International Cooperation for Peacebuilding in the Kingdom of Cambodia and Republic of the Philippines

Japan has cooperated with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) for half a century for the peace, stability, and prosperity of the region. Meanwhile, the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) has bolstered activities aimed at peacebuilding since the 1990s. JICA has focused on activities aimed at creating resilient nations and societies that can prevent and avoid the re-emergence of violent conflicts, with the goal of fostering a peaceful and inclusive society. Here, we introduce the initiatives on landmine removal in the Kingdom of Cambodia (hereafter, "Cambodia") and the peace efforts in Mindanao, Republic of the Philippines (hereafter, "the Philippines").

In Cambodia, even over 30 years after the end of the civil war, landmines and unexploded ordnance (UXO) remain, concentrated in rural areas where 80% of the population lives. This situation not only poses a threat to the people but also hinders agricultural land development.

The clearance of landmines and UXO is primarily conducted by the Cambodian Mine Action Centre (commonly known as CMAC), a government agency. In addition to providing equipment for landmine and UXO clearance activity, JICA has been implementing technical cooperation projects for many years that support the introduction of equipment management systems and information management systems for clearance activity, and the enhancement of CMAC's training capabilities and organizational functions. Hayashi Akihito, an expert assigned to CMAC, had the following to say.

"As a signatory of the Ottawa Treaty (the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention), Cambodia is obligated to complete the clearance of all anti-personnel mines within the country by 2025, and it is expected to fulfill this obligation. I believe there is no other country that has been able to resolve the issue of landmines as smoothly, and the fact that Japan has been supporting this effort is of great significance internationally," he explains.

In addition, CMAC, utilizing the knowledge it has gained so far, is conducting training for countries such as Laos, Colombia, and Ukraine which are also affected by landmines and UXOs, under the cooperation of JICA. Hayashi believes it is a rare international success story where peacebuilding activities have spread through an aid recipient country.

"Currently, we are working on a project where we have asked curators from museums, including the Okinawa Peace Memorial Museum to help create exhibits at the Peace Museum of CMAC planned for construction in Siem Reap, a city in the northwest of Cambodia," says Hayashi. "I believe this can become an example of cooperation between countries that share the same pain of having their homelands turn into battlefields."

Among JICA's peacekeeping activities, the international cooperation contributing to the peace process in Mindanao, the Philippines, is particularly noteworthy. Mindanao Island is located at the southern end of the Philippine archipelago and is the second-largest island in the Philippines, with an area of about 94,600 square kilometers, following Luzon Island. In response to the ceasefire agreement reached in 2003 between the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, an armed group seeking a high degree of autonomy from the Philippines, and the Philippine government, JICA began full-scale peace support efforts. Ochiai Naoyuki, a JICA staff member who has been involved in support for a long time, reflects on that time.

"We maintained a strictly neutral position, providing peace mediation to the government side as well as the Moro Islamic Liberation Front and development support for conflict affected area in Mindanao. In Mindanao, deep-rooted poverty issues resulting from years of conflict were addressed through agricultural support, medical and welfare assistance, and infrastructure development, all aimed at underpinning the peace negotiations with ongoing development efforts," he explains. "In 2008, amidst deteriorating security conditions and the withdrawal of other countries from International Monitoring Team as peacekeeping forces, the continued presence of JICA strengthened trust in Japan. As a result, in 2011, the first top-level meeting was realized between Philippine President Aquino and Chairman Murad of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front."

Afterward, a comprehensive peace agreement was signed, and the Bangsamoro Transitional Authority was established. Local efforts continue to focus on capacity-building initiatives and legal system support to promote the autonomy and operation of the autonomous government.

"The local community says that Japan is providing support that aligns with their perspectives," says Ochiai. "I feel that the success of democratic conflict resolution is due to JICA's collaborative approach of working from the same viewpoint, identifying problems, and finding solutions, which has become the foundation of our relationship of trust."

<Reference> Examples of JICA's International Cooperation Projects Concerning Landmine Removal in Cambodia

Reference websites
https://www.jica.go.jp/oda/project/0409300/index.html
https://www.jica.go.jp/oda/project/2260460/

<Reference> Examples of JICA's International Cooperation Project Concerning Mindanao Peace and Development Assistance in the Philippines

Reference websites
https://www.jica.go.jp/oda/project/1203122/index.html