Peace Advocacy and Dialogue as
a Pathway to Peace
Myla Leguro
Catholic Relief Services
What is peacebuilding?
Present
(Analysis)
Desired
future
Peacebuilding
Activities
(Visioning)
Everything in between the present
and desired future
• Values consistent with ends
• process consistent with the ends
• Structures consistent with the ends
Jon Rudy, PeaceBuildingGlobal.com
Peacebuilding
Peacebuilding
Activities
Present
(Analysis)
•
PERSONAL
Desired
future
(Visioning)
•RELATIONAL
•STRUCTURAL
•CULTURAL
Jon Rudy, PeaceBuildingGlobal.com
Advocacy
• An organized political process to change
policies, practices, ideas, and values that
perpetuate inequality, prejudice, and exclusion.
• Efforts to strengthen citizen’s capacity as
decision-makers and builds more accountable
and equitable institutions of power.
• Promoting relevant social and political themes
on the public agenda.
ADVOCACY
SPEAKING IN BEHALF OF THE VOICELESS
(REPRESENTATION)
ENCOURAGING OTHERS TO SPEAK UP
(MOBILIZATION)
SUPPORTING THE VOICELESS TO SPEAK FOR
THEMSELVES (EMPOWERMENT)
(Mindanao Commission on Women)
ADVOCACY
STRATEGIC
- need to do research and plan
SERIES OF ACTIONS
- set of coordinated activities
DESIGNED TO PERSUADE
- use ideas or provide arguments that convince people
that the desired change is important and they will
support it
ADVOCACY
TARGETED
- aim persuasion efforts at specific people who have
the power to make our advocacy campaign
successful
BUILD ALLIANCES
- work with many stakeholders to increase the
impact of campaign
RESULTS IN CHANGE
- must result in positive change in the lives of the
people affected by the problem
Advocacy in Peacebuilding
• Agenda setting by local civil society
actors (bringing themes to the national
agenda)
• Lobbying for civil society involvement in
peace negotiations
• Creating public pressure
• Broadening support and practice of
peace, peace process, culture of peace
PEACE Advocacy
1. Nonpublic advocacy – communicating with
the political apparatus in private, bringing
issues in peace talks through informal
dialogues, diplomatic channels, or key
political actors.
2. Public communication – claims and demands
are made in public via demonstrations, press
releases, petitions, statements, lobbying
LET US PRACTICE
Some Important Tools and Processes
Assessment and Analysis
• Context Analysis
• Stakeholder Mapping /Mapping of
Forces
• Problem and Issue Identification and
Analysis
• Research
Some Important Tools and Processes
Advocacy Planning
• Advocacy Issue
• Vision and objectives
• Indicators of success
• Key Messages
• Target (primary, secondary)
• Advocacy strategies
Peace Advocacy and Dialogue
Civil society and peacebuilding
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Protection
Monitoring
Advocacy
Socialization
Social Cohesion
Facilitation
Service Delivery
Civil society PEACEBUILDING ROLES
1. Protection of citizens against violence from all parties;
2. Monitoring of human rights violations, the implementation
of peace agreements, etc.;
3. Advocacy for peace and human rights;
4. Socialization to values of peace and democracy as well as to
develop the in-group identity of marginalized groups;
5. Inter-group social cohesion by bringing people together
from adversarial groups;
6. Facilitation of dialogue on the local and national level
between all sorts of actors;
7. Service delivery to create entry points for peacebuilding, i.e.
for the six above functions
Dialogue in the Context of Mindanao
Horizontal
- Dialogue within each group
- Dialogue with other groups
Vertical
- Communities with government and other
important peace actors
DIALOGUE PURPOSE - VISION
Building a Vision for the
FUTURE
Negotiating a SOLUTION
Dialogue to
UNDERSTAND well
Joint Fact-Finding Right
Information Together
LONG-TERM
IMMEDIATE SOLUTION
IMPROVE
UNDERSTANDING
ACCURATE INFORMATION
Dialogue –
the Akido Principle
• Know yourself
– What is my stand regarding the issue?
– Why am I having this view (or feeling) of the issue?
• Go and meet the other
–
–
–
–
–
Share who you are
Listen to the other
Celebrate the similarities (Yehey!)
Wonder at the differences (Aha!)
A genuine conversation
• Plan the future together
– Building a tolerant community
Mohammed Abu-Nimer
Process of Peaceful Dialogue
• make a safe place
• agree on the objectives of the dialogue
• use correct/right appropriate skills in
communication
• lay down all the cards
• relationship centered
• remain in the strength of disposition/ be firm in
your stand
• be prepared to the new results/ changes resulted
from dialogue
Examples of Dialogue Initiatives
1. Interreligious dialogue formations/structures
in various parts of Mindanao
2. Dialogue through peace trainings and
workshops
3. Dialogue in concrete projects
4. Dialogue in concrete negotiations between
conflicting parties
Beyond Intractability
Lumad Process
IP Peace Summit
Core group
fornation
Formation
of BCPTF
Focus Group
Discussions
BityaraKallintad
Moro
Peace
Summit
Formation
of Moro
core group
Core group
fornation
Focus Group
Discussions
Moro Process
Key leaders’
meetings
Moro-Lumad
Peace Summit
Continuing grassroots peace
process- local peace covenants
Joint Process
Moro – Lumad Dialogue Process
Dialogue fails when:
• Not having the right attitude
• Not the right timing
• Not the right partner
• Not enough preparation
Nurture creativity, inspiration,
imagination and vision
Bless each other’s work
Peace as a goal and peace within
the immediate reality