Ambassadors of 6 Nations Visit Zamboanga and Basilan; Focus on Programs for Peace and Prosperity

(Joint Press Release by the Embassies of Australia, Canada, Japan, New Zealand, United Kingdom, and the United States of America)

In a unique event demonstrating international support for peace and prosperity in Mindanao, six Ambassadors visited Zamboanga and Basilan on November 13: Ambassador Tony Hely of Australia, Ambassador Peter Sutherland of Canada, Ambassador Ryuichiro Yamazaki of Japan, Ambassador David Pine of New Zealand, Ambassador Peter Beckingham of the United Kingdom, and Ambassador Kristie A. Kenney of the United States of America. Also traveling with the party was Undersecretary Nabil Tan of the Philippine’s Office of the Presidential Advisor on the Peace Process.

These six countries all support myriad development projects in Mindanao, focusing on education and job skills training, small business development, local governance, improved healthcare, agricultural sustainability, poverty alleviation, peace building, and counter-terrorism. They coordinate their efforts with one another and with the national and local governments in the Philippines. During their visit, the Ambassadors discussed greater coordination and synergy among their various programs, which will help them more effectively benefit citizens of Mindanao and the Philippines.

The Ambassadors visited Armed Forces of the Philippines WESTMINCOM Commander Major General Cedo for a briefing on security activities; met with Zamboanga City Mayor Celso Lobregat to talk about partnership programs in development; and talked with members of the Basilan Chamber of Commerce about improving economic prospects on the island. Pictured above are the six Ambassadors with Basilan government and business leaders at Jollibee Restaurant in Isabela City, including Mayor Rodolfo Tan (far left) and Governor Abdulwahab Akbar (5th from left).

They also participated in an official turnover ceremony of computers and Internet connections to the Islamic Institute of the Philippines in Zamboanga City under USAID’s Computer Literacy and Internet Connection (CLIC) program. In Lamitan, Basilan, they attended a ribbon-cutting ceremony for a community learning center donated by the Australian Government under AUSAID’s Basic Education Assistance for Mindanao (BEAM) program and celebrated a Canadian Government computer equipment handover under CIDA’s Local Governance Support Program for the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (LGSPA).