President Duterte's peace roadmap gets strong support from international community

From the Philippine News Agency (Aug 8): President Duterte's peace roadmap gets strong support from international community

International peace and development partners have expressed strong support and optimism on the peace and development roadmap of President Rodrigo R. Duterte, even applauding his administration's remarkable performance in resolving peace and security issues during his first month in office.

“We are very impressed with the work that OPAPP (Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process) has done in just a short time,” World Bank Country Director Mara Warwick said on behalf of the other international organizations and institutions present during the OPAPP’s briefing on the government’s peace agenda recently held in Edsa Shangri-la Hotel.

“It is very welcome to the international community the aspirations of the Duterte administration to resolve the issues in Mindanao and the other areas of the country and to the level of priority that he has given on these issues, even in the first month of his administration,” he added.

Warwick also backed the government’s call for inclusivity in its pursuit of peace, as they also “look forward to the OPAPP convening us and harmonizing our efforts and strategies to ensure a more effective delivery of service to the communities in conflict-affected areas”.

United Nations Resident Coordinator Ola Almgren, meanwhile, noted that the “work that is already on the way since the 30th of June constitutes a very promising reboot and continuation of ongoing efforts to resolve the conflicts”.

“Going here, I have a lot of questions, especially with regards to the many mechanisms already in place, wherein international agencies play active roles. But those questions have been answered.”

“We appreciate the openness of President Duterte, as said in his SONA (State of the Nation Address), to continue working with international partners,” Almgren said. “I look forward to a continuing engagement with the people of the Philippines.”

Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process Jesus G. Dureza, for his part, recognized the previous efforts of the international partners in the peace process and asked them to continue supporting the government’s peace efforts.

“That is why I am very grateful to your initial enthusiasm and I hope we can sustain this. We look forward to our continued partnership, especially those who we have not engaged very much in the past. We want you back as strong partners for peace,” he added.

Aside from the United Nations and the World Bank, other international agencies and institutions represented during the meeting were Agencia Española De Cooperacion Internacional Para El Desarollo (AECID); Center for Humanitarian Dialogue (CHD); Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade-Australia (DFAT-AUS); Deutsche Gesellschaft Für Internationale Zusammenarbeit Gmbh (GIZ); European Union (EU); French Development Agency (FDA); Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA); International Alert (IA); International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC); The Asia Foundation (TAF); United Nations Development Programme (UNDP); International Organization for Migration (IOM); Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations; United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF); United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA); United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR); United Nations Women (UN WOMEN); World Food Programme (WFP); and United States Agency for International Development (USAID).

http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=1&sid=&nid=1&rid=911607