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September 21, 2003: International Day of Peace

"Something to Lose" in Mindanao

Twenty-four hours is all that is asked. It may not be enough, but it is a start. September 21st is the International Day of Peace, a day for global ceasefire and non-violence. In the words of Kofi Annan, General Secretary of the United Nations, it is "twenty-four hours: to give relief works a safe interlude for the provision of vital services; to offer mediators a building block towards a wider truce; to allow all those engaged in conflict to reconsider the wisdom of further violence".

Conflicts rage in many parts of Asia and the Near East, causing needless deaths and damage to communities and infrastructure. There are inter-state conflicts between India and Pakistan, Israel and Palestine and South and North Korea. There are anti-state insurgencies in the Philippines and Nepal. In Indonesia, the Philippines and Sri Lanka, separatist conflicts test the governments. Other struggles over timber and water resources and between communities threaten stability in the region. USAID faces many challenges in its work to encourage peace through promoting economic growth, good governance and democratic reforms.

Former Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) combatants turned farmers undergo training in peanut production and marketing in Tulay, Madamba, Lanao del Sur.

Its work in conflict-ridden western Mindanao, and especially in the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (ARMM), in the Philippines shows how USAID is meeting such a challenge through carefully designed and insightful programs and strong government partnerships. USAID is one of the Philippines' leading allies in sustaining the fragile peace in Mindanao. USAID's work is aimed at the under-lying causes of violence, which include the lack of jobs and other business opportunities and the resentment that many members of the Muslim community feel towards the government. While 34 percent of the population nationally lives below the poverty line, 69 percent of those in Mindanao are poor. This is a huge source of discontent.

USAID has focused its efforts on helping former combatants move back into their communities and find jobs, increasing economic and business opportunities, helping people get the funding to start small businesses and expanding educational opportunities for disadvantaged groups. The programs have been tremendously successful. To date over 21,000 former combatants have been assisted, and 97 rural banks across the country are providing services to micro-entrepreneurs.

As the Governor of the ARMM, a former guerilla, said, "While everyone makes promises, USAID is the only one who delivers." This was echoed by the Vice-Chairman of the Moro National Liberation Front when asked why his group did not join its comrades in armed hostilities in 2000. He said, "USAID's programs have made a difference. Now we can make a living. Now we have something to lose."