Celebrating 20 Years of Peacebuilding

Celebrating 20 Years of Peacebuilding

It is now 2020, and the world is still struggling to achieve peace. But, a small yet committed and dedicated group of peacebuilders envisions having just and peaceful communities in Asia-Pacific and beyond. For two decades, the Mindanao Peacebuilding Institute (MPI) from Davao City, Mindanao—their island home in the Philippines—has been gathering together peacebuilders from all corners of the globe. MPI does this so that these peacebuilders can become empowered as catalysts, bringing about positive change and social transformation in their communities. Today, MPI stands fast in creating safe spaces for mutual learning and exchange, opening more and more hearts and minds to the possibility of peace in our lifetime throughout the world.

Watch the videos from our 25th Anniversary Celebration here.

Inaugural Edition
Southeast Asia and the Pacific
South Asia
Africa and the Greater Middle East
20th Anniversary Messages

20th Anniversary MessagesBud Caroll
My best wishes, thoughts and prayers for the wider MPI Family, as you move towards the next 20 years. You all do so much - with such limited resources. But, you are so gifted with a spirit of dedicati...

20th Anniversary MessagesDr. Nezamuddin Katawazi
I congratulate you on the 20th Anniversary celebration of MPI. I have been following the messages and reports of MPI throughout the years and how it has contributed a good deal towards dealing with is...

20th Anniversary MessagesAlfredo Grandeza
Happy 20th Anniversary and kudos to the whole management team for the great achievements!!! Wish you everlasting and never ending advocacy in peacebuilding!!! My sincerest congratulations to you!!! Go...

Mindanao Peacebuilding Institute

A Resource for Peacebuilders in Asia

The Mindanao Peacebuilding Institute (MPI) is an Asian training institute grounded in the Mindanao, Philippines, context that provides a space for people of diverse backgrounds to gather together, share and learn in a safe environment where all viewpoints are encouraged and respected. MPI is a resource for peacebuilders: providing skills, conducting research and building solidarity within the Asia-Pacific Region.
MPI creates a space where peacebuilders meet in mind, heart and spirit to keep abreast of the challenges which the issues of peace and justice present. In a professional and personal way, MPI, through its programs, offers opportunities by which the journey of peace becomes real in the lives of peacebuilders and their communities.
MPI's 2019 Annual Peacebuilding Training Report cover, children running between trees

Learn more about MPI's Annual Peacebuilding Training. Check out our 2019 Annual Peacebuilding Training Report.

MPI Scholar
Please support MPI! Your support helps MPI to give scholarships to those who would otherwise not be able to attend our Annual Peacebuilding Training.
MPI Participants and Community seated in a circle

Vision

Just and peaceful communities in Asia-Pacific.
Shadow people in front of butterfly image

Mission

MPI seeks to deepen commitment to justice and peace; respect for human rights; and dialogue and solidarity among individuals, institutions, and communities.
Holding signs Making Peace Possible

Goal

Individuals, institutions, and communities empowered as catalysts for peace and social transformation.
Facilitator with participants
Education, Training and Building Capacities of Individuals and their Institutions in the Field of Peacebuilding
Working on a map
Refining Learning, Enhancing Knowledge, and Sharing Materials related to Peacebuilding
MPI Participants holding web of yarn
Creating Space and Connecting People from Diverse Sectors to Build a Critical Mass of Peacebuilders to promote Justpeace

Summary of HighlightsSeptember 2020 Introduction Since 2005, MPI has trained Africa-based peacebuilders from across the continent. As MPI alumni, these peacebuilders have been sharing their individual personal stories after their training in bits and pieces. For some time now, MPI has been strategizing on how to energize its Africa footprint by invigorating an ongoing interaction for mutual shar...

Preamble The quest for peace in Africa has become more complex now than ever before. Some world-renowned initiatives have been tracking through research, the advent, and trends of trade in small arms, improvised explosive devices, and light weapons. The war in Libya; the insurgence of non-state actors in Mali; the uprising in some regions of Ethiopia and the perpetual internal conflict in South Sudan; the radicalized extremist violence occurring in Nigeria, Cameroon, Somalia, and Kenya all depict that it has become easier to conduct actions th...

Our friends at the Apu Palamguwan Cultural Education Center shared their recent newsletter that included this article on Christmas in APC. They shared, "Christmas in APC is a celebration of peace and an expression of gratitude, according to APC Deputy School Manager Mercy Pakiwag." Being part of APC is an opportunity to discover ourselves, and because we have the ability to teach, even though some of us we didn’t finish a degree, we can render service to the children in our community. We are all thankful for being able to identify and sustain our culture, discovering the core values of b...
The experience of being at MPI with other peacemakers from all over the world was very inspiring and very powerful.
Ashwena Apao
Ashwena Apao
Missionary Sisters of St. Columban, Philippines
It was a great opportunity for me to participate in MPI’s 2019 Annual Peacebuilding Training, which really reflected its title of Positive Engagements in Peacebuilding.
Mustafa Ghashim
Mustafa Ghashim
Project Coordinator/Facilitator, DARB, Syria/Turkey
MPI gave us the space and confidence to speak up and freely share our opinion and perception. It made me realize that peacebuilding is a question of attitude and communication we all share irrespective of our background and culture.
Beate Hahn
Beate Hahn
Program Manager Personnel Services South East Asia & Pacific, Bread for the World – Protestant Agency for Diakonia and Development, Germany
The experiential and practical learning methods introduced by the MPI facilitators were overwhelmingly outstanding.
Hegstad Koga
Hegstad Koga
Chief Monitoring and Evaluation, Officer Ministry of Traditional Governance, Peace and Ecclesiastical Affairs, Solomon Islands
Based on the inputs I received, I was able to conduct workshops for students. My senior colleagues and I are also working to establish a Centre for Peace in our Institution.
Krishnamohan Vijayalakshmi
Krishnamohan Vijayalakshmi
Assistant Professor, Department of Social Work, Stella Maris College, India
The training did not only raise the concepts for discussions, but also drew from the practical experiences of practitioners from around the region so we could learn and apply them in our context.
Chandara Phann
Chandara Phann
Project Officer, Forum Ziviler Friedensdienst e.V.|Forum Civil Peace Service, Cambodia
This experience kept expanding my horizon on how to engage with people based on the dynamics of religion and culture.
Anielle Santoso
Anielle Santoso
Indonesia
MPI has the best trainers who bring their life experiences in peacebuilding and relate their experiences to each session they facilitate.
Juliana Yonzon
Juliana Yonzon
Program Coordinator, Mennonite Central Committee, Nepal

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