[{"bbox": [97, 128, 1150, 184], "category": "Text", "text": "priorities are also aligned with the EU Global Gateway initiatives including cooperation on the green transition and digital connectivity."}, {"bbox": [95, 208, 1151, 715], "category": "Text", "text": "President Marcos Jr. has been supportive of the Bangsamoro Peace Process. After 17 years of negotiations, the signing of the CAB on March 27, 2014, and the ratification of the BOL in 2018, the vertical armed conflict between the MILF and the GPH has ceased. These core documents and the Framework Agreement on the Bangsamoro (2012) and the Annexes listed in the CAB, provide an unprecedented opportunity and a clear roadmap for a peaceful transition out of four decades of war. The framework for the implementation of the peace process entails the completion of two distinct, but interrelated tracks including the Political Track, which is stipulated in the BOL; and the Normalization Track found in the CAB. Each track has a set of tasks and obligations that the GPH and the MILF are expected to complete to ensure the implementation of the peace process. While progress has been made on both tracks, due to the COVID-19 pandemic and other setbacks including unrealistic expectations, limited technical capacities and weak financial absorptive capacities, the parties agreed to extend the transition period for three more years culminating in the BARMM's first-ever democratic elections in 2025. Assuming that the GPH and the MILF sign the exit agreement as planned in 2025, a lot of work will remain to consolidate the peace, ensure the functioning of the first duly elected Bangsamoro Government, and create a secure enabling environment for inclusive and sustainable socio-economic development. The Bangsamoro Transition Authority (BTA) also adopted the Bangsamoro Regional Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security (RAP-WPS) in 2020, translating the national action plan to the Bangsamoro context to ensure \"gender responsiveness in all aspects of security and peace building, including the participation of women in decision-making\". Currently only 22.5% of members of parliament (MPs) and 13.3% of ministers are female. Women are also underrepresented in the BARMM's tri-justice system including a very limited number of female judges, secular lower court judges, and Shari'ah court judges."}, {"bbox": [95, 739, 1151, 1427], "category": "Text", "text": "Over the last 15 years, the EU has played an important role in the Bangsamoro peace process in Mindanao. For example, the EU is perceived as one of the few trusted, neutral and reliable partners for both the GPH and the MILF. It has also supported many flagship programmes focused on supporting the peace process (MIP 2014-2020) including: the ongoing Mindanao Peace and Development Programme – (MINPAD Rise / 2021 – 2025) which is supporting agricultural cooperatives; the Bangsamoro Agri-Enterprise Programme (BAEP / 2022-2026) which is focused on the island provinces of the BARMM (Basilan, Sulu and Tawi-Tawi); the Support to Bangsamoro Transition (SUBATRA) Programme which is supporting the implementation of the Political Track of the peace process by strengthening the BTA institutions, laying the foundations of a mulit-faceted justice system and civil society empowerment to establish an enabling inclusive democratic governance environment during the transition period. The EU is also providing eight grants under the Peace and Development in the Bangsamoro (PD-BARMM) Programme to support the implementation of the Normalisation Track/implementation of peace agreement focused in MILF camps including transitional security measures (training the peacekeeping forces on unarmed civilian protection), community-based early warning and early responses, disposal of and education about mines/unexploded ordnances (UXOs) and landmines, support to decommissioning and reintegration of ex-combatants through birth certificates, livelihood trainings and farming inputs; and support to displaced children affected by the 2017 Marawi siege with early childhood education, protection and health services. These programmes complement the EU's more political engagement including its role on the International Monitoring Team (IMT) up until 2022 and its support to the independent Third-Party Monitoring Team (TMPT) mandated by the GPH and the MILF to monitor, review, and assess the implementation of all agreements. The EU is also supporting humanitarian aid provided by DG ECHO and stabilisation measures provided by the FPI's Instrument contributing to Stability and Peace (IcSP). Based on its trusted relationships with the GPH, the MILF, and other relevant stakeholders and its long-term commitment and investment in the peace process, the EU is in a unique position to continue supporting the peace process while also addressing sources of instability that could derail the process and inhibit the socio-economic development of the region."}, {"bbox": [95, 1443, 1151, 1605], "category": "Text", "text": "To consolidate the peace gains and to foster an enabling environment for sustainable peace and development, this Action includes the three above priority areas of intervention. All three of these priorities are interdependent. For example, if the newly elected BG is unable to govern and the normalization process/implementation of peace agreement is not completed, the horizontal conflict drivers and sources of instability will escalate and derail peace and development not only in the BARMM but in the entire Mindanao region. Concurrently, if the latter continues to escalate, it will be difficult to govern and to continue working on the completion of the normalization"}, {"bbox": [993, 1636, 1100, 1662], "category": "Page-footer", "text": "Page 5 of 28"}]