NEW ZEALAND will boost its aid to the Global Community Engagement and Resilience Fund (GCERF) with a new NZ$5.2-million grant to support an extra five-year local work program.
Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters made the announcement late last September during the GCERF Replenishment Campaign Event in New York. The contribution will bring the total value of New Zealand’s support for GCERF’s work on preventing violent extremism in the Philippines to NZ$8.2 million.
The contribution will support community-based rehabilitation for both those returning from, and the victims of, violent extremist groups and their families. Areas of support will include access to mental-health support services; access to economic opportunities for people from vulnerable or marginalized communities; and enhanced access to credible and transparent transitional justice mechanisms.
High-level dialogue
IN the lead up to the September 4 New York event, Philippine government officials and civil society leaders joined members of the diplomatic corps for a high-level Dialogue on Preventing and Countering Violent Extremism (P/CVE). The event was co-hosted by GCERF and the New Zealand Embassy held at the New Zealand Official Residence.
Participants shared valuable insights drawn from the lived-experiences of communities in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) and other regions of Southern Philippines.
Seasoned peacebuilder from the Consortium of Bangsamoro Civil Society (CBCS) Guiamel Alim emphasised key contributions of international development partners in laying the groundwork for peace and development in the region.
‘It is worth noting that the role of international development partners and the diplomatic communities are crucial in bringing peace and development in the BARMM. There is a need to support programs addressing community-based needs similar to those being implemented by the partners of GCERF.such as those related to preventing violent extremism, promoting community-based socioeconomic programs, and strengthening local governance capacity in development planning, among others,’ Alim said.
Through GCERF, donor countries including New Zealand and Australia are funding civil society organizations like CBCS, ECOWEB, IDEALS, Initiatives for International Dialogue, the Mahintana Foundation, Teach Peace Build Peace, and the Philippine Center for Islam and Democracy.
In her remarks, Ambassador Catherine McIntosh highlighted the importance of a cohesive, multi-stakeholder approach to P/CVE: ‘Since 2020, New Zealand has been collaborating with GCERF on community-led initiatives aimed at supporting the peace process in Mindanao. In March, I had the privilege of visiting our GCERF partners in South Central Mindanao.’
McIntosh expressed the embassy’s hopes that ‘the investment made by the New Zealand people-through GCERF-continues to uplift and inspire, as we jointly strive toward peacebuilding. We remain steadfast in our commitment to strengthen collective resilience against violent extremism.’
The dialogue concluded with the remarks from Undersecretary Isidro Purisima of the Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation and Unity or OPAPRU: ‘The success of the peace process depends on partnerships. GCERF helps bring these partnerships together-linking international support with national and local efforts to ensure peace is sustained, especially in communities.’