The Forty-Ninth Session of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (Moderation: Key to security and stability) held in Nouakchott, Islamic Republic of Mauritania, on 16 – 17 March 2023 (24-25 Shaaban 1444H).

Bearing in mind the OIC resolutions and the recommendations of the OIC Peace Committee in Southern Philippines (PCSP) and their close monitoring and constant consultation on the developments on the ground,

Commending the role played by Libya in reaching the historic Tripoli Agreement in 1976 and the instrumental role of the Republic of Indonesia as the former Chair of the PCSP and all its members, as well as to the Secretary General’s efforts aimed at facilitating the peace process and assisting both the Government of the Philippines (GPH) and Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) to reach a formula of joint proposals to ensure the full implementation of the 1996 Final Agreement,

Praising the efforts of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah Bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, King of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in supporting the peace efforts and development of Muslims in Southern Philippines,

Commending the efforts of the Government of Malaysia as third party facilitator in talks between the GPH and Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) which culminated in the signing of the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB) on 27 March 2014;

Commending the contributions of the Government of the Republic of Türkiye to the Southern Philippines Peace Process as the chair of the Independent Decommissioning Body (IDB) since its inception 2014,

Guided by all previous Summits and reaffirming all previous Ministerial resolutions adopted in this regard,

Noting the full and unwavering commitments expressed by the President of the Republic of the Philippines, H.E Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to the Bangsamoro peace process and Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), and Welcomes his strong commitments to push for socioeconomic development and interventions to promote peace and development in BARMM area,

Welcoming the eradication of the DAESH-affiliated terrorist groups who attacked Marawi between May-October 2017 and committed heinous crimes against the population,

Having considered the Report of the Secretary General on the Question of Muslims in Southern Philippines Document No. OIC/CFM-49/2023/MM/SG.REP,

1. Renews its support for the Agreement on the implementation of 1976 Tripoli Peace Agreement between the GPH and MNLF initialed on 30 August 1996 in Jakarta and officially signed in Manila on 2 September 1996; and reiterates that the Tripoli and Jakarta Agreements continue to formulate the basis for any settlement of the conflict;

2. Calls for quick and full implementation of the provisions of 1996 Final Agreement on implementation of the 1976 Tripoli Agreement concluded between the GPH and the MNLF and the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB) concluded between the GPH and the MILF with good intention and genuine interest so that just and lasting peace and comprehensive development can be achieved for the Bangsamoro people;

3. Commends the important role of OIC and its constructive efforts in mediation with regards to the peace process in Southern Philippines;

4. Reiterates its position that CAB is a partial fulfillment of the requirement for Comprehensive Peace in Mindanao, but a step forward towards that goal, and Calls for the full implementation of all previous peace agreements in order to reach a comprehensive and lasting peace;

5. Acknowledges significant efforts and progress made during the President Benigno Aquino III (Türkiye) administration by signing the CAB with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) in 2014, holding the final session of the Tripartite Review Process on 25-26 January 2016 with the participation of the GPH, the MNLF and the OIC Peace Committee for Southern Philippines (PCSP) and the passing of the Organic Law for the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (OLBARMM) in 2018;

6. Welcomes the efforts of the GPH in addressing the problem of unconstitutionality that has been facing the peace treaties for the last forty years;

7. Strongly condemns the terrorist attacks and heinous crimes committed against the Philippines population by Daesh linked terrorist groups such as Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) and Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighter (BIFF) and Commends the GPH success in eradicating the terrorist groups and protecting civilians from the terrorists attack;

8. Reaffirms OIC’s principled and resolute position against terrorism in all its forms and manifestations which runs counter to the basic tenets of Islam and its noble values;

9. Expresses its sympathies and condolences to the families of the victims who fell as a result of terrorist attacks, and to the GPH, the Bangsamoro people and the whole Philippine nation;

10. Welcomes the initiative by the GPH to start the rehabilitation efforts of Marawi City, and calls upon the OIC Member States, humanitarian and relevant organizations in the Muslim world and worldwide to support the efforts of rehabilitation and recovery of communities affected by the conflict, and to contribute to the rehabilitation and reconstruction of Marawi;

11. Welcomes the establishment of Bangsamoro Normalization Trust Fund by the World Bank as envisaged in the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB) and calls for OIC member states to contribute to the fund;

12. Applauds the enactment of the law creating the Marawi Compensation Board, thereby providing acknowledgement of and remuneration for damages incurred by residents of the said city during the siege of 2017;

13. Recognizes the important role of the various Frameworks and mechanisms created and established by the GPH-MILF Peace Process in sustaining the ceasefire and maintaining an atmosphere conducive to the advancement and successful signing of the FAB and CAB, and its continuing implementation process, namely the International Monitoring Team (IMT), the International Contact Group (ICG), Third Party Monitoring Team (TPMT), the Independent Decommissioning Body (IDB), and all other agreed infrastructures and mechanism for the advancement of the peace process. Calls upon the GPH and MILF to continue to engage and utilize all these mechanisms for full implementation of the agreement until the Exit Agreement is signed by the parties;

14. Reiterates its support to the agreed task of the IDB which is essential to the normalization process in Bangsamoro and calls upon the IDB to continue its work as stipulated in the agreed time line and process;

15. Takes Note of the mutually agreed decision by the national (Philippine) Government and the Bangsamoro Transition Authority (BTA) to extend the term of the caretaker BTA, from 2022 for another three years, until 2025 to allow the BTA to complete its roadmap of strengthening the institution and pass key legislations;

16. Welcomes the inauguration of the Second Parliament (interim) of the Bangsamoro Transition Authority (BTA) which opened in September 2022 after appointment of its members a month earlier;

17. Commends the passage of the Bangsamoro Organic Law (BOL) by the Philippine Congress and its approval in July 2018;

18. Congratulates the GPH and the MILF for the peaceful and successful conduct of plebiscite in Mindanao on 21 January 2019 and 6 February 2019 which led to the ratification of the BOL and establishment of an expanded autonomous region with the inclusion new areas, namely Cotabato City and 63 villages in North Cotabato, in BARMM;

19. Welcomes the reappointment of Al Haj Murad Ebrahim as Interim Chief Minister of BARMM and other members of the BTA by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on 13 August 2022 in Malacanang, Manila. Noting that the BTA now has representatives from MILF, Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) of Nur Misuari and Muslimin Sema groups, and also from other sectors of the Bangsamoro region, including non-Moro indigenous peoples, women, Bangsamoro communities outside of the Bangsamoro region, youth, religious leaders, traditional leaders, and settler communities, among others;

20. Welcomes the Philippine Supreme Court’s decision on 10 January 2023 to dismiss a petition questioning the conduct of the 2019 Bangsamoro plebiscite as well as the ratification of the Bangsamoro Organic Law, which therewith upholds the inclusion of Cotabato City in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao;

21. Welcomes the creation of intergovernmental mechanisms, including the Intergovernmental Relations Body, Intergovernmental Fiscal Policy Board, Intergovernmental Infrastructure Development Board, Intergovernmental Energy Board, Philippine Congress – Bangsamoro Parliament Forum, the work of which will have an impact on the success of the enhanced autonomy. The mechanism is key in maintaining cordial relationship between the national government and BARMM, of which will guarantee the success of the Political Track of the GPH –MILF Peace Process;

22. Commends the success of the BTA in organizing itself, working and approving a Transition Plan, recruiting new employees, enacting three of the seven priority legislations, namely the Administrative Code, Civil Service Code and Education Code. Calls upon the BTA to enact the other four priority laws, namely the Local Governance Code, the Electoral Code, the Revenue Code and the Indigenous People’s Rights Act;

23. Commends the GPH for the creation of the National Amnesty Commission that shall process applications from members of the MNLF, MILF and other Bangsamoro individuals who have been charged or convicted of crimes in their pursuit of the right to self-determination;

24. Calls upon the GPH to adhere to its commitment in implementing all agreed programs during the implementation period which includes, but not limited to, normalization and socioeconomic development of the Bangsamoro. Urges the GPH to successfully complete the decommissioning process with the socioeconomic package; Calls for OIC member states to play an active role in supporting the decommissioning program through the readily available socioeconomic assistance mechanisms, particularly the Bangsamoro Normalization Trust Fund (BNTF);

25. Calls upon the leadership of the MNLF and the MILF and all other leaders of the Moro people to close ranks and narrow the gap between them for the benefits of Bangsamoro;

26. Calls upon once again the GPH the importance of foreign assistance in the peace process, and commends the role and efforts of the International Monitoring Team (IMT), International Contact Group (ICG), Third Party Monitoring Team (TPMT) and the Independent Decommissioning Body (IDB);

27. Recognizes the significant efforts made by the Government of the Republic of Türkiye to the Philippine Peace Process, as the Chair of the Independent Decommissioning Body (IDB) since its inception in 2014, as an active member of the International Contact Group (ICG) and the Independent Third Party Monitoring Team (TPMT) and, as a country promoting the development in the Region by launching various socio-economic development projects through the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA);

28. Commends the efforts of the Secretary General at narrowing the gap between the positions of the MNLF and MILF and encourages positive steps and statements for closing ranks between the two fronts, and calls upon their leaders to consolidate their cooperation and coordination through the Bangsamoro Coordination Forum (BCF) and engage other stakeholders to close ranks and find a common approach, and Calls upon the Secretary General to continue his efforts in this regards;

29. Commends the efforts of the Secretary General to dispatch a technical team to the Philippines 27-29 January 2020 for talks with the officials of the government of the Philippines and the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) as well as with the leaders of the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) and Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF);

30. Reaffirms the importance of unity within the MNLF and the necessity to continue to have an MNLF unified negotiating team and in this regard reaffirms the Jeddah Formula for the further strengthening of the process of closing ranks between the Moro leaders which will enhance the cause of peace;

31. Calls upon the Secretary General to convene, a special session of the Bangsamoro Coordination Forum (BCF) for the purpose of closing ranks between the two liberation fronts, namely, MNLF and the MILF to further narrowing the gap between them for the benefits of Bangsamoro, and Calls upon the Secretary General to provide Member States of progress report on the issue;

32. Acknowledges the efforts to strengthen and enlarge the BCF and emphasize that this process should be handled with great care and be done in an incremental way to ensure that the Forum conducts its work in a smooth and harmonious way, and should be based on the principles of inclusivity, shurah, solidarity and unity of purpose;

33. Appreciates the efforts of the Secretary General for convening the 5th and final Tripartite Review Meeting at a ministerial level in Jeddah on 25-26 January 2016 with the objective to define a road map for the completion of the Review Process, and Notes that, in spite of the long and arduous negotiations, there is still a long way to go before we reach the full implementation of all the peace agreements signed with the GPH;

34. Renews the mandate of the PCSP which is currently chaired by the Secretary General to continue the necessary contacts with the GPH and the MNLF for the full implementation of the 1996 Final Agreement on the implementation of Tripoli Peace Agreement;

35. Calls upon the GPH to take urgent action to address the reported environmental problems caused by non-compliance with environmental standards in Lake Lanao and its environment; which had serious Environmental repercussions with adverse effects on people’s health economic and social conditions and hopes that these concerns will be addressed along with the rehabilitation and reconstruction of the Marawi city;

36. Urges OIC member states, subsidiary organs, specialized institutions and affiliated institutions to increase the volume of their medical, humanitarian, economic, social, educational and technical assistance to develop BARMM with a view to accelerating socio-economic development. In this regard, requests the Government of the Philippines to facilitate a joint delegation of the General Secretariat, Member States, and representatives of the Islamic Development Bank to visit the area for developing a viable mechanism to provide necessary development assistance and financing to the Bangsamoro region;

37. Requests the Secretary General to follow up the implementation of this resolution and report thereon to the 50th Session of the Council of Foreign Ministers.