Good morning ladies and gentlemen, 

I would like to start my talk by sharing a few words about the recent events in our global community we have just had an election in the United States, where the entire political landscape has been redrawn, by Donald Trumps stunning success in last weeks' US presidential election. When I watched this process unfold the people were truly shocked by this result. This is not what the experts were saying, most people in the country were predicting a win for Hilary Clinton. So what happened? Why are people finding it so hard  to digest what was a spectacular victory for Donald Trump? they are questioning, how is it possible for a tv celebrity and a business man with no political  experience to head the most powerful office in the world!

The reaction from the people who voted for Trump,  they were sharing that politicians at the top are not really aware of the reality of the day to day life of us ordinary people, the people feel  they are not included in the day to day decision making, they feel disappointed, disengaged, are not being listened to and feel isolated and not represented. One lady said  'We are tired of the corruption on all levels, from all the political parties, the people just want a clean slate.' When I heard this about Trumps victory it reminded me about the same shock that reverberated five months earlier when the UK decided to leave the European Union. The result stunned the World, no body expected it.  So what's going on in our societies and nations? Trump and Brexit are a few current shock waves, we are truly living in an uncertain world. Are our governments failing to meet and understand the needs of the people in their countries? Are they too much part of an elite club with ideological agenda completely out of touch with the day to day reality of ordinary people? Brexit and now the unexpected election of Trump has sent a wake up call. There is an urgent need to reflect and consider how government are taking care of their people and what they need to change. How can we achieve good governance for an inclusive and sustainable society?

This will be my topic this morning: The role of good governance for an inclusive and sustainable society. We are increasingly connected, in so many ways. As a matter of fact, the whole world is. But, we also live in a time of growing differences in opinions and interest, which in reality we are floating apart as a result of the growing inequality within our countries. There was   a horrible spike in hate crimes after Britain voted to leave the European Union towards the ethnic minority groups, this was at least,  partly linked to the referendum, also  in America we see in the news about  the treatment of the African-American people, their campaigns against violence and systemic racism towards the black people.  The  Black Lives Matters; a campaign that  regularly protests police killings of black people and highlighting a broader issue of racial profiling, and inequality. We can see and feel increasing tensions in our nations.  We live in a time of great contradictions. We know to a large extent what should be done but we don't really posess the tools to do it. And sometimes not even the will is there. Now, for the first time in history, we human beings all share in practice the same world, linked as we are by technology, trade, communications, culture and commercialism. But we do so on highly unequal terms; Globalisation has led to decreasing poverty and greater similarities between countries. But also to imbalances between social and human needs on the one hand, and global market forces on the other. Huge changes have taken place, and during a short period of time.  Today, the richest 80 people in the world – as many as could fit in a bus – have as much wealth as the poorest half of the world's population, 3.5 billion people. And economic and technological opportunities continue to drive the increasing inequality.  Around the world, 60 million people are displaced or in exile because of war, and many more have left their homes in search of a way to make a living. Good governance is fundamental on all levels in order to create a stable and prosperous society – be it on the family, community, national, regional or the global level.  Global governance is I believe our toughest challenge which is often the reflection of the family unit, this is  a new and complex playing field for our politicians and our faith  leaders, which demands new ways of thinking and working together. We live In a world of low trust and increasing fear. We need to reconcile our differences, break down barriers of intolerance, prejudice, hatred and look at the root cause of these tensions. These are challenging times for our families and communities. There are many organisations working for peace and reconciliation.  Our founders Rev Moon and his wife Mrs Hak Ja Han Moon who are the co founders of Women's Federation for World Peace have tirelessly promoted and have elevated the status of women, they have championed our work and have always felt that women are the central axis in bringing about a more harmonious and peaceful world.  They believe that;Women are not there just to help and be protected by men, but rather they are independent individuals who, as the representative of the feminine aspect of God’s nature, are meant to make men more manly! Centring  on true love, women are the precious partners of love to men. In terms of value, men and women are absolutely equal beings.  They have also been creating a huge number of platforms and foundations around the world, for people of all faiths, cultures and creeds to come together to focus on concrete solutions to these pressing issues which we are facing in our families and societies. They have over the years set up different organisations to help realise more understanding, forgiveness and true peace through Inter-religious dialogue and cooperation that brings people together across  religious and national divides, they set up education initiatives in promotimg healthy family values through fostering respect and understanding with good ethical and morale education for our youth, they also set up projects showcasing how our good culture, sports and arts play their role in creating a harmonious environment, and a large amount of time and energy and money has been invested in our humanitrian service project to help alleviate poverty and help the needs of the people who are suffering. all these projects to name a few have been founded and are grounded in the principle of true love, and sustainability. 

I’d like to share a few words from the late Rev Sun Myung Moon who has dedicated his whole life to bring a world of peace and understanding between all people regardless of faith or ethnicity. He has developed  a deep philosophy and peace principles to deal with those issues of good governance. He said that: Quote “No matter how great your fortune or power, without the foundation of living for the sake of others, all those things are short lived and are destined to disappear.  On the other hand, a life of giving and living for  the sake of others automatically enables a person to become the subject and central figure.  He emphasised.. if  you go beyond self-interest and focus your work on the macroscopic ideal of peace, and further on reconciliation and forgiveness, then I truly believe you will be able to attain something  of greater value than just material benefits. All barriers will be eliminated, as people who live with true love become the owners and central figures of that age. Conflicts arising from narrow-mindedness and  self-centeredness, over differences of skin colour, language, wealth, customs and geographical territory, will  disappear The world is in a process of complete transformation…; (Close quote) Good governance requires a heart of parent for those they care for.

The leader is there to serve and not to promote himself and take advantage of his position otherwise their leadership will be short lived and society will suffer. Both masculine and feminine characteristics are needed to offer the best governance, the shared responsibilities are essential to securing and fostering stability.  The masculine characteristic being more like strength, direction, subjective and the feminine characteristics being more like receptive, empathy, nurturing, sharing, patience, caring, working together. Both qualities are most valuable to run a society. When a leader exercises a heart of parent a heart of concern and inclusiveness for others, he/she will be successful and will create a sustainable organisation. A little kindness and appreciation for everyone will encourage a greater bond and commitment from the people they deal with. Good governance exists not through force or fear but through strength centred on unconditional love (True Love). Only that way an organisation can be successful, inclusive and sustainable

Finally, I would like to encourage everyone to take this golden opportunity whilst we are together to network, share, encourage, make new friends, take time for each other so we go back to our families, communities feeling uplifted with renewed strength to continue the good work each and everyone do, knowing that they have their sisters there for support regardless of distance between them physically. We can make a difference – we have only to know it and do it.  

Thank you very much for your attention.

Mitty Tohma,president of WFWP UK
(Bratislava,October 2016)