Following the historic signing of the peace agreement between the Philippine government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front in 2016 and the subsequent successful referendum establishing the Bangsamoro regional government, new institutional power sharing arrangements and demobilization, disarmament and reintegration (DDR) schemes were created for the region long beset by conflict. National fiscal infusions and a wide array of development initiatives were also carried out in the region, enabled by the transitional regional government which began the daunting task of enacting key legislations and organizing an administrative backbone. While fragile, the relatively peaceful conduct of the 2022 elections and the general decline in violent incidents in the region portend to a promising future.
This panel looks into how the peace achieved through a formal negotiated agreement has affected key sectors, i.e., women, youth, ex-rebels, and academic institutions. It also examines how their roles, identities, and agency are shaping prospects of peace in the region. The panel features papers which are local case studies of these dynamics, and how after the sounds of war have quieted down, ordinary people and institutions who bore witness to decades of conflict rebuild their lives and find new purpose. The papers offer insights on local turns in peace building, and how civil society engagements with local governments can strengthen prospects for lasting peace.