, against
the sovereignty, political independence and territorial integrity
of any State.
Article 5
Self-determination
1. The duty of every state to refrain from the threat or use of force
against the territorial integrity or political independence of any
other state includes the duty not to engage in any action that
would result in the dismemberment of any state, or force the
secession or annexation of any territorial unit from that state.
2. Subject to the right to self-determination of peoples, states shall
not engage in any intervention that seeks to divide or separate
a state in a manner that is contrary to the rules of international
law.
3. Every state has the duty to refrain from prematurely recognising
an entity that has purported to secede from another state, until
such a time as the latter entity has developed the necessary
attributes, capacities and legitimacy to function as a state.
4. Subject to the provisions of the present article, States should
encourage identifiable nation-states that have been divided
by longstanding external or historical factors to engage in

13
co-operation and dialogue. States should ensure that divided
peoples are provided with their right to self-determination,
including, inter alia, measures which may result in unified
government.
5. Any political system in which power is exercised in perpetuity
by an individual or regime amounting to a manifest denial of
the right to self-determination should be condemned.
Article 6
Dispute settlement
1. States should recognize the obligation to settle their
international disputes through peaceful means including
reference to the International Court of Justice, other judicial
bodies, regional judicial arrangements, or through arbitration,
mediation, conciliation, or other forms of alternative dispute
resolution and in such a manner that international peace
and security are not endangered. States should carry out any
judgment or decision reached by a judicial body in good faith.
2. All states are encouraged to accept the compulsory jurisdiction
of the International Court of Justice, in accordance with
Article 36, paragraph 2, of the Statute of the Court, without
reservations, as a means of ensuring that disputes are settled
peacefully and in accordance with international law.

14
Article 7
Right to self-defence
1. Nothing in the present Declaration should be construed so as to
impair the inherent right to individual or collective self-defence
if an armed attack occurs against a State, until such time as the
Security Council has taken measures to maintain international
peace and security.
2. Measures taken by states in the exercise of their right to self-
defence should be immediately reported to the Security Council
and should not in any way affect the authority and responsibility
of the Security Council under the United Nations Charter to
take, at any time, such action as it deems necessary in order to
maintain or restore international peace and security.
Article 8
Freedom of religion
1. States should unite to strengthen international efforts to foster
a global dialogue for the promotion of a culture of tolerance
and peace at all levels, based on respect for human rights and
diversity of religions and beliefs.
2. States should activate and participate in systems to enforce and
protect fundamental human rights, eliminating discrimination
on the basis of religion or belief, and should refrain from

15
and prohibit the usage of religion by governments, groups,
or individuals in order to justify or to incite acts of violence
against others. These systems should include, inter alia, judicial
mechanisms.
3. States should foster religious freedom by allowing members
of religious communities to practice their religion, whether
publicly or in private, and by protecting places of worship and
religious sites, cemeteries, and shrines.
Article 9
Religion, ethnic identity and peace
1. States should engage in multilateral consultations to deal with
situations where differences attributable to religion or ethnicity
pose a threat to peace so that necessary remedial action may
be taken and to identify the root causes of a situation causing
tension between different religious or ethnic groups, in order
to adopt necessary measures to promote mutual understanding
between the groups concerned.
2. States should take measures to ensure that religious belief
or ethnic identity are not utilised as a pretext for gross and
systematic acts of violence. In circumstances where individuals
or groups perpetrate or assist in such acts in the name of their
religion, states should take adequate measures that lead to the
prosecution and punishment of such activities.

16
3. Recognising the threat to peaceful coexistence that violent
religious extremism may cause, states should implement,
in good faith, legal measures against individuals or groups
attempting to perpetrate or assist in gross and systematic acts
of violence in the name of religion. Such measures should,
in extreme cases, include the proscription of faith groups –
including sects or cults – that perpetrate acts of violence against
the territorial integrity and political independence of any state.
Article 10
Spreading a culture of peace
1. States should recognize and engage with groups and
organizations that seek to further the cause of peace as a
global movement. States should facilitate such groups in their
awareness-raising activities, including providing tuition in
human rights and peace studies, as provided for, inter alia, in
the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the 1999 UN
Declaration on a Culture of Peace.
2. States should recognize that, in order to preserve a lasting
culture of peace, public awareness of the need for, and value of,
peace should be created. In this regard, states are encouraged to
facilitate activities, commemorations, and initiatives that engage
public consciousness with peace, including the erection of peace
monuments as an alternative to war monuments.
3. Heads of state and heads of government should acknowledge

17
that they are uniquely well placed to encourage a culture of
peace, and should act to support this declaration to bring about
the cessation of war.
4. States should promote a culture of peace including ensuring
conditions in which-
(a) citizens are able to participate in the political affairs of the
state as equals regardless of religious or ethnic differences;
(b) a free media is maintained which allows grievances to be
aired and addressed; and
(c) education is imparted to promote respect and mutual
understanding among different religious, belief and ethnic
groups;
(d) the right to development of peoples, including the
achievement of the UN sustainable development goals, can
be realized; and
(e) the wellbeing of all human kind with the participation of
women and men to ensure peaceful coexistence amongst
nations, states, and peoples may be guaranteed.

EXPLANATION
OF
THE DECLARATION

19
The Declaration of Peace and Cessation of War (hereinafter
DPCW) is a declaration drafted by the HWPL International Law
Peace Committee and proclaimed on March 14, 2016. The DPCW
has been drafted with the intent of promoting the respect of funda-
mental human rights and international law, and of further involv-
ing States in the active protection of those rights. The full text is
available at www.peacelaw.org
The DPCW consists of a preamble and ten articles, which have
been elaborated taking into high consideration the existent
international treaties and human rights protection instruments.
While the preamble states the object and purpose of the
DPCW, the first part of the Declaration (Articles 1-7) affirms
some fundamental norms of international law, especially with
regard to the role of States in the promotion of peace, justice
and freedom. The last part of the Declaration (Articles 8-10)
provides a contribution to the further development of the
protection of the freedom of religion and the rights that aim at
empowering the participation of citizens in their communities.
The preamble describes the legal context in which the
declaration has been developed, as well as the fundamental
values on which it is based. Furthermore, it includes three
specific appeals to the international community.
With regard to the context presented by the preamble, the
incipit of the declaration recalls the Charter of the United
Nations (UN Charter) and the Universal Declaration of Human
Rights (UNDHR). Both documents represent milestones of the
protection and promotion of human rights at the international

20
level, and both served as inspiration for the drafting of the
declaration. The UN Charter was signed on 26 June 1945,
in San Francisco, and came into force on 24 October 1945.
The UNDHR was proclaimed by the UN General Assembly
(UNGA) in Paris on 10 December 1948 and constitutes a
common standard of achievements for all peoples and all
nations. It set out, for the first time, fundamental human rights
to be universally protected, and nowadays it continues to serve
as the basis for the development of new international legal
instruments (including the DPCW).
The preamble of the DPCW also introduces some of the
cornerstones of the document, referring to specific values and
fundamental human rights. The core values introduced in the
preamble – that coincide with the broad aim of the declaration
– are freedom, justice, peace, security, inter-generational
solidarity, the promotion of social progress and standards of
life, tolerance and respect in the context of religious beliefs and
traditions.
The preamble refers also to some fundamental norms of
international law that are further developed in the articles
of the declaration. The principles that are introduced in the
preamble and later expanded in the text of the articles are
the prohibition of the threat or use of force, the principle of
non-discrimination, the principle of self-determination, the
sovereign equality of States, and the role of the peaceful
resolution of disputes.
In the last part of the preamble, the DPCW calls upon States

21
to promote the protection and progressive development
of international law, to refrain from the use of force (in
accordance with the common spirit of all religions and without
using religious beliefs as grounds for disputes), and to proceed
towards gradual disarmament.
Following the preamble, Article 1 DPCW affirms the
prohibition of the threat or use of force. The article condemns
the use of force, and, in general, any interference with the
territorial integrity, the political independence, and the internal
conflicts of a State.
It is consistent with Article 2(4) UN Charter which reads “[a]
ll Members shall refrain in their international relations from
the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or
political independence of any State, or in any other manner
inconsistent with the Purposes of the United Nations.”,
and with its predecessor, Article 10 of the Covenant of the
League of Nations. Consistent with what was affirmed by the
International Court of Justice (ICJ) in its Nuclear Weapons
Advisory Opinion, the DPCW condemns the threat to use of
force together with the use of such force.
Similar to Article 2(4) UN Charter, Article 1 DPCW also
touches upon another of the paramount principles of
international law: the principle of territorial integrity, which
reflects fundamental international objective in the stability of
boundaries. The concept is further developed in Articles 3-5
DPCW.

22
Article 2 DPCW focuses on the fundamental issue of war
potential. In particular, it calls upon States to proceed towards
disarmament (ideally, under international supervision), and
specifically towards the reduction of the production and trade
of weapons (including the flow of arms to non-state actors) and
of the proliferation of standing armies and military bases.
The DPCW acknowledges the need for a culture of peace
and for significant arms reduction worldwide and has been
developed in accordance with one of the goals of the UN:
multilateral disarmament and arms limitation, both central to
the maintenance of international peace and security. In this
context, Article 2 DCPW stands next to a number of key UN
instruments, such as the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of
Nuclear Weapons, the Chemical Weapons Convention, the
Biological Weapons Convention the Comprehensive Nuclear-
Test-Ban Treaty, and the Mine-Ban Convention. In accordance
with the every-day action of international institutions such
as the UN, Article 2 DCPW promotes not only the goal of
“traditional” disarmament but also the goal of preventive
disarmament.
Article 3 DCPW is dedicated to friendly relations and to
the prohibition of acts of aggression. Article 4 and Article
5 DCPW regard, respectively, State boundaries and Self-
determination, connecting the goals of the DCPW with
those affirmed in the UNGA Resolution 2625 (XXV) – the
Declaration on Principles of International Law concerning
Friendly Relations and Co-operation among States –, and
expanding what is already introduced by Article 3.

23
Articles 3-5 DCPW, touching upon numerous core norms of
international law, affirm the principle of equal rights and self-
determination, the prohibition of illegal occupation of the
territory of a State resulting from the threat or use of force, the
prohibition of aggression (and, in general, of any direct and
indirect contribution of a State to the violation of international
law on its territory or in the territory of another State), the
principle of sovereign equality of States, and the positive role
of the mechanisms that promote the peaceful resolution of
disputes.
Articles 3 and 4 condemn the crime of aggression, meaning –
according with what was affirmed in the Rome Statute of the
International Criminal Court – the “the planning, preparation,
initiation or execution, by a person in a position effectively to
exercise control over or to direct the political or military action
of a State, of an act of aggression which, by its character,
gravity and scale, constitutes a manifest violation of the
Charter of the United Nations”. As an act of aggression entails
the use of armed force by a State against the sovereignty,
territorial integrity, or political independence of another State,
or in any other manner inconsistent with the UN Charter,
Articles 3-5 of the declaration further promote the protection of
the aforementioned principles.
The principle of sovereign equality protects the fundamental
rights of States, including the rights to independence, equality,
respect, and self-preservation. It constitutes one of the general
principles of international law that serve as the basis for the
existence and activities of the UN (see e.g. Article 2(1) UN

24
Charter). The general concept of sovereignty applies to the
internal dimension of the life of any State, as well as to its
external dimension, and one of its corollaries is the concept of
domaine réservé, entailing that at least some matters remain
within the regulatory competence of States.
Strictly connected with the concept of sovereignty are the
concepts of territorial integrity and political independence. In
the international legal framework, they protect States from any
external interference or threat, and the State’s right to make
decisions affecting their own territory.
Articles 3 and 4 DCPW explicitly refer to the UNGA
Resolution 2625 (XXV), which introduced one of the most
authoritative and comprehensive formulations of the principle
of self-determination, embodying it among the basic principles
of international law. The Resolution affirms the right of all
peoples “to freely determine, without external interference,
their political status and to pursue their economic, social
and cultural development” as well as the duty of every State
“to respect this right in accordance with the provisions of
the Charter”. Article 3 DCPW refers to the Resolution and,
affirming the principles of equal rights and self-determination,
supports also what is affirmed in the UN Charter, particularly
in the following provisions: Article 1(2) UN Charter, which
states that it is one of the purposes of the UN to “develop
friendly relations among nations based on respect for the
principle of equal rights and self-determination of peoples,
and to take other appropriate measures to strengthen universal
peace”; Article 55 UN Charter, which refers “to the creation of

25
conditions of stability and well-being which are necessary for
peaceful and friendly relations among nations based on respect
for the principle of equal rights and self-determination of
peoples”; as well as in Article 73 UN Charter and Article 76(b)
UN Charter.
Moreover, Article 3 DCPW refers to the Geneva Conventions
and their Additional Protocols. They constitute the body of
international law that regulates the conduct of armed conflict
and seeks to limit its effects. As such, they specifically protect
wounded and sick soldiers on land during war, shipwrecked
military personnel at sea during war, prisoners of war, and
civilians, including those in occupied territory.
Article 6 DCPW aims at promoting the strengthening of
the dispute settlement mechanism at the international level.
The declaration acknowledges two connected objectives:
the prevention of disputes and – when disputes arise – the
creation of an effective mechanism to solve them. In this
context, the DCPW promotes the recourse to the traditional
means of dispute settlement, and encourages States to accept
the compulsory jurisdiction of the ICJ: these two elements
of Article 6 DCPW go hand in hand, as the first reaffirms the
duty to settle disputes in a peaceful way and the second aims
at solving the contradictions that arise in the absence of a
compulsory mechanism.
With regard to the dispute settlement mechanism, the content
of Article 6 DCPW is connected with two fundamental
provisions: Article 2(3) UN Charter, which affirms the duty to

26
settle disputes in a peaceful way, and Article 33 UN Charter,
which lists the means that are available to peacefully settle
international disputes.
With regard to the role of the ICJ, Article 6 DCPW calls upon
States to grant the ICJ compulsory jurisdiction. The ICJ is the
principal judicial organ of the UN, and its role is to settle, in
accordance with international law, legal disputes submitted to
it by States and to give advisory opinions on legal questions
referred to it by authorized UN organs and specialized
agencies. The jurisdiction of the ICJ is based on the consent
of the States. Such consent can be given in different forms:
through the conclusion of a special agreement on a case by case
basis, through the inclusion of specific provision in treaties and
conventions, or (in accordance with Article 36 (2) ICJ statute,
as recalled by Article 6 DCPW) granting the ICJ compulsory
jurisdiction in legal disputes, unconditionally or on condition
of reciprocity on the part of several or certain States, or for a
certain time.
While the DCPW does not prohibit the use of force tout court,
Article 7 DCPW describes the only case in which States may
recur to the use of force, providing an exception to the general
prohibition on the use of force found in Article 1 DCPW.
The scope of Article 7 DCPW is not to promote the use of
force, but to limit it and regulate it on the basis of the most
advanced international law standards, and, mainly, support the
mechanism introduced by the UN charter with regard to the
right to self-defence.

27
The latter represent a norm of customary international law,
protected under Article 51 UN Charter, that, similarly to Article
7 DCPW, affirms that “[n]othing in the present Charter shall
impair the inherent right of collective or individual self-defence
if an armed attack occurs against a member of the United
Nations, until the Security Council has taken the measures
necessary to maintain international peace and security.
Measures taken by members in exercise of this right of self-
defence shall be immediately reported to the Security Council
and shall not in any way affect the authority and responsibility
of the Security Council under the present Charter to take at
any time such action as it deems necessary in order to maintain
or restore international peace and security”, and has been
reaffirmed by the ICJ in the Nicaragua Case.
In accordance with article 51 UN Charter, Article 7 DCPW
describes the only legal ground and procedure that allow States
to recur to the use of force: the necessity to protect a State
against an armed attack, the duty to notify the UN Security
Council of the actions taken, and to limit those actions to the
time preceding any action taken by the Security Council itself.
Finally, Articles 8-10 DCPW include the most original rules
developed in the document with regard to the promotion of the
freedom of religion and of a culture of peace. In the context
of the object and purpose of the DCPW described in the
preamble, and having affirmed the most fundamental norms
of international law, Article 8 DCPW affirms the freedom
of religion. It calls upon States to foster religious freedom,
protecting it actively and refraining from using religious beliefs

28
as grounds for conflicts and acts of violence. Article 9 DCPW
further expands the content of Article 8, explicitly condemning
any form of religious extremism and highlighting the
importance of the role of States in promoting pluralism and the
creation of peaceful and effective means of dispute resolution.
The primary sources of law underpinning the freedom of
religion or belief are Article 18 of the UNDHR, Article 18 of
the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, and
the UNGA Declaration on the Elimination of All Forms of
Intolerance and of Discrimination Based on Religion or Belief.
Traditionally, freedom of religion is considered to protect
several aspects of the private and public life of individuals, as
it entails the freedom to adopt, change or renounce a religion or
belief, the freedom from coercion, the right to manifest one’s
religion or belief, the freedom to worship, and the protection
of places of worship, religious symbols, and the observance of
holidays and days of rest.
The last Article of the declaration, Article 10 DCPW, is
dedicated to the aim of spreading a culture of peace. The
Article invites States to engage in the active promotion of
a lasting culture of peace, based on education, pluralism,
freedom of the press, and participation in general. Article 10
DCPW touches upon two specific legal instruments (the 1999
UNGA Declaration and Programme of Action on a Culture
of Peace, and the United Nations Sustainable Development
Goals adopted in 2015 with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable
Development) and upon several fundamental human rights.

29
Particular importance is reserved to the rights that aim at
empowering individuals and groups, allowing them to be
active in their political and social community: the right to
participation, which is protected under Article 25 of the
International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, Article
21 of the UNDHR, Article 8 of the International Covenant
on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, and several other
instruments, such as the International Convention on the
Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination; the freedom
of the press, in accordance with the UNDHR that affirms that
“[e]veryone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression;
this right includes freedom to hold opinions without
interference, and impart information and ideas through any
media regardless of frontiers”; the right to education, which
is also protected under Article 26 of the UNDHR and Articles
13 and 14 of the International Covenant on Economic, Social
and Cultural Right; and the right to development, which was
proclaimed in the Declaration on the Right to Development,
adopted in 1986 by the UNGA Resolution 41/128, and defined
as “[t]he right to development is an inalienable human right by
virtue of which every human person and all peoples are entitled
to participate in, contribute to, and enjoy economic, social,
cultural and political development, in which all human rights
and fundamental freedoms can be fully realized.”

30
Take Action
In order to raise awareness and gather pledges of support for the
Declaration of Peace and Cessation of War to be implemented
throughout the world, HWPL has initiated a worldwide campaign
with its two subsidiaries, the International Women’s Peace Group
(IWPG) and the International Peace Youth Group (IPYG).
Today is the day that the marginalized voices of the world are
finally heard, urging leaders, governments, and even the United
Nations to adopt and implement peaceful strategies to end all
wars. Let’s be part of the making of history together and pledge
for a better tomorrow.
How to Participate
Online Campaign
1. Visit the website: http://peacelaw.org
2. Click the “Pledge” tab
3. Fill out the blanks
4. Click “Pledge Now”

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Offline Campaign
For more information regarding the offline campaign,
please visit either the IWPG website:
www.internationalwomenspeacegroup.org,
or the IPYG website:
www.ipyg.org

Contacts
Headquaters
Address: 46, Cheongpa-ro 71-gil Yongsan-gu, Seoul,
Republic of Korea 04304
Phone: +82-2-514-1963
Fax: +82-514-1961
Email: hwpl_hq@peacelaw.org
New York, USA
hwpl_ny@peacelaw.org
Washington D.C., USA
hwpl_dc@peacelaw.org
London, UK
hwpl_london@peacelaw.org
Hague, Netherlands
hwpl_hague@peacelaw.org
Geneva, Switzerland
hwpl_geneva@peacelaw.org
Pretoria, South Africa
hwpl_pretoria@peacelaw.org
© 2016 Heavenly Culture, World Peace, Restoration of Light

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