UPF Statement on the United Nations Day for South-South Cooperation

On September 12, the Universal Peace Federation joins the United Nations community in honoring the Day for South-South Cooperation. This observance reaffirms the growing agency of developing nations in shaping a more balanced, resilient, and harmonious world. Rooted in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, it celebrates partnerships built not on dependency but on mutual respect, shared knowledge, and regional solidarity.

The Global South is not a passive recipient of history. It is its living author. Across Asia, Africa, Latin America, and the Pacific, a new generation of leaders, educators, and peacebuilders is rising, bringing forth solutions shaped by experience and rooted in community. The Universal Peace Federation believes that durable peace begins when these voices are heard, supported, and empowered. Our founders, Dr. Hak Ja Han and the late Rev. Sun Myung Moon, taught that genuine development begins not with power or possession but with living for the sake of others.

The Vision of Dr. Hak Ja Han and the Asia Pacific Union

Dr. Hak Ja Han has proposed the creation of an Asia Pacific Union, a visionary alliance of more than sixty nations committed to peace, good governance, and moral leadership. This Union embodies a new model of cooperation founded on spiritual values and cultural respect. It reflects a broader insight long emphasized by our founders: that the world is entering a Pacific Rim era in which many nations of the Global South will shape the future direction of humanity in both moral and economic terms.

Our founders also spoke of the untapped abundance of the world’s oceans, most of which surround the

Southern Hemisphere. In the near future, these oceans will become a vital source of nutrition, commerce, and innovation. The protection of marine ecosystems and support for the communities that depend on them should lie at the heart of the South-South agenda.

UPF Humanitarian Action in Morocco and Syria

The Universal Peace Federation and its partners are committed to supporting locally led initiatives that uplift lives and strengthen peace. In Morocco, volunteers responded to the devastating 2023 earthquake in El Haouz Province, working alongside the Anwar Association and the Women’s Federation for World Peace to assist remote communities. In northern Syria that same year, our teams coordinated the delivery of emergency aid through three different channels. Working in partnership with Lebanese and Syrian leaders, two teams coordinated the delivery of emergency aid to Lattakia, and to displaced elderly survivors in Aleppo. Another team worked separately with leaders in what at the time was the ‘rebel-held’ north, managing to bring aid to families in remote villages in the countryside around Afrin, Jindires and Idlib.

These efforts reflect not only compassion but also the practical power of South-South cooperation.

Through initiatives such as youth-led environmental projects in the Seychelles, and service-learning programs in Uganda and the Philippines, UPF promotes a culture of altruism, ethical leadership, and interfaith dialogue. Our approach emphasizes human dignity, cultural understanding, and long-term cooperation based on shared values.

Sunhak Peace Prize Laureates from the Global South

Many recipients of the Sunhak Peace Prize, established by Dr. Hak Ja Han, are exemplary leaders from the Global South who have devoted their lives to peace and development. Dr. Akinwumi Adesina of Nigeria, president of the African Development Bank, has championed agricultural transformation and food security. Dr. Gino Strada brought medical care to war-affected communities across Africa and Asia. Dr. Modadugu Gupta, a pioneer in low-cost aquaculture, improved nutrition for millions in South and Southeast Asia. These honorees demonstrate the creative capacity of the South not only to overcome adversity but also to lead global progress.

UPF’s Call: From Charity to Genuine Global Partnership

We call upon governments, civil society, and our worldwide network of Ambassadors for Peace to invest in cooperation models that place human dignity above politics. Let us support innovation, values-based education, and regional integration guided by conscience and compassion. As one family under God, let us create genuine connections among communities and nations based on trust and shared purpose.

The Global South holds the key to a more just and peaceful world. On this day, let us move beyond charity and toward genuine partnership. Let us rise above imbalance and toward a future shaped by mutual respect and common destiny. The South is not a margin of the past. It is the moral center of the future, rich in wisdom, resilience, and a vision of peace.

Dr. Tageldin Hamad

President, Universal Peace Federation