Global Peace Festival
Organizers with Billy Crawford and
Jeffrey Hidalgo.
The Global Peace Festival (GPF) is a series of international events sponsored by the Unification Church. The stated goals of the GPF are to promote world peace, healthy families, and public service and cooperation; including support for the United Nations Millennium Development Goals.
The first two Global Peace Festivals were held in 2007 in the Philippines and in Paraguay. At that time, the GPF Chair & CEO, Hyun Jin Moon (the son of Unification Church founder Sun Myung Moon), announced the launch of a series of Global Peace Festivals worldwide.
In only its second year of operation, peace celebrations have been held in over 20 nations.
Billy Crawford with TNT’s Isagani
and Lanie.
The size of the crowds ranged from hundreds to tens of thousands of people. Even more important is the revolutionary way of approaching socially relevant issues.
The Philippines held the largest festival among them all with news reports indicating that as many as a quarter of a million people came to at the Quirino Grandstand to celebrate peace.
The first provincial GPF was held in Mindanao in September. This initiative did more than create a strong social impact to revive the peace process in Mindanao. From Baguio to Lanao Del Norte, governors, mayors, educators, leaders of civil society including religious leaders from all faiths are stepping forward to co-partner and sponsor these events.
Board member Contreras in a huddle
with Pops Fernandez and John Pratts..
The latest festival in the Philippines was held in Roxas City and sponsored by no less than the Provincial Government of Capiz led by Governor Victor Tanco, Sr. Local business people also supported the festival.
The focus of the festivals is on changing mind-sets by trying to raise cultural awareness to really "think globally." In essence people are challenged, to feel that everyone—regardless of race, nationality, or religion—is really part of his or her family.
The festivals feature speeches and music, and also involve conferences and public service projects. In Roxas City, celebrities such as Pops Fernandez, John Pratts, Billy Crawford, Jeffrey Hidalgo, and Cris Lawrence graced the gala night. The Philippines is leading in other ways too. The GPF theme song, "Where Peace Begins," was written by Filipino Trina Belamide and has become popular worldwide.