Context
At the core of Mindanao is the search for lasting peace that will put an end to decades of conflict in the Southern Philippines. As a prerequisite to sustainable development, the lack of peace in the region has been an impediment to its social and economic progress – major consequences of which befall the youth. The persisting presence of violent extremism in Mindanao poses further threats of radicalisation and recruitment to illegal armed groups among young people. The merge of conflicts and development challenges in Mindanao exacerbatesthe impact on the Filipino youth, indigenous communities, and internally-displaced people. The Philippine government has addressed these issues through the adoption of the Philippine Youth Development Plan 2017-2022, and through the reform of the youth councils called Sangguniang Kabataan. However, these national initiatives are not yet sufficiently implemented at the regional and local levels. Youth initiatives in peacebuilding are also conducted by civil society, but are often uncoordinated individual efforts that fail to target the marginalised and vulnerable young people. Education-based approaches to discussing peace in formal and non-formal institutions are increasing, yet are paying inadequate attention to the cultural and gender sensitivity of preventing violent extermism in Mindanao.
Objective
The capacities of selected state and non-state actors to contribute to gender-sensitive and youth-oriented peacebuilding and non-violent conflict transformation in selected areas of Mindanao are strengthened.
