Grant Projects: Activities

A review was carried out to evaluate the results of the grant project "Building a Network for Sustainable Peace in Southeast Asia," which was funded under the Asian Neighbors Network Program in fiscal 2007 (project leader Natsuko Saeki; grant number D07-N-103; grant amount ¥4 million).

The Asian Neighbors Network Program, which was the forerunner of the present Asian Neighbors Program, have supported projects to enable people living in Asia to build networks and identify and tackle problems facing the region. Projects ran for two years each, and produced an impressive array of results. One example, "Building a Network for Sustainable Peace in Southeast Asia," is introduced below.

People have pointed to the threat of Islamic fundamentalism in Southeast Asia since 2001, and it has led to the war on terrorism. However, the war on terrorism has in turn given rise to concern about widespread human rights abuses. This project aimed to build a network of nongovernmental organizations and researchers to clarify the root causes of human rights violations and political and religious conflicts in the region, with a particular focus on southern Mindanao in the Philippines and the town of Poso in Central Sulawesi in Indonesia. The project also sought to develop understanding of the issue shared among project members.

[caption] A map showing positions of natural resources and security forces is being drafted at an August 2008 workshop held in Poso, Central Sulawesi.

A preliminary brainstorming session held in Tokyo in November 2007 became the starting point for a series of workshops and studies on human rights violations in southern Mindanao and Central Sulawesi. Under the direction of the Japanese coordinators, considerable progress was made at these meetings toward deepening mutual understanding and building trust among NGOs in southern Mindanao and Poso.

[caption]
Indigenous leaders join others in voicing concerns about mine development and human rights violations at a September 2009 community-building workshop in Davao on the island of Mindanao.

Both Mindanao and Poso have been troubled by religious conflict and terrorist bombings. The underlying causes of these tensions are complex. By bringing residents of southern Mindanao and Central Sulawesi together, this project produced a wealth of information on issues that go beyond the framework of a single state, such as the global war on terrorism, the suffering of individuals in multiethnic societies wracked by violence, and resource development by multinational corporations. Resource development and security forces emerged as problems common to Mindanao and Poso. Other issues, including indigenous ethnic groups, paramilitary forces, and large-scale land ownership were limited to Mindanao. The results of the studies will be compiled into English and Japanese booklets.

The Foundation was particularly impressed by the energy of project leader Natsuko Saeki, a researcher and activist who worked tirelessly to uncover the truth, despite a lack of hard data on the relationship between antiterrorist strategies and development issues. We hope the network that grew out of the project will continue to thrive and play a role in bringing peace to both regions.

Further information on this project can be found by going to the project search page of Toyota Foundation's website and entering grant number D07-N-103 in the search box.

For more information (available in Japanese only) about this project, please visit the NINDJA (Network for Indonesian Democracy, Japan) , a NGO run by Ms. Saeki.