Secretary Manalo, UN Country Team Discuss Ways to Strengthen Collaboration on PH Development

Secretary for Foreign Affairs Enrique A. Manalo and the United Nations Country Team led by UN Resident Coordinator and Humanitarian Coordinator Gustavo Gonzales discussed ways to strengthen the collaboration between the Philippines and the UN during the team’s joint courtesy call on the Secretary at the DFA’s Bulwagang Apolinario Mabini. (DFA-OPCD Photo by Philip Fernandez)

PASAY CITY 13 September 2022 – Secretary for Foreign Affairs Enrique A. Manalo received 16 representatives of the United Nations (UN) Country Team in the Philippines led by their Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator Gustavo Gonzales during a joint courtesy call at the Bulwagang Apolinario Mabini of the Department of Foreign Affairs on 09 September 2022.

The call was the first of its kind for the DFA where the heads and representatives of various Philippine-based UN agencies met with the Secretary as one team under the revitalized UN Resident Coordinator System. The Resident Coordinator System synchronizes the UN Country Team’s in-country engagements, and was designed to ensure that the UN’s programs effectively address the development needs of the Philippines based on the priorities identified in the Philippine Development Plan. 

“The real test of the UN however is the difference that it makes on the ground. For this reason, the Philippines is very much engaged in the work of the UN Development System (UNDS), which we recognize as playing  a pivotal role in helping the Philippines address development challenges and implement the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development,” said Secretary Manalo. 

The in-country relationship between the Philippines and the UN is guided by the Philippines–United Nations Partnership Framework for Sustainable Development (PFSD), whose objectives are aligned with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the Philippine Development Plan 2017-2022, Ambisyon Natin 2040, and other relevant national policies.

During the call, Secretary Manalo and the representatives of the UN Country Team exchanged views on how the Philippines and UN could collaborate better, especially in preparation for the crafting of the new PFSD for 2024 to 2028 and in accelerating the achievement of the 2030 Agenda.

The Secretary for Foreign Affairs was joined by the DFA’s Office of the United Nations and International Organizations led by Assistant Secretary Assistant Secretary Kira Christianne D. Azucena. 

Together with the United Nations Resident Coordinator, representatives from the following UN entities attended the call: Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), International Labour Organization (ILO), International Organization for Migration (IOM), UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), UN Development Programme (UNDP), UN Department of Safety and Security (UNDSS), UN Population Fund (UNFPA), UN Human High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), UN International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF), UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), UN Office for Project Services (UNOPS), UN Women, World Food Programme (WFP), and the World Health Organization (WHO). END

Secretary for Foreign Affairs Enrique A. Manalo discusses the pivotal role played by the UN in helping the Philippines achieve its development goals.  (DFA-OPCD Photo by Philip Fernandez)

UN Country Team Resident Coordinator Gustavo Gonzales updates the Secretary on the progress of UN programs in the Philippines.  (DFA-OPCD Photo by Philip Fernandez)