Moro women's participation and legitimation in the Bangsamoro peace process

Abstract

Moro women's participation in the Bangsamoro peace process between the Philippine government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) illuminates some feats and challenges to the UN Women, Peace and Security Agenda (2000) of improving women's lives post-conflict. From interviews, secondary literature, and document analysis, I found that Moro women's participation secured legal benefits for women in the peace agreements and legitimised the Bangsamoro peace negotiation to observers. Yet consistent with the MILF's push for self-determination, the negotiating panels reserved particulars of women's rights as a post-peace agreement agenda, for discussion within the Bangsamoro. I argue that Moro women's participation in the peace talks opened the space to realise, but does not guarantee, feminist goals of better living conditions for marginalised women and sustainable peace in the negotiation's implementation.