The Glory of Taiwan: Tai Ji Men Shifu and Dizi Honored with U.S. President’s Lifetime Achievement Award | WPN World People News

Dr. Hong, Tao-Tze, president of FOWPAL, center, on behalf of FOWPAL, is presented with the President’s Lifetime Achievement award from the office of the U.S. President in New York on March 31, 2023. (AP Images)

Many activities are taking place around the world in celebration of the International Day of Conscience. In 2019, the United Nations designated April 5 as the International Day of Conscience, inviting public and private sectors to promote a culture of peace with love and conscience through, among other things, quality education and public awareness-raising activities. In June 2020, UNESCO's Executive Board also adopted a resolution to celebrate the International Day of Conscience on April 5 every year at UNESCO headquarters in Paris and at its offices around the world. It also calls on governments and civil society organizations to promote the day. Dr. Hong, Tao-Tze, the zhang-men-ren (leader) of Tai Ji Men, was instrumental in the United Nations’ adoption of the International Day of Conscience. The Federation of World Peace and Love (FOWPAL) that he leads was recently honored with the U.S. President's Lifetime Achievement Award in recognition of its long-standing dedication to the public good in the United States.

Dr. Hong, Tao-Tze led the Love of the World Cultural Goodwill Group to organize the "2023 World Leader Summit of Love and Peace” in Washington and New York City in March, 2023. (AP Images)

To celebrate the fourth International Day of Conscience, FOWPAL and other organizations co-organized the World Leader Summit of Love and Peace in Washington, D.C. and New York on March 28 and 31 respectively. Dr. Hong, Tao-Tze presided over the ceremony of ringing the Bell of World Peace and Love, with 19 influential leaders ringing the bell and making wishes for peace, including Amb. Georges Nzongola-Ntalaja, Permanent Representative of the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the UN; Amb. Xolisa Mfundiso Mabhongo, Deputy Permanent Representative of South Africa to the UN; Ambassador of Haiti to the US Bocchit Edmond; Gloria Starr Kins, Editor-in-Chief and Publisher of the UN-accredited Social and Diplomatic Review.

Rev. Dr. Agorom C. Dike, founder and president of the Caribbean and African Faith-Based Leadership Conference, liaison to the White House Faith-Based Cabinet Offices, and certified officer of the U.S. President Volunteer Service Award, presented the President’s Lifetime Achievement Award to the Federation of World Peace and Love (FOWPAL) on behalf of President Joe Biden. Dr. Dike read a letter from President Biden. In his letter, President Biden expressed his sincere gratitude and appreciation to FOWPAL led by Dr. Hong for its 1.2 million hours of service to the United States. President Biden also stated in the letter, “By sharing your time and passion, you are helping discover and deliver solutions to the challenges we face - solutions that we need now more than ever. We are living in a moment that calls for hope and light and love. Hope for our futures, light to see our way forward, and love for one another. ”

Dr. Hong, Tao-Tze, president of FOWPAL, stated in his acceptance speech: "The honor belongs to all the heroes with conscience who are committed to the public welfare." He continued to explain that through cultural exchanges, FOWPAL has built close partnerships with mutual trust, respect and caring. “With the promotion of education of conscience, we inspire the innate consciences in humanity and encourage people to follow the guidance of conscience so as to achieve respect, tolerance and caring between people and among nations,” added Dr. Hong.

Mayor Muriel E. Bowser of the District of Columbia extended her gratitude to FOWPAL for hosting the summit in Washington, D.C., stating, “Residents of Washington, DC and beyond have benefited tremendously from your dedication to creating a community where love, peace, and conscience prevail. On behalf of the nearly 700,000 residents of Washington, DC, you have my sincere thanks and best wishes for a successful and productive event.”

On July 25, 2019, during its 73rd session, the UN General Assembly adopted a draft resolution titled "Promoting the Culture of Peace with Love and Conscience" proposed by the Kingdom of Bahrain, designating April 5 as the International Day of Conscience. The story behind the quick and unanimous passage of this draft resolution was one of perseverance. In light of the rapid global environmental degradation, hunger, conflicts, and other natural and man-made disasters, Dr. Hong, Tao-Tze launched the movement of An Era of Conscience in 2014, leading FOWPAL, the ECOSOC-accredited NGO Association of World Citizens (AWC), and Tai Ji Men Qigong Academy to jointly launch the movement, which has continued to spread to 200 countries or territories around the world. Beginning on April 5, 2018, Dr. Hong convened more than ten meetings at and around the United Nations in New York and Vienna, in cooperation with the Permanent Missions of Bahrain, Kiribati, and Equatorial Guinea, to work on the draft resolution "Promoting the Culture of Peace with Love and Conscience." In just one and a half years, Dr. Hong led a delegation to 38 countries to promote a culture of peace with love and conscience. In spite of the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to the lockdown of countries and disruption of flights, the world has almost been put on hold. However, since 2020, Dr. Hong has led his dizi to organize virtual events in support of the "International Day of Conscience" and other important UN-designated international days, inviting people from all over the world to participate in the discussion, forming a force of goodness.

At the beginning of the 21st century, during the 53rd United Nations DPI NGO Conference in 2000, Dr. Hong, Tao-Tze shared the concept of love and peace with UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan and published an article calling for immediate global solidarity. In 2000, Dr. Hong established the Federation of World Peace and Love in the United States to promote world peace through various means, including organizing the World Leader Summit of Love and Peace, hosting ceremonies of ringing the Bell of World Peace and Love, and conducting cultural exchanges. It has memberships spanning 137 countries. Over the years, Dr. Hong has also led Tai Ji Men dizi to promote the culture of peace with love and conscience in over 100 countries on six continents at their own expense. Dr. Hong has been awarded honorary citizenship in four cities in the United States: Tacoma, Washington; Monterey Park, California; Honolulu, Hawaii; and Cupertino, California. In the U.S., special commemorative days have been designated for Tai Ji Men Shifu and dizi: March 22, 2000 declared as "Tai Ji Men Qigong Academy Day" in Washington, D.C.; September 16, 2001 as "Tai Ji Men Qigong Academy and Dr. Hong Tao Tze Day" in Honolulu, Hawaii; and August 5, 2005 as the "Federation of World Peace and Love Day" in the City of Berkeley, U.S. In the capacity of the president of the World Conference of Mayors, Johnny Ford, proclaimed the evening of September 23, 2022 as Dr. Hong, Tao-Tze night in New York.