25/09/2025
2025 WLFD & APLFD General Conference
The 2025 WLFD & APLFD General Conference was held at the Taipei Grand Hotel from September 20 to 23 and was attended by nearly 40 distinguished guests from 20 countries and organizations around the world. Among them were Deputy Speaker Hon. Lord Dennis Rogan of the House of Lords in UK., former German MP Hon. Axel Fischer, President and CEO Hon. Bruce Knotts of the NGO Committee on Disarmament, Peace and Security, Civil Society at the UN, Dr. Dorothea Christiana, Trustee, United Nations Association, UK, Mrs. Kim Quarles, Director, Global NGO Executive Committee, Dep. of Global Communications, UN, Hon. Senator Diarmuid Wilson of Ireland, former Secretary General of the Government of Chihuahua, Mexico, Hon. Cesar Jauregui, former Speaker Hon. Tina Muna Banes of the Guam Legislature, as well as presidents and representatives of APLFD chapters across the Asia-Pacific region.
From Taiwan, Legislative Yuan President Hon. Daniel K. Y. Han's representative, along with Deputy Minister Hon. Chen Ming-chi of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, also graciously joined us despite their very busy schedules to provide guidance and encouragement.
The theme of this year’s General Conference was “NGOs as the Catalysts for Promoting World Peace.” As we all know, freedom and democracy are universal values, and peace is a goal humanity has long pursued throughout history. Yet the path to peace is often uneven. Conflict, poverty, and war directly affect human survival and development. While governments have an undeniable responsibility to address these challenges, their capacity is limited. By contrast, the strength of civil society is boundless. NGOs can provide support in areas where governments cannot reach acting like an “invisible hand” whose influence is far-reaching, continuously playing the role of catalysts for peace.
History repeatedly shows that the cost of war is reflected upon only after it has broken out. If resources and attention could instead be focused before war erupts, outcomes could be vastly different. Many NGOs have already been deeply engaged in regions long before conflicts escalated through peace education, ethnic integration, youth leadership training, and media literacy programs helping to dispel misunderstandings and prejudice and to mend structural social rifts. In conflict-prone regions such as Africa, the Balkans, and South Asia, NGOs are often the first to detect warning signs of crisis. By submitting grassroots observations and reports, they provide early references for international intervention.
Today, as the war in Ukraine and the Israel–Palestine conflict continues, societies face economic collapse, disintegration, and mass displacement. Peace has become the most urgent need of our time. The saying “In war, there are no winners; in peace, there are no losers” remains a constant truth yet one that is always difficult to achieve.
Since 1993, the World League for Freedom and Democracy (WLFD) has been an official member of the UN/DPI/NGO system, and in June 2024, it further joined as an NGO member under the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC). The WLFD has consistently upheld peace through concrete actions. Together with Taiwan’s charitable, human rights, and religious organizations, it has provided aid to disaster-stricken areas worldwide, achieving remarkable and widely recognized results. Though our resources are limited, WLFD has never lagged behind in disaster relief, rebuilding schools, and distributing rice to communities in need.
In February 2025, Freedom House once again published its global freedom ratings, in which Taiwan scored 94 points, the same as last year, remaining one of the freest countries in the world. This is the result of the tireless efforts of both the government and the people.
At this year’s General Conference, with the theme “NGOs as the Catalysts for Promoting World Peace,” and after thorough discussions that consolidated the views of President and CEO Hon. Bruce Knotts of the NGO Committee on Disarmament, Peace and Security, Civil Society at the UN, Dr. Dorothea Christiana, Trustee, United Nations Association, UK, Mrs. Kim Quarles, Director, Global NGO Executive Committee, Dep. of Global Communications, UN, along with WLFD & APLFD chapter presidents and scholars, the following four recommendations were presented to international NGOs for reference:
1. Shift resources and attention to before regional wars break out
NGOs, rooted in grassroots communities, can proactively detect conflict risks and provide concrete recommendations to the international community for timely prevention, offering valuable guidance for averting regional wars.
2. Harness the power of unity and diverse international perspectives
Build an international community comprising faith leaders and diverse NGOs to exchange ideas and practices, and present concrete reports to international institutions to create real influence.
3. Promote human rights, provide humanitarian aid, and advance community education and development
Protect basic human rights and dignity, empower people with knowledge and skills through training, provide emergency relief during crises, and help communities rebuild and overcome difficulties.
4. Call for cooperation and shared vision
Seek exchanges and collaboration with international think tanks, share perspectives on global issues, and strengthen substantive partnerships to promote world peace.
Dear partners, the road to world peace remains long, and the challenges remain daunting. Yet if we persist in driving forward with love and compassion, and build bridges through selfless cooperation, NGOs will continue to serve as an indispensable catalytic force in advancing peace worldwide.
