Summary of publication

The main objective of the Building Sustainable Institutions and Communities in the Bangsamoro (BASIC Bangsamoro) grants program is to support long-term stability and development in conflict-affected areas of Mindanao. This program works to enhance stability and development by supporting efforts to ensure a successful transition to the Bangsamoro and a durable end to armed conflict in Moro areas. BASIC Bangsamoro grants supported proposals for:

• Improving institutional capacity to implement the peace agreement;
• Ensuring the peace process is more credible and widely supported; and
• Strengthening local mechanisms for averting the escalation of violence.

This mid-term review of the bilateral BASIC Bangsamoro program is formative in nature and will inform the future direction of Australia's bilateral activities and broader support for peace and stability. It was commissioned to assess the effectiveness of Australia's support for peace in Muslim Mindanao to date, and its appropriateness in the context of the change in the Philippine administration in 2016 and the new leadership, policies and institutional environment this entails.

In the management response, DFAT notes the review findings and agrees with the recommendations put forward by the evaluators, while noting that implementing some of these recommendations would be subject to agreement of other parties (such as the Government of the Philippines) and their leadership on policy initiatives.

Full publication

• Strategic Review [PDF 1.1 MB]
• Strategic Review [DOCX 96 KB]
• Management Response [PDF 305 KB]
• Management Response [DOCX 41 KB]