The policies of New ERA are governed by an international board of consultants drawn from distinguished scholars in the field of religion in the United States, Canada and Great Britain. As with all projects sponsored by the Unification Church, the composition of the board of consultants does full justice to the diversity of religious and ethnic backgrounds to be found among the major religions. Also, as with our other projects, the activities have resulted in the publication of many volumes and scholarly monographs. the establishment of Paragon House Publishers, New ERA has entered upon a large-scale program of joint publication of quality books representing the full spectrum of religious and theological opinion.

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b. Youth Seminar on World Religions, World Youth for God: In July 1982, 150 university students and professors from thirty countries, representing the major religious traditions of the world, embarked on a "spiritual pilgrimage." The idea for what has now become an annual event came from the first international conference on "God: the Contemporary Discussion" held in 1981. Now in its third year, the Youth Seminar's participants make a seven-week, round-the-world tour of nine countries in order to study Buddhism, Christianty, Confucianism, Hinduism, Judaism, Islam and Unificationism. They learn about the major doctrines and institutions of the world's great religions from the traditions' leaders and thinkers at each tradition's

religious center. For example, in Istanbul the group was privileged to meet the Greek Orthodox Patriarch who commented that he believed this kind of project ought to be funded by every religious group, but that, regrettably, he had been unable to do it on his own.

It is my belief, however, that God desires religious harmony and that this harmony must begin with the younger generation. It was amazing to see how the walls of suspicion and mistrust disappeared as the pilgrimages progressed, how many friendships were made across religious lines, and how sorry the members of the group were to take their leave of each other when the pilgrimage was over. This year we have the problem of selecting from a very large number of highly qualified applicants. Regrettably, we cannot take them all. Many will be turned down who deserve to participate.

c. The Interdenominational Conferences for Clergy (ICC): The purpose of ICC is to promote the sharing of insights, knowledge and experience among the clergy of all American religious groups. It is hoped that these conferences will provide a basis for cooperative social action and reconstruction as well as improved pastoral care. of clergymen of all denominations have attended regional seminars throughout America which featured topics of ecumenical concern.

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III. Social Service Activities

a. The National Council for the Church and Social Action (NCCSA): The NCCSA was founded in 1977 by a coalition of members of the Unification Church and Christian ministers. It is primarily concerned with the problems of America's inner cities. The NCCSA seeks to involve the religious community in positive social change and sponsors many of the programs serving the needs of the inner city areas nation. Among the programs of the NCCSA are its food bank, housing counseling, and elderly assistance programs.

One branch of the NCCSA, the Washington Council for Social Action, has been responsible for the distribution of millions of dollars of food, clothing, building materials and other items useful to a significant proportion of the 250,000 people in the Washington area living below the poverty line. The WCSA is also involved in a program of active cooperation with more than 100 Washington-area service agencies, primarily sponsored by religious organizations. These include soup kitchens, homes for destitute women, day-care centers, senior citizens' programs, and drug and alcohol rehabilitation centers. WCSA acts as a distributor and clearing house for major companies and government agencies which have surplus food and other products to offer but find it impossible to distribute their offerings on an individual basis. The WCSA takes the responsibility of seeing to it that the surplus reaches those inner-city organizations who in turn are responsible for its distribution to the needy.

Similar programs are now under way in Los Angeles, New York, Atlanta, Baltimore, Boston, St. Louis, Jackson, Mississippi and other cities. Recently, the NCCSA contracted with the Chevrolet Division of the General Motors Corporation for the purchase of 200 trucks to be used in this work. I am happy to be able to support NCCSA in making this contribution to America's needy.

b. The International Relief Friendship Foundation (IRFF): In 1980 I founded the IRFF as a public, non-profit agency working to eliminate poverty, malnutrition, and disease from the face of the earth. IRFF supports projects designed for long-term development assistance, especially in the lesser developed nations of the Third World. Initial research, planning, and implementation of these projects is carried out by IRFF representatives in Asia, Latin America and Africa. IRFF programs include: (a) Rapid Deployment Medical Teams of doctors and nurses who work in refugee camps, local villages, and areas where extreme famine, poverty and disease have disrupted normal life. Travelling in rural villages, the teams have established clinics in which they teach hygiene and preventive medicine and provide invaluable health care. (b) Emergency Relief Programs: When sudden disasters create situations of desperate need, IRFF quickly seeks distribution networks to send medicines, blankets and necessary food. Among the countries to which relief supplies have been sent are Bolivia, Equatorial Guinea, Guyana, Jamaica, Dominican Republic, Upper Volta, Haiti, Ghana, Zaire, Peru, Thailand, Paraguay and Honduras. (c) Agricultural and Technical Training: Recognizing that emergency relief does not improve the conditions of lesser developed countries, IRFF has embarked on long term development programs involving training in modern agriculture

and technology.

The focus of these programs is the implementation of a basic understanding of irrigation, crop rotation, farm management, animal husbandry, and fish farming through actual field work. Proper vocational training also develops skills in manufacturing appropriate tools, welding, repair and maintenance of vehicles, pumps, and small motors, all of which are exceedingly important for improving the conditions of life in lesser developed countries. These training programs lead to the creation of village cooperatives, a sharing of financial aid and technical ability, and the creation of hope for the future where there was none.

c. Project Volunteer (PV): Project Volunteer distributes millions of pounds of surplus foods, medical supplies and other needed materials to a network of over 300 community-based charitable organizations. PV has been working to establish the channels by which the surplus resources here in this country can be funneled to the areas of this and other nations which are in desperate need.

IV. The Struggle Against Communisa

Having been a prisoner of a tyrannical communist regime for almost three years, I have direct experience of what communism in power means to those caught in its web. My opposition to communism is the result both of my direct personal experience and my religious convictions. I believe communism to be among the worst enemies of God and humanity.

I have, therefore, been immensely saddened by the fact that many idealistic men and women in the Free World, especially young people, have been misled by communist ideology. I have sought to establish and support institutions which will better prepare the Free World to defend itself against the religious, cultural, political and military threat of communism.

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Marxists do address real problems. Unfortunately, their atheistic and violent measures create situations far worse than the original problem. Nevertheless, I believe that solution to communism can only come when we solve the problems of poverty and social inequity which the Marxists challenge.

a. International Federation for Victory Over Communis (IFVOC): I founded the IFVOC in Korea and Japan in 1968. IFVOC has systematically conducted educational activities in the villages, towns and cities of Korea. This is absolutely essential for the survival of the country. The Korean young people did not personally experience the barbarism of the Korean war, and without clearly understanding the communist ideology, they are apt to lose their awareness of the threat posed by the Soviet-supported North Korean communists. A repetition of the war of 1950-1953 would be an unthinkable tragedy for Korea today. The activities of IFVOC fortify the Korean people to prevent such a war.

In Japan, the activities of the IFVOC are equally vital, and equally impressive. The IFVOC movements of Korea and Japan count a membership of 7,000,000 and 7,500,000 members respectively.

b. CAUSA International: In 1980, I created CAUSA International in response to an acute and immediate need: the need to provide an ideological framework for Latin America in its struggle against communism.

As the work of CAUSA has progressed, it has become active all over the Western world. National chapters have been established in South, Central and North America, Europe and Asia. Plans are being made to extend the work into Africa. CAUSA USA, with headquarters in Washington, DC, expects to have chapters in all 50 states by the end of 1984.

CAUSA, the Latin word for "cause," symbolizes the common cause and aspiration of all free men. CAUSA conducts seminars in which Marxism-Leninism is examined and sharply critiqued as a social failure and as a grievously flawed

doctrine. This work is vital in Latin America, for it is especially here that communists are able to intensify legitimate social and economical grievances and misdirect these toward the destruction of governments struggling to achieve genuine representative democracy.

CAUSA is much more than another anti-communist organization, however. CAUSA teaches Godism, a worldview based on God's heart of love. Godism provides fundamental principles which, when applied, can work toward healing the social fabric and prompting accelerated economic development. Godism supports the common beliefs of God-affirming people, and inspires them to fulfill the ideals of their respective

faiths.

The CAUSA Institute, located in New York, conducts ongoing investigations into communist strategy and operations and is responsible for training instructors and providing instructional materials for educational programs. The Institute publishes texts and other books, magazines and bulletins in English, Spanish and French.

c. The Collegiate Organization for the Research of Principles (CARP): Mindful of the ettectiveness of communism in securing the commitment of idealistic students in the universities of the free world, we founded CARP as an important aspect of Our mission to revitalize the spirit of free thought in the world. If communism is successful in the universities of the Free World, there would in the long run be little hope for the survival of freedom. CARP's goals are to revive the Christian tradition, combining intuition and intellect as well as religion and science; to build an ethical foundation for student life; to present a positive counter-proposal to the atheistic and materialistic lifestyle so often to be found on the campuses of the free world; and to foster love of the world community as well as enthusiasm to carry out one's mission in life.

CARP is active on over 100 campuses in North America and several thousand campuses around the world.

V. Establishing Standards of Media Responsibility

a. The World Media Association: A journalist wields tremendous power over the minds of the public. The World Media Association is a worldwide association of communications scholars and professionals dedicated to ethical and responsible journalism. The Association, headquartered in Washington, DC, sponsors the World Media Conference, which brings together journalists and media executives from every part of the world to form working relationships and discuss timely aspects of media responsibility. The Association also sponsors numerous fact-finding tours to trouble spots of importance to world peace and stability. Tours have been undertaken to Central America, Europe, the Far East, and twice to the Soviet Union. These tours have provided background information to participants and yielded a wealth of articles.

b. New Publications: As I have stated, my mission is to work for the survival and prosperity of America SO that God's plan for America and the world can be fulfilled. Because neither America nor any other nation can survive in freedom without a responsible press that fully appreciates the threat of communism, I am working to create publications which embody the God-centered ideals of the religious tradition and set standards of media responsibility. In 1975 I founded a

newspaper in Tokyo, Sekai Nippo. The following year I established The News World, now the New York Tribune. Since then, I have created a number of publications throughout the world including the Hispanic newspaper Noticias del Mundo in the United States, Ultimas Noticias in Uruguay, a weekly in Korea, and Free Press International, a world-wide news service.

My greatest media challenge came when I realized that unless I acted, the capital of the most powerful nation on earth would remain a one-newspaper town. When Time, Inc. could not prevent the demise of The Washington Star, I hoped that some patriotic Americans would establish a second newspaper to offer alternative views to the nation's capital. However, it became apparent that no profit-motivated business corporation would attempt to establish a newspaper in Washington. Out of my deepest religious convictions, I determined that no matter what the cost, Washington must have a second newspaper. I therefore worked with others to establish The Washington Times.

Whether you are liberal or conservative, you can surely appreciate the need for the expression of an alternative point of view. To date that project has cost our movement well over $100,000,000.

VI. Minority Alliance International (MAI):

In 1981, I created Minority Alliance International as an organization which would safeguard the civil and religious rights of individuals. MAI aspires to forge an alliance of minority organizations upon the common recognition of inalienable human rights, particularly the freedom of worship. Through the combined efforts of these groups, centered upon the clear ideology of Godism, I believe that bigotry can be completely eliminated from the world.

Minority Alliance International champions the cause of individuals and groups which are victims of persecution. Seminars have been conducted in which ministers and concerned citizens are made aware of threats and brought together in dialogue to create solutions to the problems which they face. MAI is also working to develop general education programs expose the deleterious effects of bigotry on societies throughout the world.

VII. Educational Activities

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Proper education is fundamental to genuine religion and the truly religious way of life. The Unification Movement has initiated a far-reaching educational program involving institutions of elementary, secondary and advanced education throughout the world.

I am the founder of the Little Angels School for the Performing Arts in Seoul, Korea. The Little Angels School has 3,600 students of both sexes from kindergarten through senior high school. The physical plant of the school is one of the most modern and best equipped in the world. In size, capacity, and beauty, it compares favorably with the campuses of many small American liberal arts colleges. Enrollment is open to children of all faiths and the record of achievement is exceedingly high. I also support many other schools at various levels and have offered scholarship aid to many students of varied religious backgrounds.