COTABATO CITY (PIA)—About 40 youth leaders from Maguindanao, Cotabato City, and the 63 BARMM barangays in North Cotabato recently participated in a three-day Regional and Provincial Youth, Peace and Security Consultations in Koronadal City, South Cotabato.

The data gathered in the consultation will be included in the formulation of National and Regional Action Plan on Youth, Peace and Security (NAP-YPS and RAP-YPS).

Bangsamoro Youth Commission (BYC) Chairperson Marjanie Macasalong urged the participants to exert efforts in laying down their meaningful recommendations and insights in order to provide contextualized contribution to the YPS formulation.

“Peace-building and security is one of BARMM government’s youth priority area with the goal to capture the BARMM youth to participate in promoting human security, inclusive disengagement and reintegration programs, and prevention from association with armed groups,” Macasalong said.

The NAP-YPS aims to guide both policymakers and service-providers in integrating and adopting the action points in the formulation and implementation of policies and programs that will address or contribute to addressing the needs articulated by the youth.

The consultation which started on October 19 until October 21, was organized by the BYC of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) and the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (OPPAP), with support from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). (With reports from BYC-BARMM).