Wednesday, August 7, 2013

MILF: FASTRAC to provide technical support for two remaining annexes and BBL

From the MILF Website (Aug 7): FASTRAC to provide technical support for two remaining annexes and BBL

The United Nations-World Bank-Moro Islamic Liberation Front partnership dubbed Facility for Advisory Support for Transition Capacities (FASTRAC) has finally taken off to fast-track technical assistance to the MILF for the remaining two annexes to the Framework Agreement on the Bangsamoro (FAB) and the drafting of the Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL).
  
This was made after three months of delay, Mindanews reported on August 4.

The partnership which will run for three years was launched right at the MILF Camp Darapanan in Sultan Kudarat, Maguindanao on April 29 where MILF top brass headed by MILF Chairman Al Haj Murad , foreign dignitaries and representatives from international NGO’s attended.

FASTRAC’s Consultative Committee headed by Chairman Mohagher Iqbal approved via a teleconference on July 29 the interim work plan until December this year which includes a number of initiatives to support the ongoing negotiations between the GPH and the MILF of the remaining annexes to the FAB, as well as forward looking support to the transition process.

A delegation from the World Bank (WB), United Nations (UN), the World Food Program (WFP) and the International Contact Group (ICG) took the 4 a.m. flight from Manila to Cotabato City to attend the two-hour meeting on July 29 but their plane was unable to land due to bad weather. They decided to return to Manila on board the same plane. The plane was diverted to Davao City where most of the passengers disembarked to take the five-hour land trip to Cotabato City.

FASTRAC,  now joined by the Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID), is  tasked to  provide “on-demand advisory services and access to the most relevant national and international expertise to contribute and help move forward with the peace process especially in the drafting of the Basic Law that will reflect the Bangsamoro people’s aspirations for genuine autonomy while establishing the basis for efficient and accountable government,” UN Resident Director Luiza Carvalho said during the launch.

On July 31, MindaNews reported that the Australian government has approved an additional grant of Aus$1.8 million as support to the continuing peace process in Mindanao.

According to the report, Australian Foreign Minister Bob Carr, who announced the fresh financial grant in an emailed statement on Wednesday July 31st, said such move is part of his government’s commitment to help achieve lasting peace in the island. “Expanding our support for peace in Mindanao is a concrete statement of Australia’s concern for the poor of that long-suffering region, and our interest in the achievement of long-lasting peace,” Carr said. The grant will be in the form of training, policy advice and other technical help.

A Consultative Committee composed of representatives from the GPH and MILF peace panels, donor partners, and the ICG will “provide strategic guidance to the facility, agree through consensus on quarterly work plans, and review progress and results of the support provided.”

MILF peace panel chair Mohagher Iqbal, concurrent Bangsamoro Transition chair, told the Consultative Committee via Skype that he hopes the signing of the Annex on Revenue Generation and Wealth Sharing “will push faster the pace of our work.”

“To recall and give emphasis, this Facility has been conceptualized to address the asymmetry in terms of capacity between the MILF and the GPH. While the GPH enjoys enormous resource both fiscal and human as well as a wealth of experience, the MILF is just starting in this venture. This Facility therefore looks at deploying technical expertise to the MILF and its agencies so that the MILF can smoothly transition from rebels to governance and cope up with all the accompanying skills and knowledge acquisition that will be required in this challenging process,” he said.

He also noted how they “must reckon with the herculean task of building a bureaucracy for the Bangsamoro and the accompanying task of allowing a massive public participation process for the Bangsamoro people so that we can as one nation own this process,” he said.
The parties will continue its negotiation of the two remaining annexes to the FAB on Power Sharing and Normalization by September or any day after Ramadan.

According to the FASTRAC Interim Work Plan, the MILF is seeking support from FASTRAC on four points: support to the political negotiations process, through technical notes on the still unresolved  issues; support to the transition to the Bangsamoro through mapping of priority areas for intervention and current partner support; conceiving a ministerial form of government as both sides had earlier agreed that this would be the form of government of the Bangsamoro; and  support to the Transition Commission in preparing the Bangsamoro Basic Law.

On August 1, three days after the Consultative Committee meeting via Skype, senior members of the MILF led by Iqbal visited the UN office in Makati City for another meeting with Matt Stephens and Nick Leffer of the World Bank joining, to discuss the next steps. The visit of Iqbal and his group was also published on this web.
http://www.luwaran.com/index.php/welcome/item/488-fastrac-to-provide-technical-support-for-two-remaining-annexes-and-bbl

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