Australia celebrates partnership with Muslim Filipinos

MANILA, Philippines - The Australian embassy recently hosted its annual Iftar Dinner, further strengthening its long-standing partnership with the Philippine Muslim community. 

“Australia is working progressively with our partners in areas of interfaith dialogue, Muslim education, leadership exchanges, and economic development in Mindanao,” Australian Ambassador Rod Smith said.

Special guest at the dinner was Samah Hadid, 2010 Australian Youth Representative to the UN and also a member of the UN Experts Group on Youth, representative on the Australian National Commission for UNESCO, co-chair of the Multicultural Youth Network–Amnesty International.

Smith said, “Samah is among the thousands of Australian Muslims that continue to make important contributions to modern-day Australia and strengthen Australia’s links with Muslim communities around the globe.”

During her visit to Manila, Hadid participated in roundtable discussions with Filipino Muslim youth leaders and gave a lecture in Miriam College where she reiterated the significant role youth play in spreading messages of peace and tolerance as well as respect for human rights.

The Australian Government remains committed to assisting the development of Filipino Muslims. Mindanao, the area with the most significant Muslim population in the country, remains a major focus of Australia’s aid program. Australia is working closely with Philippine Government agencies to promote peace and development, as well as improve the delivery of basic and social services, particularly in the areas of education and training, local governance, and health.

A recent example of this partnership is Australia’s support to the Philippines’ Response to Indigenous Peoples and Muslim Education (PRIME) program of the Department of Education as inaugural sponsor with P880 million (A$20 million) from 2011 to 2014. The assistance through AusAID is for the development of learning materials, training of teachers and curriculum adaptation to make them more relevant to indigenous and Muslim learners.