Exploring the Role of Civil Society Organizations in Peace Governance in the ASEAN: The Case of a German Political Foundation in the Philippines

Abstract

The study intends to narrow in the ASEAN-Germany relationship by focusing on the work of a German political foundation that supports one of the ASEAN member states in maintaining peace in the region. The research will present a case study concentrated on peace governance in the Philippines through the work of the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung (KAS) and its partner civil society organizations. The KAS has been in the Philippines since 1964, and its work has focused on social market economy, institutional and political reform, and peace and development in Mindanao. To enable them to implement their work, the KAS cooperates with governmental and academic institutions, civil society organizations, and various stakeholders in the country. The KAS is an external actor towards which the ASEAN could possibly derive potential post-conflict reconstruction and peacebuilding approaches. It could share its best practices with other member states that experience the same conflict in their respective territories. Therefore, the peace in the Philippines does not only benefit the country itself, but also towards the whole peace and welfare of the ASEAN Community. Therefore, it is vital to research into different forms of cooperation with external entities to be able to learn and apply diverse approaches to peace governance in the individual concerned ASEAN member states.

The core focus of the research was to discover how KAS Philippines has contributed to peacebuilding in Mindanao and Philippine peacebuilding efforts in the ASEAN. In the area of peace and development in the Philippines, KAS worked directly with its long-term institutional partner, the Institute for Autonomy and Governance (IAG).

IAG plays an essential role as KAS’ local partner because it enabled the latter to work with various civil society organizations in Mindanao. The study looked at the partnership of KAS with IAG to enable the assessment of KAS’ work with CSOs in its mutual effort towards peace and development in Mindanao. The capacity building activities implemented consists of civic and political education, dialogue forums, training of civil society leaders and study tours. Their joint cooperation illustrates that their work has not only resulted in peace governance in Mindanao, but has also served as the Philippines’ contribution to peace in the ASEAN.

The study used a qualitative research design. It was a case study on peace governance in the Philippines, and how the role of a political foundation in ASEAN member countries, such as the Philippines, aids in achieving peace in their respective territories. The chosen foundation is the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung (KAS) Philippines Office. Three projects/programs were highlighted in the study towards which KAS have different partnerships with. A face-to-face interview with the current KAS Philippines country director was conducted, while the questionnaire method for the previous KAS country director was followed. Initially, face-to face interviews or the questionnaire method depending on the availability of the heads of the respective organizations were scheduled. However, due to the outbreak of the COVID-19 and the implementation of the nationwide lockdown, the researcher was not able to proceed as planned and only three out of the ten civil society organizations responded to the questionnaires sent. Nonetheless, the gathered data is deemed sufficient to address the goals and objectives of the study.