Building a prosperous, inclusive, and resilient future: The Philippines’ new partnership with the United Nations

ON THE CUSP of becoming an upper-middle-income economy, the Philippines stands at a critical juncture in its development trajectory. We are making significant progress toward our goal of a more prosperous, inclusive, and resilient future.

We aim to sustain this momentum as we embark on a new chapter in our partnership with the United Nations, as we mark the UN Day on Oct. 24.

Amid domestic and external risks, including weather volatility induced by climate change, geopolitical tensions, and challenges in food and energy, the Philippine government is confident that the economy will be able to return to its high-growth norm. This optimism is rooted in our strong macroeconomic fundamentals and the structural reforms our country has instituted over the years. These elements empowered us to weather a barrage of shocks caused by the pandemic and economic downturns, carving a path for a strong recovery and sustained, inclusive economic growth.

Central to our success has been our portfolio of forward-looking policies and initiatives under the Philippine Development Plan (PDP) 2023-2028 focused more than ever on economic and social transformation.

Let me mention, in particular, our focus on innovation as a cross-cutting strategy for attaining our development objectives. In recent years, the Philippine government has recognized the pivotal role of innovation in our economy. The 2023 Global Innovation Index released by the World Intellectual Property Organization is proof that we are moving in the right direction. We witnessed our country’s remarkable climb from 100th place in 2014 to 56th among 132 economies this year.

Yet, a more dynamic policy environment for our innovation ecosystem is taking shape. The Philippine Innovation Act of 2019, now shepherded by a whole-of-nation multi-stakeholder approach through the National Innovation Council (NIC), chaired by President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr., has set the stage for propelling innovation-driven growth in the next decades. Through the National Innovation Agenda and Strategy Document 2023-2032, the President has provided clear directions towards this end.

Let me now discuss the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, a work in progress that is catalyzed by global cooperation. This is also the case for the Philippines.

In the past months, the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA), together with the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), and the United Nations (UN) Country Team have endeavored to better orient the country’s partnership with the UN to serve the complementary goals of the PDP 2023-2028 and the Sustainable Development Agenda.

Today, I have the privilege of being a signatory to the United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (UNSDCF) in the presence of the President.

The framework charts the priorities of UN activities in the Philippines for the next five years as follows:

1. human capital development, inclusion, and resilience building;

2. sustainable economic development, decent work, and innovation; and,

3. climate action, environmental sustainability, and disaster-resilience.

The UNSDCF, the first since reforms were adopted in the UN development system, is an overarching coordination tool for all UN agencies and programs represented in the country.

Amplifying Philippine ownership and leadership in development activities, this medium-term blueprint marks a truly modern partnership where parties actively work to deliver measurable improvements in the lives of Filipinos.

UN activities are to be driven by the needs and context of the Philippines, informed of our home-grown expertise and best practices and subject to joint review and monitoring.

With numerous success stories over decades of our cooperation with the UN system, including in the context of South-South cooperation, the Philippines has enjoyed its status as an active and reliable partner, and not merely a recipient of UN assistance.

With the UNSDCF guiding the cooperation for the next five years, the Philippines and the UN can elevate our partnership to showcase how the UN development system can achieve more synergy, coherence, and impact to achieve sustainable development goals globally.

I trust that this new spirit of UN engagement in the country will thrive in step with the country’s positive economic momentum. On this UN Day, we usher in a partnership that is now geared to contribute in a more meaningful way to achieving our highest hopes for the Filipino people.

Arsenio M. Balisacan is the secretary of the National Economic and Development Authority.