Thursday, June 19, 2014

MILF: JICA, REPUSM organize series of Consolidation for Peace Seminars

From the MILF Website (Jun 20): JICA, REPUSM organize series of Consolidation for Peace Seminars



The Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) in partnership with the Research and Education for Peace Unit, Universiti Sains Malaysia (REPUSM) organized a series of the Consolidation for Peace (COP) seminars. The program is dubbed, “Post Agreement Implementation: Building ‘Capacities for Peace’ of  Bangsamoro stakeholders”.
  
To date, there have been five COP seminars. The COP1, COP2, and COP4 were organized for three different conflict areas, namely Mindanao, Aceh, and Southern Thailand, while COP3 and COP5 were designed exclusively for Mindanao. There was also a program organized to promote peace education in higher education institutions in Mindanao. This was the Mindanao Educators Peace Summit of 2010. This present COP6 program is organized to keep the momentum going in the Mindanao Peace Process and will be held at the Hiroshima International Convention Center in the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park on June 23-25, 2014.

This COP6 is an important opportunity for the Government of the Philippines (GPH) and Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) leaders and other stakeholders to discuss challenges in the search for peace in Mindanao. Specifically, this COP6 aims to clarify the ongoing discussion in the GPH-MILF peace process and find ways to continue the momentum of this process.

This COP6 will focus on the following topics – Bangsamoro socio-economic development, the institutionalization of the Bangsamoro government, and developments in normalization. The themes on development, transition and normalization in this seminar will further give emphasis on ideas to develop technical and functional capacities, organizational changes, social cohesion and establishment of a new working relationship among institutions and stakeholders that will lead to reconciliation and forging of sustainable peace in the Bangsamoro region.

The COP6 to be held in Hiroshima, Japan will be a high level meeting. The delegation of the GPH will be led by the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process, Secretary Teresita Quintos Deles, and Government Negotiating Panel Chair, Prof. Miriam Coronel-Ferrer. The MILF delegation will be led by the Bangsamoro Transition Commission (BTC) Chair and MILF Peace Panel Chair, Mr. Mohagher Iqbal, and Bangsamoro Development Agency (BDA) Chair, Dr. Saffrullah Dipatuan. Other stakeholders are also presenting during this meeting, including the International Monitoring Team (IMT) Head of Mission, Major General Dato Abd. Samad Yaakub of Malaysia, Prof. Yuji Uesuji of Japan from the Independent Commission on Policing, and Governor of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM), Hon. Mujiv Hataman.

Key government officials are also expected to attend and deliver official remarks, namely, Secretary Florencio Abad of the Department of Budget (NEDA) and Deputy Director General Margarita Songco of the National Economic Development Agency (NEDA). The event will be officially opened by the JICA President Dr. Akihito Tanaka and Univesiti Sains Malaysia Dr. Prof. Kamarulzaman Askandar.

The COP6 slated in Japan shall be a historic occasion as a peacebuilding platform with the participation of the MILF Chair, Al Haj Murad Ebrahim and his spouse, Hja. Lupia Ebrahim as Guests of Honor. It is also expected that President Benigno Aquino III will grace the occasion and deliver a keynote speech. The City of Hiroshima as a symbolic place of peace will be a meaningful venue of the COP6 for Mindanao. It is envisioned that the COP6 will further strengthen the peacebuilding process between the Government of the Philippines and the Bangsamoro people.
http://www.luwaran.com/index.php/welcome/item/1050-jica-repusm-organize-series-of-consolidation-for-peace-seminars

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