About us

About UNDP in the Philippines

UNDP has been working to ensure better lives for the Filipino people since 1965, and has been committed to helping the country achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as well as national development priorities as set out in the Philippine Development Plan and the UN Philippines Partnership Framework for Sustainable Development. 
 
The Standard Basic Assistance Agreement (SBAA), signed on 21 July 1977, provided an early framework for UNDPs work in the country as well as the ongoing legal basis for UNDPs operations in the Philippines.

What do we want to accomplish?

UNDP’s Country Programme Document (2019-2023) focuses on three key areas of intervention: improving access to social services for the poor, supporting the transition to environmentally sustainable development, and responding to the drivers of conflict.

Bringing better services to the marginalized and at-risk is done by further developing efforts of local government units (LGUs), strengthening governance in key national agencies, as well as encouraging more citizens to engage in government policies and programs.

UNDP works to enhance risk-informed policies and programs, support the implementation of the Paris Agreement and improve natural resource management as part of its efforts towards climate action.

The CPD also guides the country towards peace and resilience by assisting in the transition of armed groups to civilians, establishing transitional justice systems and community platforms, and providing socioeconomic opportunities for those in conflict-affected areas.

UNDP also emphasizes human rights, gender equality, empowerment of marginalized and vulnerable populations, and innovation as fundamental, guiding principles throughout its work.

UNDP partners with many government agencies and development stakeholders throughout the Philippines. The National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) serves as UNDP’s government counterparts, while many other nation and local agencies act as implementing partners for its projects. UNDP also works with international partners, the private sector and civil society organizations for the implementation of UNDP’s programmes.

What are our results?

Institutions and Partnerships 

Strengthening institutions and partnerships is at the core of UNDP’s support to the country to address critical development challenges and achieve national goals and targets.  Aligned with the global goals and national priorities, UNDP works towards enhancing the capacities of institutions to plan, manage, and deliver quality social and economic services to the most marginalized, vulnerable, and at-risk sectors.  UNDP’s efforts are directed towards strengthening national and local governance to create rights-based and gender-responsive enabling policies, deliver targeted programmes that ensure no one is left behind, and establish mechanisms that provide greater space for meaningful engagement and participation of the citizens. 

Through its various programmes and projects, UNDP has spearheaded efforts to help government agencies with low disbursement rates accelerate the delivery of basic social services through government financing system while ensuring citizens’ engagement as oversight and monitors to promote transparency and accountability in the delivery of basic services.  Further, government capacities are enhanced to utilize resources and track the country’s progress in the achievement of sustainable development goals (SDGs) as well as strengthen public financial management for an effective and efficient execution of budget for service delivery.  UNDP recognizes the significant contribution of private sector in achieving the SDGs, particularly in terms of promoting innovations, mainstreaming the SDGs in their business planning and operations, and creating and capacitating social enterprises and the youth for better social impact.  UNDP ensures that cross-cutting interventions of justice and human rights are incorporated in ongoing and future initiatives and in various thematic areas of engagement. 

Climate Action and Environment 

Global warming is proceeding at an unprecedented scale, and the Philippines is one of the countries which bear the brunt of its impacts. Compounded by rapid loss of forest cover, degradation of biodiversity, coastal and marine pollution, and land degradation – the natural resilience of ecosystems have been drastically reduced, thus magnifying the impacts of climate hazards. For the Philippines, the average annualized long-term loss from multi hazards have been estimated to be equivalent to 69 percent of social expenditures and 14 percent of capital investments. Every year, an average of 22 typhoons hit the country, causing millions of dollars in damages and loss of life. The country has already experienced the hottest temperatures recorded in 2016, resulting in widespread drought. 

UNDP has been actively supporting the Philippines’ efforts on climate adaptation and mitigation. It is supporting in the formulation of the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). UNDP support for the production of climate adjusted multi-hazard maps and an open source climate exposure database provides the basis for risk informed land use and development planning, investments, preparedness and evaluation of public investment projects. For municipalities ravaged by typhoon Haiyan, the evacuation centers UNDP built, the disaster reduction and management training it provided and its support for sustainable livelihoods helped thousands of families on the road to recovery. 

UNDP has long years of experience in supporting government in implementation of nature based solutions to climate change, and also tackle biodiversity loss, expansion of protected areas and adoption of other effective area based conservation measures by working with a broad range of local stakeholders – local communities, indigenous peoples, and local government units. Design and implementation of biodiversity friendly livelihood activities have been carried out to tackle the root causes of environmental degradation and ensure equitable benefits from conservation actions. 

 
Peace

From 2019 to 2023, UNDP will assist the transition of armed groups from combatants to civilians, establish transitional justice mechanisms and community security platforms, and provide socioeconomic opportunities for communities in conflict-affected areas. 

The School for Peace and Development will be established with key Moro stakeholders to deepen understanding of Islamic principles of good governance and provide online and on-the-job training to combatants who may assume key administrative, political and civic roles. UNDP will also support armed groups in forming political parties to provide platforms for peaceful and lawful participation in national and local political processes. 

To pursue social cohesion and prevent further alienation within and among communities, UNDP will support the establishment of mechanisms for truth-telling, redress of historical grievances and human rights violations. UNDP will emphasize participatory decision-making for the ownership and use of land and natural resources. It will broaden the constituency for peace by expanding its work with influential intermediaries to engage with women, youth, minority groups and people living with disabilities. To respond to existing and new threats to stability, UNDP will strengthen national capacity for reconciliation and mediation, the peaceful management of conflict, and the prevention of violent extremism. UNDP will help establish an early warning system centred on community leaders and local government officials as a preventive response to clan conflict and radicalization. 

UNDP will support the development and implementation of a comprehensive socioeconomic programme in Moro Islamic Liberation Front camps and in communities most prone to radicalization or subject to the influence of the New People’s Army (many are within the jurisdiction of the 100 targeted LGUs). Interventions will be framed in the context of the Goals and informed by a detailed profile of the communities, covering age, gender, civil status, dependents, education, health, needs and expectations. It will include an assessment of the economic and social potential of the areas of settlement, and information on natural resources, infrastructure, security and social capital.