MSU Main Campus - Marawi City > 11-Sustainable Cities & Communities (SDG Goals) > International Women’s Day: Celebrating the Strength and Resilience of IPDM MSU Marawi City’s Women

International Women’s Day: Celebrating the Strength and Resilience of IPDM MSU Marawi City’s Women

On this International Women’s Day, we stand in solidarity with women across the globe, recognizing their invaluable contributions to society.

Here in Marawi City, within the heart of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, we particularly celebrate the remarkable women of the Institute for Peace and Development in Mindanao (IPDM) at Mindanao State University (MSU) Marawi City.

These women, embodying strength and resilience, are at the forefront of building a more peaceful and prosperous future for their community. They are educators, researchers, community organizers, and advocates, working tirelessly to address the unique challenges faced by Marawi City and the wider region.

The ladies of IPDM MSU Marawi City are not merely participants in the peacebuilding process; they are its driving force. They navigate complex social landscapes with grace and determination, empowering other women, fostering dialogue, and promoting sustainable development. Their dedication to promoting understanding, reconciliation, and empowerment, especially after the devastating siege of Marawi, is a testament to their unwavering spirit.

On this International Women’s Day, we honor the ladies of IPDM MSU Marawi City for their unwavering commitment to peace, development, and empowerment. Their dedication serves as an inspiration to us all, reminding us that women are essential to building a more just and equitable world. Their contributions are vital to the ongoing recovery and progress of Marawi City.

We acknowledge their dedication and are grateful for their service. Their efforts are a powerful reminder of the strength and resilience that women bring to the world.

About the author

The institute for peace and development in Mindanao (IPDM) was created by the MSU Board of Regents during its 182nd Meeting on December 7, 2001. The institute assumed the functions of two defunct units: the Muslim Christian Center for Peace Studies and the Muslim Mindanao Development Institute. It is now the central coordinating unit for all existing peace and development programs of the campuses of the University. MSU was established on September 1, 1961 as one of the government responses to the so-called “Mindanao problem.” The problem includes a violent struggle of segments of the Filipino Muslim population to redress long-standing grievances and assert Muslim selfhood and identity in the face of real and imagined threats of cultural and spiritual assimilation by the majority Filipino Christian population. The University was mandated to accelerate the “integration” of the cultural communities in Mindanao into the mainstream body politic and to accelerate the development of its service areas through instruction, research, and extension. In the pursuit of these objectives, the University also seeks to infuse spiritual and moral values, national consciousness and solidarity, and mutual understanding among Filipinos, which are necessary for peaceful coexistence and sustainable development. IPDM was therefore, created with the expectation that it would contribute to the easing of tensions and the promotion of justice and peace between Filipino Muslims and Christian by expanding knowledge, improving understanding and heightening sensitivity in relations between the peoples of Mindanao in particular, and the Philippines in general.

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