NEWS
21January
600 former MILF combatants benefit from EU’s vocational skill training
- Jan 21, 2023
- Taher G. Solaiman
- HITS: 1111
This was made possible by an agreement signed on Jan. 16 in Cotabato City by and between the Ministry of Basic, Higher, and Technical Education (MBHTE) of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
“PROACTIVE aims to enhance local capacities to facilitate the transition and transformation of the six major declared camps of the MILF into peaceful and productive communities,” said Iqbal, the Chairman of the MILF’s Peace Implementing Panel and, concurrently, the Minister of MBHTE.
Dr. Selva Ramachandran, the UNDP Resident Representative, said the two-year project which is worth US$4.6 Million will contribute to “creating enabling environment for sustainable employment and enterprise development, delivered initial peace dividends and promoting confidence-building, through improved access to basic communal services and facilities.”
Ramachandran said that vocational skill development training and accreditation will provide a richer environment for income sources for the 600 former MILF combatants.
Iqbal, who is also Member of the BTA Parliament expressed his optimism that “(T)his partnership will continue until the exit agreement is signed between the Philippine Government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front. In terms of governance and peace, we journey together between the EU and Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM).”
“The participation and role of the EU are very crucial and one of the highlights of this engagement is the decommissioning of combatants of the MILF. We are very happy one of the interventions of the EU is the skills training for the decommissioned MILF combatants,” Iqbal said.
Among those who witnessed the ceremonial signing were EU Ambassador Luc Véron; Christoph Wagner, head of the EU delegation; MP Ali Salik, co-chair of the Joint Task Force on Camps Transformation for the MILF (JTFCT-MILF); MP Aida Silongan, co-chair of the Task Force for Decommissioned Combatants and their Communities (TFDCC-MILF), and Sakura Moretto, Programme Manager of the EU Delegation.
Time in Cotabato
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