Joint Communique between United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) and Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF)

• Country/entity

  Philippines
  Mindanao
  
• Region

  Asia and Pacific
  Asia and Pacific
  
• Agreement name

  Joint Communique between United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) and Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF)
• Date

  12 Mar 2007
• Agreement status

  Multiparty signed/agreed
• Interim arrangement

  Yes
• Agreement/conflict level

  Intrastate/intrastate conflict ( Philippine Insurgencies (1968 - ) )
• Stage

  Implementation/renegotiation
• Conflict nature

  Government/territory
• Peace process

  Philippines - Mindanao process
• Parties

  For UNICEF
  
  Dr. Nicholas K. Alipui
  
  Representative, UNICEF Philippines
  
  
  
  For MILF
  
  Chairman Al Haj Murad Ebrahim
  
  Chairman, MILF
• Third parties

  IMT
• Description

  In the Joint Communique, UNICEF and MILF agree on the importance of rights of women and children and agree to deliver basic services (immunisation, birth registration, micronutrient supplementation, etc.) in an event called Days of Peace, with MILF tasked with providing security.

• Agreement document

  PH_070212_Joint Communique between UNICEF and MILF.pdf | Download PDF

• Main category

  Page1 :
  
  1. Both parties agree that the rights of children and women should be upheld at all times and that essential services must be provided without interruption;
  2. Both parties recognize the need to undertake deliberate extra-ordinary efforts to reach children and women living in conflict-affected and hard-to-reach communities;
  3. Both parties acknowledge that political negotiations at the highest levels should be complemented by peace-building efforts at the grassroots to ensure support and participation of communities in the peace process;
  4. To help improve the situation of children and women and contribute to the enhancement of the social condition for peace, UNICEF will launch a “Days of Peace” campaign designed to deliver basic social services in conflict-affected areas in Mindanao;
  5. UNICEF will use its own resources as well as mobilise support from international organizations, the Philippine government and civil society organisations to deliver these services;
  6. The initial round of Days of Peace will commence on April 16 and will consist of immunization, micronutrient supplementation, de-worming and breastfeeding counselling in selected barangays; follow-up rounds will occur in June/July and October in 2007 and beyond with additional basic services that will be added on, i.e. birth registration, malaria control, control of communicable diseases such as tuberculosis, etc.; the establishment of community-based health programmes in selected areas will also be initiated during this period;
  7. UNICEF will work with the Bangsamoro Development Agency (BDA) for the identification of target barangays giving priority to those that have been affected by armed conflict and internal displacements, most inaccessible and with substantial number of children and women;

Women, girls and gender

Joint Communique between the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF)

Dr. Nicholas K. Alipui, Representative of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) Philippine Country Office, met with Chairman Al Haj Murad Ebrahim and the Central Committee of the More Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) at Camp Darapanan, Parang, Shariff Kabungsuan on 12 February 2007 and agreed on the following:

Both parties agree that the rights of children and women should be upheld at all times and that essential services must be provided without interruption;

Both parties recognize the need to undertake deliberate extra-ordinary efforts to reach children and women living in conflict-affected and hard-to-reach communities;

Both parties acknowledge that political negotiations at the highest levels should be complemented by peace-building efforts at the grassroots to ensure support and participation of communities in the peace process;

To help improve the situation of children and women and contribute to the enhancement of the social condition for peace, UNICEF will launch a “Days of Peace” campaign designed to deliver basic social services in conflict-affected areas in Mindanao;

UNICEF will use its own resources as well as mobilise support from international organizations, the Philippine government and civil society organisations to deliver these services;

The initial round of Days of Peace will commence on April 16 and will consist of immunization, micronutrient supplementation, de-worming and breastfeeding counselling in selected barangays;

follow-up rounds will occur in June/July and October in 2007 and beyond with additional basic services that will be added on, i.e. birth registration, malaria control, control of communicable diseases such as tuberculosis, etc.;

the establishment of community-based health programmes in selected areas will also be initiated during this period;

UNICEF will work with the Bangsamoro Development Agency (BDA) for the identification of target barangays giving priority to those that have been affected by armed conflict and internal displacements, most inaccessible and with substantial number of children and women;

The BDA who will act as the co-convenor of the Management Team of the campaign together with the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (OPAPP) will help organise and prepare the target communities through their Regional Project Management Offices (RPMOs);

The Days of Peace campaign requires a commitment to full cessation of hostilities from all parties to facilitate maximum delivery of services for children;

the MILF will be in charge of providing access and guaranteeing security for the service delivery teams;

This agreement shall be implemented in cooperation and coordination with other stakeholders including, but not limited to, the International Monitoring Team (IMT), Joint Coordinating Committees for the Cessation of Hostilities (JCCCH), Local Government Units (LGUs) and Department of Health (DOH).

UNICEF and the MILF express sincere commitment to the implementation of this agreement in the hope that it will foster the realization of a just and lasting peace in Mindanao.

Done in on March 2007.

For UNICEF

Dr. Nicholas K. Alipui

Representative, UNICEF Philippines

For MILF

Chairman Al Haj Murad Ebrahim

Chairman, MILF

Witnessed by:

IMT