The Elders Roundtable and a Hopeful Future

The World Population Prospects report released by the United Nations in June 2022 drew attention globally due to the rapid ageing of the world’s population.

Given that 40% of the world’s population is concentrated in the Asia-Pacific region surrounding the Korean peninsula, it is crucial to consider politics, economics, security, and culture when contemplating the future of humanity in the 21st century.

Experts in international relations believe that the Korean War, which started 73 years ago in 1950, was a representation of the Cold War struggle between the democratic and communist camps.

However, South Korea and North Korea still face tension and confrontations today, and the Korean peninsula continues to bear the scars of this conflict.

In the present day, the United States and China are competing fiercely for hegemony in Northeast Asia, where the Korean peninsula is located. Russia employs military force to the north, while Japan dreams of advancing to the mainland to the south.

In January last year, Dr. Hak Ja Han Moon launched the Elder Members Association of the Citizens Federation for a Heavenly Unified Korea so that seniors can lead the younger generation in promoting harmonious coexistence to overcome conflicts and social divisions. The goal is for the committee to become a centripetal core of love.

The Elders Association of the Citizens Federation for a Heavenly Unified Korea Network continues to teach elders a values-driven vision of peace, and they lead a movement for the reunification of Korea. Last year (2022), they succeeded in bringing together elders from 245 locations across the country in a social integration movement to overcome marital and intergenerational conflicts and divisions.

The world is facing multiple crises such as pandemics, climate change, increasing life expectancy of the elderly, and low birth rates. The promotion of coexistence and harmony beyond national, racial, and religious differences is necessary to achieve peace. Therefore, the first launching convention of The Elders Roundtable is a fitting call for the times.

The Round Table will soon have a global launch to present an inclusive vision, and it will play a central role in realizing the values of inclusion and love in the global community.