Regional Dialogue: linking research and policy-making
The Mindanao Peoples Caucus (MPC), in partnership with the International Organization for Migration (IOM) Philippines, organized a two-day Regional Dialogue and Training Workshop in Exploring the Nexus of Climate Change, and Human Mobility and the Lived Experiences of the Bangsamoro last March 17 and 18 at the Eden Nature Park and Resort in Davao City.
Building bridges
Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) find strength in diversity, in its participatory nature, and sectoral focus. Because most of its programs and projects concentrate in the local level such as in barangays, municipalities, and cities, access and delivery of services are efficient and tailored to the immediate needs and the local contexts.
The role of the CSOs in coming up with durable solutions for the IDPs is especially significant and strategic. They are in the best position to partner with local chief executives and to serve as bridges for the locals to make their concerns heard and addressed by the local government.
A holistic approach to protracted displacement
(Lessons from the series of municipal consultations in Shariff Saydona, Datu Salibo, Mamasapano, Datu Saudi, Datu Piang, and Talitay from September 2022 to February 2023)
Restoring the dignity of internally displaced persons requires a multi-sectoral approach. A municipal consultation is a multi-sectoral approach to addressing the needs of the IDPs and discussing the options for sustainable solutions to their problems.
Strengthening knowledge and leadership among the internally displaced
Against the backdrop of the signed peace agreement between the Philippine government and MILF and the ongoing post-crisis reconstruction process is the threat of possible internal displacement. Forced evacuation can be due to protracted high-level armed conflict, clan wars, and environmental hazards.
We always begin by listening
Listening is an important first step in any humanitarian effort. And in designing durable solutions, the IDPs themselves are the most authentic source of information.
"Nurturing women leaders: Grassroots Women's Leadership and Political Participation"
The Mindanao Peoples Caucus (MPC) has been currently working inside and outside the Bangsamoro region, creating programs that are specifically tailored to the needs of its partner network organizations and communities, and most importantly, to women and ensuring that they possess a significant part of every one of its programs. MPC has been engaging with Bangsamoro women leaders in areas where democracy has been nascent if not more or less established.
The MPC’s Grassroots Learning Hub project funded by the USAID and Save the Children- Philippines’ through its CSO2 small grant, has dedicated a component addressing women’s political participation and leadership. The Grassroots Women’s Leadership and Political Participation Hub which envisioned helping women acquire the skills and knowledge necessary to participate meaningfully in all aspects of the political process in the current Bangsamoro Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) transition period.
Formally launched in February of this year, this program has been MPC’s to the calls of its partner network organizations for training that will equip them in complementing current efforts of the interim government to ensure that the institutional reforms agreed upon in the peace agreement will be fully implemented.
Women's with Leadership and Political Participation Training
Integrating feminine leadership into one’s identity is particularly difficult among women in BARMM region where credibility is established in a culture that privileges patriarchal or masculinist authority. Dominant perceptions and misconceptions still are prevalent that women are not cut out for leadership. And so hearing personal experiences of women leaders challenging the conventional ways of leadership are always beautiful, invigorating, and inspirational. There is no scarcity in women leaders, but there exists an environment that stifles their potentials.
The Mindanao Peoples Caucus in partnership with the United Nations International Organization on Migration through the Supporting Conflict Transformation towards Effective Peacebuilding in the Bangsamoro Region (STEP BARMM) Project, recently conducted a Participatory Action Research (PAR) entitled: “Promoting Conflict Prevention, Social Cohesion and Community Resilience in BARMM in time of COVID-19.”
