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Bob Kasango: Court sets Friday to decide on burial place

Bob-Kasango

The High Court will on Friday decide where the remains of fallen city lawyer Robert Aldrige Kasango will be laid to rest.

On March 12, the widow of deceased city lawyer, Nice Bitarabeho Kasango dragged her mother-in-law, Rosie Kabise for interfering with the burial arrangements of her husband.

Through her lawyers, Bitarabeho wants court to issue orders restraining Kabise from interfering with the burial of Kasango in Gweri village, Burahya County, Fort Portal city in Kabarole district.

Bitarabeho explained that together with their three children, Samora Kasango, Stephanie Kasango and Ivan Kasango, they all along knew that the deceased wanted and willed to be buried in Fort Portal.

“It is only fair and equitable that the body of the late be unconditionally released to the applicant for burial in Fort portal,” she requested in her application filed.

Kasango died on 27 February in Murchison Bay Hospital inside Luzira Prison but burial arrangements were indefinitely postponed to allow his family and in-laws to reach an amicable agreement on where his remains should be laid to rest. The cause of death was reported to be heart failure.

On March 2, during the funeral service at the All saints Namirembe Cathedral, a group of Kasango’s relatives from Tororo District in Eastern Uganda stormed the church and grabbed the casket containing his remains from the A-Plus pallbearers.

Relatives from the side of Kasango’s wife Nice Bitarabeho Kasango and eldest son Samora Paul Kasango tried to insist but they were overpowered by the team from Kasango’s family. Police intervened, pursued the pickup, intercepted it, removed the body and handed it back to his wife’s family.

Kasango was jailed in 2018. He was serving 16 years sentence in jail over Shs15 billion pension funds by the Anti-Corruption Court. He was also involved in another high-profile case involving the Tooro Queen Mother Best Kemigisa at some point.

Kasango was sentenced alongside the former top Ministry of Public Service officials who include the former Permanent Secretary, Jimmy Lwamafa, Principal Accountant and the former Commissioner for the Compensation Department in the same ministry.

While in prison Kasango became a lecturer teaching law at prison, helped inmates to get international degrees from University of London. He continued to help inmates to convene and pray fellowship, get closer to God as he invited prison officials to communion with him and other inmates.

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Embrace a digital judicial system – Kadaga

Minister for East African Community Affairs, Rebecca Kadaga

The Speaker of Parliament, Rebecca Kadaga has urged government to embrace technology in the operations of courts of law, saying the Covid-19 era warrants this shift.

Kadaga said that since the fate of Covid is unknown, government ought to consider putting up infrastructure to enable people attend court hearings online. “I hope that at a certain stage, the Chief Justice will take notice of this mode of operation since we are not sure when Covid-19 will end,” Kadaga said.

The Speaker added that Covid-19 has been challenging to the judicial sector, with courts having to close a year.

“The courts are not operational; it is only a few that have been operating on zoom and only bail applications that have been handled. For the last year, litigants have not been able to go to court to have their matters resolved,” she said.

Kadaga made these remarks at the National Conference on Women Rights at the Imperial Royale Hotel Tuesday, 23 March 2021 organized by Barefoot Law. Barefoot law is a private organization that uses innovations and technology to foster access to justice among disadvantaged women.

Speaker Kadaga expressed disappointment about the way the judicial system disadvantages women.

“Many court hearings begin at 9.00am but when you consider a woman who has children; she has first to wash, clean and feed them then organize herself and come to court. Will she arrive there before 9.00am?” Kadaga wondered.

The Executive Director of Barefoot, Gerald Abila asked Parliament to push for access to technology by people in rural areas who he said have limited access to both judicial aid and technology.

“Parliament should push for a reduction in costs on data and make gadgets available for rural people because with Covid-19, access to new technology should be treated as a human right,” Abila said.

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ChildFund, CECE move to address challenges of access to clean water in Kyankwanzi district

Kyabakazi dam, mpango village in Kyankwanzi district

ChildFund and its implementing partner Community Efforts for Child Empowerment (CECE) have pledged to continue with their interventions to address the challenges of access to clean and safe water in Kyankwanzi district.

The revelation was made during the celebrations to mark international water day at Katengyento village, Kyankwanzi sub-county in the Kyankwanzi district. The celebrations were held under the theme; sanitation and hygiene for strengthening Covid-19 response.

Access to safe and clean Water is one of the biggest challenges affecting most vulnerable children and their families in Kyankwanzi district. This is partly hinged on a low water table in the district.  As a result, people are sharing water sources, especially dams, with the animals and this has significantly contributed to shooting cases of water borne diseases among children.

In a bid to address the challenges of water scarcity in the district, ChildFund is implementing a three year water hygiene and sanitation project in the area. The project is being implemented in six sub counties in Kyankwanzi district. The sub-counties include; Wattuba, Butemba, Byerima, Kyankwanzi, Bananywa and Nsambya.

“The project seeks to address the challenges of access to safe drinking water by promoting water purification using the Proctor and Gamble (P&G) purifier of water.” Allen Nanyonga, the Programs Manager of CECE said

She said with the funds from P&G, ChildFund and CECE has been working with Village health teams to create awareness campaigns and emphasised the need for all families to have toilets and stop the practice of open defecation and the need to make water safe before drinking among other hygienic practices.

Over the 7000 households and 18 schools were sensitized on use of P&G water purifiers and have been receiving sachets to purify water from wells and dams at no cost.

ChildFund through its local partner CECE have drilled 18 boreholes in the district however the coverage is still low. In the campaign, five schools have been supported with rain water harvesting tanks to address the challenge of children walking long distances to access clean water.

Between October and November ChildFund has conducted water sanitation and hygiene competition aimed at increasing latrine coverage in participating villages among other good hygienic practices. This inspired a healthy competition that saw families create rubbish pits, utensil drying racks, pit latrines.

CECE’s intervention has greatly contributed to the improvement of good hygienic practices in the district. By last week, the toilet coverage in the district stood at 90%. Katengyento emerged the best village in the district with 90% toilet coverage.

The district water officer Philbert Odongo, said water has been and still a major challenge in the district however the government is working around the clock to man it down.

“This year, we were allocated Shs 589million budget and this is peddled at seeing that people get clean water.  There are a number of interventions that have been put in place. The intervention included putting up dams for the community to access water for basic use.  Subsidizing prices for individuals will to hire excavators to dig dams. Connecting communities to piped water and many others,” the water officer said.

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Career Expo: NSSF, Monitor to equip University students with employability skills

NSSF Managing Director Richard Byarugaba with Tony Glencross, the Nation Media Group Uganda Managing Director

The NSSF-Monitor Career Expo goes online this year, with a focus on equipping university students with employment and entrepreneurial skills for the “new normal” brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The three day Career Expo, now in its 10th year running will be held virtually starting Wednesday, March 24 to Friday, 26, 2021. It is jointly organized by the National Social Security Fund (NSSF) and Monitor Publications Limited under its flagship Daily Monitor title.

Reflecting on the Expo theme this year – Repurposing your Career Goals to the New Normal, NSSF Managing Director Richard Byarugaba said that the country must realise that the employment and business landscapes have changed, and it cannot be business as usual.

“We are cognizant of the fact that the COVID-19 pandemic has changed the way we think, work and live. If we needed any proof that technology is now the mainstay for every decision and transaction, the pandemic has confirmed it,” he said.

“Whether you are in formal employment or an entrepreneur, you must harness technology, especially digital technology to be competitive. Fortunately, young people, especially those leaving university are better placed not only to innovate in this space but also take advantage of the opportunities,” he said.

Tony Glencross, the Nation Media Group Uganda Managing Director echoed a similar message.

“The most important takeaway for our university students from the Career Expo should be that they must re-evaluate their career goals because the world today is very different from the world a year ago when the country entered lockdown,” he said.

“Beyond your academic degree, your creativity and agility will make you very competitive irrespective of your career choice. This Expo is an opportunity for all young people in tertiary institutions to learn from experienced speakers this year,” he said.

The speakers include experts from different fields ranging from technology, banking, startups, business and human resource management. The Expo will be broadcast online on the NSSF and Daily Monitor social media platforms.

It will focus on three discussion areas namely; “Pursuing new ideas beyond university degrees”; “Preparing students for the current versatile job market”; and “Matching capabilities with the new changing world”.

Now in its 10th year running, the Career Expo has so far impacted more than 167,000 university students. Over 68,000 former students kick started their retirement savings through registration with the Fund.

To participate in this year’s expo, one should register via the Fund’s website www.nssfug.org/careerexpo21

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UTB, German ambassador meet to strengthen tourism ties

UTB, German ambassador meet to strengthen tourism ties

Uganda Tourism Board (UTB) led by the Board Chairman Daudi Migereko has met with  the German Ambassador to Uganda, Mathias Schauer and discussed potential strategies that could be adapted by Uganda’s tourism industry in further strengthening ties with the German tourism source market.

The German market is one of the three core markets of Uganda’s tourism closely followed by the UK, Ireland, and the North American market. The steadily growing economy of Germany has seen people indulge more in travel, something that they are popularly recognized for.

In his remarks Migereko applauded Schauer for the support of the Uganda Tourism Industry in their bid to recover, rebuild, reconnect and reboot the Ugandan tourism sector after the negative effects from the Pandemic.

“Tourism is the number one foreign exchange earner for the country and because of that, UTB is doing different activities to boost the sector back to its glory days both domestically and internationally to make sure the status continues on.” He added

Part of the activities being championed is the Annual Pearl of Africa Tourism Expo 2021that was launched recently under the theme; Restarting Tourism for Regional Economic Development and is scheduled to take place in April from the 27th to 29th and the German speaking market is one of the target audience for the Virtual Expo.

 “It has been many years that Uganda has invested in marketing itself in the German speaking market,” said Lilly Ajarova, CEO, UTB.

 “UTB believes that the German Embassy, through its guidance, could be a window in attracting more German arrivals into the country. This should eventually contribute a great deal in the recovery of the industry from the strenuous effects of the global pandemic.” Lilly said.

“Tourism I think is really a huge resource you have in this country and I am very happy to assist you in any way I can in tapping this resource,” said Schauer,

He emphasized that environmental impact of tourism is something that most tourists pay a lot of attention to and advised that the tourism industry keep an eye on it especially with matters to do with cleanliness of the environment and sustainability of resources.

Muhwezi, UTB vice Chairman emphasized the need to offer training to hotel employees seeing as service delivery is at the top of every travelers list. She suggested the formation of professional partnerships in the form of exchange programs between German and Ugandan hotel owners which would see both parties travelling in turns to either offer training or be trained.

In the same breath, Kirya, Board member of UTB mentioned that UTB is looking to strengthen its partnerships with the German Chamber of Commerce so as to gain leeway to tap into industries existing under this umbrella such as advertising and travel trade to help boost the market further.

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Dfcu Bank, Vision Group reward 13 farmers in Uganda

Dfcu Bank, Vision Group reward 13 farmers in Uganda

For the sixth time running, dfcu Bank in partnership with Vision Group, the Netherlands Embassy, KLM Airlines and Koudjis Nutrition B.V have rewarded farmers across the country in an initiative dubbed ‘Best Farmer’s Competition’.

The annual competition seeks to celebrate farmers, showcase how farming is contributing to the economic development of the country and rally the public to embrace commercial farming.

Mathias Katamba, dfcu Bank’s CEO, commended the 13 farmers that emerged victorious and urged other farmers to embrace modern farming as Uganda’s future lies therein.

 “Uganda currently supplies, to the UAE and other European markets, tons of fresh produce such as fruits and vegetables, fish, flowers, honey etc. With the best climate and environment to support agriculture, we have an opportunity to position ourselves as a food basket for East Africa and beyond,” he urged.

“dfcu Bank recognises this opportunity and supports farmers through a range of bespoke financial services. As your banking partner, we want to see you win because when you win, we win. We also have partners such as Rabo Bank that are fully committed to support farmers with all their needs,” he added.

The awards which were introduced in 2014, have been instrumental in impacting the agricultural sector in the country leading to an increase from 1.7% at its launch to 3.2% in 2019, according to Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries

The award ceremony was a hybrid event that happened at New Vision Group premises with a few invited guests and virtually for the public to participate on 16th March. 13 farmers were recognized for their farming excellence. On top of the 10 regional winners, there is a special category of Women in Farming.

This, according to the sponsors, is intended to galvanize women as major players in the agriculture sector. The three winners in this sector were Jacent Namyalo Muwanga, Maureen Nyakato and Prossy Kazibwe.

The overall winner of the Uganda Best farmer’s competition, Philip Kalera from Central Region walked away with Shs 50 million and an all-expense paid farming trip to the Netherlands. The first runner-up, Immaculate Akullo received Shs 30 million and a trip to the Netherlands. Peter Matsiko emerged as the third best farmer in Uganda.

Samuel Kange from Bugiri was the Eastern Region winner, Gloria Rwamafa Karungi winner in Kampala region, Micheal Opiyo winner Northern region, Ben Amodoi winner Mid-Eastern region, Joseph Munerya – Western region, Bob Kagoro winner western region and Dr. Bernard Oboa winner West-Nile region. Pastor Kayanja Robert and Dr. Kabirizi Jolly were commended for leading exemplarily by investing in farming.

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Explore the best of Dubai with Emirates and enjoy a complimentary hotel stay

morning-view-of-dubai-water-canal

Passengers travelling to Dubai via Emirates can now enjoy special fare and an additional piece of baggage from 24 March to 30 June 2021*. And when you fly First Class or Business Class, you also get a night’s stay at JW Marriott Marquis for free. With flexible booking options and free multi-risk travel insurance with COVID-19 cover, Emirates continues to offer stellar and safe travel experiences to Dubai.

Travellers who book return First Class and Business Class tickets to Dubai from 21 March to 7 April 2021 for travel between 24 March and 30 June 2021 are eligible for a complimentary one-night stay at the JW Marriot Marquis. As one of the world’s tallest 5-star hotels, the JW Marriott Marquis Dubai features award-winning dining options, its own shopping galleria, and a world-renowned spa; and is conveniently located near attractions like the Dubai Mall, Burj Khalifa, and the Dubai Opera.

Promotional return fares to Dubai start from USD430 in Economy Class, USD1900 in Business Class and USD3,866 in First Class.

Passengers can also leave the problem of packing behind as they are entitled to an extra piece of baggage when travelling back to Entebbe from Dubai on Emirates, leaving even more room for shopping.

Emirates has safely and gradually restarted operations across its network. Since it safely resumed tourism activity in July, Dubai remains one of the world’s most popular holiday destinations, especially during the winter season. The city is open for international business and leisure visitors. From sun-soaked beaches and heritage activities to world class hospitality and leisure facilities, Dubai offers a variety of world-class experiences. It was one of the world’s first cities to obtain Safe Travels stamp from the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) – which endorses Dubai’s comprehensive and effective measures to ensure guest health and safety.

Flexibility and assurance

Emirates’ booking policies offer customers flexibility and confidence to plan their travel. Customers who purchase an Emirates ticket for travel on or before 30 September 2021, can enjoy generous rebooking terms and options, if they have to change their travel plans. Customers have options to change their travel dates or extend their ticket validity for 2 years.

Travel with confidence

All Emirates customers can travel with confidence and peace of mind with the airline industry’s first, multi-risk travel insurance and COVID-19 cover. This cover is offered by Emirates on all tickets purchased on or from 1 December 2020, at no cost to customers. In addition to COVID-19 medical cover, the airline also provides provisions for personal accidents during travel, winter sports cover, loss of personal belongings, and trip disruptions due to unexpected air space closure, travel recommendations or advisories, similar to other multi-risk travel insurance products. Some limitations and exclusions apply.

Health and safety

Customers can look forward to a safe and stress-free travel experience as Emirates has prioritised customer health and safety with comprehensive set of measures every step of the customer journey. For more information on these measures and the services available on each flight, visit:

Customers can look forward to a safe and stress-free travel experience as Emirates has prioritised customer health and safety with comprehensive set of measures at every step of the customer journey. Rated the safest airline in the world in its response to the COVID-19 Pandemic according to the Safe Travel Barometer, it has the highest ‘Safe Travel Score’ among 230+ airlines evaluated worldwide. The score is based on an independent audit of 26 health and safety parameters evaluating safety protocols, traveller convenience and service excellence announced by airlines. For

Customers are encouraged to check the latest government travel restrictions in their country of origin and ensure they meet the travel requirements of their final destination.

My Emirates Pass

The exclusive offer that turns the Emirates boarding pass into a membership card is also back and has been extended this year giving customers even more chances to explore UAE for less. Emirates’ customers flying to and through Dubai from now to 30 September 2021 can take advantage of the exclusive offers by simply presenting their Emirates boarding pass and a valid form of identification at any of the participating outlets. The offer includes discounts in over 300 restaurants across the country and in over 35 spas in world-class hotels. It also unlocks offers at many tourist attractions including Atlantis Aquaventure and At the Top Burj Khalifa.

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Police investigating how an accused entered Court premises armed

ASP Luke Owoyesigyire - Deputy PRO KMP

The Territorial Police at Jinja Road have started investigating circumstances under which an accused person Luzinda Cylus Sale, on a case which is under hearing in the anti-corruption court in Kololo, Kampala managed to access court premises while armed, which is against security protocols in all courts.

According to one of the witnesses who was in court for the hearing on a matter in which Luzinda was the accused, the suspect managed to gain access to the witnesses in the matter he is accused of receiving stolen property and started threatening of causing harm to them. However, the witness rushed out of court and informed the police, which came in and disarmed him.

“The recovered gun is a star pistol and contained 13 rounds of ammunitions. The gun has been exhibited. The task team at Jinja Road Police Station will further establish whether the the suspect had an operation license for the firearm or not,” Kampala Metropolitan Deputy spokesperson Luke Owoyesigyire said.

“The gun will also be forwarded for further forensic analysis to also establish whether it was electronically registered during the ongoing exercise of electronic registration of firearms and whether it has ever been used in any crime.”

The police have also taken action against the court orderlies, who were supposed to ensure that every person is effectively searched from head to toe, for failure to carry out their duties.

The court also decided to cancel the bail of Luzinda and is to be forwarded to Kitalya Prisons.

Luke Owoyesigyire said they have also opened another offence against him of threatening violence and attempted murder.

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Chad disqualified from Afcon qualifiers

Afcon trophy

CAF has disqualified Chad from the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers due to political involvement in their football federation.

Chad were playing in Group A alongside Mali, Guinea and Namibia. After four match days, Mali tops the group on 10 points, followed by Guinea (8 points) and Namibia (3 points). Chad were trailing the group on one point.

They will no longer play their upcoming matches against Namibia and Mali. Instead, 3-0 victories will automatically be given to those opponents.

“In line with Article 61 read together with Article 64 of the CAF Regulations, Chad is considered a loser of both matches against Namibia and Mali,” the Caf statement read.

The decision comes after Chad’s Football Federation was suspended by the country’s Ministry of Youth and Sports.

“Following the suspension of the Chadian Football Federation by the Chadian Ministry of Youth and Sports, Caf has decided to disqualify the national team of Chad from the qualifiers for the Africa Cup of Nations 2021,” a Caf statement said.

Mali, now already qualified, leads Group A with 13 points from five matches, with Guinea second on eight points from four games.

Guinea host Mali on Wednesday and will qualify for the finals with a win, but any other result will see them travel to Namibia for a qualification decider on Sunday.

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Webinar to Discuss the Implementation of International Law for Peace “Marching on Toward Sustainable Peace in a Pandemic Era”.

On March 14, HWPL’s 5th Annual Commemoration of the DPCW was held as a live webinar, joined by over 1,200 people in 132 countries from all sectors of the society including government, international organizations, heads of women and youth groups, religious leaders, press, and members of civic society.

Heavenly Culture, World Peace, Restoration of Light (HWPL), organized this year’s commemorative event, “Marching on Toward Sustainable Peace in a Pandemic Era”, as a platform to share direction for the future and case studies of different sectors cooperating across the world as peace messengers, responding to the pandemic and bringing peace in this new socially distanced world.

 

The host organization, HWPL, is a peace NGO in Special Consultative Status with the UN ECOSOC and associated with UN DGC. For the purpose of ceasing all wars and creating a peaceful world as a legacy for future generations, HWPL has been carrying out 3 main peace initiatives – international law for peace, interfaith dialogue meeting, and peace education.

The Declaration of Peace and Cessation of War (DPCW) includes principles of peacebuilding such as the prohibition of the use of force, development of friendly relations, and peaceful dispute settlement. It emphasizes international cooperation based on interfaith dialogue and civic participation to create a culture of peace. Since its proclamation on March 14th, 2016, the DPCW-based peacebuilding model went on to receive government recognition and support for inter-religious dialogue, peace education, youth and women’s peace activities.

 

As a member of the International Law Peace Committee (ILPC) who drafted the DPCW, Professor Ciaran Burke explained the background of how the DPCW was founded on “the conviction that judicial and other dispute resolution measure can replace the role of war with the rule of law.”

 

He also stressed the kernel of the DPCW by borrowing words from Chairman Man Hee Lee of HWPL, is that “the envisioned effect of the DPCW is cumulative to scale up the moral and political responsibility of world leaders by crystallizing the legal obligations of their government thereby bridging the gap between law and politics.”

 

Efforts to institutionalize peace based on the DPCW are underway. Countries in Southeast Asia and Central America have begun to rebuild their national legal infrastructure based on the DPCW, and the local governments are officially declaring their support for the DPCW in order to implement peace principles. In South Asia, the DPCW was introduced into the university curriculum as an academic research course on the role of law for a peaceful society.

 

According to UNESCO, over 190 countries closed down educational facilities, and over 1.6 billion students lost their opportunity for sustainable education. As a part of the online campaign, “Teaching goes on”, HWPL’s peace education is now taught at 214 locations in 34 countries, providing online peace education for over 5,000 students 224 times in 15 countries.

 

Stressing the importance of strengthening partnership for sustainable education, Ambassador and Permanent Delegate of Mali to UNESCO, S.E Monsieur Oumar KEITA, said, “We must unite in a spirit of cooperation to ensure peace at the national and international levels. We must consider the need for a comprehensive legal approach that will lead citizens in their everyday lives, regardless of nationality, ethnicity, or religion. The preamble to DPCW with 10 articles and 38 clauses speaks of that very well.”

 

Regarding the importance of religion in spreading hope and peace during the pandemic crisis, Allama Syed Abdullah Tariq, President of the World Organisation of Religion & Knowledge, said, “Whenever humanity faces a difficult time era, there has been a religion which gives them hope and courage to overcome crises. Religion has its power to narrow down differences among us and unite us to be strong enough to break through obstacles. Such efforts will fertilize the culture of peace when the current generation is in desperate need for hope.”

 

Since it began in 2014, HWPL’s interfaith dialogue meeting also known as the WARP Office meeting is now expanded to 129 countries, seeing an increase in online meetings because of the pandemic. The religious communities in the WARP Office meeting also have held several pan-religious prayer meetings, meditation, and peace camps to reach out to people of the world who are facing hardship due to the pandemic.

 

International Peace Youth Group (IPYG), an affiliate of HWPL, is building a peace network of youth around the world with the Youth Empowerment Peace Workshop (YEPW), which was inspired by the DPCW’s peace realization process, to achieve youth empowerment proposed in the UN SDGs and Youth 2030.

 

Mr. Reuben Sapetulu, Deputy Secretary Agent for the United Nations Youth Association of Zambia (YUNA Zambia), said, “I participated in the delivery of 3,000 peace letters to the minister of justice in Zambia for the DPCW proposal. My commitments are simply because I agree that the DPCW is an effective way to bring a cessation of war and world peace. The YEPW was also inspired by the DPCW’s peace realization process. Spreading peace culture based on the DPCW is certainly the way to achieve peace. World leaders, please pay attention and support what the DPCW is stating about the peace realization process.”

Chairman Man Hee Lee of HWPL urged cooperation and unity for achieving peace by saying “No property or anything can become a legacy in the future. We must create a world of freedom, peace, and love without war, and make it an eternal legacy for our descendants. This is what we need to do in this era. Although the process of submitting the DPCW to the UN was paused for a while due to the corona pandemic, as much as this desire to achieve peace, there is no change.”

 

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