The Bangsamoro region in western Mindanao in the Philippines has been affected by conflict for more than 40 years, and Japan has been cooperating in various ways to promote peace in the region since the 1990s.The Comprehensive Peace Agreement was signed between the Philippine government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) in March 2014, and the Bangsamoro Organic Law (BOL) was signed by the President in July 2018 in preparation for the establishment of an autonomous government. Following the results of the plebiscite in January and February 2019, the territory of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) was determined, and the Bangsamoro Transition Authority (BTA) was established in February 2019. Peace in the region is expected to be further entrenched through the BTA and the autonomous government which will be established in 2025.

As part of its support for the establishment of the autonomous government in 2025, JICA has dispatched an "Advisor to Chief Minister of the Bangsamoro Transitional Authority (BTA)" to advise on the formulation of key policies. Through the implementation of the "Capacity Development Project for Bangsamoro", JICA is cooperating in the promotion of agriculture and industry in BARMM as well as in the strengthening of the administrative capacity.

This seminar will focus on the peace process in Mindanao and current efforts to establish an autonomous government in 2025 and will feature a keynote speech and panel discussion on how the post-war reconstruction experience of Hiroshima can be applied to the reconstruction of conflict-affected areas.

We look forward to welcoming you to this event.