6th Mindanao Virtual Protection Coordination Platform (MVPCP) Meeting
Cover Message
The recently concluded 6th MVPCP Meeting yielded fruitful results as close coordination between key government agencies and Protection partners created more agreements, referrals and harmonized activities among humanitarian actors. This outcome is a response to the Ministry of Social Services and Development (MSSD) BARMM’s appeal for stronger coordination among humanitarian actors, requesting the development partners to work closely with MSSD in order to ensure that the interventions are timely and to prevent duplication of activities to be conducted by the Protection actors.
As of June 2020, 94,168 individuals remain displaced in BARMM, while 277,773 individuals are still displaced outside BARMM. Majority of the IDPs belong to the protractedly displaced families and families recurrently displaced due to heightened hostilities between the armed rebels and the government forces. Long-standing concerns on hygiene and sanitation, such as desludging of septic tanks particularly in Sagonsongan area, increase the health risks of IDPs. Also, the need for the facilitation of civil registration of IDPs resurfaced as ongoing issues. Certain illness novel to the IDPs has been an increasing concern in Basilan, as the sakit ng robot infects the most vulnerable in Basilan.
With the upsurge of COVID-19 positive cases particularly in Mindanao, the IDPs are positioned to worsened and complex conditions as they are more prone to contracting the virus. Overcrowded transitory sites and evacuation centers, unavailable water source and malfunctioning hygiene facilities and lack of access to health facilities are some of the many unresolved issues requiring immediate response. These ongoing IDP concerns on top of COVID-19 concerns calls for timely interventions, unified plan and coordination and provision of durable solutions among humanitarian actors in order to respond to the identified needs and concerns of the IDPs.
In taking a positive action to MSSD BARMM’s call for stronger coordination among humanitarian actors, small group meetings were joined by PSWOs, MSWOs PDRRMOs, MDRRMOs and other humanitarian agencies for the proposed Joint Protection Assessment in Maguindanao. Said assessment aims to ensure coordination among humanitarian actors and that the interventions are timely and to prevent duplication of activities to be conducted. Various locations in key Municipalities shall hold protection assessments which shall be attended by different key agencies and development partners. UNHCR Protection tools shall be utilized as reporting forms for coordination of humanitarian activities among the participants. For more information about the displacement snapshot, identified needs, responses and gaps and the humanitarian activities conducted by the Protection partners and key government agencies, kindly refer to the 6th MVPCP Powerpoint presentation and Minutes.
UNHCR Philippines is working closely with the key government agencies and humanitarian actors for the provision of essential interventions and services to the internally displaced in Mindanao. With its mandate to stay and deliver, UNHCR ensures that protection remains at the center of humanitarian responses, even in these challenging times.
