MANILA - The Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation and Unity (OPAPRU) on Tuesday said EUR4 million (PHP230.63 million) worth of peace-building projects for youth are slated to be implemented in Mindanao.

This, after the OPAPRU Secretary Carlito G. Galvez Jr. and Deutsche Gesellschaft fr Internationale Zusammenarbeit GmbH/German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ) Country Director Immanuel Gebhardt, signed a pact on March 11 for the implementation of Strengthening Youth for Peace and Non-violence in Mindanao (YOUCAP) Project.

The deal for YOUCAP Project targets to strengthen the approaches used by formal education institutions for youth-oriented peace-building; the gender-sensitive and culturally aware civil society initiatives for peace-building and non-violent conflict transformation, with a focus on vulnerable youth; and capacitating state institutions to push strategies for gender-sensitive and culturally aware-youth development and peace-building programs.

Gebhardt described the OPAPRU as a long-standing partner of the GIZ to effectively push peace and developments within the conflict vulnerable areas.

"The YOUCAP Project is highly committed to the young people as change agents to get sustainable, inclusive peace now and in the future," Gebhardt said.

In a statement on Tuesday, OPAPRU Undersecretary Isidro Purisima said the Philippine government welcomed the efforts and initiatives of the German government to "perform a more active role in advancing peace and development in conflict-affected and vulnerable areas in Mindanao."

Purisma said the YOUCAP project also supports the efforts of the OPAPRU to localize the government's National Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security (NAPWPS); assist in the formulation of the National Action Plan on Youth, Peace and Security (NAPYPS); as well as mainstreaming peace education and Conflict Sensitivity and Peace Promotion (CSPP) approach of the nation's peace-building efforts.

OPAPRU said youth members from the regions of Northern Mindanao, Caraga, Davao region, and in the provinces of Maguindanao and Lanao del Sur within the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM, are among the target beneficiaries for the YOUCAP project.

Also, participants from intermediary levels such as policymakers and personnel of government and public institutions; employees of formal and non-formal education institutions located within the project regions; and key actors engaged in youth and peace work, are also included as project beneficiaries.

Galvez, who is the presidential peace adviser, reiterated the OPAPRU's commitment to closely working with the GIZ and the German Government, for the country to completely achieve peace and development, especially within the marginalized areas.

"As we continue to strengthen our partnership for peace, the OPAPRU assures the German Government of our agency's full cooperation and support, as we jointly implement peace-building interventions such as the YOUCAP project," he said.

Galvez is confident in smooth implementation of the youth programs.

"We are confident that this program will be able to meet its objectives - to further strengthen the capacities of your partners and beneficiaries such as members of civil society and the academe, and contribute to gender-sensitive, youth-oriented peace-building and non-violent conflict transformation in selected areas in Mindanao," he said.

On the other hand, German Ambassador Anke Reiffenstuel, said the German government has recently renewed its funding commitment to the Independent Decommissioning Body (IDB), the peace process mechanism overseeing the decommissioning process of Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) combatants and their weapons as part of the Normalization program under the Bangsamoro peace process.

"Our commitment is reflected in our strategy with the overarching goal of strengthening peace and stability in the region. Germany, in this regard, focuses on supporting the efforts on disarmament of former militants and their social reintegration," Reiffenstuel said.

She said the success of the peace process in Mindanao is crucial to pushing sustainable developments in conflict-cleared areas and even the entire country.

"Sustainable peace and stability are essential pre-conditions for development, progress, and prosperity of communities in the whole country," she added.

OPAPRU is tasked to provide overall policy direction in the conduct of the comprehensive peace process. (PNA)