Review of long-term conflict mediation and multi-stakeholder security coordination in Sulu, Philippines
HD has supported peace and stability efforts in the province of Sulu since our beginnings in the Philippines in the mid-2000s, notably through our partnership with local mediation group Tumikang Sama-Sama (TSS).
TSS – whose name in Sinug means “together we move forward” – began as a group of civil society leaders, eminent people and HD consultants supporting peace dialogues with the Moro National Liberation Front and other groups engaged in conflict in Sulu.
HD and TSS are not the only peace-focused organisations operating on the island but few have focused on Sulu with the same depth, breadth and consistency.
This document is a review of our Sulu mediation and peacemaking efforts from 2010 to 2022.
In an environment where insurgents have been negotiating for almost as long as they have been fighting against security forces, the evidence from Sulu points to the value of an expanded framework for building peace beyond signed agreements.
This covers dialogue, mediation and settlement, multi-stakeholder security coordination, and post-settlement socio-economic and justice-related interventions – a suite of processes that local stakeholders found highly relevant in a transitional landscape such as the Bangsamoro.
