Products and Services::Ongoing Project

Special Zone of Peace and Development (SZOPAD) Social Fund Project

The Special Zone of Peace and Development (SZOPAD) Social Fund Project implements the development provision of the September 6, 1996 Peace Agreement between the Government of the Philippines (GOP) and the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF). It finances small-scale basic social and economic infrastructure, capability building and skills trainings. The project consists of two components:

1. the subproject component for financing local government unit (LGU) subprojects; and

2. the institutional support component that will cover the services of the Social Fund's operating expenses.

With the initial US$10.0 million loan from the WB-IBRD, the Fund has completed 446 infrastructure subprojects, and provided 15 capability-building trainings for the operation and maintenance of 42 infrastructure subprojects and one entrepreneurship training. As of June 2002, six remaining infrastructure subprojects are expected to be completed by July 2002.

Loan Amount: US$10.0 Million

Closing Date: December 2002

Sustaining the emerging benefits of the project, a US$10.0 million from the OPEC Fund Loan is used to augment the initial fund and expand the project menu by including off-grid electrification subprojects. As of June 2002, 30 infrastructure subprojects have been completed, and 88 approved subprojects (47 infrastructure subprojects and 41 CO and capability building trainings) are in the pipeline.

Closing Date: June 30, 2004

WB's Japan Social Development Fund further expands the Social Fund's project menu with the US$1.50million grant. This is to finance livelihood and micro-enterprise subprojects whose target beneficiaries are focused on IPs, widows and poor women in the SZOPAD area.

Grant Amount: US$1.5 Million

Closing Date: December 30, 2002