Mindanao was the site of one the largest conflicts in Southeast Asia. The Moro Islamic Liberation Front, (MILF), was an armed force in Southeast Asia and the Philippine government declared an all-out war resulting in over 120,000 casualties. In October 2012, the government and MILF signed a Framework Agreement on the Bangsamoro due to the intervention of the international community, recognizing Muslim autonomy in Mindanao.

However, the deep-rooted conflict did not end. In September 2013, Antonio Ledesma, former Archbishop of the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Cagayan de Oro, requested Chairman Lee of HWPL to mediate the settlement.

On January 24, 2014, Chairman Lee visited Mindanao and held a Peace Walk, inviting more than 1,000 people including students from Mindanao State University to the City of General Santos. Chairman Lee then asked Fernando Capalla, former Davao Archbishop, and Esmael Mangudadatu, Governor of Maguindanao to sign a peace agreement.

The government and MILF finally agreed on the final annex of the Preliminary Peace Agreement on January 25, 2014. The agreement is to recognize Muslim autonomy and gradually disarm the MILF in the Bangsamoro region in southern Mindanao. This is considered the biggest progress in the 18-year negotiation process. In May of that year, the Parliament began to enter the so-called Bangsamoro Basic Law into the legislative process, and the civil war of Mindanao was over when President Rodrigo Duterte finally signed this Law in August 2018.

The Peace Agreement arbitrated by HWPL was Mindanao’s declaration of permanent peace. Since then, all parties, including local-national politics, religion, and society, have cooperated. With signing MOUs with 70 educational institutions in February 2016, HWPL implemented peace education curricula that has since been presented by the United Nations-UNESCO. HWPL signed an MOU with The Commission on Higher Education in 2018 resulting in 2551 teachers, from 557 educational institutions in the Philippines being trained to teach peace education to up to 23,000 students.

On May 25, 2015, “the 2nd Anniversary of Peace Walk in Commemoration of the Declaration of World Peace ” was held in Buluan, Maguindanao Province. During the January 24th celebrations, MILF Chairman Hon. Ahod Ebrahim declared January 24 as ‘HWPL Day.’ This announcement was to recognize contributions to achieving peace in Mindanao. HWPL Peace Monument was erected on July 19, 2021, in the Barangay Bagua Mother, Cotabato City, Mindanao.

About HWPL

HWPL is a non-governmental organization in South Korea seeking peace and cessation of war and it is registered in special consultative status with the UN Department of Global Communications (DGC) and the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).

Learn More : https://www.hwpl.kr/language/en/about-hwpl-_en/

The findings, released on sidelines of the first UAE-Caribbean Cooperation Forum in Dubai, revealed that the value of non-oil trade between Dubai and Caribbean countries totaled $273 million in 2017.

Bilateral non-oil trade was dominated by imports from the Caribbean which were valued at $183 million in 2017, while $90 million worth of exports contributed 33% to Dubai’s trade with the region.

Suriname ranked as Dubai’s top Caribbean trading partner in 2017, with bilateral non-oil trade valued at $113.8 million, accounting for 42% of the emirate’s trade with the region. Guyana ranked second with $52.1 million in bilateral trade, followed by Dominican Republic and Trinidad and Tobago.

In addition, the findings revealed that the number of Caribbean companies registered with Dubai Chamber increased by 54% from 403 in 2013 to reach 621 in 2018.

Hamad Buamim, President & CEO of Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry, noted that the findings reflect the tremendous potential to boost bilateral trade and investment in the future as the UAE and Caribbean countries push ahead with plans to diversify their economies and explore business opportunities abroad.

“Dubai can serve as a global gateway for Caribbean exporters who are keen to broaden their horizons and access markets across the Middle East, Africa, and Asia, while the Caribbean region is fast emerging as an attractive investment destination, providing plenty of advantages which UAE companies can benefit from,” added Buamim.

Held on November 24th-26th, the UAE-Caribbean Cooperation Forum was co-organised by the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation and Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry, in partnership with the UAE Ministry of Economy and the UAE Ministry of Culture and Knowledge Development.

Editor’s note

Established in 1965, the Dubai Chamber of Commerce & Industry is a non-profit public entity, whose mission is to represent, support and protect the interests of the business community in Dubai by creating a favourable business environment, supporting the development of business, and by promoting Dubai as an international business hub.

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LOS ANGELES, Sept. 5, 2017 /PRNewswire-HISPANIC PR WIRE/ – Joel Peña has joined DoubleLine Capital LP as head of the firm’s institutional and intermediary investor relations in Latin America and the Caribbean. Mr. Peña comes to DoubleLine from international asset manager Robeco where he served as managing director for Latin America and U.S. Offshore.

In addition to heading DoubleLine’s institutional and private client relations in Latin America and the Caribbean, Mr. Peña will manage relations with overseas clients, advisors and distributors engaging the firm via its U.S. offshore platforms.

“Thanks to economic growth, a broadening middle class and rising standards of living, countries in Central and South America have seen growth in assets entrusted to pension funds, insurers and other fiduciaries. These institutional investors are looking beyond their local markets for investment opportunities and expertise,” said Ron Redell, executive vice president of DoubleLine. “My colleagues and I are delighted to welcome Joel into the DoubleLine team to sharpen our focus on the needs and objectives of institutional and private investors in Latin American and the Caribbean.”

Mr. Peña has 16 years of experience in asset management. Prior to Robeco, he served nearly six years as head of institutional clients in Latin America for fixed income manager PIMCO. Mr. Peña began his career in asset management at BBVA Bancomer in Houston and Miami before joining Bank Hapoalim as senior private banker. He holds an undergraduate degree in economics from Instituto Tecnológico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey, Tecnológico de Monterrey, Mexico, and an MBA from the Stern School of Business, New York University. He is a CFA and CAIA charter-holder.

“Navigating markets in today’s complex environment is far from easy. Very few firms have been as successful at it as DoubleLine,” Mr. Peña said. “I look forward to leading the expansion in Latin America within this organization, a company which is fully committed to always putting its clients’ needs first.”

About DoubleLine Capital LP

DoubleLine Capital LP, a registered investment adviser under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, acts as the investment adviser for the Fund. As of the June 30, 2017 end of the second quarter, DoubleLine Capital and its related companies (”DoubleLine”) managed $109 billion in assets across all vehicles, including open-end mutual fund, collective investment trust, closed-end fund, exchange-traded fund, hedge fund, variable annuity, UCITS and separate account. DoubleLine’s offices can be reached by telephone at (213) 633-8200 or by e-mail at info@doubleline.com. Media can reach DoubleLine by e-mail at media@doubleline.com. DoubleLine^® is a registered trademark of DoubleLine Capital LP. ]]> https://caribpr.com/joel-pena-joins-doubleline-to-lead-expansion-in-latin-america-caribbean/feed/ 0 https://caribpr.com/uae-passport-awarded-a-certificate/ https://caribpr.com/uae-passport-awarded-a-certificate/#comments Wed, 30 Aug 2017 21:10:03 +0000 caribpr http://caribpr.com/?p=13250 UAE Passport Force initiative aims high for 2021.

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates, Aug. 30, 2017 /PRNewswire-HISPANIC PR WIRE/ – At a ceremony, the government of the UAE accepted a certificate bestowed by the Passport Index, in recognition for being the most powerful passport in the GCC. UAE passport holders enjoy a visa-free score of 127, which places them in the top 25 passports globally.

Developed by Arton Capital, the global advisory leader for residence and citizenship solutions, the Passport Index is the world’s most popular destination for everything on passports. The index ranks national passports by the cross-border access they bring, assigning a “visa-free score” according to the number of countries a passport holder can visit visa-free or with visa on arrival.

These great accomplishments reflect the strategic, political, economic, social and cultural dimensions, with important implications in terms of prestige and appreciation, being enjoyed by the UAE, led by His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan- President of the United Arab Emirates, at an international level,” said H.E. Ahmed Saeed Alham Al Dhaheri, Assistant Under-Secretary for Consular Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (MoFAIC).

The ministry recently launched the UAE Passport Force initiative, with the goal to place the State’s passport on the list of the five most important passports in the world by 2021 upon the directives of HH Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation. In recent years, the UAE has been focused on establishing strategic relations and partnerships that contribute to enhancing the status of the State at the international level.

“We are thrilled to announce that the Passport Index serves as the official benchmark and service partner of the UAE Passport Force initiative to monitor and reflect in real time the accession of the UAE passport within the world’s most powerful,” shared John Hanafin, CEO of Arton Capital.

H.E. Ahmed Saeed Elham Al Dhaheri, Assistant Under-Secretary for Consular Affairs at the ministry, said that “the higher ranking of the UAE passport is one of the most important achievements of the UAE diplomacy led, by H.H. Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan.”

The ministry stepped up the diplomatic move towards greater openness to the world including strengthening relations with certain countries, beside strong positive presence in all regional and international forums. The government’s strategy aims to provide distinguished services to citizens, including exemption from pre-entry visa requirements to countries of the world.

About the Passport Index
Passport Index is the world’s most popular online interactive tool, which collects, displays and ranks the passports of the world. It is the only real-time global ranking of passports, updated as frequently as new visa waivers and changes are announced. Visitors can dive in the fascinating world of passports, explore their designs, sort them by country, region and even by color. For the first time ever, visitors can compare passports side by side and discover how to improve their Global Mobility Score.
(www.passportindex.org)

Who: JAY-Z

What: New Album – 4:44

When: June 30, 2017 at 12 a.m. ET

How: New TIDAL members can visit TIDAL.com/Try-now

Where: TIDAL members can visit TIDAL.com

About TIDAL
TIDAL is a global, experiential, entertainment platform built for fans, directly from artists around the world. TIDAL members enjoy exclusively curated content that directly connect artists with their fans in multiple ways. The service offers high-fidelity, CD sound quality music, high resolution video, an opportunity to discover new artists via TIDAL Rising and unique experiences via TIDAL X. TIDAL is available in more than 52 countries, with more than a 48.5 million song catalog and 175,000 high quality videos. For more information, please visit www.tidal.com.
Follow TIDAL at http://facebook.com/tidal, http://twitter.com/tidalhifi and https://instagram.com/tidal/.

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