25/09/2026
๐๐๐๐จ๐๐ง๐ฌ ๐๐ก๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ก๐ง | ๐๐ฎ๐๐ฎ๐ป, ๐๐ฒ๐น๐บ๐ฒ๐ป๐ฑ๐ผ ๐๐ผ๐ถ๐ป ๐๐ฆ๐๐๐ก ๐ฃ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ฒ ๐๐ฑ๐๐ฐ๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป ๐๐ถ๐ด๐ต-๐๐ฒ๐๐ฒ๐น ๐๐ผ๐ป๐ณ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ป๐ฐ๐ฒ
Two faculty members from the University of the Cordilleras (UC) participated in the ASEAN Peace Education High-Level Conference, held at the Crowne Plaza Manila Galleria in Quezon City from September 21 to 24, 2026.
Dr. Ferdinand D. Lawan and Asst. Prof. Jefferson M. Delmendo joined educators, policymakers, youth representatives, civil society organizations, development partners, and other stakeholders from across the region in discussions on the role of peace education in advancing sustainable peace, resilience, and regional cooperation in Southeast Asia.
Convened under the Philippinesโ ASEAN Chairship theme, โNavigating Our Future, Together,โ the conference carried the theme โPeace Education for Shared Futures and Enduring Cooperation.โ It served as a regional platform for exchanging good practices and strengthening collaborative approaches to integrating peace education across formal, non-formal, and community-based learning systems.
The conference featured a series of plenary talks and round-table discussions addressing key dimensions of peace education and regional cooperation. These included โNavigating Our Future, Together: Peace Education and ASEAN Community Vision 2045,โ โPeace Education Across Various ASEAN Member States: Advancing Shared Priorities for Regional Cooperation,โ and โBuilding Peace from the Ground Up: Integrating Peace Education into Foundational Learning.โ
Other sessions focused on intercultural and interfaith dialogue, traditional and Indigenous conflict-resolution practices, violent extremism, cybersecurity threats, social polarization, and youth participation in peace education. The discussions highlighted the importance of peace education not only within educational institutions but also within communities and broader regional initiatives.
๐ฟ๐ง. ๐๐๐ฌ๐๐ฃ ๐๐ฃ๐๐๐๐๐จ ๐๐ฃ ๐๐๐ซ๐๐ ๐๐๐ช๐๐๐ฉ๐๐ค๐ฃ ๐๐ฃ๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ฉ๐๐ก ๐ฅ๐๐๐๐๐๐ช๐๐ก๐๐๐ฃ๐
Dr. Lawan participated in side events that explored the intersection of peace education, civic participation, and emerging challenges in the digital environment.
Among these was the โBangsamoro Junior Parliamentarian Program: Institutionalizing Voter and Civic Education in a Political Transition,โ which examined approaches to strengthening civic and voter education in the context of political transition.
He also joined โStrengthening Digital Safety, Resilience and Peacebuilding: Advancing Peace Education in Online Spaces,โ which addressed the growing importance of digital safety, resilience, and peacebuilding in contemporary learning and communication environments.
๐ผ๐จ๐จ๐ฉ. ๐๐ง๐ค๐. ๐ฟ๐๐ก๐ข๐๐ฃ๐๐ค ๐๐ญ๐ฅ๐ก๐ค๐ง๐๐จ ๐๐ค๐ข๐ข๐ช๐ฃ๐๐๐๐ฉ๐๐ค๐ฃ ๐๐ฃ๐ ๐ก๐ค๐๐๐ก ๐๐ฃ๐ฃ๐ค๐ซ๐๐ฉ๐๐ค๐ฃ๐จ ๐๐ฃ ๐ฅ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ช๐๐๐ฉ๐๐ค๐ฃ
Asst. Prof. Delmendo, meanwhile, participated in side events focusing on strategic communication and locally developed approaches to peace education.
He joined โA Workshop on Communicating Peace in ASEAN Community Vision 2045: Settings, Strategies, Success Indicators, and Strongholds,โ which provided a venue for examining how peace education and the ASEAN Community Vision 2045 can be communicated across different contexts and audiences.
He also participated in โFrom Local Innovation to Regional Impact: Lessons from Project SENANG for Peace Education in ASEAN,โ highlighting the potential of community-level innovations to contribute to broader regional peace education initiatives.
๐ผ๐๐ซ๐๐ฃ๐๐๐ฃ๐ ๐ฅ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ช๐๐๐ฉ๐๐ค๐ฃ ๐ฉ๐๐ง๐ค๐ช๐๐ ๐ง๐๐๐๐ค๐ฃ๐๐ก ๐๐ค๐ค๐ฅ๐๐ง๐๐ฉ๐๐ค๐ฃ
The conference sought to advance peace education as a foundational component of a resilient, innovative, dynamic, and people-centered ASEAN Community. Among its objectives were the exchange of knowledge and good practices among ASEAN Member States and partner countries, the mainstreaming of peace education across curricula and teacher development, and the mobilization of partnerships for research, curriculum development, innovation, and capacity-building.
The participation of Dr. Lawan and Asst. Prof. Delmendo reflects UCโs continuing engagement in regional academic and policy conversations on peace, governance, education, and community development. Their participation also provides opportunities to bring regional perspectives and emerging practices in peace education into academic discussions and institutional initiatives at the University of the Cordilleras.
๐๐ป ๐จ๐, ๐ฃ๐ผ๐น๐ถ๐๐ถ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐น ๐ฆ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ฒ๐ป๐ฐ๐ฒ ๐ถ๐ ๐บ๐ผ๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐๐ต๐ฎ๐ป ๐ท๐๐๐ ๐ฎ ๐ฝ๐ฟ๐ฒ-๐น๐ฎ๐. ๐ ๐ฎ๐ด๐๐ถ๐ธ๐ต๐ฎ๐, ๐ฃ๐ผ๐น๐๐ฎ๐!
