The Diplomat
The Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID) has been awarded by a prominent Philippine non-governmental organization for its promotion of the peace process in the Philippines and its work in the defense of human rights and justice.
The Peace Companionship Award was awarded last week to the AECID by Sulong Peace Inc., a non-profit organization, and preferred partner of Spanish cooperation in the Philippines since 2017, which works to promote human rights, international law humanitarian, governance and gender and development in the framework of promoting peace in the Philippines.
The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (NORAD) were also awarded. The organization has a network made up of 147 partners throughout the country, of which 30% are indigenous communities or organizations.
The AECID has been working in the Philippines for 30 years. During the first years, cooperation was focused on cultural cooperation and heritage preservation, but since the overcoming of the various armed conflicts that took place in this country in the last fifty years, support for peace in the Philippines became one of the Agency’s priorities, with special emphasis on institutional strengthening, local development, strengthening democratic governance, peace building and the defense of human rights, especially of the most vulnerable population.
Currently, Sulong Peace Inc. carries out a cooperative intervention funded by AECID under the Ellas+ program called Enhancing the Leadership Roles and Political Participation of Indigenous Women (IW) in Indigenous and Government Structures in Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao.
This initiative aims to increase the number of trained indigenous women who participate in decision-making spaces at three levels: indigenous political structures, in local and national government, including support for legislative and administrative processes. The municipalities where the project is being developed are Gloria (Oriental Mindoro); Cauayan and Himamaylan (Negros Occidental), Bunawan (Agusan Sur), Kitaotao (Bukidnon), Arakan and Kidapawan (North Cotabato).
