Via Inquirer.Net
The Bangsamoro Development Agency (BDA) and two civil society organizations have come together under the Mindanao Trust Fund-Reconstruction and Development Program (MTF-RDP) to offer assistance in conflict-ridden areas of Mindanao.
The World Bank, which administers the MTF-RDP, said in a statement that the organizers of Community and Family Services International (CFSI) and Mindanao Land Foundation (MinLand), as well as those of BDA, sealed a $3-million partnership to promote peace and development in Mindanao by assisting those affected by the conflict in 21 municipalities across nine provinces in Mindanao.
BDA is the development arm of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).
World Bank Country Director Motoo Konishi said the new partnership agreement would serve as a confidence-building measure between the Philippine government, the MILF, and other parties in the Mindanao conflict.
“It will also be a vehicle to build capacity among Bangsamoro groups that is needed now, and will be even more important in a postpeace agreement scenario,” Konishi said.
Global experience suggests that, in attaining and sustaining peace, cooperation among key stakeholders is required, he explained.
“No single party can achieve peace on its own. The Mindanao Trust Fund is built on the principle of cooperation. We would like to thank all the MTF partners, particularly the European Union as the largest contributor to the program,” Konishi said.
Started in 2006, the MTF-RDP is now a $16-million multi-donor facility. Administered by the World Bank and co-chaired by the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process and BDA, the program enables international development partners to pool resources for the development of Mindanao. It also supports the activities of BDA.
The Bangsamoro Development Agency is mandated, under the 2001 Tripoli Agreement between the Philippine government and MILF, to determine, lead and manage the relief, rehabilitation and development of conflict areas in Mindanao.
Apart from the World Bank and the European Union, other development partners supporting the MTF-RDP are the Australian Agency for International Development, the Canadian International Development Agency, the government of New Zealand, the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency and the United States Agency for International Development.
To ensure smooth operations and prudent fund use, BDA is assisted by CFSI and MindLand.
CFSI is a humanitarian organization that has been involved in reconstruction and development work in Mindanao since 2000.
MinLand, on the other hand, is a nongovernment organization that has been helping out affected communities in Mindanao since 2001.
Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process Secretary Teresita Quintos Deles said the program would allow more communities to learn about participatory approaches in addressing their development concerns.
She also noted the importance of capacity-building for BDA.
“A strengthened BDA is an important building block for a just and lasting peace in Mindanao,” Deles said.
BDA chairperson Saffrullah M. Dipatuan said that although “priority attention is focused on the political settlement of the Mindanao problem, projects and programs that will alleviate the suffering of the people in the conflict-affected areas in Mindanao should be implemented while both parties are earnestly engaged in peace negotiation.”
EU Ambassador to the Philippines Guy Ledoux described the MTF-RDP as “an important mechanism” that would complement the development partners’ effort to promote peace in Mindanao.
MTF-RDP “has shown significant results by directly helping the poor in conflict-affected areas,” Ledoux said.
CFSI and the World Bank first entered into cooperation related to the MTF-RDP in 2005. This partnership continues and was expanded from 2006 to include the BDA. It is presently expected to continue through at least 2014.
Posted 11 June 2012. Read the original Inquirer.Net article here. To learn more about the MTF-RDP, view the slideshow and press release from the World Bank.