As a homegrown institute with in-depth knowledge of the culture and the dynamics of governance and conflict in the southern Philippines, IAG is strategically positioned to undertake pioneering researches on various human security and development issues in the region.

 

IAG was the first to come up with a comprehensive profile of Non-Moro Indigenous Cultural Communities in the mainland ARMM, which has since informed its work towards the protection and promotion of the rights of Non-Moro Indigenous Peoples. IAG completed the gathering of cultural information and baseline data and the generation of cultural maps that built the foundation for the successful formulation of the Ancestral Domain Sustainable Development and Protection Plan (ADSDPP), that have been approved and adopted by three of the tribes (Teduray, Lambangian and Dulangan Manobo), a milestone for the Indigenous Peoples.

 

IAG’s researches on youth vulnerability, traditional madaris and the baseline studies on violent extremism (VE) in the Philippines are driving P/CVE policies and programs in the country.

 

Its pre-Marawi siege research on youth’s knowledge of and attitude towards VE investigated the vulnerability of Muslim youth in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) to radicalization and recruitment  by VE groups. Until the publication of this research, there has been little data available that policymakers can use as a basis for interventions to respond effectively to the threat of VE.

 

After the Marawi siege, IAG undertook another research on youth and VE, this time with respondents from four areas across Mindanao. The data from this research formed part of the assessment report on the local drivers of VE in the Philippines.

 

The madaris research, meanwhile, has established IAG’s working relations with 1,473 traditional madaris in the Bangsamoro and adjacent regions in Mindanao. It identified the issues and challenges confronting these institutions and provided policy and program recommendations on how to enhance the traditional madaris so they can contribute to the development of peaceful and prosperous communities.

 

Previously, IAG has conducted research on urban safety in five urban centers in Mindanao (Cotabato City, Marawi City, Zamboanga City, Isabela City in Basilan, and Jolo in Sulu), a case study on the ARMM, integrated area development plan and comprehensive land use plan for the five Iranun municipalities of Maguindanao (Barira, Buldon, Datu Blah Sinsuat, Matanog and Parang), and a comprehensive assessment of the implementation of the 1996 Final Peace Agreement between the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) and the Philippine government.