Peace and Development Workshop:   Recognizing the Role of NGOs in Promoting Peace and Development in Rural Asia Forty-five delegates representing China, India, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Pakistan, Indonesia, Cambodia and the Philippines attended the "Peace and Development Workshop: Recognizing the Role of NGOs in Promoting Peace and Development in Rural Asia" last 8-10 December 2004 held at the Balay Kalinaw, University of the Philippines- Diliman, Quezon City, Philippines. Convened by ANGOC jointly with the Philippine Development Assistance Program (PDAP) with major support from the Japan Foundation- Asia Center, the workshop sought to contribute in enhancing the development initiatives in conflict-affected areas through learning from the experiences of selected NGOs in the Philippines and other countries in Asia ANGOC partners contributed their experiences in various approaches (i.e. solidarity building, march for peace, active non-violence, etc.) on the subject. Likewise, the Philippine Development Assistance Programme?s (PDAP) PROPEACE program and relevant initiatives of its partners complemented the exchange. Prior to the Workshop, i.e. June-July 2004, representatives from each participating countries together with the resource persons prepared country and regional papers highlighting major concerns in development initiatives in conflict-affected areas.   Aim: To contribute to the effectiveness and expansion of development initiatives in conflict-affected areas through learning from the experiences of selected NGOs in the Philippines and other countries in Asia. Specific Objectives: The Workshop sought to provide a venue for selected Asian NGOs to discuss peace and development issues and the role of NGOs. Specifically it aims to: Share experiences and lessons learned in peace and development initiatives in the countries represented in the Workshop; Understand the relevance of NGO initiatives in conflict-affected areas to promote peace and development; Identify key elements and develop framework for effective NGO interventions in conflict-affected areas, and; Define follow-up activities and mechanism for continued sharing and collaboration: development of monitoring and evaluation tools to assess success and effectiveness of interventions in conflict-affected areas; dissemination of the Workshop output to local NGO workers and; identification and definition of key policy recommendations.   Background: Sustainable development relies on a number of key elements but many have realized by now that all development efforts only become sustainable in the context of peace. All development efforts primarily in the rural areas are directed towards poverty reduction. It primarily concerns Asia where 2/3 of the world?s poor are found. See Table 1 below. Decades of experience would show that this task was never easy. Lack of resources and political will have been recognized as the major reasons for considerably slow progress. However, for the last few years development efforts find its way even more difficult because of increasing local and international conflicts that have affected countless number of communities and continue to threaten the welfare and livelihood in the rural areas. Massive poverty and economic equity, poor governance, exploitation of cultural communities and lack of recognition of their ancestral domain are among the major causes of conflict in the Philippines and in most countries in Asia. The insurgency problems in Southeast Asia, particularly in the Philippines and Indonesia, the India-Pakistan conflict and Tamil rebel attacks in Sri Lanka and other similar situations in different parts of Asia, made waste of limited resources for rural development and reduction of development projects for two major reasons among others ? projects and approaches become inappropriate and implementers can no longer operate based on their usual framework.   Table 1. Population on Poverty (selected Asian countries)   Country Total Rural Urban Bangladesh 44.7% 44.9% 43.3% Cambodia 35.9% 40.0% 25.2% China --- 3.7% 3.1% India 26.1% 27.1% 23.6% Indonesia 23.47% 26.1% 19.5% Lao PDR 38.6% 41.0% 26.9% Nepal 42.0% 44.0% 23.0% Pakistan 32.2% 36.3% 22.4% Philippines 40.0% 54.4% 25.0% Sri Lanka 26.7% 28.7% 13.4% Thailand 12.9% 17.2% 1.5% Vietnam 37.0% 45.0% 9.0%   The Specific Challenge: NGOs have to take on a new role to respond to the unique needs of conflict-affected areas. Continuing their efforts without the appropriate framework and strategies would not lead to desired results. Clearly, conflict problems pose new challenges for development actors, especially NGOs to re-assess its roles and re-design its approaches for more effective interventions in conflict-affected areas. The role of civil society in building a culture of peace is very relevant. How much this has reached the consciousness and the effort of rural development facilitators like the NGOs is important to assess and discuss. Hence, ANGOC through its members and partners sees the value of enhancing the process of understanding what will work and will not work in conflict affected areas by providing a venue through which NGOs in different parts of the region can share and discuss their relevant experiences.