Marchers in Costa Mesa rally for world peace

Marchers gathered at the OC Fair & Event Center in Costa Mesa on Saturday as part of the third annual commemoration of the Declaration of World Peace.

Volunteers at the peace walk collected petition signatures supporting a Declaration of Peace and Cessation of War, which proposes an international initiative to draft a legally binding document for all nations to adopt promoting a culture of peace with the goal to end all wars. It includes provisions aimed at “resolving conflicts, reducing war potential and repurposing weapons to benefit humanity,” according to proponent Heavenly Culture, World Peace, Restoration of Light, or HWPL, an organization based in Seoul, South Korea.

Similar peace walks occurred in 52 countries, organizers said.

According to HWPL, the petition had more than 500,000 signatures from 154 countries as of May 25. The number is expected to reach 2 million by the end of the year, the group said.