UN allots $38M as aid to central Mindanao in 2012—official

MANILA, Philippines—The United Nations is pouring $37.9 million in humanitarian aid next year into central Mindanao, whose people have been seriously affected by “cycles of displacement” due to armed conflicts and natural disasters.

Catherine Bragg, UN assistant secretary-general for humanitarian affairs and deputy emergency relief coordinator, made this announcement at a press conference in Makati City on Wednesday following a two-day visit to Mindanao.

Bragg recently flew to the country for a five-day mission to personally see the impact of conflict and natural disasters in the region.

In her report on Wednesday, Bragg said nearly 700,000 people in Central Mindanao were still in dire need of humanitarian relief, protection and livelihood support, particularly households in conflict- and flood-affected areas.

“The needs of vulnerable people in Mindanao are complex, and we must address them through a concerted effort,” Bragg told reporters.

“I am deeply concerned by the impact of cycles of displacement, particularly those caused by armed confrontations between government forces and armed groups, and clan fighting,” she said.

Bragg disclosed that for 2012, a humanitarian action plan for $37.9 million will be launched, particularly prioritizing “protection activities” in the region. The proposed figure is slightly higher than the $33.3 million the UN and its partners had appealed for Mindanao this year.

“A major way that UN agencies and our partners could provide protection is by presence, simply being somewhere and making sure that those who would perpetrate [violence] would not be able to do it,” said  Bragg.

To boost such presence, the UN would increase the number of humanitarian workers in Central Mindanao to be able to provide substantial assistance to the  victims of armed conflict and natural disasters, she added.

The funding would also respond to the basic needs of affected families, particularly for food, clean water, proper sanitation and hygiene, livelihood projects, basic health services, including maternal health services for women, among others.

She said that while the number of displaced people in Mindanao have dwindled substantially since 2008, many communities still remain vulnerable and in need of assistance.

During her mission in Central Mindanao, Bragg also visited several humanitarian projects in Maguindanao province, particularly Datu Piang and Pamalian.

“All these field visits gave me a clearer sense of the magnitude of the challenges we face in Mindanao and the very good work being done by aid agencies to provide humanitarian assistance,” she said.