Gov’t info officers ‘agents of peace, development’: OPAPRU

From the Philippine News Agency (May 28, 2022): Gov’t info officers ‘agents of peace, development’: OPAPRU (By Lade Jean Kabagani)

Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation and Unity workshop on Conflict Sensitivity and Peace Promoting Communications for government information officers (OPAPRU photo)

The Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation and Unity (OPAPRU), recognizing the crucial role of various government information officers in conflict sensitivity and peace promotion (CSPP), concluded a three-day training workshop on Conflict Sensitivity and Peace Promoting (CSPP) Communications on Friday.

OPAPRU Assistant Secretary Wilben Mayor said government information officers can be “potential agents” of peace and development in the country.

“Effective communication is crucial not only in raising awareness on our various peace processes but also in engaging more sectors of society as we sustain and build on the gains of peace,” Mayor said during the workshop held at Richmonde Hotel in Pasig City.

“As communicators, we, therefore, have to ensure that all our communication and advocacy efforts are in line with conflict-sensitive and peace-promoting approaches,” he added.

Workshop participants were taught the fundamentals of CSPP that they can further apply within their agencies’ communications and peace-building works.

Among the topics discussed were the culture of peace; six-point peace and development agenda; gender, women, peace, and security; introduction to conflict, peace, and violence; peace and conflict impact analysis; and non-violent communication.

Role in peace initiatives

Darwin Wee, director of OPAPRU Communications and Public Affairs Services, emphasized the crucial role of the information officers to effectively implement Executive Order (EO) No. 70 for whole-of-nation efforts to maintain inclusive and sustainable peace-building mechanisms, especially in the countryside.

EO 70 institutionalizes the collective participation and action of all government development efforts and services to support, facilitate and pursue the country's peace agendas.

The OPAPRU said the workshop will also serve as a venue for developing a CSPP guidebook for government communicators, which aims to shepherd other government departments in carrying out peace interventions in conflict-affected and conflict-vulnerable areas.

“We are all public servants. We need to produce communication materials that promote the common good, where the peace process can flourish. All government agencies have peace-building programs that support the EO 70,” Wee said.

The OPAPRU has been mainstreaming various peace-building projects and conflict-sensitivity programs as part of its tasks “to provide overall policy direction” in the conduct of the comprehensive Philippine peace process.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1175346