Asia Foundation named ICG member

DAVAO CITY (MindaNews/14 November) – The Asia Foundation has been named member of the International Contact Group (ICG) that will support the peace process of the Philippine government and Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF). The government and MILF peace panels have yet to formally jointly announce the composition of the INGO (international non-governmental organization) component in the ICG but the Asia Foundation was named by government peace panel chair Rafael Seguis, when he briefed US Secretary of State Hilary Clinton on November 12.

Clinton said the US “stands ready to assist” in the peace process.

Seguis briefed Clinton on the September 15, 2009 agreement on the creation of an ICG and told her the US “can send conflict resolution experts who can help break stalemates in the negotiations through the ICG. They can also send eminent persons who can join the ICG and the US-based Asia Foundation will also join the ICG together with other international nongovernment organizations," he said.

The Asia Foundation is a non-profit, non-governmental organization “committed to the development of a peaceful, prosperous, just, and open Asia-Pacific region.” The Foundation supports programs in Asia that help improve governance, law, and civil society; women's empowerment; economic reform and development; and international relations. Drawing on more than 50 years of experience in Asia, the Foundation collaborates with private and public partners to support leadership and institutional development, exchanges, and policy research.

Under the Sept. 15 framework agreement, the ICG is “ad-hoc in nature and issue-specific in its engagement consistent with an international dimension in aid of the consensus that will effectively enable them to exert proper leverage and to sustain the interest of the Parties as well as maintain a level of comfort that restores mutual trust.”

The ICG draws its mandate from both Negotiating Peace Panels and the Third Party Facilitation:

According to the agreement, the ICG ”will consist of interested countries accompanying the peace process preferably drawn from the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) and the European Union (EU) as well as accredited INGO to be invited by the Parties in consultation with the Third Party Facilitator.”

“Mindful of the interests of the stakeholders to benefit from and expect significant peace dividends from the ICG mission, the Parties will designate INGO that will be accredited along with their named local NGO partners,” the Agreement states.

INGOs like TAF will perform the following roles in the ICG: “engage and act as a bridge between the Parties, ICG, Facilitator and their local partners and civil society in support of the peace process; exchange views, provide research inputs, give feedback and advice to the Parties in coordination with the Facilitator; and establish communication channels in furtherance of peace process advocacy.

Another INGO invited into the ICG is, according to MindaNews sources, the Henry Dunant Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue which helped in the peace process in Aceh. The HDC is an organization “dedicated to the promotion of humanitarian principles, the prevention of conflict, and the alleviation of its effects through dialogue.”

MindaNews sources from the government and MILF peace panels said two more INGOs have been invited, one based in Southeast Asia and another based in Europe.

In a press statement on November 13, the Asia Foundation’s office in the Philippines announced it had accepted an invitation from the Philippine government and the MILF.

“The Asia Foundation will lend its reputation of being a credible and reliable partner committed to forging a more peaceful, prosperous, and just Asia-Pacific region, as well as its 55-year track record of effective program design and management, its trusted and extensive network of Asian partners, and dedicated staff,” it said.

The statement added that Asia Foundation has led successful programs in Mindanao for more than three decades now and has identified peace and development in Mindanao as among the highest priorities for the Philippines. Through its resident office in Manila, opened in 1954, and its satellite offices in Cotabato City and Zamboanga City, the Foundation has been working with local governments, civil society organizations, and private sector partners throughout Mindanao. “The Foundation’s programs address issues related to conflict and development in Mindanao, and building constructive relationships between Manila and Mindanao,” it said.

“Joining the ICG will enable the Foundation to play a direct, landmark role in the formal GRP-MILF peace process,” it said.

The Asia Foundation supports a variety of activities, drawing on its long-standing relationships with many actors throughout Mindanao, and utilizes its on-the-ground presence to work toward peace and development in the region.

From Zamboanga to Surigao cities and municipalities throughout Mindanao, it has helped professionalize human resource management in government offices. “Pioneering work with local partners on resolving clan feuds (rido) has led to the settlement of over 100 such conflicts, making communities more peaceful,” the statement read.

It also supported private sector consultations among local chambers of commerce, and staged a roadshow to Manila to devise how the private sector and its investments can contribute to peace. (MindaNews)