by RG Alama
Davao City (1 October) -- Global Partnership for the Prevention of Armed Conflict (GPACC) an international network of peacebuilders is offering to help the peace process between the Philippine government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front.
Gus Miclat, the executive director of Davao-based Initiatives for International Dialogue, the designated Regional Initiatior for Southeast Asia of GPACC said that the network is willing to assist the International Contact Group (ICG) of the peace process.
ICG is composed of interested countries and international non-government organizations (NGOs) that aims to build a consensus that will sustain the interest of both the GRP and MILF and also to maintain a level of comfort aimed at restoring mutual trust of the two parties.
The GRP and the MILF both agreed to the formation of the ICG during their talks held in Kualau Lumpur, Malaysia last September 15.and is seen as an important step in restarting the stalled talks after the signing of the memorandum of agreement on ancestral domain or MOA-AD was scrapped which led to a resurgence of violence between the government and lawless MILF groups.
GPPAC is a world-wide civil society network that works to promote the importance of conflict prevention and peacebuilding. Established in 2003 after then UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan in his 2001 report 'Prevention of Armed Conflict' urged NGOs involved conflict prevention to organize an international conference of local, national and international NGOs on their role in conflict prevention and future interaction with the United Nations in this field.
GPPAC is structured through fifteen regional networks, which are led by existing civil society network organizations working on conflict prevention and peacebuilding that believes in the idea of networking and cooperation.
IID is hosting the GPACC's International Steering Group (ISG) meeting this September 30 to October 7 at the Waterfront Insular hotel here in Davao City. (PIA XI)