Canada is set to provide 1.7 million Canadian dollars or approximately PHP74.5 million in assistance to help communities in the Philippines safeguard children from exploitation and recruitment by criminal and terrorist networks.

This was among a string of financial aid announcements by Canadian Foreign Minister Anita Anand at the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Post-Ministerial Conference with Canada in Pasay City on Wednesday.

“Over the last three years, under Canada and ASEAN’s strategic partnership, we have seen strengthened engagement in all of these areas, and we will continue to deepen engagement on security priorities such as maritime security, cybersecurity, and transnational crime, including cyber-enabled fraud and drug trafficking,” she said.

Anand said Ottawa will also earmark 4.5 million Canadian dollars to boost non-proliferation and biosecurity capacities in the region and 490,000 Canadian dollars to support women’s leadership during the Philippine chairship.

She likewise announced a 217,000 Canadian dollars initiative with Laos to help strengthen its capacity to prevent and respond to money laundering and fraud and a 455,000 Canadian dollars funding to reinforce fair and ethical recruitment systems for migrant workers in the region.

“Canada’s strong engagement with ASEAN reflects a simple truth: our prosperity and security at home are deeply linked to developments in the Indo-Pacific,” she said.

At the meeting, the ministers highlighted the importance of strengthening cooperation on maritime, food, cyber, and energy security.

They also welcomed the 23 percent growth in ASEAN–Canada bilateral merchandise trade over the past year, reaching USD52.4 billion, and expressed confidence that the new ASEAN–Canada Plan of Action will further deepen economic cooperation. (PNA)