Philippines Signs New Generation Cooperation Framework with the United Nations
President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. witnesses the signing of the 2024-2028 United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework for the Philippines. Signing for the Philippines are Secretary Enrique A. Manalo (DFA) and Secretary Arsenio M. Balisacan (NEDA) and for the UN is Resident Coordinator in the Philippines, Mr. Gustavo González.
MANILA 24 October 2023 – President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. today witnessed the signing of the 2024-2028 United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework for the Philippines (SDCF) by Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique A. Manalo, National Economic Development Secretary Arsenio M. Balisacan and United Nations (UN) Resident Coordinator in the Philippines, Mr. Gustavo González in a simple ceremony held this afternoon at the Malacañang Palace.
The SDCF sets the areas of cooperation between the Philippines and the UN from 2024 to 2028 and provides strategic direction for UN activities at the country level. It also guides the Country Programmes of the 17 UN agencies, funds and programmes represented in the Philippines, such as the UNDP, UNICEF, WHO, the World Food Programme, among others.
The new document, signed on the 78th anniversary of the founding of the UN, shows how Philippine partnership with the UN has evolved. Infused with a more mature and outward-looking synergy of efforts, the Framework builds on the dynamism of the Philippine economy and refocuses UN support to advance the national agenda for innovation-driven, climate-smart, resilient and inclusive economic growth.
In his remarks after the signing ceremony, the President touted the SDCF as a document that “deepens, expands and elevates the partnership between the Philippines and the UN…it is oriented to support Philippine government policies and priorities embodied in my eight-point socioeconomic agenda, the Philippine Development Plan and AmBisyon Natin, it enjoins UN agencies in the government’s determined pursuit of the highest aspirations of the Filipino people.”
The 2024-2028 UN SDCF ensures that UN programs and activities in the country enjoy the consent of the Philippine government, are driven by the needs and context of national development, and are also subject to joint monitoring. This arrangement “provides a good model of co-ownership, transparency and accountability for UN country programmes,” the President pointed out.
Recalling his statement before the UN General Assembly in 2022, where the President highlighted the need for a “transformative agenda to bridge divides, address inequalities and foster growth that carries everyone forward,” President Marcos expressed optimism that this new SDCF “can be a catalyst for the accomplishment of our shared goals in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development…(and) how the Philippines’ best practices and experience established over decades can help the achievement of the SDG agenda elsewhere, through South-South cooperation platforms.”
Embodied in the so-called 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and adopted by all UN Member States in 2015, the 17 Sustainable Development Goals or SDGs involve strategies that improve health and education, reduce inequality, and spur economic growth across the globe while addressing climate change and preserving the environment.
This SDCF is of the first Frameworks to be inked under the reformed UN development system. The reform of the UN development system (UNDS) began in May 2018 and involves a broad repositioning of the UNDS to help countries around the world achieve the SDGs.
Under the Framework, the Philippine government and the UN have agreed to work on three overarching strategic outcomes: (1) human capital development, inclusion, and resilience building; (2) sustainable economy economic development, decent work, and innovation; and (3) climate action, environmental sustainability, and disaster-resilience.
The 2024-2028 SDCF was negotiated by the Department of Foreign Affairs, the National Economic and Development Authority and the Office of the UN Resident Coordinator in the Philippines, in consultation with relevant government agencies and stakeholders. END
