If you’re familiar with Mindanao’s 40-year-old conflict, you must be surprised by how the island has changed in a decade. In 2013, Chairman Lee Man Hee of *HWPL visited the island and led the leaders of both sides of the war to sign a peace agreement, visually showing them that Mindanao’s people want peace. Then, Bangsamoro officially became an autonomous region in the country under the approval of the Philippine government.

Mindanao – as of 2024, the whole country – calls the day “HWPL Peace Day” and celebrates yearly to commemorate that they must achieve peace with aid from the neighboring countries. Since then, it’s not an exaggeration to call Cotabato City in Mindanao the place where peace is settled. It’s the most inclusive region in the country and strives to achieve true peace through cooperating with peace organizations.

* HWPL (Heavenly Culture, World Peace, Restoration of Life): It’s a global peace NGO established by Chairman Lee Man Hee, a veteran who survived the Korean War. Experiencing the cruelty of war, he decided to save the youths from being soldiers in wars. The organization suggests practical methods to achieve peace, and the methods would be modified into suitable ways for each region.

Today, I found a wonderful article introducing more activities that people in Mindanao did for peace.

Mangrove Tree Planting—Tree Banking Series 4: A Milestone in Environmental Conservation

As one of those efforts to bring peace to the region, NGOs of Cotabato City gathered to run a project: planting Mangrove trees.

On 9th Mar. 2024, *IPYG’s Youth Engagement & Peacebuilding Working Group (YEPW) in Mindanao led this event in collaboration with youth and environmental organizations such as Kutawato Greenland Initiative (KGI), the Gallant Adolescent New Generation (GANG), the Association of Daring and Hospitable Individuals of Kutawato for the Poverty-Affected Sector of Society (ADIKHA), and the Community Development Students’ Organization (CDSO) to preserve the mangrove ecosystem in Cotabato City.

*IPYG (International Peace Youth Group): It’s a global peace group that is composed of youths. As HWPL’s affiliation, it follows HWPL’s spirit of peace and major projects, but with an approach of youth.

**YEPW (Youth Engagement & Peacebuilding Working Group): One of IPYG’s major peacebuilding projects. Youths would gather under this group to seek ways to achieve peace in their regions and discuss their roles.

Participants transplanted 1,000 mangrove propagules into pots. The event was to increase the number of mangrove trees and aid forest growth. Aside from planting trees, the participating organizations also discussed establishing a “Sustainable Tree Bank” for ongoing environmental protection activities.

The event was suggested by the Kutawato Greenland Initiative (KGI). The organization expressed gratitude to the YEPW in Mindanao and the HWPL Philippines Branch for their consistent and active participation in volunteer work in the country and asked for HWPL members for constant cooperation in strengthening activities for local conservation and climate change response efforts.

The members of IPYG YEPW in Mindanao have been the center of local activities, participating in protecting nature and cultivating a culture of peace. They plan to continue doing peace activities in various fields for the development of their local communities.