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The Case of Mindanao, Philippines (Executive Summary)

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The Case of Mindanao, Philippines (Executive Summary) Gender and Conflict / Homework Pre- Reading Differences between Programming Paradigms in Conflict Settings 1. Programming Paradigms in Conflict Settings1 Level of Guiding Programming Understanding of Programming Approach Capacity Implications Principles for Paradigms the Conflict Programming None for Continue with sectoral programming in programming without Typically no a conflict setting; 1. Traditional addressing the potential concerted attempt Funding and staffing thus, there is a Development positive or negative impact to understand the remains the same. real risk of Programming on the conflict context. conflict. exacerbating Program’s key goals are conflict and sectoral. doing harm. Adequate Continue with sectoral understanding of Funding and staffing programming but ensure, at the conflict to levels will remain a minimum, that it does not Do No Harm ensure that the roughly the same, exacerbate the conflict (Mary Anderson) program, at a though new expertise 2. Conflict- context. Program’s key minimum, does not may be required, Sensitive goals are to minimize Conflict exacerbate the depending on the Programming negative and maximize Sensitivity situation and, issues. Staff need to be positive impacts of (International ideally, reduces trained in basic conflict programming on the Alert) dividers and analysis, mainstreaming conflict, as well as on supports existing and sensitivity. sectoral goals. connectors. Increased resources needed to support Do No Harm training for staff and Conduct a stand-alone (Mary Anderson) key partners and for Deeper peacebuilding program. implicit/explicit 3. Direct Conflict understanding of Program’s core aim is to Conflict peacebuilding efforts. Programming the key drivers of reduce the key drivers of Sensitivity (also sometimes conflict and violent conflict and (International New expertise will be called dynamics among contribute to societal-level Alert) required, including Peacebuilding factors and key peace (Peace Writ Large). conflict assessment, Programming) actors to ensure e.g., by expanding the work Peace Writ Large skills, sensitivity, program relevance. into new issue areas or new Criteria of program design and geographic areas. Effectiveness evaluation. (CDA Inc.) Possible need for conflict specialist. 1 Adapted in part from Dr. Nike Carstarphen, ACT 2004, and in part from Peter Woodrow and Diana Chigas, “A Distinction with a Difference: Conflict Sensitivity and Peacebuilding.” CDA Collaborative Learning Projects, 2010, p. 10. The text in italics comes from Woodrow and Chigas. EXERPT FROM: THE ASIA FOUNDATION, 2013, THE CONTESTED CORNERS OF ASIA: SUBNATIONAL CONFLICT breakthrough agreement—the Framework AND DEVELOPMENT ASSISTANCE, MINDANAO EXEUCTIVE Agreement on the Bangsamoro (FAB)—on SUMMARY (FULL TEXT AT: http://asiafoundation.org/resources/ pdfs/MindanaoExecutiveSummary.pdf 15 October 2012. Negotiations continued into 2013 as joint technical working groups Understanding the Mindanao developed detailed agreements on difficult Conflict issues such as power and wealth sharing, ‘nor- malization’ (i.e., security, development, and The origins of the Mindanao conflict can cultural changes to allow citizens of all com- be traced back to the 16th century when the munities to move on and live a normal life), native Moro population of the island resisted and the drafting of legislation that will govern invading Spanish forces. This conflict between the new autonomous Bangsamoro region. the capital in Manila and Moro Mindanao has However, observers of the negotiations remain continued for over 400 years, albeit in inter- optimistic that the two parties can overcome mittent fashion. At present, the Mindanao their differences. subnational conflict area covers about 10% of Philippine territory, and is home to about 6% The conflict in the Moro areas has evolved of the national population. The conflict is con- over the past 44 years—from an ethno-nation- centrated in the Muslim-dominated regions alist struggle between an aggrieved minority of Mindanao, which is the southernmost and the central government, to a highly frag- island of the Philippine archipelago, and has mented conflict with multiple overlapping a population of 5.5 million, a third of whom causes of violence. While ‘state-minority’ con- have been affected by violence. testation has traditionally been viewed as the dominant form of contestation in Moro areas, After more than 10 years of negotiations, inter-elite competition is the major source of the Philippine Government and the Moro contestation and violence across Mindanao. Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) signed a Local-level conflict can escalate into state- minority conflict. In Mindanao a number of cases, Primary conflict area clan conflicts (or rido) have instigated state- Additional areas affected insurgent violence. Localities indicated in research Conflict dynamics vary considerably from one community to another, and even within the same province, depending on the con- figuration of local elite political networks, and the presence or absence of insurgent groups. The Case of Mindanao, Philippines Executive Summary Mindanao has also shown highly uneven the drivers of inter-elite and inter-communal development, with the conflict areas having competition is needed as it varies greatly the lowest levels of growth. Conflict-affected across Mindanao’s regions, provinces and areas of Mindanao have the highest poverty municipalities. levels and the lowest levels of human devel- opment in the Philippines. The human and The FAB provides a critically-needed mandate financial costs of the conflict have been enor- to reform several key institutions and govern- mous. Conservative official estimates indicate ment structures. The Transition Commission that more than 120,000 lives have been lost (TC) has been designed to support reforms in the Moro conflict, with an economic cost that will be driven primarily by Moro leaders, estimated at US$2-3 billion. and should help to strengthen the legitimacy of institutions that come out of this process. It is Transforming the Conflict particularly important to show quick progress in reforming security and justice institutions in While the transition in Mindanao from con- conflict areas. flict to peace has accelerated since the signing of the FAB in October 2012, the roadmap Aid and Development Programs to a lasting peace is anything but clear, and reaching a durable peace may take a generation. International development actors have been extremely active in the Moro regions of One of the fundamental challenges in Mind- Mindanao. With an open invitation from the anao is the widespread lack of confidence in the government to fund programs in the subna- transition from conflict to stability. Most people tional conflict area and work directly on peace believe that violence will continue for years, and conflict issues, the environment for aid though the FAB is widely seen as a key compo- programs is remarkably different from Aceh and nent in ‘jumpstarting’ the process of attaining southern Thailand. Mindanao has seen consist- durable solutions to the conflict. Furthermore, ently high levels of funding, with a proliferation there must be changes in political dynamics of projects and aid organizations working in the between national and local elites. These have conflict area. long been viewed as an effort to divide the Moro population, and have frequently undermined The significant build-up of aid programs the credibility of government peace efforts. has led to fragmentation and duplication. In conflict-affected barangays, multiple projects Although it is recognized that rido is the are often concentrated in very small areas, primary cause of instability in many conflict often with similar objectives but entirely dif- localities, most conflict prevention measures ferent donor requirements and procedures. are geared toward addressing state-minority contestation. In order to make the best use of international aid, a deep understanding of Gender and Conflict in Mindanao The following is an excerpt from a report published by The Asia Foundation on the gender dynamics of conflict in Mindanao, Philippines: Leslie Dwyer and Rufa Cagoco-Guiam, 2012. Gender and Conflict in Mindanao. Washington, DC: The Asia Foundation. (For the text of the full report, see: http://asiafoundation.org/publications/pdf/1054) Introduction: Gender in Conflict Zones It has been more than a decade since the U.N. Security Council adopted Resolution 1325, which called upon the international community to actively consider the needs of women and girls in conflict situations, and incorporate them into peace-building and conflict resolution activities. In that time, there has been considerably greater understanding and recognition of women’s varying roles in both conflict and peace-building, as well as of the different impacts of conflict on men and women. There is now strong support for the view that -- through their social contributions as citizens, educators, economic actors, mothers, community mediators and leaders of civil society groups -- women hold a vital responsibility for shaping peace. Yet, for all the rhetorical progress in acknowledging the importance of incorporating gender into conflict mitigation and resolution programming, efforts remain limited. To the degree that such efforts have been undertaken, they often remain confined to a Women In Development-style approach, expanding women’s participation into pre-figured, ostensibly gender-neutral programs. This is far from
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