Press Releases
Signing and Exchange of Notes Concerning Grant Aid “The Project for Enhancing Climate-Resilient Livelihoods in Vulnerable Communities in Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao” to the Republic of the Philippines
On February 28, in Manila, the capital of the Republic of the Philippines, Mr. ENDO Kazuya, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Japan to the Republic of the Philippines, and Mr. Regis CHAPMAN, Representative and Country Director of the World Food Programme (WFP) Philippines, signed and exchanged notes concerning the grant aid project for the Project for Enhancing Climate-Resilient Livelihoods in Vulnerable Communities in Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (grant provision of up to 757 million yen).
- In the Philippines, agriculture is an important industry, and the early warning systems provided by the Philippine authorities are important as a means for farmers to take their own disaster prevention measures and protect not only their own lives but also their crops, which are their means of livelihood. On the other hand, local governments that are vulnerable to disasters lack personnel with experience in early warning systems and risk mitigation and management plans, and there is a need to improve the disaster response and disaster risk management capacity of local governments.
- In addition, many of the Philippines' agricultural workers live below the poverty line. In recent years, climate change and natural disasters have affected the production of agricultural products, and it is an urgent issue to improve and stabilize the income of farmers by increasing agricultural productivity and adding value to agricultural products through improved farm management.
- This project aims to improve the disaster response and risk management capacity of local governments and to secure weather-independent livelihoods for small farmers in the Autonomous Region of Bangsamoro Muslim Mindanao by establishing an early warning system and emergency response plan for extreme weather events such as typhoons, high temperatures, and droughts, also by creating an enabling environment for all-weather agriculture. This will contribute to the resilience of the region against irregular weather conditions.
The Republic of the Philippines has an area of approximately 300,000 square kilometers (approximately 80% of the Japan’s area), a population of about 117.34 million people (2023, World Bank), and a gross national income (GNI) per capita is 4,230 USD (2023, World Bank).