The Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace Process (OPAPP) together with the National Commission on Muslim Filipinos (NCMF) (mainly through the Bureau of Peace and Conflict Resolution and NCMF Davao Office) and in coordination with the Office of the Cabinet Secretary, organized and hosted a two-day peace and development summit dubbed as “National Peacebuilding Conversations,” on 14-15 October 2016 at Royal Mandaya Hotel in Davao City. The summit is intended to ensure that there will be a convergence approach among major stakeholders in the achievement of the Administration’s Peace and Development Agenda.

In her opening remarks, NCMF Secretary Yasmin Busran-Lao underscored that the active participation and efforts of all the participants are essential in building the foundation for lasting peace.

Around 500 participants from national government agencies, line agencies, local governments, civil society organizations and official donor agency organizations participated in the summit.  Using a modified open space methodology, they were grouped into 21 conversation circles to discuss pressing issues on peacebuilding across fields towards realizing the government’s peace and development agenda. These include facilitating sustainable integration, healing and reconciliation of former combatants / former rebels; enhancing women’s role in conflict prevention, conflict resolution and peacebuilding; mainstreaming conflict-sensiivity and peace promotion in governance; promoting interfaith and intercultural dialogue; and strengthening humanitarian response and civilian protection in situations of armed conflict.

The inputs or “gems” harvested from the conversations were then presented to the OPAPP and NCMF high officials, who in turn responded by engaging the sponsors to support the so-called gems.

Presidential Peace Adviser Jesus Dureza thanked all the participants and called on everyone to join peace-building activities.