Irene Santiago

Irene Santiago is a peace negotiator from the Philippines. She is Chair Emerita and Chief Executive Officer of the Mindanao Commission on Women (MCW). Santiago has negotiated peace between Muslim separatists and the Philippines government.

Santiago studied journalism at Columbia University, graduating in 1963.

Santiago started working in peace negotiation in the 2000s when the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) wanted to separate from the rest of the Philippines. Santiago saw the crisis as "an opportunity to show that women, even though they are largely noncombatants, could be a vital part of any peace talks." Santiago worked to make sure that women were heavily involved in the process and help create a lasting ceasefire, and also helped to transform MILF into a political party.

In 2001, she was a co-founder of the MCW, which includes women leaders from all faiths in the Philippines, allowing them to influence public policy and opinion.

In 2005, she was one of 1000 women who was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize.

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