On June 3, HWPL held the Dhaka Religious Peace Academy at Bishwo Shahitto Kendro (World Literature Centre) in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Co-hosted by Rissho Kosei Kai (RKK) Bangladesh, the Bangladesh Youth Educational Foundation, the Jodo Dohhhota Unnoyon Institute, and the Atish Dipankar Memorial Complex, the event brought together approximately 67 participants, including religious leaders, social leaders, youth leaders, and members of civil society.

Bangladesh is a multi-religious society where Buddhist, Hindu, and Christian communities live alongside the Muslim majority. While religious diversity is a vital social asset, accumulated prejudice and misunderstanding can become a source of conflict and exclusion, making ongoing dialogue and trust-building among religious leaders an essential foundation for social integration. HWPL has continued to pursue conflict prevention and the spread of a culture of peace through interfaith dialogue and mutual understanding.

The Dhaka Religious Peace Academy is an international peace platform designed to respect religious and cultural diversity and to build a sustainable culture of peace through dialogue and cooperation. The event aimed to share HWPL’s peace activities and the case of Mindanao, Philippines, as a real-world example of overcoming religious conflict and achieving harmony, and to explore how such lessons could be applied to Bangladeshi society.

The event opened with an introduction to the activities of HWPL and the Religious Affairs Department of Global Branch 03, followed by guidance on HWPL membership registration and a joint MOU signing ceremony among eight organizations. This was followed by a joint discussion among religious leaders, social leaders, and participants, divided into four roundtables.

The discussion topics covered the teachings each religion offers for human harmony, the contribution of religion to resolving today’s social conflicts, possible forms of interfaith cooperation for a peaceful society, and the direction of coexistence education for future generations. Following the roundtable discussions, each group’s chair presented their findings, and the event concluded with a photo session highlighting each group’s key takeaways.

Distinguished attendees included Ashoke Barua, Chairman of Rissho Kosei Kai (RKK) Bangladesh; Dr. Muhammad Jalal Uddin, Vice Principal of Central Creative College; Muhammad Qamrul Islam Jewel, Assistant Professor in the Department of Islamic Studies at Jagannath University; Mobarak Hossain, Secretary General of the Bangladesh Youth Education Foundation (BYEF); and Ven. Saful Barua, a Buddhist monk of the International Buddhist Monastery.

Dr. Muhammad Jalal Uddin remarked that the event, built on cooperation between Korea and Bangladesh, was a meaningful occasion for sharing the values of religious harmony, mutual respect, friendship, and love. He noted that the voluntary participation and cooperation of figures from all walks of life – religious leaders, social leaders, and youth leaders alike – deepened the significance of the event. He added that the gathering demonstrated that peace is not a distant ideal but a value that can be put into practice, and expressed hope that it would mark the starting point for planting the seeds of peace for future generations.

Through this event, a joint MOU was signed between HWPL and eight organizations, and a total of 46 new HWPL memberships were registered.

Building on the network of religious and social leaders formed through this event, HWPL plans to continue operating, either individually or in collaboration among the participating organizations, a range of follow-up activities including tree-planting during the rainy season, interfaith dialogue and roundtable gatherings, peace awareness programs for university students and youth, and peace education for middle and high school students.