Various Bangsamoro planners across the region gather at the 4th BARMM Planners Congress, held on Oct. 22-23, 2024 in Davao City to tackle strategies that integrate environmental sustainability with socio-economic growth. (Comenei Ali/ BIO)
DAVAO CITY—Over 200 Bangsamoro planners across the region pledged to adopt blue and green approaches to promote climate change resiliency and sustainable development in the region during the 4th BARMM Planners Congress, held on Oct. 22-23, here.
Planners and officials from various ministries and local government units, along with Provincial, City, and Municipal Planning and Development Coordinators (PPDCs, CPDCs, and MPDCs), gathered to discuss strategies that integrate environmental sustainability with socio-economic growth.
Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) Chief Minister Ahod Ebrahim stated the congress is not just a discussion on economic frameworks but a call to shape a sustainable and prosperous future for the Bangsamoro.
“The blue and green economy offers us a chance to create a resilient, inclusive, and environmentally friendly autonomous regional economy by developing industries like sustainable fisheries, agriculture, renewable energy, and ecotourism, we can provide jobs, food security, and growth while protecting our natural resources,” Ebrahim said.
He added, “This approach also promotes equitable development by placing farmers, fishermen, and small business owners at the forefront of decision-making, combining traditional knowledge with modern sustainability practices.”
“BARMM’s potential for renewable energy—solar, wind, and hydropower—can further drive local development, reducing our reliance on fossil fuels,” the Chief Minister further stressed.
BPDA Director General Engr. Mohajirin Ali expressed that increasing the blue and green economy offers a pathway to sustainable and inclusive development fostering local economic development through resilient value chains that prioritize environmental sustainability and social equity.
“This congress is a vital platform for knowledge sharing, collaboration, and partnership building among local and regional planners in BARMM, we unite international and local experts with our Bangsamoro planners to exchange innovative ideas and strategies,” DG Ali said.
DG Ali reiterated that the future of BARMM relies on collective efforts and commitment to sustainable development and encouraged the participants to share insights, challenge the status quo, and collaborate freely.
Meanwhile, UNDP SHIELD Programme Manager Jacqueline Miel-Soliguin mentioned, “This event brings together some of the brighter minds, innovative thinkers, and dedicated professionals for shaping the future of the Bangsamoro.”
UN-Habitat Country Program Manager Edwine Carrie said, “Your expertise as city, municipal, provincial, and regional planners in special planning land use, and infrastructure development is vital to integrate local value chain with ecologically sound and sustainable practices by hitting the adoption of blue and green approaches,” UN-habitat added.
He added that UN-Habitat remains committed to supporting BARMM in its transformation towards a thriving resilient and equitable Bangsamoro, leaving no one behind and no case behind.
According to UN-FAO Country Representative Dr. Lionel Henri Valentin Dabbadie, “This congress is an opportunity to grow a meaningful economy that can help and look at that potential making community not only more resilient of the challenges of today but also more self-reliant for future life.”
Being facilitated by Ms. Nelia Bane Agbon, the congress highlighted different presentation of topics with a panel of discussion which includes the report on BARMM 2023 Full Year Official Poverty Statistics; Local Economic Enterprise (LEE) Development: Legal Basis, Basic Concepts, and Best Practices; Revenue Generation through LEE; Blue Transformation; Sustainable Food Value Chain; Blue and Green Approaches in Sustainable Development; and Green and Resilient Territorial Development.
It also includes the oath-taking of the newly elected Officers, held an inaugural meeting of the League of Local Planning and Development Coordinators of the Philippines, Incorporated (LLPDCPI) – BARMM Chapter, adopted the constitution and by-laws of the LLPDCPI, and agreed on 10 priority action plans mostly to be done in Fiscal Year 2025.
This congress was spearheaded by the Bangsamoro Planning and Development Authority (BPDA) in collaboration with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), UN-Habitat through the SHIELD Programme, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (UNFAO), and the European Union-funded Support to Bangsamoro Transition (SUBATRA) Programme.
The Planners’ Congress is an annual gathering of Bangsamoro regional and local planners which serve as a platform for strengthening its regional and local linkages and capacity development in the region.
This year’s congress-themed “Leveraging Local Value Chain and Optimizing Blue and Green Approaches for a More Sustainable and Resilient Development in BARMM.(Kasan Usop, Jr./BIO)
