Canada to support Mindanao conflict-area residents

• Source:http://www.bworldonline.com/content.php?title=canada-to-support-mindanao-conflict-area-residents&id=129665
• Tuesday, June 28, 2016 10:06:00 pm

By Maya M. Padillo

DAVAO CITY -- Canada announced a 1.25 million Canadian-dollar assistance package to support those living in conflict areas in Mindanao, and will work with civil society partners like Action Against Hunger (ACF) and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).

Canadian Ambassador Neil Reeder in an interview said this will contribute to improved food security, health, living conditions, livelihoods and emergency-preparedness to those displaced by conflict in Zamboanga and Maguindanao.

“It is our sincere hope that the new government will-redouble efforts to bring peace to the southern region, an endeavor which Canada will continue to support including through past and future assistance in the area of development cooperation and policing and security training and cooperation,” Mr. Reeder said.

Mr. Reeder said a peaceful and stable Mindanao means a prosperous Mindanao full of opportunity.

He noted that two weeks ago Canada announced C$7.1 million in aid to local civil society partners for projects to improve women and children’s health in targeted regions including Camarines Sur, Metro Manila, Bulacan, and Eastern Samar.

“These initiatives will help reduce stunting in children and reduce maternal-child mortality while improving the delivery of health services,” he said.

Mr. Reeder also said that under the new government Canada’s development assistance will be targeted towards the poorest and the most vulnerable including certain categories of youth and pregnant women and mothers.

“Here in the Philippines working with government and civil society partners our assistance supports sustainable economic growth by improving the climate for investment,” he said.

This year Canada is also celebrating 25 years of its Local Governance Support Program, Canada’s largest bilateral development project in the Philippines to date. Through this project, Canada has helped LGUs including the local government units in Davao Region, improve business practices, leadership, LGU management, resource generation, participatory governance, and local economic development.

Canada has also funded a successful Jobstart partnership with the Department of Labor and Employment and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) that helped out-of-school-youth prepare for the job market by providing career guidance services, life skills training, technical training, and work experience through company internships paid by the Government of Canada.

“Thousands of young people who were previously unemployed and lacking access to jobs have now benefited from this program. We are pleased that the Philippine Congress has passed legislation paving the way for this program to have permanent funding.

Canada is also helping the Philippines reach its tourism potential by contributing Canadian dollars of 7 million to a technical assistance project managed by the ADB working closely with the Department of Tourism.

Mr. Reeder said this project provides technical assistance to improve the competitiveness of the tourism sector as well as the efficiency of the tourism labor market through training of tourism sector staff and improved tourism services.

“Better trained tourism industry staff means a happier tourist and more tourists returning to your country for future visits,” he said. --