More than 200 foreign delegates involved in peace-building activities around the world will visit the conflict-affected areas in Mindanao Monday to make an assessment on the real situation there and possibly be ambassadors of goodwill for the South when they go back to their respective countries.

Paul Murray, spokesperson of the Global Peace Convention, which is ongoing at the historic landmark Manila Hotel, said that they will hold a fact-finding tour in Lanao del Norte where international peace advocates would see for themselves the situation in that region.

“Whenever there is conflict, what we usually do is we look at the community level and we don't focus much on the conflict, may it be political or religious.

Our goal is really to engage the communities to talk to the government and find solutions,” Murray said.

“Instead of working from top to bottom, we would be more productive if we work from the bottom up. We can galvanize and bring the whole community together to bring change,” he added.

The Philippines was chosen as the host nation of the first four-day Global Peace Convention that started Thursday.

It has a tri-fold platform of three pillars essential to peace-building namely promoting interfaith cooperation, building a culture of service, and strengthening family.

Participants composed of foreign educators, youth leaders, members of non-government, and faith-based organizations, among others, have convened to look at best practices in these three areas.

“An important project of this convention, and one of the reasons why Manila was chosen as the venue, is the Mindanao Peace Initiative—an effort to facilitate interaction among Muslims, Christians, and indigenous people,” urban planner Felino Palafox, head of the convention's organizing committee, said.

Today (Monday), the foreign delegates will be deployed in some areas in Lanao del Norte where they will also visit various schools teaching an innovative peace curriculum and join a Global Peace Festival in Mindanao.

“Empowerment is not about us giving you power but it's about you recognizing the power within you. It's not about us coming in or jumping into the political ground and saying this is it. But through service, family, and interfaith, we can make a dialogue. We will talk to the people in Mindanao and see what they will say,” Murray said.

He explained that the unstable peace and order situation in Mindanao is not brought about by the government lacking the peace framework but its political strength in focusing its attention to address the problem.