DAVAO CTIY – At least 55 international peace workers will asses the real situation of several conflict-affected areas in Mindanao starting next week, and possibly be ambassadors of goodwill for Mindanao when they go back to their respective countries.

Carmen Lawzon-Gatmaytan, project coordinator of Global Partnership for the Prevention of Armed Conflict–Southeast Asia, said the delegates will visit the municipalities of Datu Piang and Pikit, and several areas in the provinces of Maguindanao and Compostela Valley to see for themselves
the situation in those areas.

She said 15 delegates would come from Southeast Asia while the rest would come from Europe, Africa and the United States.

“We hope that when they go back to their point of origin, they would convey to their respective communities that Mindanao is not all about war as well,” Gatmaytan said.

Gatmaytan also expects that the international advocates would also convey to the foreign media their first hand experience in Mindanao and that the island is more than the war stories they are reporting in the international community.

The first batch of delegates will arrive on September 30 and will be deployed to the different areas on October 2.

They would convene on October 3 at the Waterfront Hotel here to exchange insights and leave for Manila on October 5.

Last year, the group conducted its annual assembly in Latin America and in the Caribbean region.

The Global Partnership for the Prevention of Armed conflict-Southeast Asia was established in 2003, in response to the call made by the United Nations for an international conference of civil society organizations working in the field of conflict prevention.

“Everybody is looking forward to be there and speak directly since a lot of benefit will be gained in learning what people are experiencing in those areas,” Heloise Heyer, network building manager of the European Center for Conflict Prevention, said.