Group Photo: 2026 INTERNATIONAL YOUTH PEACE CONFERENCE
On October 10 at 10:00 PM KST, Heavenly Culture, World Peace, Restoration of Light (HWPL), an international peace organisation, held the 2026 International Youth Peace Conference – Global Youth Leaders Taking Action for Peace and Human Rights online.
The conference was organised for global youth to share the achievements of their peace activities throughout the year and explore the roles and practical ways for young people to achieve peace.
At the event, the 2026 achievements of the International Peace Youth Group (IPYG) and the key results of the HWPL International Youth Peace Programme held in South Korea last September were introduced.
Conducted from September 17 to 19, the programme consisted of a three-stage process: Discover-Learn-Act. One hundred youth leaders from 40 countries participated in the programme, learning the value of peace through exploring South Korea’s cultural heritage, lectures, discussions and experiential activities while seeking ways to apply what they learned in their respective local communities.
Light Performance: "Let Our Light Shine for Peace and Human Rights"
The achievements of IPYG in expanding its international youth network were also shared.
According to the presentation, IPYG currently collaborates with 1,890 youth organisations across 133 countries. In addition, regular meetings of the Youth Engagement & Peacebuilding Working Group (YEPW), where youth directly plan and execute peace activities needed in their local communities, were held more than 500 times this year.
It was also reported that approximately 12,000 young people from 89 countries have participated in the Youth Empowerment Peace Class (YEPC) so far.
YEPC is a non-formal peace education programme that addresses the lack of educational opportunities faced by youth worldwide and provides them with opportunities to learn the value of peace and practise it in their local communities.
After hearing about IPYG’s achievements in 2026, Salif Bouné, founder of the Association of Pupils and Students from the Commune of Diaye Couras in Mali, said, “Seeing these men of peace who have spent their entire careers travelling the world, meeting people in a voluntary manner, and speaking to them about peace, truly motivated us a lot.”
These activities show that youth are not only recognising the importance of peace but are also participating directly and proactively in the process of creating it.
Young people in different regions are considering the peacebuilding tasks needed in their communities, planning and carrying out activities, and expanding their roles as agents of peace.
At the end of the event, a performance using music and light was presented. Accompanied by the music, participants raised their mobile phone lights or waved their hands to express their desire for peace.
The host stated, “A single person's voice may sometimes feel small. However, if those voices gather into 10, 100, and 1,000 voices, they can become a great force capable of creating meaningful change.”
Siju Thomas Daniel, founder of the SCEAD Foundation India, said, “I want to bring change starting from this conference, with what I have learned, from today until next year. My aim is to get all the youngsters to come forward and talk about world peace.”
The event provided an opportunity for young people around the world to share the achievements of their peace activities and express their determination to practise peace in their respective communities.
As youth expand their interest and participation as agents of peace, it is expected that their actions will contribute to peace in local communities around the world.
