Autonomy process and effects of the humanitarian organizations in the Bangsamoro

Today, many countries around of the world are face internal conflicts of varying intensity. One such country is the Philippines in Southeast Asia. The causes of the conflicts between the central government and different groups within the country necessitate an examination of the region's historical trajectory. In this thesis, after briefly addressing the colonial period, the process of independence is presented. Furthermore, by analyzing the political developments and crises experienced in the Philippines following its declaration of independence in the mid-20th century, the underlying causes of the disputes are revealed. The stages of the current autonomous regional government's formation, the central government's approach to this process, its stages of consolidation are explained. Throughout the process third-party actors beyond the two main sides have been emphasized. The peace environment established in the after the conflicts led this study to examine how peace was built following prolonged struggles. This study examines the establishment of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in the Philippines and the role of humanitarian-oriented civil society actors in this process. In the literature, particularly during post-Cold War period, studies focusing on peaceful resolution of conflicts have informed the thesis's theoretical framework. Within this scope, the primary focus of the research has been on national and international NGOs contributing to peacebuilding. Research indicates that, in addition to the efforts of political authorities to resolve crises peacefully, the concept of peacebuilding has been extensively examined, particularly in academic settings. In this context, diverse approaches, methods, and categories developed in relation to peacebuilding across different regions have been evaluated through the Bangsamoro case. Within the conceptual framework, the contributions of humanitarian-oriented civil society actors to the Bangsamoro autonomy process are analyzed in relation to peacebuilding functions described in the literature. Accordingly, the study concludes by demonstrating the contributions of NGOs to the autonomy process.