For Immediate Release, November 10, 2011
Contact: Allison Sturma, 202-429-4725

(Washington) – The U.S. Institute of Peace mourns the death of colleague, friend and peacemaker Eugene Martin. Martin played a vitally important role in the Institute’s efforts to advance the peace process between the Philippine government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front in Mindanao despite the many challenges posed in building the relationships among all parties to these negotiations.

"Gene's efforts and leadership resulted in the creation of a multifaceted approach to peacebuilding," reflected USIP Chief of Staff Paul Hughes. "His work was ground-breaking and innovative at a time when few other options existed for resolving the long conflict in the Philippines."

Martin approached the conflict from a variety of angles - directly sharing lessons learned by principals from other conflict areas around the world; training civil society leaders in conflict management; promoting interfaith dialogue and cooperation via the Bishops-Ulama Forum; supporting the training of Mindanao history teachers on teaching a historical narrative that is more inclusive of the Moro experience; and launching dialogue among young Moro leaders. To improve media coverage of the conflict, his team held two training workshops for media representatives. It also conducted six workshops on conflict management, negotiation, and communication for Philippine military officers. 

"His remarkable service stands as a testament of courage, intellect, innovation, and action for all peacebuilders," Hughes said.

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The United States Institute of Peace is the independent, nonpartisan conflict management center created by Congress to prevent and mitigate international conflict without resorting to violence. USIP saves lives, increases the government’s ability to deal with conflicts before they escalate, reduces government costs, and enhances national security.  USIP is headquartered in Washington, DC.  To learn more visit www.usip.org.