Manila – Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process Teresita Quintos Deles on Monday called for the strengthening of the ASEAN Institute for Peace and Reconciliation (AIPR) to become “a strategic force not only for peace, but for human freedom, common prosperity, and collective security in the region.”
Deles addressed international delegates in her keynote speech at the Symposium on Peace Processes and Initiatives, organized by the AIPR at the Peninsula Manila in Makati City.
“The AIPR needs to explore ways for the ASEAN and its member states to strengthen their capacity in early warning, good offices, mediation, and conciliation. We must not only wage peace by stopping hostilities, but by making sure that the gains of peace processes benefit those who need it most,” the peace adviser said.
The AIPR serves as the ASEAN institution for researching activities on peace, conflict management, and conflict resolution. It was established based on the ASEAN Leaders’ Joint Statement on the Establishment of the AIPR on May 8, 2011.
Deles, who is also a member of the AIPR advisory board, stressed the need to gather and consolidate “all the narratives of peace in the region over the decades, extracting the lessons learned and best practices, and finally, forging a consensus of how to move forward on future challenges.”
“The documentation of conflict resolution and preventive diplomacy in ASEAN could be a vital resource not only for the region but for the whole world,” she stated.
“Lessons learned across our organization could guide governments and civil society in several parts of the world where strife has reared its head, where workers for peace are on constant search for ways to silence guns and tempers that flare in the heat of anger and misunderstanding.”
