The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Provincial Government of Lanao del Sur have signed a joint commitment for the advancement of peace, resilience, and sustainability in the province.
UNDP Resident Representative Dr. Selva Ramachandran inked a Memorandum of Understanding with Lanao del Sur Gov. Mamintal “Bombit” Alonto Adiong Jr. that will provide a framework for the continuous collaboration between the two parties focusing on key priority areas such as COVID-19 response and recovery, peace-building, prevention of violent extremism, digital governance, and promotion of renewable energy, among others.
“UNDP was a steadfast partner of Lanao del Sur before the siege, during the siege, and after the siege until now; We will continue to work with the province in achieving sustainable and inclusive peace and development, especially now as we are collectively recovering from the impacts of the pandemic,” Dr. Ramachandran said during the signing ceremony held on February 19, 2021.
The UNDP official highlighted efforts to bring together peace-building, recovery, and humanitarian approaches to provide lasting solutions to the needs of vulnerable communities in the province.
At the signing ceremony, the UN agency also handed over a generator to the Sagonsongan Temporary Shelter, which is home to 140 Maranao families that were displaced by the December 2017 siege of Marawi City.
This donation was in response to concerns aired by the internally displaced peoples’ (IDP) community in Sagonsongan for better access to potable water as the limited power supply in the area makes it difficult to operate and use their electric water pumps.
The generator was provided with support from the Japanese government and UNDP through the "Enhancing Human Security in the Philippines by Addressing the Socio-Economic Impact of COVID-19 in the Philippines" project and was received by Barangay Captain Nawas K. Lucman.
Under the current COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019) situation, the UNDP has also supported the provincial government’s response to the pandemic by turning over five medical ventilators to the provincial government last December 2020.
In September 2020, the UNDP delivered 200 sets of personal protective equipment to frontliners of the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office and the Provincial Community agency’s Funding Windows project, "Strengthening National and Local Deradicalization Efforts through Community and Women's Participation in, and Cooperation with, National Security Institutions and Processes.”