The Japanese government, through the Japan Embassy in the Philippines, has signed a US$3-million deal with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) to further promote human security in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM).

Japanese Ambassador Endo Kazuya led Wednesday’s ceremonial signing for the “The Project for Promoting Human Security through the Community Economic Development and Livelihood Initiatives in Bangsamoro Region (CEDAR) with UNDP Resident Representative Dr. Selva Ramachandran at the Philippine International Convention Center in Pasay City.

The ceremonial signing was witnessed by Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation and Unity Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr., and Ministry of the Interior and Local Government of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao Minister lawyer Sha Elijah Dumama-Alba.

According to Endo, the Project CEDAR aims to “foster a robust mechanism conducive to harmonious economic development” in the BARMM, particularly in areas that are still affected by insurgency.

“Through these shared interactions, we hope to promote a stronger sense of connectedness and belongingness,” he said in his keynote speech.

For his part, Galvez expressed gratitude to the government of Japan and the UNDP for their unrelenting support to the Bangsamoro peace process.

“Today’s ceremonial signing for the Community-driven Economic Development and Reconciliation (CEDAR) is only one of the many avenues through which the Japanese government and the UND have demonstrated their unwavering commitment to help uplift the lives of our Bangsamoro brothers and sisters,” he said.

“From the bottom of our hearts, thank you very much for joining forces once again and for being of the OPARRU’s most trusted and reliable peacebuilding partners in the Bangsamoro region,” he added.

Based on the agreement, the Japanese government will provide a grant of Japanese yen 454 million, or approximately US$3 million for community development and capacity building activities in the Bangsamoro region to be implemented by the UNDP for three years.

The project is expected to create sustainable livelihood programs and enhance local capacities of decommissioned combatants, women, the youth, and indigenous peoples.

The target location for the project will be conflict-affected and conflict vulnerable communities in the BARMM and its adjacent regions, particularly those Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) communities inside and outside the core territories of the region.

Without naming the specific areas, the project is set to be implemented in four MILF communities outside the six acknowledged camps, four MNLF communities, two communities of the non-Moro IPs and two Christian settler communities in the BARMM.

The project aims to accelerate socio-economic development, strengthen inclusive local governance, and promote social cohesion and conflict prevention in the BARMM.