Localizing peacebuilding

Having served as Presidential Peace Adviser for almost eight years, I’ve witnessed the launching of various peace and development initiatives that aim to uplift the lives of former combatants who have laid down their arms and returned to the folds of the law.

- SECRETARY CARLITO G. GALVEZ, JR.

These range from national government-funded infrastructure projects, to livelihood interventions supported by the international donor community, to multi-stakeholder efforts to boost health, job opportunities and education in our beneficiary communities.

What I have observed about these interventions, particularly the most successful ones, is that they are locally-driven, which means that the members of the community themselves are at the forefront of their implementation.

That is why the recent partnership forged between the Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation and Unity (OPAPRU) and the Provincial Local Government of Zamboanga Sibugay goes beyond the signing of a Memorandum of Agreement.

Through the Localizing Normalization Implementation (LNI) Program, the OPAPRU partnered with the Zamboanga Sibugay government to carry out initiatives under the Normalization Program of the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB).

These include skills and technical training, emergency employment, assistance in securing birth certificates, and livelihood support for decommissioned Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) combatants and their families.

The Normalization Program is anchored on the principle that for peacebuilding to be truly effective and make a significant impact, it must be localized. Instead of a purely centralized rollout, the program empowers provincial governments to take the lead.