On September 2-3, 2017 the Cotabato City National High School, the Kutawato Multimedia Network (KuMuNet), Nonviolent Peaceforce (NP) and forumZFD hosted a peace forum on the Bangsamoro Peace Process and Cultural Solidarity on the occasion of the celebration of International Peace Month. The conference was attended by almost 200 students from Cotabato City National High School - Main Campus and Notre Dame Village National High School.
The peace forum brought together speakers both from the administration and grassroots level. With the aim of promoting tolerance, solidarity, respect, and sustainable community, the peace forum showcased the cultural diversity of the Bangsamoro. The participating students and teachers were able to deepen their understanding of the Bangsamoro peace process and reflect on their role as youth in peacebuilding. The peace forum highlighted the diversity of its participants from different identities and cultures and thereby promoted respect and understanding between these groups.
The peace forum was part of the forumZFD project ‘Providing Platforms for Dialogue and Exchange Between the Weakly Represented Groups and Key Peace Process Actors’, which provides spaces for marginalized groups to contribute to public discourses on social issues and to participate in the peace processes.