The Framework Agreement on the Bangsamoro is a preliminary peace agreement signed in the Malacañan Palace in

Manila Manila ( , ; fil, Maynila, ), officially the City of Manila ( fil, Lungsod ng Maynila, ), is the capital of the Philippines, and its second-most populous city. It is highly urbanized and, as of 2019, was the world's most densely populated ...

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

on October 15, 2012. The agreement calls for the creation of an autonomous political entity named

Bangsamoro ar, منطقة بانجسامورو ذاتية الحكم فى مسلمى مينداناو , native_name = , settlement_type = Autonomous region , anthem = Bangsamoro Hymn , image_skyline ...

, replacing the

Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao The Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao ( tl, Rehiyong Awtonomo ng Muslim Mindanao; ar, الحكم الذاتي الاقليمي لمسلمي مندناو ''Al-ḥukm adh-dhātī al-'iqlīmī li-muslimī Mindanāu''; abbreviated as ARMM) was ...

(ARMM) which was described by Former President

Benigno Aquino III Benigno Simeon Cojuangco Aquino III (; February 8, 1960 – June 24, 2021), also known as Noynoy Aquino and colloquially as PNoy, was a Filipino politician who served as the 15th president of the Philippines from 2010 to 2016. The son of ...

as "a failed experiment".

Origins

The

Moro Islamic Liberation Front The Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF; ar, ''Jabhat Taḥrīr Moro al-ʾIslāmiyyah'') is a group based in Mindanao seeking an autonomous region of the Moro people from the central government. The group has a presence in the Bangsamoro r ...

and the

held peace talks in

Kuala Lumpur , anthem = ''Maju dan Sejahtera'' , image_map = , map_caption = , pushpin_map = Malaysia#Southeast Asia#Asia , pushpin_map_caption = , coordinates = , sub ...

in Malaysia from October 2–6. On October 7, President Aquino announced that the two parties have agreed to sign a preliminary peace agreement which calls for the creation of an

autonomous In developmental psychology and moral, political, and bioethical philosophy, autonomy, from , ''autonomos'', from αὐτο- ''auto-'' "self" and νόμος ''nomos'', "law", hence when combined understood to mean "one who gives oneself one's ow ...

political entity named

, superseding the

(ARMM). He criticized the ARMM as a "failed experiment" that did not address issues such as electoral fraud, political patronage, poverty, war and

warlord A warlord is a person who exercises military, economic, and political control over a region in a country without a strong national government; largely because of coercive control over the armed forces. Warlords have existed throughout much of h ...

ism. Aquino stated that structural reform is necessary, with the creation of Bangsamoro solving these issues while upholding national sovereignty. The agreement was reached after 32 peace talks between the two parties that spanned a period of nine years.

Signing

The Philippine government's chief negotiator

Marvic Leonen Marvic Mario Victor Famorca Leonen (born December 29, 1962) is the Senior associate justice of the Supreme Court of the Philippines since May 14, 2022 upon the retirement of Senior Associate Justice Estela Perlas-Bernabe. He became an associate ...

and his Moro Islamic Liberation Front counterpart Mohagher Iqbal signed the agreement on October 15, 2012, in the Rizal Ceremonial Hall of Malacañan Palace in

. The agreement was sealed at about 15:00 PST.

Malaysia Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federal constitutional monarchy consists of thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two regions: Peninsular Malaysia and Borneo's East Mal ...

n facilitator Ab Ghafar Mohamed, President Aquino,

n Prime Minister

Najib Razak Dato' Sri Haji Mohammad Najib bin Tun Haji Abdul Razak ( ms, محمد نجيب بن عبد الرزاق, label= Jawi, script=arab, italic=unset, ; born 23 July 1953) is a Malaysian politician who served as the 6th prime minister of Malay ...

, MILF chairman Al Haj Murad Ebrahim and Secretary-General

Ekmeleddin İhsanoğlu Ekmeleddin Mehmet İhsanoğlu (; born 26 December 1943) is a Turkish academic, diplomat and politician who was Secretary-General of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) from 2004 to 2014. He is also an author and editor of academic jour ...

of the

Organisation of Islamic Cooperation An organization or organisation (Commonwealth English; see spelling differences), is an entity—such as a company, an institution, or an association—comprising one or more people and having a particular purpose. The word is derived from ...

were all present at the signing of the agreement.

International Contact Group

The International Contact Group for the Southern Philippines Peace Process worked to help the parties move towards the landmark agreements, the Framework Agreement and two years later

Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro The Comprehensive Agreement on Bangsamoro (CAB) is a final peace agreement signed between the Government of the Philippines and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front on March 27, 2014 at the Malacañang Palace in Manila. Under the agreement, the Is ...

, putting an end to decades of conflict. The International Contact Group (ICG) was established in December 2009 to advise and assist the two parties and the Malaysian facilitator in talks. It was a mix of diplomats and

NGOs A non-governmental organization (NGO) or non-governmental organisation (see spelling differences) is an organization that generally is formed independent from government. They are typically nonprofit entities, and many of them are active in ...

. Four countries were members:

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the n ...

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and ...

Turkey Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with a small portion on the Balkan Peninsula ...

and

Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in Western Asia. It covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and has a land area of about , making it the fifth-largest country in Asia, the second-largest in the Ara ...

, and four international NGOs: the

Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue The Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue (HD), otherwise known as the Henry Dunant Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue, works to prevent and resolve armed conflicts around the world through mediation and discreet diplomacy. A non-profit organisation bas ...

Muhammadiyah Muhammadiyah ( ar, محمدية; 'followers of Muhammad'); also known as the Muhammadiyah Society ( id, Persyarikatan Muhammadiyah) is a major Islamic non-governmental organization in Indonesia.A. Jalil HamidTackle the rising cost of living longer ...

the Asia Foundation The Asia Foundation is a nonprofit international development organization committed to "improving lives across a dynamic and developing Asia". The Asia Foundation (TAF) was established in 1954 to undertake cultural and educational activities on be ...

and

Conciliation Resources Conciliation Resources is an independent organization working with people in conflict to prevent violence and build peace, providing advice, support, and practical resources. It also takes the lessons learned to government decision-makers and oth ...

International reactions

* –

Australian Foreign Minister The Minister for Foreign Affairs (commonly shortened to Foreign Minister) is the minister in the Government of Australia who is responsible for overseeing the international diplomacy section of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. Senato ...

Bob Carr Robert John Carr (born 28 September 1947) is an Australian retired politician and journalist who served as the 39th Premier of New South Wales from 1995 to 2005, as the leader of the NSW Branch of the Australian Labor Party (ALP). He later en ...

welcomed the development and said the Philippine government's announcement of the agreement "offered hope that the 28-year conflict in Mindanao could be drawing to a close." He particularly acknowledged the leadership of President Benigno Aquino III whom he described as a "strong advocate for peace." * –

EU High Representative The High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy (HR/VP) is the chief co-ordinator and representative of the Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP) within the European Union (EU). The position is currently held b ...

Catherine Ashton Catherine Margaret Ashton, Baroness Ashton of Upholland, (born 20 March 1956), is a Labour Party (UK), British Labour politician who served as the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice-President of ...

, in a statement, congratulated the Philippine government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front on the successful conclusion of the framework peace agreement. Ashton said the EU also recognized the contributions of the Malaysian facilitator in the peace talks, Tengku Datuk Ab Ghafar Tengku Mohamed, as well as members of the International Contact Group. The EU foreign affairs chief also said "the EU, as a member of the International Monitoring Team and major development partner in poverty alleviation in Mindanao since 1990, will continue to lend its full support." * – The

Ministry of Foreign Affairs In many countries, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is the government department responsible for the state's diplomacy, bilateral, and multilateral relations affairs as well as for providing support for a country's citizens who are abroad. The enti ...

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Gui ...

said that Indonesia "warmly welcomes" the development and described this agreement as well as the previous peace agreement between the Government of the Philippines and the

Moro National Liberation Front The Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF; ar, الجبهة الوطنية لتحرير مورو) is a political organization in the Philippines that was founded in 1972. It started as a splinter group of the Muslim Independence Movement. The ...

in 1996 as a reflection of the "strong commitment of the Philippine government to create comprehensive peace in the Southern Philippines." It also added that Indonesia "stands ready to provide support and assistance including in exchange of experiences." Indonesia earlier sealed a similar peace agreement with its decades-long secessionist group GAM in

Aceh Aceh ( ), officially the Aceh Province ( ace, Nanggroë Acèh; id, Provinsi Aceh) is the westernmost province of Indonesia. It is located on the northernmost of Sumatra island, with Banda Aceh being its capital and largest city. Granted a ...

region in 2005. * – The

Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan The is an executive department of the Government of Japan, and is responsible for the country's foreign policy and international relations. The ministry was established by the second term of the third article of the National Government Organi ...

said that Japan "heartily welcomes" the Framework Agreement, which it described as the first step towards the realization of the peace process in Mindanao. Japan also pays respect to the Philippines and the MILF, as well as to Malaysia for its role as facilitator. The ministry also added that Japan hopes for the steady implementation of the agreement and expects more difficulties must be overcome to reach a final agreement. Finally, it said that Japan continues to offer full support to the Mindanao Peace Process. *

– The OIC welcomed the preliminary peace agreement signed between the Philippine government and the

(MILF). The OIC also calls for the full implementation of the 1976 Tripoli Agreement and the

1996 Final Peace Agreement The 1996 Final Peace Agreement, also called the Jakarta Accord was signed on September 2, 1996 in Manila, Philippines by Manuel Yan, representing the Government of the Philippines and Nur Misuari of the Moro National Liberation Front. The culmi ...

, which the Philippines signed with the

(MNLF). * – The agreement has been studied by Thailand as a possible framework to help solve its own southern Muslim insurgency. * – The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Turkey "congratulates the Parties on the constructive attitude they have demonstrated during the dialogue process which has paved the way for this important agreement." It also stated that "Turkey believes in the importance of mediation for the prevention and settlement of conflicts and stands ready to provide support also to the subsequent phases of the Mindanao Peace Process." Turkey is a member of the International Contact Group involved in the peace talks. * –

UK Foreign Secretary The secretary of state for foreign, Commonwealth and development affairs, known as the foreign secretary, is a Secretary of State (United Kingdom), minister of the Crown of the Government of the United Kingdom and head of the Foreign, Commonwe ...

William Hague William is a male given name of Germanic origin.Hanks, Hardcastle and Hodges, ''Oxford Dictionary of First Names'', Oxford University Press, 2nd edition, , p. 276. It became very popular in the English language after the Norman conquest of Engl ...

said the United Kingdom "wholeheartedly welcomes" the framework agreement which he calls a "testament to the commitment and vision of the parties." It also stated that "full implementation of the agreement by 2016 can bring about peace, security, and development which will be good not only for Mindanao, but for the whole of the Philippines." The secretary also reiterated his government's commitment as a member of the International Contact Group for the peace process and said the UK "stands ready to provide further assistance if such a role would be valuable to the parties." * – US Secretary of State,

Hillary Clinton Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton ( Rodham; born October 26, 1947) is an American politician, diplomat, and former lawyer who served as the 67th United States Secretary of State for President Barack Obama from 2009 to 2013, as a United States sen ...

affirmed that "the United States welcomes the announcement of the framework agreement between the Government of the Philippines and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front" and said that the agreement "is a testament to the commitment of all sides for a peaceful resolution to the conflict in the southern Philippines". The secretary also added that the next step is for the full implementation of the agreement and "encourage all parties to work together to build peace, prosperity and greater opportunities for all the people of the Philippines".

External links

Framework Agreement on the BangsamoroText of all peace accords for the Philippines

References