European Union diplomatic delegation in Mindanao, Philippines
On April 25/26 2014, EU Ambassador Guy Ledoux led a European Union diplomatic delegation to express support to the continuing Mindanao peace process and development in the Philippines. The delegation included five ambassadors (EU, Germany, Austria, Belgium, Italy); five other high-level diplomats (UK, Romania, Czech, France, EU); a representative of the Spanish Aid agency; as well as a domestic media contingent. Nonviolent Peaceforce helped coordinate the two-day exposure trip as well as organized with various stakeholders on the ground to ensure a smooth and secure visit for the high level delegation. Currently, NP has nine field locations throughout the Philippines providing a wide range of activities through unarmed civilian peacekeeping. NP in the Philippines works with a wide range of actors including; communities affected by conflict, the government, military and police forces, other INGOs, non-state armed actors and local organizations.
NP in the Philippines' Interim Country Director and Program Manager delivered a briefing to the delegation on NP's EU-funded projects as well as wider discussion on the work of NP, current context and challenges, and facilitated a lively Q&A session with the members of the delegation. The International Monitoring Team (IMT) Civilian Protection Component (CPC) Coordinator and local CPC member organizations- MOGOP and MinHRAC, which provided inputs on their work under the IMT-CPC- also joined the briefing. The EU has been generously supporting NP CPC program in the IMT since 2010.
The purpose of the IMT CPC is to monitor, verify and report on the compliance and non-compliance of the parties (GPH and MILF) to their commitments under international and national humanitarian laws and Human Rights Law to take constant care to protect the civilian population and civilian properties against the dangers arising in armed conflict, to sustain the ongoing Peace Process between the GPH and MILF. The agreement on the CPC of the IMT was signed in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia in October 2009.
The EU delegation's visit also included a trip to the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) for a discussion on Mindanao and the state of the peace process after the signing of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement in March 2014.
The delegation, accompanied by NP and CHD (centre for humanitarian dialogue) further travelled to Camp Darapanan to meet with the chairman and members of the central committee of the MILF. Camp Darapanan is the headquarters of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) in Barangay Simuay, Sultan Kudarat, Maguindanao.
On April 26, the delegation visited a project site of Bangsamoro Development Agency (BDA) under the Mindanao Trust Fund for Reconstruction and Development Program at Barangay Kurintem. The project has had a large impact on the community and has greatly helped provide support to those living in the barangay.