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whether female genital mutilation(FGM) fell within the scope of AI’swork. Her study recommendedinclusion of FGM, which she says was“revolutionary” at that time. In abouta year, FGM officially became part ofAI’s mandate.Returning to Geneva, Jimenez washired as NGO lobbyist for a draftoptional protocol, an addendumto the United Nations Conventionagainst Torture. It was hard work thattook all of five years. She broughtto bear on this task everything shehad learned in the Philippines andelsewhere about human rights,torture and preventive mechanisms.When she was certain that theprotocol would pass the UN GeneralAssembly, she knew her work wasdone and was ready to move on.Legal consultancies in the next sixyears engaged her, among others,in the formation of the UN HumanRights Council (in lieu of the UNCommission on Human Rights,which suffered credibility problems)and also in pro bono work such assecuring the right to vote for Filipinooverseas workers. In 2008, Jimenezwas hired as senior legal officerand senior trainer by the InternalDisplacement Monitoring Center(IDMC) of the Norwegian RefugeeCouncil, a worldwide humanitarianNGO.Full circleHer task? To give advice and trainingto governments and human rightsorganizations on the United NationsGuiding Principles on InternalDisplacement (UNGPID). Jimenezis grateful for her five years withIDMC where she honed her skillsand knowledge in the human rightsbasedapproach to humanitarianassistance and disaster management.This also afforded her the chanceto take specialist courses such asInternational Disaster Law and inInternational Humanitarian Law, acourse on the Islamic laws of war.With IDMC she has gone “full circle”,Jimenez says, Marag Valley in theearly ‘90s introducing her to the issueof internal displacement. The fullcircle also makes a fitting preface toher work with the TJRC.The TJRC is mandated to prepareand submit a report on how to tacklematters of transitional justice andreconciliation, specifically policyrecommendations. The report willbe submitted to the GPH and MILFnegotiating panels with focus onimplementation.To attain its mandate, the TJRC haslaunched a process of consultations,mandated studies, and is undertakingassessments on transitional justiceand reconciliation in the Bangsamoro.Over 200 consultations will be heldin the Bangsamoro from Februaryto April 2015. Jimenez calls it a“listening process”. The report,she says, should be “politicallyfeasible and acceptable, based onthe Bangsamoro history, reality andvision for justice”.The report will delve on the issuesof legitimate grievances of theBangsamoro, historical injustice,human rights violations, andmarginalization through landdispossession. Jimenez stresses thatthe report will not be only for theBangsamoro and Mindanao, but alsofor the nation. Our tribal identities(Ilokano, Ilonggo, etc.) remain strong,she says. “Diversity is good, but wemust learn to live together as a nationwhile retaining our identities”.Jimenez holds that it is “necessary tohave multiple narratives…at the endof the day some narratives will be incontention with each other”. It hashelped, she says, that as a Filipina shehad lived for 17 years in Switzerland.The country, with its French-,German- and Italian-speakingpopulations, is a model of differentpeoples living together in diversity.Jimenez says we as a country still needto work toward such acknowledgmentof diversity, sharing the same politicaland economic space.Citizenship, Jimenez underscores,is “a matter of identity, loyalty andcommitment as to one’s constructivecontribution to society”. In nearlytwo decades of working and livingin Europe, she earned her legal,academic and NGO spurs and raiseda family. Through it all, her Filipinocitizenship remained her true north.Upon her return to the Philippines,Commission on Human RightsChairperson Loretta Rosales neededa consultant to manage a project onIDPs supported by the United NationsHigh Commissioner on Refugees(UNCHR). In early 2013, Jimenezanswered the call and resigned fromher international post, relocating toDavao City with her family.Davao is a deliberate choice becauseit allows her to “see issues from thepoint of view of Mindanao”. And theTJRC assignment, she says, providesthe opportunity “to immerse myselfin learning and understanding thecontext of Bangsamoro historically,politically, and culturally”.Having done work in eastern andcentral Europe, Africa and the MiddleEast, this native has returned to treadthe rocky road to peace in Mindanao—and is warming to the challenge.March 2015KABABAIHANatKAPAYAPAAN17