BARMM, UN launch social protection program

 SOCIAL PROTECTION PROGRAM--- Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) Chief Minister Ahod “Murad” Ebrahim (left) and United Nation Philippines' resident coordinator Gustavo Gonzalez sign a partnership during the virtual launch of the Joint Programme on Social Protection in BARMM on Thursday, August 13. The program aims to reduce social and economic risk and vulnerability and to alleviate poverty in the region even after the coronavirus disease pandemic. (PHOTO COURTESY OF BPI-BARMM, MINDANAO EXPOSE')  

COTABATO CITY --- The Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, in partnership with United Nations (UN) agencies in the country, inked Thursday, August 13,  a social protection program for the vulnerable sectors of the region.

BARMM Chief Minister Ahod “Murad” Ebrahim said the confluence is an intervention that will institutionalize a risk-informed, shock-responsive social protection system.

“The direction of this program will also pave way for a Bangsamoro that is compliant and prioritizes the global call to subscribe in the sustainable development goals,” he said.

The partnership also highlights the regional government's commitment to ensure the Bangsamoro is prepared even after the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) pandemic.

“I am immensely excited for the eventual outcome and hopefully, its lasting impact on Bangsamoro communities who desire nothing more but a more peaceful life with opportunities that lie ahead for them,” Ebrahim added.

The social protection program’s objective is to reduce social and economic risk and vulnerability and to alleviate extreme poverty and deprivation, as stated in the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) UN website. 

“Planning and acting early through shock-responsive social protection, before a disaster has happened, or reached its critical peak, can save lives and protect livelihoods from the immediate shocks while increasing the resilience of local communities over time,” said Gustavo Gonzalez, UN resident coordinator.

In May, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) supported the provision of emergency cash transfers to 1,000 families in Lanao del Sur with children 0-2 years old that were excluded from the PantawidPamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) and the social amelioration program of the region’s Ministry of Social Services and Development (MSSD) office. 

“UNICEF aims to provide critical support during the crucial first 1,000 days of a child’s life,” said Gonzalez, who is also UN’s country humanitarian coordinator 

FAO, in partnership with the MSSD, is set to conduct an emergency cash assistance initiative that will cover 1,800 indigent farming families in the BARMM that is complementary to the national government’s SAP subsidy package. (ALBASHIRSAIDEN, PNA, MINDANAO EXPOSE')