ZAMBOANGA CITY, 27 May 2005 — The Philippines is to sign a $16 million project with the United Nations and three other countries as part of a five-year grant program which aim to assist former Muslim rebels and further improve peace and development in the southern region of Mindanao.
Representatives from the United Nations, Australia, New Zealand, Spain and the Philippines are to sign next week in Manila the program, called Action for Conflict Transformation for Peace or ACT for Peace, according to President Gloria Arroyo’s aide Jesus Dureza. He said the project that will further consolidate peace and development efforts in Mindanao, mostly in poor areas inhabited by former fighters of the Moro National Liberation Front known as “peace and development communities.”
“The ACT for Peaace program further strengthens the pursuance of a concerted effort for a long term and enduring peace and progress in Mindanao. We believe that there is much that peace and development communities can do to further bring peace and social cohesion as they have initially been capacitated to address the various peace imperatives on the ground,” said Dureza, who is also the chairman of the Mindanao Economic Development Council.
The ACT for Peace program is the successor to the UN’s Multi-Donor Program in the Philippines and it will formally start next month which aimed to strengthen peace-building and sustain development efforts in at least 15 provinces and 14 cities — identified as post-conflict and conflict-affected areas — in Mindanao.
There are over 160 peace and development communities in the provinces of Basilan, Sulu, Tawi-Tawi, Maguindanao, Lanao Sur, Lanao Norte, Cotabato Province, Sultan Kudarat, Sarangani, South Cotabato, Davao del Sur, Zamboanga del Norte, Zamboanga del Sur, Zamboanga Sibugay and Palawan.
Dureza said: “The program also aims to strengthen and institutionalize peace-building and conflict transformation capacities of key development players in peace and development communities, as well as fortify critical partnerships towards sustaining an environment of trust and confidence.”
“The program will continue to build on social capital, deliver basic services, livelihood and enterprise development as well in capacitating Moro National Liberation Front communities, local government units and other peace-building stakeholders.”
He said another component of the program is the promotion of culture of peace, specifically covering gender and multi-cultural aspects, and partnership-building as a means to sustain mutual trust and confidence in the communities as well as collaborations on peace and development.
