Interreligious International Peace Council
Press Release
PRESS RELEASE
Dateline: Saturday March 6th 2004
Solomon Islands Prime Minister Sir Allan Paul Kemakeza arrives in Samoa for Peace Conference
Apia, Samoa. On Saturday evening Sir Allan Paul Kemakeza, the Prime Minister of the Solomon Islands arrived in Samoa to
attend the inaugural meeting of the Interreligious International Peace Council (IIPC) for the Oceania region. This
inaugural meeting will begin on Tuesday 9th March. It will be hosted by the Prime Minister of Samoa, the Honorable
Tuilaepa Aiono Sailele Malielegaoi.
It is expected that several other Pacific Island Heads of State will attend. Government representatives of 15 nations
will also attend and religious leaders representing national Christian organizations will also contribute to the
conference. Over 70 such leaders have confirmed their attendance.
The Interreligious International Federation for World Peace (IIFWP), founded by Dr. Sun Myung Moon, in conjunction with
the Samoan Government are sponsoring this conference. The theme of the conference is " Building a Global Movement for
Lasting Peace" with the objective to establish an Oceania branch of IIPC. The IIPC held its world-wide inauguration on
October 4th 2003 in New York City.
The IIPC has been dubbed as a "Peace UN". What is unique about this endeavor is to establish a leadership group
consisting of top leaders representing governments and religion, working together, to create a vision for Oceania with
the will and the means to fulfill that vision. Historically, the political powers to be and the Church have been at
loggerheads or at best have functioned with a tolerance of each other but at a distance. Today, given the threat of
global annihilation, the time has come for government leaders and church leaders to work together in a holistic way. The
IIPC has, as part of it's charter, the commitment to move beyond the prevalent practice of acting on sectarian or
national self interest and to embrace the highest spiritual and moral principles for the sake of peace and the overall
well being of humanity.
Contact: Enrique Ledesma
Email: springtide2@actrix.co.nz
Phone: +64 4 383 9556 +685 23 656
ENDS