Secretary Locsin cites BARMM’s success as model for mediation at UN Ministerial Meeting
“It is self-evident that mediation is an essential tool for the peaceful settlement of genuine disputes. In all honest disagreements it plays the vital role,” PH Secretary of Foreign Affairs Teodoro L. Locsin, Jr. said at the 11th Ministerial Meeting of the Group of Friends of Mediation held on 02 February 2022, via a virtual platform .(Photo from NYPM)
UNITED NATIONS, New York, 04 February 2022 – Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro L. Locsin, Jr. told fellow Ministers and other officials that the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) is a good example of successful mediation. The Secretary shared this statement at the 11th Ministerial Meeting of the Group of Friends of Mediation hosted virtually by the Governments of Finland and Turkey on 02 February 2022.
Quoting President Rodrigo Roa Duterte, Secretary Locsin said, “The creation of the BARMM brings us a step closer to the realization of our decades-old dream of a peaceful region governed by the autonomous government that serves all Muslims, Christians, lumads and other indigenous peoples, and every Filipino who also call Mindanao their home…proof of our determination to bring genuine peace and development to Muslim Mindanao through a responsive government that truly reflects the identity of its people.”
The Ministerial Meeting was convened under the theme, “Mediation as a tool for peaceful settlement and resolution of violent conflicts: Taking stock after 10 years of the first UN Resolution and looking ahead.”
Secretary Locsin also highlighted the Manila Declaration on the Peaceful Settlement of International Disputes as the instrument that gave the legal framework for the peaceful settlement of international disputes.
The UN will commemorate the 40th Anniversary of the Manila Declaration on 15 November 2022.
Secretary Locsin concluded his statement by saying that “The key is sincerity proved by complete transparency between the parties as to their intentions and actions. And this is achieved only by mediation; never by imposition; unless the unity and therefore the life of the Republic is at stake. Then history takes over again.”
United Nations Under-Secretary-General Rosemary DiCarlo of the Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs stressed that UN’s “mediation practices will inform and be informed by the New Agenda for Peace, which the Secretary-General has committed to developing as part of Our Common Agenda,” a global roadmap for ensuring a more inclusive and sustainable future.
Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto of Finland said that “in analyzing current conflict situations, Member States must take into account the opportunities that mediation may provide as a tool for conflict prevention and resolution,” while Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu of Turkey mentioned the use of artificial intelligence in mediation “to reach more people,” and announced that the 8th Istanbul Mediation Conference will be held in Antalya on 10 March 2022.
Established on 24 September 2010 and co-chaired by Finland and Turkey, the Group of Friends of Mediation aims to promote and advance the use of mediation in the peaceful settlement of disputes, conflict prevention and resolution, as well as to generate support for the development of mediation. With over 50 Members (including ASEAN and EU), the Group of Friends of Mediation gives a strong voice to mediation efforts worldwide.
The Philippines is one of the founding members of the Group. END
For more information, visit https://www.un.int/philippines/ and https://web.facebook.com/PHMissionNY