DAVAO CITY, PHILIPPINES - Nearly 50 youth from various Bangsamoro communities convened in Davao City for Ideation Lab 2023, uniting participants with a shared commitment to volunteerism for e-governance and digitalization, entrepreneurship, and storytelling for peace.

Ideation Lab: Youth, Peace, and Security (YPS) and Localizing e-governance for Accelerated Provision of Services (LeAPS) 2023 hosted in Davao City is part of a series of Youth Co:Lab’s month-long International Youth Day celebrations in the Philippines. 

This initiative was jointly organized by Youth Co:Lab, co-led by UNDP and Citi Foundation, LeAPS Program, and Peace and Stabilization Programme teams of UNDP, with the BARMM Ministry of Interior and Local Government (MILG), Bangsamoro Youth Commission (BYC), Technical Working Group on YPS, the UK Government, and the Kingdom of Netherlands.

As a part of series of roadshows, this second leg of Ideation Lab brought together young leaders from the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) and Bangsamoro Communities Outside of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region (BCOBAR) to unpack the Bangsamoro Action Plan on Youth, Peace and Security (BAP-YPS), provide recommendations for its implementation, and find linkages to digitalization and e-governance.

Of the youth participants, 85% were from underrepresented sectors, mostly from indigenous communities. Among the participants, 52% of the youth identified as male, 34% as female, while the others preferred not to disclose their gender. 

The Movers Programme conducted an introductory workshop on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), arming young participants with the tools to accelerate the implementation of the SDGs. Simultaneously, the Youth Co:Lab team facilitated a workshop on Meaningful Youth Engagement (MYE), establishing a common language for engaging youth was discussed among the partners. 

Pioneering the LeAPS Volunteer Corps (LVC), nearly 50 Bangsamoro youth are now part of a platform for learning more about e-governance, connecting with fellow volunteers, and amplifying the #DigitalBangsamoro campaign. Complimenting BYC’s initiative to start their own Bangsamoro Youth Volunteer Programme (BYVP). These volunteer initiatives are meant to actively engage young people in and around the Bangsamoro region.

Youth consultations for the BAP-YPS played a central role during the Davao leg. Settie Ivy Ampatuan, Assistant Division Chief at BYC, emphasized the need to recognize young voices in formulating policy recommendations that address their needs, particularly those of young persons with disabilities.

The consultations highlighted the need for inclusive mentoring and creating platforms for youth to contribute to conflict resolution and community resilience. Notably, this Davao leg enabled the mentoring of 15 young women leaders. Edwin Carrie, Deputy Resident Representative at UNDP Philippines expressed, “Convergence and partnership between various actors, including young people, community members, local government entities, and international organizations like UNDP, can contribute to more effective and sustainable development and peacebuilding strategies in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao. The Ideation Lab is an ideal platform to bring about this change, as it aims to bring together young people ready to make a change towards achieving the SDGs.” 

Showcasing their remarkable ingenuity through the ideation sessions and the #DigitalBangsamoro campaign, participants presented their solutions to issues concerning out-of-school youth (OSY) and young persons with disabilities in Bangsamoro. The winning participants identified the most pressing needs of their peers and showcased their ingenuity in local engagement through selected social media platforms, music jingles, and hackathon challenges.

The Davao Ideation Lab is a testament to the potential of achieving the SDGs when digitalization, innovation, volunteerism, and policy development converge to empower the youth, for the youth. By fostering collaboration, dialogue, and the exchange of ideas among youth and government stakeholders, Ideation Lab is setting the stage for a more inclusive, resilient, and forward-thinking Bangsamoro youth.

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About Youth Co:Lab  

Co-created in 2017 by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and Citi Foundation, Youth Co:Lab aims to establish a common agenda for countries in the Asia-Pacific region to empower and invest in youth, so that they can accelerate the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through leadership, social innovation and entrepreneurship. Learn more at www.youthcolab.org or follow @youthcolab

About Citi Foundation  

The Citi Foundation works to promote economic progress and improve the lives of people in low-income communities around the world. We invest in efforts that increase financial inclusion, catalyze job opportunities for youth, and reimagine approaches to building economically vibrant communities. The Citi Foundation's "More than Philanthropy'' approach leverages the enormous expertise of Citi and its people to fulfill our mission and drive thought leadership and innovation. For more information, visit www.citifoundation.com.

About UNDP 

UNDP is the leading United Nations organization fighting to end the injustice of poverty, inequality, and climate change. Working with our broad network of experts and partners in 170 countries, we help nations to build integrated, lasting solutions for people and the planet. Learn more at www.undp.org/philippines or follow @UNDPPH

About LeAPS

Localizing e-Governance for Accelerated Provision of Services (LeAPS) Program is a flagship program of the Ministry of the Interior and Local Government (MILG) in partnership with the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), which supports the Office of the Chief Minister, all BARMM ministries, and select LGUs by harnessing the transformative p0ower of data, digitalization, and people-centered governance.

Implemented in BARMM under the LeAPS Program, the Development through Local Indicators and Vulnerability Exposure Database (DevLIVE+) is a system and tool used to collect, organize, visualize, and manage baseline data and information about households and other physical structures. These are then used to monitor access to basic services, assess vulnerabilities and hazard exposures, provide guidance on development planning, and create development pathways towards sustainable and progressive communities.

About Peace and Stabilization

Peace and Stabilization Programme Team works with national and local governments and key stakeholders towards recognition and promotion of a common understanding of the diverse cultural history, identity and inequalities of areas affected by conflict, enabling the establishment of inclusive and responsive governance systems and accelerating sustainable and equitable development for just and lasting peace in conflict affected areas in Mindanao. For the work with Bangsamoro youth, it focuses on Youth, Peace and Security agenda, social innovation and leadership and youth volunteers programme.

Media Contact
UNDP: fortheyouth.ph@undp.org