The forum on Republic Act 9851 or the Philippine Act on Crimes Against International Humanitarian Law, Genocide, and Other Crimes Against Humanity will discuss the emerging issues surrounding the law’s implementation.

The forum will also explore perspectives from Mindanao where the Maguindanao massacre took place and where civilian women were killed along with lawyers and journalists, and then buried in shallow graves. The massacre catapulted the Philippines as the world’s most dangerous country for journalists.

Two speakers from Mindanao who will share their perspectives are Amina Rasul, lead Convenor of the Philippine Council for Islam and Democracy (PCID) and Ruby Rose Lora from the Initiatives for International Dialogue (IID), an advocacy and solidarity institution promoting peace, conflict prevention, democratization and the right to self-determination in Southeast Asia.

“The International Humanitarian Law has a positive implication to the on-going peace process in Mindanao. This law will protect civilians especially in Mindanao where war and armed conflicts have resulted to grave human rights violations,” stated Lora, IID’s Program Manager on Conflict Prevention and Peace Building..

The International Committee of the Red Cross will also have a session clarifying its role in the implementation of the law. The academe and civil societies such as the Philippine Council for Islam and Democracy, Initiatives for International Dialogue and the International Committee of the Red Cross has been supporting government authorities in their efforts to promote the international humanitarian law. (IID)

COMMUNITY PROCESSES STRENGTHENED IN MPW AGENDA-BUILDING

COTABATO CITY- “Life without hunger or displacement, where there is equal opportunity for everyone and where the ancestral domain of Moro and indigenous peoples are genuinely respected and upheld, and where the propriety rights of settlers are recognized”, are the emerging consensus points in the ongoing Central Mindanao area consultation on the Mindanao Peoples Peace Agenda (MPPA).

The MPPA, a flagship project of the Mindanao Peaceweavers (MPW), is a process of consensus building that intends to help facilitate a common understanding and develop unified action in addressing the peace and conflict issues in Mindanao.

The same sentiment echoes the results of a previous MPPA consultation in Western Mindanao held in Zamboanga City last December. The two area consultations tackled results of earlier consultations of the MPW member networks. MPW is composed of seven peace networks in Mindanao with one based in Metro Manila.

Guiamel Alim, Chairman of the Consortium of Bangsamoro Civil Society (CBCS), an MPW lead convenor and host of the current Central Mindanao consultation, averred that the MPPA is a platform for continuing dialogue among peoples in Mindanao which goes beyond any peace talks.  “We are in fact creating a social movement for peace”, Alim stressed in his opening remarks at the consultation as he re-affirmed the commitment of CBCS to the MPPA process and the MPW vision. Alim said that the MPPA does not intend to supplant or replace existing and similar processes such as the peace talks between the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) but will in fact affirm these while trying to identify gaps that may still surface.

MPW is the largest and broadest peoples peace coalition in Mindanao that evolved a community-based process of consensus building for the drafting of the MPPA as early as 2006 to provide a venue for learning and dialogue among peoples in Mindanao.

“The MPPA is actually a convergence of the advocacies of the member networks of MPW”, said Dr. Hubaida Mamalinta, President of the SOCSARGEN Cluster Area of the Mindanao Peoples Peace Movement (MPPM), another MPW network member.

Participants from Moro, indigenous peoples and settlers from MPW networks all over Mindanao joined the Cotabato, Zamboanga and the earlier seven network consultations. Aside from CBCS and MPPM, MPW includes the Inter-religious Solidarity Movement for Peace (IRSMP) based in Zamboanga; Mindanao Peace Advocates Conference (MPAC); AGONG network convened by the Catholic Relief Services (CRS); Mindanao Peoples Caucus (MPC) and the Mindanao Solidarity Network (MSN) which is based in Manila.

Leonardo Bautista, Balay Mindanaw Program Officer and MPAC member said that the MPPA has not only provided space for the different networks to share but has also opened doors of opportunities to improve and deepen the existing efforts for peace and development in Mindanao.  “The effort of groups to have a collective Mindanao Peoples Peace Agenda should strengthen our passion to continue to build peace in Mindanao here and now”, he said.

Meanwhile, Ruby Rose Lora, Program Manager of the Conflict Prevention and Peacebuilding Program (CPPB) of the Initiatives for International Dialogue (IID) said that “The MPPA is a viable contribution to strengthen and continue engagement on the peace process.”  IID is the lead secretariat of the MPW along with the Catholic Relief Services (CRS), Technical Assistance Center for the Development of Rural and Urban Poor (TACDRUP) and Sentro ng Alternatibong Lingap Panligal (SALIGAN-Mindanaw). Lora added that the results of the MPPA will hopefully complement and enrich other existing processes and agendas specially as it is reflective of the basic and common aspirations of the peoples in Mindanao for peace.

The MPPA has since facilitated increased engagement of civil society and grassroots communities in policy making processes, both at the local and national levels.  At least seven MPW member network consultations covered the provinces of Zamboanga, Bukidnon, Misamis, Surigao, Saranggani, Davao, Compostela Valley, Cotabato, Maguindanao, Sultan Kudarat. Lanao, Basilan, Sulu, Tawi- Tawi and Metro Manila.

Gus Miclat, IID Executive Director also said the MPW through the MPPA hopes to develop and strengthen a peace constituency that will consciously demand and work for peace and human security to become a matter of policy for Mindanao.  “We are developing a critical mass of a peace constituency that can help develop a common agenda for peace,” he stressed.

Miclat’s colleague, Sammy Gamboa, IID’s Right to Self Determination (RSD) Program Manager pointed out that beyond peace negotiations, the MPPA is an agenda which should spell out in clear terms the RSD of the Bangsamoro and lumads and MPW’s support and advocacy of  such right.

The MPW is gearing up for the MPPA Peoples’ Assembly to provide a venue for presentation and validation of the results of the consultations.  It will also be a forum for MPW member networks to arrive at consensus points for policy advocacy.  The MPPA will then be socialized and advocated among MPW constituents and partners.  It will also be lobbied to all major stakeholders of the Mindanao peace process including candidates to the coming elections in May.

“The MPPA is a birthing process and needs to be nurtured”, chimed the AGONG network participants.  (MPW)

The declaration, contained in Proclamation 1959, also suspended the writ of habeas corpus in the province.  The declaration was prompted by reports of “armed groups in the province of Maguindanao” establishing positions “to resist government troops, thereby depriving the Executive of its powers and prerogatives to enforce the laws of the land and to maintain public order and safety” and of the “deteriorating condition of peace and order to the extent that the local judicial system and other government mechanisms in the province are not functioning, thus endangering public safety.”

Malacanang said armed groups, “numbering 40, 100, 300, and 400” are spread out in the province to prevent the arrests of the Ampatuans.

MPW believes that the declaration of Martial Law is a manifestation of the failure of governance in the country. There is no need to declare Martial Law for government to uphold the protection of the public and ensure the rule of law.

The culture of impunity traces itself back to Malacanang which has allowed local officials to convert their private armed groups into legal entities as civilian volunteer organizations (CVOs) despite the constitutional provision which bans private armed groups. This executive order should instead be immediately revoked.  It is not only the Ampatuans who have built their own virtual private army.  Tragedies like the Ampatuan massacre are waiting to happen if other “warlords” and local officials all over the country are allowed to maintain their own “armies”.  Already, we take note of a build up of these kinds of armed entities in Sulu, Visayas and Luzon.

While we call on the immediate abrogation of Martial Law in Maguindanao, MPW meanwhile calls on the “peace general”, Lt. Gen Raymundo Ferrer, chief of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Eastern Mindanao Command who is tasked to take administrative control of Maguindanao to continue to be circumspect, transparent and ensure the strict observance of human rights by his soldiers.   (30)

We grieve together with the families of those brutally killed in the 23 November massacre in Ampatuan town in the province of Maguindanao. We stand in solidarity with the Filipino people in voicing their collective outrage over this brazen display of power and arrogance that can only flourish in the continuing culture of impunity that pervades the country.

We are appalled and angered at the manner by which this attack on more than fifty-seven [57] innocent lives was carried out. Women, journalists, lawyers, and defenseless civilians terrorized and murdered by around 100 armed men. Bullet-ridden bodies dumped in mass graves.

Some with their faces and bodies crushed either with rifle butts or by the backhoe that ran over them before they were buried together with their vehicles. Forensic evidence indicates that some may have even been buried alive. The women, victims twice over, had their pants unzipped, showing signs of possible rape.

That the backhoe, undeniably a property of the local government, was readily at hand to dig up the mass graves in order to hide this gruesome crime leads us to ask – did the perpetrators actually believe that they can hide a massacre of such a massive scale?

For them to even think that they can get away with their crime undetected and unpunished speaks a lot about the sorry state of the system of justice and governance in the Philippines today. Where extrajudicial killings abound and perpetrators remain unpunished. Where journalists, lawyers and human rights defenders are abducted and killed amidst the constant denial of the present administration, which claims its adherence to human rights law. Where warlords are assured of political power and a legalized private army, with the benefit of government-issued firearms. Where violators of human rights are rewarded with appointments in government instead of a jail sentence.

We call for an end of this culture of impunity and the pervading system of injustice in the country. Such can only breed more violence and continually create conditions for unpeace.

We reaffirm our strong belief in human rights and on democratic institutions. In the right of women to be free from all forms of violence. In the freedom of expression and of the press, and in the right of the people to be informed. In the legal system and on respect for lawyers, not only as human rights defenders but also as officers of the court. In the right of suffrage and on the electoral process. In good governance and the right to choose our own leaders. In a transparent and accountable government. In the right to equal protection of the law and a government which upholds the rule of law and where no one is above the law. In the right of the people to life and to live a life free from fear.

Even with the eventual “surrender” and filing of charges against one of the main perpetrators of this dastardly act, we remain vigilant in our demand for justice and continue to hold the present Administration accountable until justice is finally served.

The Mindanao Peaceweavers (MPW) is deeply saddened by the sudden loss of our co-convenor, Mr. Rey Magno Teves.  Rey succumbed to a bad case of pneumonia early today.

Last Tuesday, he was merrily presiding over a Convenors meeting that was finalizing plans for the launch of MPW’s  Mindanao Peoples Peace Agenda (MPPA), and a series of dialogues with Presidential candidates in next year’s elections.  MPW is currently winding up analysis of its respective network consultations on the MPPA.  Two area consultations in Central and Western Mindanao are scheduled this month before the MPPA launch at a Peoples’ Assembly in January.  The MPPA will be MPW’s framework for engagement of the peace process in Mindanao.

The dialogues with the Presidential candidates will start with MPW’s constituencies engaging them on their respective platforms on Mindanao in the context of the MPPA.

Rey presided over the Nov. 3 MPW meeting with elan spiced with his usual flair for deadpan humor.  He was full of life.

Rey represented the Mindanao Peace Advocates Conference (MPAC) at the MPW.  The MPW is the broadest coalition of peace networks in the country composed of the following aside from MPAC: Agong Network, Consortium of Bangsamoro Civil Society (CBCS), Inter Religious Solidarity Movement (IRSM), Mindanao Peoples Caucus (MPC), Mindanao Peoples Peace Movement (MPPM) and the Mindanao Solidarity Network (MSN).  It is anchored by four NGO secretariats led by the Initiatives for International Dialogue (IID) along with the Catholic Relief Services, Saligan and TACDRUP- where Rey was also Executive Director.

Rey has been a fixture in Mindanao civil society, media and political circles since his student days.  Astute and accommodating, Rey is best remembered as some sort of a Don Quixote who braved the minions of Marcos and traditional politics running independently a few times for councilor in the city with only his solid ideals, passion and trusty guitar on hand.   He was eventually appointed by Cory Aquino to Congress to represent the Urban Poor sector.  He then became synonymous with Kusog Mindanao – the platform that has tried to gather and unite the different, if not, disparate sectors in the island on a common development agenda.  Rey may have mellowed through the years, sitting in the board of a government bank, content in advising young, impatient activists on how to engage policymakers, how to launch campaigns, but he could still regale friends and a conference or two with his Elvis-inspired musical stunts.  But like most of us, Rey believed in peace, peace-building, inclusiveness, rigorous debate, and engagement and was thus one of MPW’s sturdiest pillars. He was always concerned when a network member was absent at MPW meetings.

MPW, along with the thousands of Mindanaons and Filipinos he touched will continue to be inspired by his wisdom, his music, his laughter, his ability to reach out to others whatever the persuasion.  Indeed, Rey was a man of peace, was a man for all seasons.

We salute Rey and will always remember him with fondness and a smile. Our deepest condolences and prayers to his loving family.

Mabuhay ka Rey, yes, you will be sorely missed, but you will always be around us!

Armed conflict is devastating on many levels. Long running violence leaves peoples traumatized and wounded, with the vast majority of casualties being civilians. Many of these are women, who are killed, tortured, raped, and left behind to survive in a world of destruction.

Yet, women are much more then victims. They play an active role in how conflicts evolve. Sometimes in its escalation or prolongation, but more often than that in the prevention and resolution of armed conflicts. The enormous importance of the role that women play in conflict prevention and peace building has long been recognized, amongst others through UN Security Council Resolution 1325. In 2010, 1325 will celebrate its 10th anniversary. A moment to reflect and review the effectiveness of the resolution.

The Global Partnership for the Prevention of Armed Conflict (GPPAC) is a global network of civil society organisations that work together for conflict prevention and peacebuilding. Throughout the process of GPPACs establishment and active involvement in peace processes in all corners of the world, it has recognized the role of women and has affirmed its believe in the importance of 1325.

From the 30th September till the 7th October some 55 GPPAC peacebuilders from all over the world came together in Davao City and Manila, the Philippines. The group met with different parties and actors involved in the armed conflict that still devastates the people, especially in Mindanao. At the same time, GPPAC worked on its new strategic direction and plans for the coming years.

During these meetings the importance of the role  of women in conflict prevention and peacebuilding came up many times. In meeting  with the Mindanao Commission on Women, who are living conflict and warned that ‘gender equality is an important goal in itself and a crucial factor for achieving sustainable peace’. But also in meetings with representatives of various Negotiation Panels, where the discussions touched upon the importance of having women participate in official peace negotiation processes and the change in dynamics such involvement brings to a peace process.

Taking all of these developments into account, GPPAC reemphasized its recognition of the importance of gender equality. During its strategic planning process, the network affirmed a renewed gender framework and appointed, Ms. Sharon Bhagwan Rolls from FemLINKPacific, as the new Gender Liaison Person of the GPPAC International Steering Group.

GPPAC believes that it is possible to prevent the devastating effect of armed conflict. That the suffering and destruction that conflict and violence can be prevented. Yet, for peace to be sustainable, it is essential to assure the involvement of women in all levels of work that is being done for conflict prevention and peace building. Together we can make peace possible.

The Global Partnership for the Prevention of Armed Conflict (GPPAC), a global civil society led network of peace advocates has reiterated  its call to dialogue and peaceful resolution of conflict in Southern Mindanao and in other parts of the world.

In a separate meeting with Sec. Avelino Razon of the Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace Process (OPAPP) and Government Peace Panel Chair Rafael Seguis, the GPACC delegates led by its chair, Emmanuel Bombande has asked government leaders to make measures to prevent the occurrence of violent conflicts on the ground, and ensure the safety of civilians.

Around 55 GPPAC members joined the International Steering Group Meeting in Davao City which was held on September 30-October 5, 2009.  Hosted by the Initiatives for International Dialogue (IID), the Regional Initiator of GPPAC in Southeast Asia, the delegates had the opportunity to do field visits in Bukidnon, Compostela Valley in Davao del Norte, Davao City and in Cotabato City, Darapanan, Datu Piang in Maguindanao and Pikit, North Cotabato where they interacted with victims of conflict, evacuees, Moro, Lumad and settler communities, peoples organizations, as well as local and national government and military officials.

“There is confidence on the utility of dialogue for conflict prevention, and the connectivity of the IID with people on the ground would make it possible,” David Lord, Executive Director of Peacebuild and an expert on conflict transformation said.

Bombande said that wars and conflict had made civilians, especially women and children more vulnerable to violence, abuse and displacement.  “We are move not to only engage in conversations but to do actual work and meaningful action for the victims of conflict, as well as the prevention of renewed conflict,” he said.

GPPAC has offered its services to be part of the International Contact Group (ICG) for the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and the Government of the Republic of the Philippines (GRP) peace negotiations, in a separate meeting with both peace panels.

“War is not an option and peace is possible no matter how old, deep and vague the root causes of conflict appear,” Gus Miclat, IID Executive Director said.  IID had been actively involved in the peacebuilding efforts in Mindanao and  Aceh; the democratization campaign in Burma and East Timor and the right to self determination efforts in West Papua and South Thailand.

Bombande reiterated GPPAC’s belief in sharing knowledge, exchanging ideas and promoting indigenous peace mechanisms to achieve lasting peace and the value of dialogue among all relevant actors, including local communities, in conflict situations.   (30)

WE, members of the GPPAC-International Steering Group (ISG), reiterate our goal of building an international consensus on peacebuilding and prevention of violent conflict.

As violent conflict persists around the world, civilians, especially women and children, remain vulnerable to violence, abuse and displacement. Mechanisms must be developed and strengthened to ensure that even where we fail to prevent violent conflict the rights and dignity of the civilian population, especially women and children, are protected.  While it is in their name that war is waged, the promotion and protection of their rights and dignity is the basis from which any peace should be forged.

We commit to bring together civil society organizations to articulate challenges to effective conflict prevention and advance recommendations to improve practices and policies to build peace in their regions.

By coming together, we can better build trust and confidence among peoples from diverse ethnic, national and faith groups to heal the wounds and weave peace.

War is not an option.

We believe in sharing knowledge, exchanging ideas and promoting indigenous peace mechanisms to achieve lasting peace. We value dialogue among all relevant actors, including local communities, in conflict situations.

Peace is possible no matter how old, deep and vague the root causes of conflict appear.

As part of our ISG meeting, we had the opportunity to do field visits in Datu Piang, Darapanan, Pikit, Cotabato City, Compostela Province, Davao City and Bukidnon where we interacted with victims of conflict, evacuees, Moro, Lumad and settler communities, peoples organizations, as well as local and national government and military officials.  We are inspired by the stories of internally displaced persons and tribal communities, and pledge to do our part to help build peace.

We offer our services to be part of the International Contact Group (ICG) for the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and the Government of the Republic of the Philippines (GRP) in their effort to forge peace in Mindanao.   With the Initiatives for International Dialogue (IID), as the GPPAC Regional Initiator for Southeast Asia, we remain steadfast in our commitment to building and sustaining peace based on justice and in accordance with the   people’s right to self-determination as formulated in the Charter of the United Nations.

We also extend our sympathy to those who are affected by the recent typhoons.  We know that their losses can never be measured and reclaimed. As the delegation goes to Metro Manila on 5 to 7 October to meet with national government officials, the diplomatic and donor community and civil society groups, we will also visit communities affected by the typhoon as an expression of our solidarity. We further extend our solidarity to communities in the Pacific and Indonesia who also experienced the devastation of natural disasters during the week of our meeting.

GPPAC reaffirms its commitment to building peace, sustaining dialogue, and partnering with regional groups and communities in the desire to forge an environment where there is equal opportunity for every one to live humanely, actively take part in governance and where children have the best start in life.

Global Partnership for the Prevention of Armed Conflict (GPPAC)- International Steering Group (ISG)

Central and East Africa
Nairobi Peace Initiative – Africa (NPI-Africa).

West Africa
West African Network for Peacebuilding (WANEP).

Southern Africa
African Centre for the Constructive Resolution of Disputes (ACCORD).

Latin America and the Caribbean
Regional Coordination for Economic and Social Research (CRIES)

North America
Peacebuild and Alliance for Peacebuilding

South Asia
Regional Centre for Strategic Studies

The Pacific
Pacific People Building Peace

Southeast Asia
Initiatives for International Dialogue (IID)

Northeast Asia
Peaceboat

Central Asia
Foundation for Tolerance International

Middle East and North Africa
Regional Secretariat of the Arab Partnership for Conflict Prevention and Human Security ( APCPHS )

Western Commonwealth of Independent States
Nonviolence International – CIS and the West CIS sub-network of the CIS NGO Working Group on Conflict Management and Prevention

The Caucasus
International Center on Conflict and Negotiation (ICCN) for the South Caucasus
Nonviolence International for the North Caucasus

Western Balkans
Nansen Dialogue Centre Serbia

Northern and Western Europe
European Centre for Conflict Prevention

The military victory of the Sri Lankan government over the rebel Tamil Tigers is now touted by hardliners and hawks as a model for resolving festering armed conflicts in the world.  In fact, some government and military officials in the Philippines have been advocating the same “Sri Lanka solution” in ending the armed insurgencies in the country.

But did the conflict really end in Sri Lanka?  A gathering of peacebuilders from all over the world meeting in Davao City this week believes that this solution is not applicable nor even workable.  In fact, it would spell disaster if applied in the Philippine or Mindanao contexts.

Representatives from the Global Partnership for the Prevention of Armed Conflict (GPPAC) met with peace advocates from Mindanao for Learning Sessions on Peacebuilding amidst Ethnic Differences, and Experiences with Early Warning and Early Response at the Waterfront Insular Hotel Davao.

Sri Lankan Professor Amal Jayawardane said that the Sri Lankan solution should not be a model for other nations seeking to achieve peace. Jayawardane, the Executive Director of the Regional Centre for Strategic Studies (RCSS) based in Colombo, Sri Lanka said that the conflict ended neither as a military victory nor with a successful peace agreement.

The Government of Sri Lanka declared victory in May this year over the secessionist Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) when they captured the last remaining LTTE stronghold and killed their leader Vellupillai Prabhakaran, ending decades of bloody civil war. However, the defeat of the LTTE did not address the root causes of the conflict. It is essential to find a political solution for these urgently, Jayawardane said.

Other areas dealing with conflict can learn from the experience of what happened. The disengagement of the LTTE from the negotiations, left no other option for the government than an all-out military response. Jayawardane warned legitimate revolutionary armed groups in Mindanao, “If you want to prevent what happened in Sri Lanka from happening to you, it is essential to continue to engage in dialogue.” He at the same vein said that government must also leave room for the same.

The Learning Session was attended by participants from Burma, South Thailand, Indonesia, Cambodia, Philippines and Vietnam. GPPAC South Asia, Caucasus, Western Balkans and West Africa and the European Centre for Conflict Prevention, GPPAC Global Secretariat also took part in the session with members of the Mindanao Peaceweavers (MPW), an organization of civil society groups in Mindanao and Manila active in conflict prevention and peacebuilding.

GPPAC is a world-wide civil society network that works to promote the importance of conflict prevention and peacebuilding. The Davao-based IID is the Regional Initiator of GPPAC in Southeast Asia. From September 30 – October 7 the different peacebuilders of GPPAC are meeting to update each other and plan its activities for the coming years. Part of this work is the need to learn from each others’ experiences.

The GPPAC delegates will also be visiting conflict-hit communities in Central and Southern Mindanao to interact with communities caught in the conflicts, local government and military officials and armed groups.

For further information:
Myra Principe
IID Communications Officer
(+63 82) 29925-74 and 2992575
Email: myra@iidnet.org

During his appearance in   the ABS-CBN’s regional morning TV show, Maayong Buntag Mindanao (Good Morning, Mindanao), earlier today. Gus Miclat of Initiatives for International Dialogue (IID), which is the Regional Secretariat  for Southeast Asia of  GPPAC, said that GPPAC is offering itself as a potential member of the  the International Contact Group (ICG) of the GRP-MILF peace process.

Mr. Miclat said that GPPAC could share its experience and knowledge from peace processes in other conflicts  in its involvement with the ICG if chosen as a member. The ICG will be a body of   both governments and international non-government organizations that aims to restore the mutual trust between the  the GRP and MILF.

The GRP and the MILF both agreed to the formation of the ICG during their talks held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia last September 15.

IID is hosting the annual meeting of the GPPAC-International Steering Group in Davao City, Manila and Jakarta between October 1-9, 2009. Around 55 peacebuilders from around the world  will come together. They will visit local communities in Mindanao, particularly those affected by the conflict, and meet with various local peace organizations, policymakers, donor and diplomatic communities in Manila. During their stay over the course of the meetings,the group hopes to meet both with President Macapagal-Arroyo and the MILF leadership to discuss issues of peace and  conflict prevention in general and specifically its offer to join the ICG. Following this, they will go to Jakarta to meet with Secretary General of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), Dr. Surin Pitsuwan.

Along with Mr. Miclat during the TV appearance  were TATJANA POPOVIC, Peace Education Programme Coordinator at Nansen Dialogue Centre – Serbia and MARTE HELLEMA, Programme Manager  Awareness Raising of the GPPAC Global Secretariat, the European Centre for Conflict Prevention (ECCP).

Ms. Popovic pointed out the  similarities between the conflicts in   Mindanao and the Western Balkans. She said that sharing experiences and approaches to conflict can be very beneficial for civil society organizations to develop more effective peacebuilding mechanisms,.

Ms. Hellema emphasized that  sharing and learning from each others’ experiences in conflict prevention and peacebuilding is indeed one of GPPAC’s key strengths. This is the capacity that the network would bring to the table if joining the ICG. “Together we can make peace possible. Also for Mindanao.”