OIC: A trusted partner in peacebuilding

Over the years, the international community has played an instrumental role in helping the Government of the Philippines push forward, sustain and build on the gains of the Bangsamoro peace process.

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From facilitating peace talks with revolutionary groups, to providing technical and financial assistance, to monitoring the compliance of parties to commitments made under peace agreements, our foreign partners have aided us in all aspects of peacebuilding.

Among our most reliable international supporters are the member countries of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), which, for the past four decades, has helped shepherd the peace process in the Bangsamoro to where it is now.

With 57 member-states spanning four continents, the OIC has served as the collective voice of the Muslim world, safeguarding and protecting their economic, social, and political interests, while promoting international peace and harmony.

We were, therefore, pleased to learn that in June of this year, the OIC issued a resolution calling on its member-countries to increase the support they are currently providing to the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM).

We lauded the Islamic body for coming out with Council of Foreign Ministers’ Resolution No. 2/51-MM titled, “The Question of Muslims in the Southern Philippines,” which we believe is timely and relevant in light of the peace, security, and development challenges the Bangsamoro is now facing.

The resolution could not have come at a crucial opportune time, as the BARMM gears up for its first regional parliamentary elections. The political exercise is considered another major milestone in the Bangsamoro peace process.