‘As peace constituents, while we recognize that realizing sustainable peace is a continuing discourse, we strongly commit to strengthen our resolve through conflict transformation towards social cohesion and dignified quality of life.’

This is what one of the lines of the peace statement says after it was created during the Honest Conversations on Peace- one of the key events of the recently concluded OURmindaNOW Summit organized by Equal Access International-Philippines (EAI-PH). 

More than 30 representatives from different leading organizations with peacebuilding and conflict transformation programs in Mindanao gathered for the Honest Conversations of Peace. The event aimed to discuss issues around why the greater peacebuilding community is tentative in taking part in efforts to address violent extremism. Moreover, it was a call to engage the participants in identifying bases for preventing and transforming violent extremism through broader collaboration, communication, and coordination.

Establishing a shared understanding on VE

The term violent extremism (VE) made headlines in Mindanao for the past years. But what really is VE? Honest conversation participants presented different perspectives on the term in the context of Mindanao. These perspectives include not wanting to define the term which some participants maintain as foreign in concept and is being imposed as a phenomenon in the local context. Among the concerns raised on VE during the conversation were expressed, that VE is a broad and perhaps even a questionable concept and should not be generalized. The term promotes discrimination, division stigma and restricts peaceful co-existence. 

Although the group acknowledged that several programs on Preventing and Transforming/ Countering Violent Extremism (PT/CVE) have surfaced, the majority agreed to have different perspective, views and understanding of violent extremism. According to some participants, the term violent extremism is defined from the outside, and that there are some acts that are universally or generally dubbed as violent but are not considered as violent acts (by the delegates of Honest Peace Conversations). However, the group has made a point that there is a need to push for a working understanding of the term for moving forward.

Challenges in peacebuilding

‘It is easy to recruit idle people in the community’, HCP participants say. 

Long-time peacebuilders acknowledge that the lack of economic opportunities makes one vulnerable to join (VE) groups- those who can financially support them during the process. 

As such, HCP participants urged government and non-government organizations to refocus and channel the funds to these communities- for people to be more productive. Social development funds for vulnerable communities is one strategy to combat recruitments. Good governance too must be on the front row for communities to thrive. 

The Peace Statement

The two-day honest conversations resulted into crafting of a peace statement.

Participants highlighted the need to turn specific statements into vision statements. It should be transformed into a language that reflects the desired change.

“The ways forward are highly dependent to all of us and not just for EAI. The approach is to co-create this with you,” EAI-Philippines Country Director Exan Sharief said in his closing remarks. 

Sharief expressed his gratitude to the peacebuilders in Mindanao who responded the call and have observed honesty in between conversations. He emphasized the importance of getting the local content as a driving force to move forward. For the peace statement to work it needs to be translated into a community change process and therefore, collaboration must continue. 

Mr. Rasul Kulat, UNHCR-Philippines Field Associate, Mr. Tommy Pangcoga, EAI-PH Monitoring, Evaluation, Research and Learning Officer, and Mr. Joel Dizon, EAI-PH Program Manager, facilitated the two-day honest conversations on peace. Irish Jane Calungsod/EAIPH