The National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) presented the Philippine government’s initiatives in crafting regional Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Catch-up Plans during the 11th Asia-Pacific Forum on Sustainable Development (APFSD) held from February 20 to 23 at the United Nations Conference Center in Bangkok, Thailand.
NEDA Undersecretary Rosemarie G. Edillon, who served as Vice-Chair of the 11th APFSD, cited the government seeks to incorporate the SDGs in the Philippine Development Plan (PDP) 2023-2028.
“The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development has proven to be invaluable in cultivating a deep understanding of the interlinkages among economic, social, and environmental outcomes. We have gone to great lengths to incorporate the SDGs in our Philippine Development Plan, while reshaping our objective from recovery to steering the economy towards a high-growth, inclusive, and resilient trajectory,” Usec. Edillon said.
She noted, however, overall progress towards the SDGs remains slow despite the country’s accomplishments in the first year of implementing the PDP 2023-2028. For this reason, the government began capacitating regional stakeholders in formulating SDG Catch-up Plans using local data and the “Every Policy is Connected Tool” developed by the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific.
“The sub-national catch-up plans intend to accelerate local initiatives on regressing SDGs indicators based on the Philippines’ SDG Pace of Progress,” Edillon explained.
Calling for the country delegates to renew their commitments and intensify efforts towards achieving the SDGs, she stressed, “The 2030 Agenda is more than just a matter of meeting deadlines. Ultimately, it is about the pursuit of a better life for all of us, in which no one is left behind.”
The APFSD is an annual intergovernmental forum designed to support the follow-up and review of progress on the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development at the regional level. It serves as a regional preparatory meeting for the 2024 High-Level Political Forum in New York.
