...the PH report in UN's Sustainable Development Goals

The Philippines reports substantial progress in achieving UN mandated SDG's

By Roy Mabasa
Manila Bulletin
24 October 2019

On the occasion of the United Nations Day, the Philippines on Thursday expressed its support and a renewed commitment to the call of UN Secretary-General António Guterres to find solutions and accelerate efforts to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

In its second Voluntary National Review (VNR) of the SDG which is 10 years away from the deadline, the Philippines has shown progress in achieving the global goals based on the report of the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA).

Adopted by all UN member-states in 2015, the SDG is a universal call to action to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure that all people enjoy peace and prosperity by 2030.

“The country has achieved a near-universal primary enrolment rate of 94.2 percent in 2017 under Quality Education or SDG 4, and improved access to education for vulnerable groups. There were also significant increases in completion rates for primary and secondary education by more than 8 and 10 percent in the past two years,” according to a joint statement issued by the Department of Foreign Affairs and the UN.

On decent work and economic growth or SDG 8, the Philippines noted a Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth rate of over 6 percent and the lowest national unemployment rate in almost 15 years.

It noted that the Green Jobs Act further promoted decent jobs that are environment-friendly, protect the ecosystem and biodiversity, and help reduce waste generation and pollution.

While the Philippines rank third in the world as “most vulnerable to hazards,” data, however, showed a decrease in persons directly affected by disasters from 2015 to 2018.

It also cited the roles of the private sector in bringing inclusive business models and value chains, while the disadvantaged groups availed of livelihood support programs to lift communities out of poverty.

On gender issue, the Philippines has expanded maternity leave benefits and extended its conditional cash transfer to poor families in order to promote social protection and to narrow the gap between male and female labor force,

Significantly, private companies now hire more persons with disability, and poor communities were also empowered through a community-driven development approach.

On peace, justice, and strong institutions, cumulative initiatives including those by the international community resulted to the Bangsamoro Organic Law to address the conflict in Mindanao. The National ID System, the government’s digital identification platform, is under implementation to facilitate access of the marginalized to government assistance, among others.

In the statement, both the DFA and the UN recognized the whole-of-government and a whole-of-society approach as “crucial” to sustain the progress that has been made to address remaining challenges, realize aspirations, and ensure that no one is left behind.

Yearly, the DFA and the UN office in the Philippines co-hosts the UN Day celebration in pursuit of common goals.

As one of the founding members, the Philippines was among the first signatories of the UN Charter in June 1945 along with 49 other countries. October 24 has been celebrated globally as UN Day since 1948.