The United Nations has reaffirmed its long-standing commitment to the Bangsamoro peace process, with Resident Coordinator in the Philippines Arnaud Peral recently meeting top officials of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) to align priorities and address the region’s unique challenges.
During the meeting, Peral underscored the UN’s pledge to enhance collaboration with the BARMM government in support of peacebuilding and accelerated local development. He noted that decades of conflict had left deep scars across Muslim Mindanao, requiring sustained partnerships and inclusive approaches to ensure lasting peace.
BARMM leaders expressed gratitude for the UN’s role in the region, recognizing its decades of engagement in Mindanao even before the 2014 Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro. They credited the UN with playing a critical role in promoting peace, protecting civilians—including internally displaced populations—and strengthening local governance capacities.
Beyond government-level coordination, the UN is also engaging with non-Moro Indigenous Peoples (NMIPs) to ensure their voices are heard in the evolving Bangsamoro landscape. Peral met with leaders of the Teduray and Lambangian communities, represented by Timuay Justice and Governance (TJG), who raised pressing concerns on political participation, recognition within the BARMM governance structure, and protection of their ancestral domain. They also highlighted the continuing harassment, displacements, and killings that have emerged in connection with their struggle for self-determination and land rights.
Peral’s discussions with BARMM Senior Minister Mohammad S. Yacob, MILF Chairman and BARMM Chief Minister Ahod Balawag Ebrahim, Minister of Basic, Higher, and Technical Education Mohagher Iqbal, Bangsamoro Planning and Development Authority (BPDA) Director General Mohajirin T. Ali, and Indigenous leaders signal a renewed effort to strengthen inclusivity in the region’s peacebuilding framework.
The renewed cooperation highlights a shared vision of building an inclusive, peaceful, and resilient Bangsamoro that ensures no community—Moro, settler, or Indigenous—is left behind in the region’s journey toward peace and development.