War continues to remain a reality of international politics. Conflicts and armed clashes still erupt, and despite the existence of international law, war has not disappeared. How much longer must humanity endure this vicious cycle? If conflicts are inevitable, does that mean war must remain the method for resolving them?
The Declaration of Peace and Cessation of War (DPCW), proclaimed on March 14, 2016, was presented as a response to these questions. How has global support and participation over the past decade gradually strengthened the foundation for implementing the norms it proposes?
HWPL and the DPCW
The DPCW is not a document born from abstract ideals. The organization “Heavenly Culture, World Peace, Restoration of Light” (HWPL), which proclaimed the declaration, is an international non-governmental organization dedicated to peace, created to protect human lives suffering from war and to build a sustainable global peace order.
A key background to its establishment was the military experience of HWPL Chairman Lee Man-hee. During the Korean War, he served as a student soldier and personally experienced the devastating consequences of war. His conviction that the vicious cycle sending young people to war must end in our time later inspired the development of international peace initiatives.
An important turning point was the HWPL World Peace Summit held on September 18, 2014, in Seoul. The event brought together 1,933 representatives from 152 countries. Participants agreed that international standards are needed not only to respond to conflicts after they arise but also to prevent them and to institutionalize cooperation.
To turn this vision into a concrete framework, HWPL established the International Law Peace Committee (ILPC) in 2015, bringing together experts in international law from around the world. After legal analysis and consultations, the committee finalized the DPCW, consisting of 10 articles and 38 clauses. The document was officially proclaimed on March 14, 2016.
Standards Proposed by the DPCW
The DPCW establishes norms related to the use of force and procedures for the peaceful settlement of disputes. It also strengthens principles of international cooperation and collective security, while incorporating the role of religion and civil society into the institutional system.
This document does not reject the existing international legal order. On the contrary, it focuses on clarifying already agreed principles and structuring them in a way that allows them to function effectively in practice. Its significance lies in attempting to move beyond a system that assumes war as a means of resolving conflicts.
The key question posed by the DPCW is simple: even if conflicts exist, must they necessarily lead to war?
Expanding International Support
Since its proclamation, the DPCW has received support from international organizations and national parliaments. Regional parliamentary bodies—including the Pan-African Parliament (PAP), the Central American Parliament (PARLACEN), and the Latin American and Caribbean Parliament (Parlatino)—have adopted resolutions supporting the initiative. In addition, around 900,000 signatures in support of the declaration have been collected from citizens in 178 countries.
This demonstrates that the spread of norms occurs not only through state diplomacy but also through civil society. At the same time, reality remains complex. International conflicts and wars continue, and power politics still holds a strong position. The transformation sought by the DPCW is still in progress.
Beyond the Era of War: Leaving Peace as a Legacy for Future Generations
For a long time, humanity has ended conflicts through war. The model of establishing order through the dominance of force has been repeated over and over again.
The issue raised by the DPCW is structural. Even if conflicts do not disappear, the ways of resolving them can change. The question is whether it is possible to build an order in which conflicts are managed through norms and procedures, cooperation, and institutions—rather than armed confrontation.
The past decade has been a period in which this question has been posed to the international community, as well as a time of accumulating institutional and societal foundations for addressing it. The next task is to ensure that these standards begin to function within the real international order.
Which Path Should Humanity Choose?
Not the path where war remains a method of resolving conflicts, but one aimed at shaping and institutionalizing peace.
Conflicts may be inevitable. However, whether they escalate into wars or are resolved through other standards ultimately depends on humanity’s choice. The DPCW is an attempt to give this transition a concrete institutional form. Discussions and the global spread of this initiative over the past decade have shown that such a vision is possible.
One question remains: will these standards take root in the international order, or will they remain just another declaration?
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Photo: from the archive of Maria Zaharchenko