Photo: Alexander Farrugia, left, director of the Culture Directorate, Ministry for National Heritage, Arts and Local Government, endorsed the Declaration of World Day of the Power of Hope, demonstrating his support and willingness to act with conscience.
November 14, 2023
Malta, an island country located in the center of the Mediterranean Sea, has a unique geographical location. Over the centuries, different cultures with long histories have come into contact with each other in Malta. Dr. Hong, Tao-Tze, president of FOWPAL, led the FOWPAL delegation to Malta’s Ministry of National Heritage, Arts and Local Government, and the director and manager of the Culture Directorate, Alexander Farrugia and Noel Formosa, respectively, received the delegation. Noel Formosa, who served as Mayor of San Lawrenz, was one of Malta's longest-serving mayors. He said that at a time when the world is very unstable, it is a "blessing" for the world that there is an organization like FOWPAL that promotes love and peace.
The FOWPAL delegation shared that love and conscience will lead to selfless and altruistic hope for peace, that with the power of hope comes action, and that united action guided by conscience leads to success. Dr. Hong, Tao-Tze proclaimed September 23 as "World Day of the Power of Hope" and issued the corresponding “Declaration of World Day of the Power of Hope." This declaration calls on the world to act with conscience and the power of hope for global safety and sustainability, steering the Earth towards the course of sustainable development through positive energy. Alexander Farrugia extended his endorsement showing their support.
Director Farrugia said, “We always believe that with dialogue, discussion, understanding, openness, we can all understand each other. And we can appreciate what's common between us, and even more so, what makes us all different individuals and unique. And only in that way, being open to each other that we can achieve peace, and with peace we can live better, we can live longer, we can live healthier, and we can create a better world for us, and for future generations.”
Photo: Former San Lawrenz Mayor Noel Formosa, left, and Dr. Hong, Tao-Tze had a great conversation and look forward to more opportunities for the Ministry of Culture to work with FOWPAL in the future.
Manager Noel Formosa said, “Thank you for the care, for the love, for promoting culture, especially promoting the culture of peace and love. If we are able to continue to work on these two important virtues, we will live in, I think, we will be able to have a better world for the present and the future generations.”
He also remarked, “We continue our work, to spread love, to spread peace, especially in the times we are living globally. And we will try to do our best even to be ambassadors of peace as you are doing.” He expressed anticipation for future collaborations between the Ministry of Culture and FOWPAL and welcomed FOWPAL’s future visits.
Photo: FOWPAL visited the presidential office and the Ministry of Culture of Malta, the 102nd country that it has visited, and was highly praised for promoting love and peace.
Conscience is like a compass that guides people in the right direction in life, leading them to make the right decisions and reminding them to seize the time to follow their conscience and do good deeds in life. The FOWPAL delegation shared that beginning in 2018, Dr. Hong worked with the Permanent Missions of Bahrain, Kiribati, and Equatorial Guinea to the United Nations to convene more than a dozen meetings to develop a draft resolution titled "Promoting the Culture of Peace with Love and Conscience." In just one and a half years, Dr. Hong led FOWPAL delegates to visit 38 countries to promote a culture of peace with love and conscience. In July 2019, the United Nations General Assembly adopted the resolution "Promoting the Culture of Peace with Love and Conscience," designating April 5 as the International Day of Conscience, creating a new opportunity for global sustainability.