Irene M. Santiago spoke at the UN as part of the review process of the UN Peacebuilding Commission. On her right is Sophie Haspeslagh, policy analyst at Conciliation Resources; and on her left is Andrew Tomlinson, executive director of the Quaker UN Office.

“The only way to manage people’s expectations and fears is to ensure that significant publics are part of the peace process.” This is one of the central messages shared by Irene M. Santiago, Chair and CEO of the Mindanao Commission on Women during a lunchtime event at the United Nations on 26 May. The event was organized by the Mission of Norway, the Quaker UN Office, and the Conciliation Resources which is part of the International Monitoring Team.

The public forum emphazised the role of civil society und public participation in peacemaking. Santiago shared the Mindanao experience: “We learned about the critical need for public participation in peacemaking the hard way.” Pointing on what happened after the 1996 peace agreement between the MNLF and the Government she explained: “Because the people did not participate in any of the discussions leading to the agreement, there was widespread paranoia about what was perceived by the majority as loss of their lands. There was woefully little support for the agreement. The legislation that was needed in order to implement some provisions of the agreement fell short of what the agreement provided. Consequently, the implementation was contentious and more and more talks were necessary to rectify the situation.” And of course, she mentioned what happened in 2008 when after four years of negotiation between the MILF and the Government the agreement was not signed.

Irene M. Santiago, with Ambassador Mona Juul of the Norwegian Mission to the UN (left) and Cynthia Petrigh, Director of Policy and Comparative Learning of Conciliation Resources (right).

“Public participation in peacemaking is critical but especially more so in situations of protracted social conflict like in the Philippines,” Santiago states, “because it is the relationship of the minority with the government that is central to the armed conflict. However, the people in the majority are involved too in that they are party to the divisions that characterize such societies.”

Santiago is invited to join the United Nations Mediation Roster which assists mediation initiatives of the United Nations, Member States, regional and sub-regional organizations and other relevant partners.