France commits funding for peace, dev't projects in BARMM

The French government is set to provide money for peace and development projects in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), the French Ambassador to the Philippines has said.

Ambassador Michèle Boccoz made the statement after paying a visit to BARMM Chief Minister Ahod Balawag “Murad” Ebrahim last Wednesday, June 1, at the Bangsamoro Government Center in Cotabato City.

According to Boccoz, the French government wants to hear the concerns of the Bangsamoro region right from its chief minister in order to provide strategic support and assistance under the United Nations (UN) mechanism.

“To start with an engagement, we will fund a project within the UN cooperation through ACTED (Agency for Technical Cooperation and Development) Philippines, for an inclusive and sustainable agriculture in the region tapping the women cooperatives,” Boccoz said.

“We have an initial talk with the Bangsamoro Women Commission (BWC) about the partnership project and fruitful meeting was already established,” she added.

“We appreciated very much and recognized the contribution of our international communities (United Nations) in actively participating in the peace building and development of our region,” Ebrahim said.

Ebrahim pointed out the challenges in the peace agreement, including transforming more than 40 camps into development areas, as well as providing electricity and telecommunication connectivity in the island provinces.

“Although we have a lot of challenges in the region, poverty index for the past two years has been reduced which manifested our government is on track. As to agriculture, we have high yields and lately, number 1 in fishery harvest in the country,” Ebrahim said.

Meanwhile, Boccoz mentioned three priority agendas of the UN to be discussed in the new administration of the Philippine government, such as gender parity at all levels, preserving the gains of peace process, and human rights resolution.

Boccoz was joined by UNRC Resident Coordinator Gustavo Fernando Gonzalez, UNRC Area Coordinator Stean Tshiband, French Embassy Cultural Advisor Marc Francois Claude Piton, French Embassy Political advisor Thomas Rollet, UNICEF Mindanao Field Office Chief Radoslaw Rzehak, ACTED Country Director Fabien Stephane Courtelle, UNRC Coordination Assistant Julie Villadolid, OCHA Cotabato City Head Melindi Malang, and UNFPA Head Cotabato City Rochelle Yu. —LBG, GMA News