DAVAO DECLARATION ON PEACE AND RESILIENCE

 

 

At the Kasali Ka, Sumali Ka! Social Development Celebration (SDC) 2014 held at the SMX Conference Centre, SM Lanang in Davao City, on December 3-5, 2014, nearly 200 leaders of civil society organizations (CSOs) and their partners from various sectors from around the country – government, academe, media, private sector, aid agencies and others – gathered for this annual event to promote to a larger public the roles and contributions of CSOs in national development. 

 

The SDC2014 highlighted the importance of the twin national issues of building peace and resilience in our partner communities, with the theme ‘From South to North and From Bottom Up: CSOs Shaping Peace and Resilience.’  This event is held in Davao City, Mindanao, to recognize the contributions and the voice of CSOs in the regions in shaping the direction of CSOs’ national advocacies and campaigns, and as an expression of unequivocal support for and desire to see through the creation and the success of the Bangsamoro. 

 

 

In recognition of the national importance of these twin concerns of building peace and resilience in our communities and the roles of CSOs in shaping policies and programs related to these, we, the participants of the Kasali Ka, Sumali Ka! Social Development Celebration 2014, adopted the following declarations:

 

On Shaping Peace

There is still very little knowledge and appreciation of the history of the Moros’ resistance to colonization and subjugation, their strong resolve to preserve their identity and culture, and the roots of the long struggle of the Bangsamoro for self-determination and governance. 

 

In our belief that “peace is the basic right of any individual” and in recognition of the intrinsic link between peace and development, especially in our conflict-affected areas, many of us CSOs have been organizing awareness-raising activities about the Framework Agreement for the Bangsamoro (FAB) and its 4 annexes and the subsequent Comprehensive Agreement for the Bangsamoro(CAB) and the draft Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL).

 

Many of our organizations provide capacity development and peace education to communities and preparing local roadmaps to peace-building, and are also involved in the development of post-agreement work needed to ensure the success of the Bangsamoro, and lobbying for legislative support to the passage of the BBL that is faithful to the CAB, not only in Mindanao but in the  rest of the country.

 

THEREFORE, in considerationof the foregoing premises related to shaping peace in communities, we, the participants of the Social Development Celebration 2014, resolve to:

 

RECOGNIZE the right to self-determination of the Bangsamoro people by actively campaigning for the immediate passage of the Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) that is faithful to the Comprehensive Agreement for the Bangsamoro (CAB), by campaigning among affected people to register as voters in the plebiscite, and by initiating “personal change” to support the Bangsamoro;

 

ENSURE that the Bangsamoro will not be another failed experiment on autonomy, by supporting and monitoring the faithful implementation of the development plans for sustained peace and growth in the Bangsamoro after its creation, supporting Shari’a compliant social enterprises and similar economic activities, and ensuring that investments will go to the development of the Bangsamoro people and not to the pockets of corrupt individuals;

 

ADDRESS the mutual rejection, distrust and biases against and the still very limited knowledge and appreciation of the history of the Moros’ colonization and subjugation and the Bangsamoro struggle, by continuing the peace education sessions and capacity development among CSOs and communities where we work and continuing the awareness-raising about the BBL with them, both in Bangsamoro and non-Bangsamoro areas.

 

 

On Shaping Resilience in Communities:

The World Disaster Report 2013 ranked our country as the third most risky place in the globe in terms of exposure to natural calamities, and the impacts of these events adversely undermine any development intervention being implemented by CSOs and other development partners in the affected areas. 

Many of us CSOs gathered today were volunteers and survivors of calamities that have become increasingly frequent and extreme in the last decade as brought about by the effects of climate change–e.g.in 2006 typhoon Reming in Bicol, in 2008 typhoon Frank in Panay island, in 2009 typhoons Ondoy and Pepeng in NCR and Luzon, in 2011 typhoon Sendong and in 2012 typhoon Pablo here in Mindanao, in 2013 Bohol earthquake and super typhoon Yolanda in the Visayas and Northern Palawan, and have therefore recognized the necessity for us development organizations to mainstream disaster risk reduction and management (DRRM) and climate change adaptation (CCA) in our interventions. 

Many of us are engaging the government at the national, regional, provincial, municipal and barangay levels, and are participating in the bottom-up budgeting (BUB) or grassroots participatory budgeting (GPB) and local development planning and budgeting processes; seeing these engagements as our platform by which our organizations can influence local government units (LGUs) and national government agencies (NGAs) to mainstream DRRM-CCA in their plans and budgets. 

CSOs and CSO networks are in a position to bridge our partner communities, especially the most vulnerable, to relevant policy-makers, program implementers and the research and scientific community in terms of advocacy and education about DRRM-CCA.

There is influx of support during disasters coming from the local and international organizations, which should be managed efficiently in times of disasters. 

In consideration of the foregoing premises related to shaping resiliencein our communities, we, the participants of the Kasali Ka, Sumali Ka! Social Development Celebration 2014, further resolve to:

 

CONTRIBUTE to building the capacities of our partner communities, particularly the most vulnerable, in terms of preparing for and reducing risks brought by disasters, by mainstreaming DRRM-CCA initiatives in our programs and in our advocacy engagements with local and national governments.

 

BRIDGE communities, especially those who are most vulnerable, to relevant policy-makers, program implementers, academic and scientific community in terms of advocacy and learning exchange on DRRM-CCA.

 

ENSURE well-coordinated disaster response and rehabilitation efforts and the participation of affected communities; by participating in the creation of CSO-based DRRM Coordination Hubs in areas where we are present, which will support inter-organization learning exchanges on and advocacy for responsive DRRM-CCA during ‘peace times’, and effective CSO coordination of humanitarian emergency initiatives in times of disasters; and

SEEK the support of our allies in the CSO community and in the various sectors – the media, academe, development partners and government – in our efforts to shape peace and resilience in the country towards our vision of a society that promotes the total well-being of the Filipino people and the full realization of our human rights.

 

Signed on December 5, 2014 at SMX Conference Centre, SM Lanang in Davao City, Philippines.