UP commits to help in peace talks, signs pact with Opapp

MALAYBALAY City–The University of the Philippines on Friday signed a memorandum of understanding with the Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace Process (Opapp) committing the state university’s institutional support to the peace process.

Opapp said UP will lend its academic personnel and resources to help end armed conflict in the country through political settlement.

UP president Dr. Alfredo Pascual and Presidential Peace Adviser Secretary Jesus Dureza signed the MOU at the closing ceremony of the 2016 National Peace Consciousness Month held at the Quezon Memorial Circle.

“This is another historic and unprecedented event in the history of peace process in the Philippines. Now, the best minds of the country’s premier university are on board to help end the decades-old armed conflict,” Dureza said.

In the MOU signed with Opapp, UP agreed to “explore ways and meas of understanding and cooperation” in the following areas:

• Creation of an institutional linkage or coordinating framework between the academic community through UP, and institutions and organizations actively involved in the peace process through Opapp;
• Collaboration on research projects concerned with the peace process;
• Formulation of workshops or conferences for the academe, Opapp, and other institutions and organizations which contribute to the peace effort;
• Organization of lectures and forums with the objective of information dissemination and providing education to the general public;
• Organization of recruitment activities, trainings, or internship programs for students, practitioners, and peace advocates;
• Establishment of an epistemic community focused on peace education; and
• Exchange of staff and technical experts through consultancies, secondment, special detail, or shorter engagements on official time. (mindanews)