The first National Peace Convention will hold on January 25 at the Philippine International Convention Center (PICC). No fewer than 1,000 participants are expected to attend from different sectors including lawmakers, university presidents and educators, youth and women leaders, media, religious leaders, and civil society organizations.

The convention will commence with the theme: “Peace Builds One Nation, One Future – Peace is Here”, aiming to establish a roadmap towards the attainment of national unity through peace in consonance with the Marcos Administration’s agenda. Through this event, a resolution will be presented to President Bongbong Marcos for a possible declaration of National Peace Day – a special working holiday.

The event is organised and spearheaded by the Volunteer Individuals for Peace (VIP), a local peace organisation chaired by Dr. Ronald Adamat, Commissioner of the Commission on Higher Education (CHED). This event becomes international with the participation of a South Korea-based NGO, Heavenly Culture, World Peace, Restoration of Light (HWPL) chaired by Lee Man-hee who is a peace advocate and war veteran from South Korea. Through the partnership of VIP and CHED with HWPL, the introduction of peace education at the national level and collaboration of peace activities at the international level have been pursued.

The 92-year-old HWPL Chairman will be coming to the Philippines in commemoration of the 9th Anniversary of the January 24 HWPL Peace Day. The Peace Day has been celebrated annually to commemorate a civilian-led peace agreement signed at General Santos City in 2014 to boost reconciliation among the local communities. A day before the convention, he is also set to attend and give a speech during the unveiling ceremony of the 11th peace monument in Plaza Asuncion, Malate, Manila.

The chairpersons of the two host organisations will give speeches during the first plenary session to present the milestones achieved for peace-building at the national and international levels, as well as their plans. Vice President Sara Duterte is also invited to speak at this session.

Similarly, The We Are One Music Peace Festival will hold at the Cotabato State University (CSU) Gymnasium on January 26, 2023. No fewer than 1,000 students, faculty members, government officials, religious leaders and peace advocates from civil society organisations are expected to attend.

With the theme: “Peace is Here,” the Music Peace Festival aims to unify the voices of the youth and citizens in Mindanao to call for the cessation of wars around the world such as the one in Ukraine that has raised concerns over the security and economy of many countries including the Philippines. The festival is designed to raise awareness of the need for active involvement of citizens and national leaders for a peaceful society.

His words: “Guard your heart with all diligence. Believers need the cover of the blood of Jesus in this particular year. Pray for the grace to die to the flesh daily. Pray that God ransoms you from the power of the grave and of death.”
technology sector, the Prosper Africa Tech for Trade Alliance will accelerate e-commerce and digital trade in Africa and address legal, regulatory, and logistical bottlenecks.
It also announced new partnerships to mobilise an investment target of $1 billion in private capital to advance African infrastructure and innovation, including:
•A $25 million partnership with TradeMark East Africa and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) to establish Trade Catalyst Africa, an investment facility that is expected to leverage at least $90 million of private financing for African infrastructure with the potential to expand continent-wide.

•New partnerships with the Institutional Investor Network and global advisory firm MiDA Advisors that will channel large-scale investments into African infrastructure and build enduring relationships between the trillion dollar U.S. pension community and their African counterparts.

•Investments in five pioneering partnerships to grow the African asset management space and drive investment of over $200 million in African small businesses. The combination of these five partnerships, with a focus on addressing global challenges like climate change, food security, and women’s empowerment, will benefit hundreds of thousands of people and generate millions of dollars in revenue for businesses.

Since 2019, the U.S. Government has helped close 1,100 deals across 49 African countries for a total estimated value of $65 billion.