OUR PEACE · YOUR FUTURE
OUR PEACE · YOUR FUTURE
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About HWPL Austria
HWPL International, Heavenly Culture, World Peace, Restoration of Light, is a peace organisation active in 170+ countries and holds UN ECOSOC Special Consultative Status. HWPL Austria is the Austrian chapter of this movement, registered on 22.07.2024, active since 2025.
Cleanup on the Donauinsel in 2025
HWPL International
Heavenly Culture, World Peace, Restoration of Light was founded in Seoul in 2013 and is active in 170+ countries today, driven by the vision of institutionalising peace lastingly through law, dialogue and education.
2013 · The starting signal. On 25 May 2013, chairman Man Hee Lee proclaimed the Declaration of World Peace in Seoul. 30,000 people from 130 countries joined the first HWPL Peace Walk. What began as a local rally grew within a few years into one of the largest civil-society peace networks in the world.
2016 · The legal foundation. 19 international jurists proclaimed the Declaration of Peace and Cessation of War (DPCW) with 10 articles and 38 clauses. The DPCW has since formed the normative core of HWPL's work and has by now received support from parliaments on three continents and over 922,000 citizens from 178 countries (as of 2026).
Today · Global reach. With UN ECOSOC Special Consultative Status, 292 WARP Offices across 132 countries and more than 588,000 members worldwide, HWPL International is today a recognised actor in international peace policy. Its work ranges from interreligious dialogue to peace education in 65 countries.
Milestones
25.05.2013
On 25 May 2013, chairman Man Hee Lee proclaimed the Declaration of World Peace in Seoul and led the first HWPL Peace Walk. With over 30,000 participants from 130 countries it was the starting signal of a global peace movement, today active in 170+ countries.
18.09.2014
At the first World Peace Summit on 18 September 2014, religious leaders and politicians signed the Mindanao Peace Agreement in the Philippines, one of the world's longest civil-war regions. At the same time, the first WARP Office opened in Irvine, USA, as a permanent venue for interreligious dialogue.
18.09.2015
HWPL was officially registered with the UN Department of Global Communications (DGC). On 18 September, the first World Peace Summit took place in Seoul with political, religious and civil-society leaders. The summit laid the foundation for HWPL's role as a recognised global peace actor.
14.03.2016
19 international jurists jointly drafted the Declaration of Peace and Cessation of War (DPCW) with 10 articles and 38 clauses. Proclaimed on 14 March 2016 in Seoul, the declaration has since formed the legal foundation of HWPL's peace work and is supported by governments and parliaments worldwide.
01.08.2017
HWPL International received Special Consultative Status with the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), the highest recognition for non-governmental organisations by the United Nations. The status is held by HWPL International (Seoul), not by the Austrian association; HWPL Austria works as a national partner within it.
25.05.2023
For the ten-year anniversary of the first Peace Walk, commemorative events took place worldwide. By 2023 the HWPL network reached over 285 WARP Offices in 131 countries, more than 1,415 partnership agreements and peace monuments on six continents.
18.12.2025
607 participants from politics, religion, youth and civil society gathered in Frankfurt. At the Pan-European Religious Leaders' Conference, 27 leaders from 7 world religions signed the European Religious Leaders' Declaration on Peace and Mutual Respect.
14.03.2026
Ten years after its proclamation, the Declaration of Peace and Cessation of War has established itself as a global reference document for institutional peace. For the anniversary, 1,933 participants from 152 countries gathered in Seoul.
Today · ongoing
The work continues.
HWPL Austria
From the global peace movement to local roots: the path to HWPL Austria, from the first encounter to active work today.
2024 · The beginning. Three people in Vienna, united by a shared drive: not to leave peace as a wish, but to shape it concretely. From that core they decide to found an official Austrian chapter of HWPL. HWPL Austria is registered, a small structure, but with a clear direction.
2025 · The work begins. With the new year, HWPL Austria starts its first active programmes in Vienna. Initiatives take shape: interreligious dialogue, peace education, building a civil-society network. What had been an idea becomes lived practice. The chapter finds its rhythm and its network grows.
2026 · Next steps. The coming year brings two new focus areas: building a structured youth programme and broadening international engagement, looking at the United Nations and the global peace policy that HWPL advances through the DPCW.
Today we're a small, committed team with a large network. Our ambition: not to treat peace as a pious wish but as infrastructure that can be built, brick by brick, conversation by conversation, law by law.
The team
Three people committed to lasting peace work in Vienna.
Thomas combines a professional career as software engineer and musician with volunteer engagement in international peace work. As head of HWPL Austria he brings a structured, solution-oriented mindset and creativity to promoting binding international law and disseminating the DPCW across the German-speaking world.
Responsible for the strategic direction of the association, represents HWPL Austria externally and leads the board. First point of contact for partners, authorities and media.
Represents HWPL at UN bodies in Vienna, coordinates international advocacy work and brings sustainable perspectives, with a focus on prevention, into global peace work.
Supports interreligious initiatives with a focus on sustainable cooperation between faith communities, educational institutions and international partner organisations. Leads the WARP Office Vienna and develops formats that foster trust and long-term exchange.
Responsible for coordinating the religion area within HWPL Austria. Organises scripture-comparison rounds, builds networks with religious communities and supports projects in peace dialogue and mutual understanding.
Supports religion-related exchange and peace formats in the international context in Vienna. Her focus is on dialogue promotion, cooperation between religious actors and the societal role of religion in peace work.
Combines a healthy dose of organisational talent with a real passion for hands-on work. Holds the association's structures together and makes sure volunteers can become effective quickly.
Responsible for the association's finances: bookkeeping, donation processing, reports to the registration authority and the general assembly. Ensures transparent and traceable use of funds.
Coordinates the volunteer network in Vienna: onboarding new volunteers, scheduling for cleanups and events.
Legal entity
Registered association under Austrian law, registered on 22.07.2024 with the Landespolizeidirektion Wien. Based in Wien, active across Austria.
info@hwpl.atA few highlights of why Vienna is exactly the right place for our work.
1905 · True pioneer
Bertha von Suttner, born in 1843 in the Habsburg Monarchy, was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1905, as the first woman ever. Her novel "Lay Down Your Arms!" (1889) made her the international voice of the peace movement, long before women could vote.
„Pacifism was trending here before there were trends."
Biography on nobelprize.org1814 / 1815
At the Congress of Vienna following the Napoleonic Wars, Europe was diplomatically reorganised. More than 200 delegations negotiated for nine months and produced a peace order that lasted almost a century.
„Vienna may waltz, but it can do peace too."
More on the Congress of ViennaVienna · UN city
Alongside New York, Geneva and Nairobi, Vienna hosts the UN Office UNOV with more than 40 international organisations. In the Vienna International Centre alone, roughly 5,000 people from 125+ nationalities work together.
„Diplomat density: Vienna level."
UN Vienna (official)State Treaty 1955
On 26 October 1955, Austria's permanent neutrality was enshrined in the constitution. It is the reason Vienna became a diplomatic hub for so many peace negotiations.
„In a dispute: we serve schnitzel and solutions."
Federal Constitutional Law on NeutralityVienna · Nobel Prize 2005
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is based in Vienna and was itself awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2005. From Vienna, nuclear facilities around the globe are monitored.
„Nuclear-responsible, culinarily innocent."
About the IAEAVienna · 57 states
The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) has its main secretariat in Vienna. 57 participating states from Vancouver to Vladivostok work from here on common security.
„When 57 countries need to listen to each other, it happens in Vienna."
OSCE SecretariatVienna · since 2012
The KAICIID International Dialogue Centre promotes interreligious and intercultural dialogue worldwide from Vienna, a natural environment for our WARP Office work.
„When religions want to talk, they meet here."
KAICIID (official)P. S.: You know another fact? Write to us, we'd love to add it.