MALAYSIA, 23 June 2014 - The Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) in partnership with the Research and Education for Peace Unit, Universiti Sains Malaysia (REPUSM) will organise the Consolidation for Peace for Mindanao (COP6) to be held at the Hiroshima International Convention Center in the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park, Japan on June 23-25, 2014.

According to REPUSM Coordinator, Professor Dr. Kamarulzaman Askandar, 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, COP6 aims to clarify the ongoing discussion in the GPH-MILF peace process and find ways to keep the momentum going in the Mindanao Peace Process and will focus on the following topics namely Bangsamoro socio-economic development, the institutionalisation of the Bangsamoro government, and developments in normalisation.

“Moreover, the themes on development, transition and normalisation in this seminar will further give emphasis on ideas to develop technical and functional capacities, organisational 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,” Kamarulzaman elaborated on COP6 theme “Post Agreement Implementation: Building ‘Capacities for Peace’ of the Bangsamoro Stakeholders”.

Kamarulzaman and his colleagues in REPUSM have played a major role in initiating various peace education programmes that paved the way to the signing of the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro in early April this year.

“In fact, to date, JICA and REPUSM have organised a series of COP seminars, namely COP1, COP2, and COP4 which were organised for three different conflict areas that are Mindanao, Aceh, and Southern Thailand respectively while COP3 and COP5 were designed exclusively for Mindanao.

“There was also a programme organised to promote peace education in higher education institutions in Mindanao, called Mindanao Educators Peace Summit 2010, where 40 institutions of higher education leaders from Philippines met in Penang to find solutions to end the GPH-MILF conflict,” said Kamarulzaman.

In COP6, 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 while 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 attending this high level meeting includes 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 REPUSM Coordinator, Professor Dr. Kamarulzaman Askandar.

COP6 also becomes a historic occasion as a peacebuilding platform with the participation of the MILF Chair, Al Haj Murad Ebrahim and his spouse, Hajjah Lupia Ebrahim as Guests of Honour.

It is also expected that President Benigno Aquino III himself will attend 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. - Photo: Contribution by REPUSM & Mohd Fairus Md. Isa