MESSAGES FROM THE SECRETARY GENERAL

SPEECH OF HOPE: ACRP NOW AND BEYOND
(CLOSING REMARKS DURING THE 8TH ACRP GENERAL ASSEMBLY)

It is a great honor for me to be elected as the ACRP secretary general succeeding Dr. Sunggon Kim. I will serve for the next five (5) years until the next Assembly.

I would like to give my sincerest gratitude to Dr. Sunggon Kim for his exceptional dedication as the ACRP secretary general for the past two terms, spanning more than 10 years. I also thank all the staff member of ACRP Seould secretariat, without their dedication and service, it would have been impossible to have a successful ACRP Assembly. In fact, up to this day, the staff and members of the secretariat are still busy supporting the daily activities of the assembly. I would like to express my gratitude for their untiring effort. I also would like to convey my sincerest appreciation to Dr Jin-hyun Byung, secretary general of the Korean Conference of Religions for Peace (KCRP) and other executive members of the Seoul office for their service over so many years.

Dr. Sunggon Kim has served as ACRP secretary general for more than a decade but also fulfilling his responsibility as a member of the South Korean national assembly. I imagine his extraordinary efforts, which is beyond description. As the deputy secretary general of ACRP, I visited Seoul many times to meet Dr. Kim and consult with him. Even when I visited him during the session of the Korean National Assembly, he will come to me so kindly, and spend with me so many long hours discussing the operation of ACRP.

The ACRP was founded in 1976 as a charter of the World Conference of Religions for Peace (WCRP). For the past 30 years, members of ACRP have worked hard to realize the founders’ aspirations, which is to combine the efforts of Asian religious leaders to address the issues and problems of our region. Over the years, the WCRP has evolved into a global organization comprising six (6) regional committees. I firmly believe that the mission of ACRP, the oldest of the six (6) regional committees, is to contribute peace and harmony to people’s lives in the Asia Pacific region. I also believe that by fulfilling this mission, which is to create unity and harmony in Asia, we can show our gratitude to the founders of ACRP.

Before long, ACRP secretariat office will be relocated from Seoul to Tokyo.

In conclusion, I would like to pledge that I will work hard to develop ACRP further together with our honorable co-moderators Ven. Ja Seung and Dr Syamsuddin, the members of the Governing Board, Executive Committee and all the members of ACRP.

May I request your generous support and cooperation.

Thank you very much.