Peace panel negotiator Miriam Coronel-Ferrer received the 2015 Hillary Rodham Clinton Awards for Advancing Women in Peace and Security.
Coronel-Ferrer, a professor of politics at the University of the Philippines, received the award at Georgetown University in Washington D.C. for leading peace talks between the Philippine Government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front.
Cited for the award were Coronel-Ferrer’s works in the Philippines including “gathering the perspectives of different civil society groups, ethnic groups and women’s organizations in order to ensure a long-lasting and sustainable peace for the republic.”
Awards were presented by Hillary Clinton along with Georgetown President John J. DeGioia and Melanne Verveer, executive director of Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security. Coronel-Ferrer received the award together with fellow recipient Staffan de Mistura of Afghanistan.
Clinton said at the event, “Peace and security are only possible when women have a seat at the table. I’ve seen this in so many different ways in so many different places.”
Ambassador Melanne Verveer, executive director of the Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security and former US ambassador for global women’s issues said, “The award is in recognition of the indefatigable work to bring about peace in the Philippines and for (her) historic role as the first female chief negotiator to sign a comprehensive peace agreement.”
Coronel-Ferrer mentioned in her acceptance speech that “It took 17 years of hard negotiations before the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front signed an Agreement that aims to stop the war.”
The peace award recipient added that the agreement will allow the Philippine Government and the MILF combatants along with other disenfranchised segments of the Moro population to partake in meaningful autonomous governance.
The award was created by the Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security in 2014 to honour women promoting peace and security around the world.
