EU reaffirms support to Mindanao peace process

The European Union Flag. (Pixabay Photo)

MANILA – The European Union (EU) reaffirmed its commitment to support the Philippines’ peace process as it welcomed the designation of Heino Marius as the new chair of the Third Party Monitoring Team (TPMT).

“The European Union is pleased to note that the Peace Implementing Panels of the Government of the Philippines and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front have designated Heino Marius as Chair of the Third Party Monitoring Team,” Thomas Wiersing, Chargé d’Affaires a.i. of the EU Delegation in Manila said in a statement on November 3.

As he congratulated Marius, Wiersing also reiterated the EU’s commitment to the peace process.

Since 2008, the EU has been one of the biggest supporters of the Mindanao Peace Process through a comprehensive approach.

The EU supported political settlement by providing a Humanitarian and Human Rights Law Expert to the International Monitoring Team.

The EU is currently finding ways to further help vulnerable groups through its programs in Mindanao.

Under the program Peace and Development in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (PD BARMM), around PHP1.

4 billion have been allocated to improve the social cohesion and resiliency of communities in the region, as well as to address the health, social and economic impact of Covid-19 in the region.

The aid also seeks to consolidate the hard-won peace in Bangsamoro by supporting the new administration, the parliament, the judicial system, and civil society through the transition.

Rise Mindanao, a PHP2-billion EU initiative, meanwhile, focuses on the immediate priority of food security by supporting agro-cooperatives and strengthening the service delivery of local authorities.

In the last five years, the EU Delegation in Manila said it has provided a total of PHP1.4 billion in humanitarian aid operations as life-saving assistance to people affected by armed conflict or natural disasters.