Commission on Population and Development

Formed: February 19, 1969

Headquarters: Welfareville, Mandaluyong Metro Manila
Motto: Empowering Filipino Families and Communities

The Commission on Population and Development (Kagawaran sa Populasyon at Pagpapaunlad) abbreviated as

POPCOM, is a Philippine government agency and the lead policy-making and coordinating organization of the country's
population management programs.

POPCOM is an attached agency to the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA). The latter’s incumbent
director general and current socioeconomic planning secretary (in 2022, Arsenio Balisacan) serves as POPCOM's
chairman of the board.

As of January 13, 2023, POPCOM's Executive Director is Lisa Grace S. Bersales, Ph.D, who is the concurrent
Philippine undersecretary for population and development

History
POPCOM was created in 1969 by virtue of Executive Order (EO) 171 which established a 22-member Commission on
Population.

Republic Act 6365, or the Population Act of the Philippines, was enacted into law by the Philippine Congress on August
16, 1971, which established the National Population Policy. The agency was mandated in 1972 by Presidential Decree 79,
or the Revised Population Act of the Philippines, to be the central policy-making, planning, coordinating and monitoring
agency for the Philippine Population Management Program (PPMP).

Before the actual creation of POPCOM, then-president of the Philippines Ferdinand Marcos, together with 17 other heads
of state, signed in December 1967 the United Nations Declaration on Population, which stated: “The population problem
must be recognized as a principal element in long-range planning if governments are to achieve their economic goals and
fulfill the aspirations of their people."

In 1970 the Ad Hoc Commission on Population, created the year prior, recommended the launch of the National
Population Program through EO 233.

Toward the next decade, POPCOM was listed as an attached agency to the Department of Social Welfare and
Development by virtue of EO 123 in 1986.

In 1990, EO 48, as directed by then-chief executive Corazon Aquino, placed POPCOM under the Office of the President
to “facilitate coordination of policies and programs relative to population.” The following year, EO 476 made POPCOM an
attached agency of the NEDA.

In 1993, POPCOM adopted the PPMP, as well as the Population, Resources and Environment Framework by the
administration of ex-Philippine president Fidel V. Ramos. The regime of then-Philippine president Joseph Estrada
reformulated the PPMP, with responsible parenthood as its cornerstone.

In 2003, then-president Gloria Macapagal Arroyo issued EO 188, which transferred POPCOM under the Department of
Health (DOH). Under her administration, Arroyo joined the community of nations in expressing support for the
International Conference on Population and Development, or ICPD. The statement reiterated the four principles that guide
the Philippine government in the implementation of its population program: responsible parenthood, respect for life, birth
spacing and informed choices. Health services, including those for reproductive health, were devolved by the Local
Government Code to the local government units (LGUs).

Programs and Projects

Responsible Parenthood and Family Planning

POPCOM's RPFP strategies are geared toward assisting couples to achieve their desired number and spacing of children
within the demand of responsible parenthood through effective family planning. They aim to attain zero unmet need for
modern family planning through increased access to family planning information and services.

Aside from exercising responsible parenting, POPCOM would like to help couples and parents contribute to maternal,
neonatal and child health, and nutrition (MNCHN).

Constitutional Basis

RPFP relies on the 1987 Philippine Constitution as its basis, especially in the following:

Article XV, Section 3.1 - “The State shall defend the right of the spouses to found a family in accordance with their
religious convictions and the demands of responsible parenthood.”

Article II, Section 12 - “The State recognizes the sanctity of family life and shall protect and strengthen the family as a
basic autonomous social institution. It shall protect the life of the mother and the life of the unborn from conception. The
natural and primary duty of parents in the rearing of the youth for civic efficiency and development of moral character shall
receive the support of the Government.”

Adolescent Health and Development (AHD)

As the government agency tasked to manage the Philippines's AHD program, POPCOM's overall goal is to contribute to
the prevention of early and repeated pregnancies among Filipino youth.

POPCOM works closely with other stakeholders in linking demand generation and service delivery for Filipino
adolescents. With concerted efforts, necessary services and information crucial to the development of the total well-being
of young people will be made available wherever they are: at homes, schools, churches and in their communities.

PopDev Integration

As a population management strategy, POPDEV integration is defined as the explicit consideration and integration of
population dynamics and dimensions in the critical steps of any development initiative, such as plan and program
development, policy formulation, database management and utilization, and other efforts that aim to improve, in a
sustainable manner, the development conditions of the people and the localities where they live.

The strategy seeks, in the long term, to empower institutions to create an enabling environment for people to achieve their
development goals through a well-managed population. Having such means the achievement of population processes
and outcomes that are consistent with, complementary to, and facilitative of socioeconomic and human development. It is
about making a connection between population factors and development initiatives to ensure integrated and sustainable
development. Explicitly integrating population into economic and development strategies will hasten the pace of
sustainable development and poverty alleviation, thus contributing to the achievement of population objectives and an
improved quality of life of the populace.
POPDEV integration strategies will be pursued toward realizing population outcomes facilitative of sustainable
socioeconomic and human development. It aims to integrate population dynamics and variables in development
initiatives such as policy, plan, and program formulation.

Philippine Population and Development Program (PPDP)

Policy Principles

1. The central idea of the program is responsible parenthood. It is oriented toward the overall improvement of family well-
being; it is not concerned with just fertility reduction. It views family welfare, including that of the individual, as the central
objective of the national development program. Thus, the program promotes family development and responsible
parenting. It believes that parenting and raising a family is a shared responsibility of the husband and the wife.

2. The program is non-coercive. It respects the rights of couples to determine the size of their family, and voluntarily
choose the means to do so in accordance with their moral convictions and religious beliefs, as well as cultural mores and
norms. It believes in informed choices.

3. The program rejects abortion as a means to control fertility. Abortion is illegal, and the program will never consider it as
a family planning method. (See also: Abortion in the Philippines)

4. The program promotes self-reliance and multi-sectoral participation. It gives priority to projects that are self-sustaining
and with community participation. It encourages coordinative and participative approaches through the participation of
local government units (LGUs), non-government organizations (NGOs) and other key stakeholders.

5. The program adheres to gender equality and equity which is non-discriminatory in all political, social, and economic
development concerns.
Sustainable Development

Sustainable development is an organizing principle that aims to meet human development goals while also
enabling natural systems to provide necessary natural resources and ecosystem services to humans. The desired result is
a society where living conditions and resources meet human needs without undermining the planetary integrity and
stability of the natural system. The Brundtland Report in 1987 defined sustainable development as "development that
meets the needs of the present generation without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own
needs". The concept of sustainable development nowadays has a focus on economic development, social development
and environmental protection for future generations.

Sustainable development was first institutionalized with the Rio Process initiated at the 1992 Earth Summit in
Rio de Janeiro. In 2015 the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) adopted the Sustainable Development Goals
(2015 to 2030) and explained how the goals are integrated and indivisible to achieve sustainable development at the
global level. The UNGA's 17 goals address the global challenges, including poverty, inequality, climate change,
environmental degradation, peace, and justice.

Sustainable development is interlinked with the normative concept of sustainability. UNESCO formulated a
distinction between the two concepts as follows: "Sustainability is often thought of as a long-term goal (i.e., a more
sustainable world), while sustainable development refers to the many processes and pathways to achieve it." The concept
of sustainable development has been criticized in various ways. While some see it as paradoxical (or as an oxymoron)
and regard development as inherently unsustainable, others are disappointed in the lack of progress that has been
achieved so far. Part of the problem is that "development" itself is not consistently defined.

Definition

In 1987, the United Nations World Commission on Environment and Development released the report Our Common
Future, commonly called the Brundtland Report. The report included a definition of "sustainable development" which is
now widely used:

Sustainable development is development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability
of future generations to meet their own needs. It contains two key concepts within it:

 The concept of 'needs' the essential needs of the world's poor, to which overriding priority should
be given; and
 The idea of limitations imposed by the state of technology and social organization on the
environment's ability to meet present and future needs.

— World Commission on Environment and Development, Our Common Future (1987)

Related Concepts

Sustainability

Sustainability is a social goal about the ability of people to co-exist on Earth over a long time. Specific
definitions of this term are difficult to agree on. They have varied with literature, context, and time. Experts often describe
sustainability as having three dimensions (or pillars). These are environmental, economic, and social.[9] Many
publications state that the environmental dimension is the most important. So in everyday use, sustainability often focuses
on countering major environmental problems. These include climate change and loss of biodiversity. They also include
loss of ecosystem services, land degradation, and air and water pollution. The idea of sustainability can guide decisions at
the global, national, and individual levels (e.g. sustainable living). A related concept is sustainable development, and the
terms are often used to mean the same thing. UNESCO distinguishes the two like this: "Sustainability is often thought of
as a long-term goal (i.e. a more sustainable world), while sustainable development refers to the many processes and
pathways to achieve it."

Development of the Concept

Sustainable development has its roots in ideas regarding sustainable forest management, which were
developed in Europe during the 17th and 18th centuries.   In response to a growing awareness of the depletion of timber
resources in England, John Evelyn argued, in his 1662 essay Sylva, that "sowing and planting of trees had to be regarded
as a national duty of every landowner, in order to stop the destructive over-exploitation of natural resources." In 1713,
Hans Carl von Carlowitz, a senior mining administrator in the service of Elector Frederick Augustus I of Saxony published
Sylvicultura economics, a 400-page work on forestry. Building upon the ideas of Evelyn and French minister Jean-Baptiste
Colbert, von Carlowitz developed the concept of managing forests for sustained yield.[16] His work influenced others,
including Alexander von Humboldt and Georg Ludwig Hartig, eventually leading to the development of the science of
forestry. This, in turn, influenced people like Gifford Pinchot, the first head of the US Forest Service, whose approach to
forest management was driven by the idea of wise use of resources, and Aldo Leopold whose land ethic was influential in
the development of the environmental movement in the 1960s.

Following the publication of Rachel Carson's Silent Spring in 1962, the developing environmental movement
drew attention to the relationship between economic growth and environmental degradation. Kenneth E. Boulding, in his
influential 1966 essay The Economics of the Coming Spaceship Earth, identified the need for the economic system to fit
itself to the ecological system with its limited pools of resources. Another milestone was the 1968 article by Garrett Hardin
that popularized the term "tragedy of the commons".

The direct linking of sustainability and development in a contemporary sense can be traced to the early 1970s.
"Strategy of Progress", a 1972 book (in German) by Ernst Basler, explained how the long-acknowledged sustainability
concept of preserving forests for future wood production can be directly transferred to the broader importance of
preserving environmental resources to sustain the world for future generations. That same year, the interrelationship of
environment and development was formally demonstrated in a systems dynamic simulation model reported in the classic
report on Limits to Growth. It was commissioned by the Club of Rome and written by a group of scientists led by Dennis
and Donella Meadows of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Describing the desirable "state of global equilibrium",
the authors wrote: "We are searching for a model output that represents a world system that is sustainable without sudden
and uncontrolled collapse and capable of satisfying the basic material requirements of all of its people." Also in 1972 was
publication of the influential book, A Blueprint for Survival.

In 1975, an MIT research group prepared ten days of hearings on "Growth and Its Implication for the Future" for the US
Congress, the first hearings ever held on sustainable development.

In 1980, the International Union for Conservation of Nature published a world conservation strategy that included one of
the first references to sustainable development as a global priority[24] and introduced the term "sustainable
development".  Two years later, the United Nations World Charter for Nature raised five principles of conservation by which
human conduct affecting nature is to be guided and judged.

Since the Brundtland Report, the concept of sustainable development has developed beyond the initial
intergenerational framework to focus more on the goal of "socially inclusive and environmentally sustainable economic
growth".[25]: 5  In 1992, the UN Conference on Environment and Development published the Earth Charter, which outlines
the building of a just, sustainable, and peaceful global society in the 21st century. The action plan Agenda 21 for
sustainable development identified information, integration, and participation as key building blocks to help countries
achieve development that recognizes these interdependent pillars. Furthermore, Agenda 21 emphasizes that broad public
participation in decision-making is a fundamental prerequisite for achieving sustainable development.
The Rio Protocol was a huge leap forward: for the first time, the world agreed on a sustainability agenda. In fact, a global
consensus was facilitated by neglecting concrete goals and operational details. The Sustainable Development Goals
(SDGs) now have concrete targets (unlike the results from the Rio Process) but no methods for sanctions.

Dimensions

Sustainable development, like sustainability, is regarded to have three dimensions (also called pillars, domains,
aspects, spheres and globalized etc.): the environment, economy and society.

Sustainability Venn diagram, where sustainability is thought of as the area where the three dimensions overlap.
Scholars usually distinguish three different areas of sustainability. These are the environmental, the social, and the
economic. Several terms are in use for this concept. Authors may speak of three pillars, dimensions, components,
aspects, perspectives, factors, or goals. All mean the same thing in this context. The three dimensions paradigm has few
theoretical foundations. It emerged without a single point of origin. Scholars rarely question the distinction itself. The idea
of sustainability with three dimensions is a dominant interpretation in the literature.

Countries could develop systems for monitoring and evaluation of progress towards achieving sustainable
development by adopting indicators that measure changes across economic, social and environmental dimensions.

— United Nations Conference on Environment & Development – Earth Summit

Critique

The concept of sustainable development has been and still is, subject to criticism, including the question of
what is to be sustained in sustainable development. It has been argued that there is no such thing as sustainable use of a
non-renewable resource, since any positive rate of exploitation will eventually lead to the exhaustion of earth's finite stock;
this perspective renders the Industrial Revolution as a whole unsustainable.

The sustainable development debate is based on the assumption that societies need to manage three types of
capital (economic, social, and natural), which may be non-substitutable and whose consumption might be
irreversible.Natural capital can not necessarily be substituted by economic capital. While it is possible that we can find
ways to replace some natural resources, it is much less likely that they will ever be able to replace ecosystem services,
such as the protection provided by the ozone layer, or the climate stabilizing function of the Amazonian forest.

The concept of sustainable development has been criticized from different angles. While some see it as
paradoxical (or an oxymoron) and regard development as inherently unsustainable, others are disappointed in the lack of
progress that has been achieved so far. Part of the problem is that "development" itself is not consistently defined. Such a
viewpoint contradicts the mainstream academic community, which frequently concedes that the processes of capitalism
are incompatible with the long-term sustainability of human life.

The vagueness of the Brundtland definition of sustainable development has been criticized as follows: The definition has
"opened up the possibility of downplaying sustainability. Hence, governments spread the message that we can have it all
at the same time, i.e. economic growth, prospering societies and a healthy environment. No new ethic is required. This so-
called weak version of sustainability is popular among governments, and businesses, but profoundly wrong and not even
weak, as there is no alternative to preserving the earth's ecological integrity."
Pathways

Requirements

Six interdependent capacities are deemed to be necessary for the successful pursuit of sustainable development. These
are the capacities to measure progress towards sustainable development; promote equity within and between
generations; adapt to shocks and surprises; transform the system onto more sustainable development pathways; link
knowledge with action for sustainability; and to devise governance arrangements that allow people to work together.

Environmental characteristics of sustainable cities

A sustainable city is an urban center that improves its environmental impact through urban planning and
management. For the definition of an eco-city, imagine a city with parks and green spaces, solar-powered buildings,
rooftop gardens, and more pedestrians and bicycles than cars. This is not a futuristic dream. Smart cities are actively
moving towards greener urban ecosystems and better environmental management.

Environmental sustainability concerns the natural environment and how it endures and remains diverse and
productive. Since natural resources are derived from the environment, the state of air, water, and climate is of particular
concern. Environmental sustainability requires society to design activities to meet human needs while preserving the life
support systems of the planet. This, for example, entails using water sustainably, using renewable energy and sustainable
material supplies (e.g. harvesting wood from forests at a rate that maintains the biomass and biodiversity).

An unsustainable situation occurs when natural capital (the total of nature's resources) is used up faster than it
can be replenished. Sustainability requires that human activity only uses nature's resources at a rate at which they can be
replenished naturally. The concept of sustainable development is intertwined with the concept of carrying capacity.
Theoretically, the long-term result of environmental degradation is the inability to sustain human life.

Important operational principles of sustainable development were published by Herman Daly in 1990:
renewable resources should provide a sustainable yield (the rate of harvest should not exceed the rate of regeneration);
for non-renewable resources there should be equivalent development of renewable substitutes; waste generation should
not exceed the assimilative capacity of the environment.

Biodiversity and ecosystem services

There is a connection between ecosystems and biodiversity. Ecosystems are made up of various living things
interacting with one another and their surroundings. Along with this, biodiversity lays the groundwork for ecosystems to
function well by defining the kinds of species that can coexist in an environment, as well as their functions and interactions
with other species. In 2019, a summary for policymakers of the largest, most comprehensive study to date of biodiversity
and ecosystem services was published by the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem
Services. It recommended that human civilization will need a transformative change, including sustainable agriculture,
reductions in consumption and waste, fishing quotas and collaborative water management. Biodiversity is not only crucial
for the well-being of animals and wildlife but also plays a positive role in the lives of human beings in the way in which it
aids development of human life.

The 2022 IPCC report emphasizes how there have been many studies done on the loss of biodiversity and
provides additional strategies to decrease the rate of our declining biodiversity. The report suggests how preserving
natural ecosystems, fire and soil management, and reducing the competition for land can create positive impacts on our
environment and contribute to sustainable development.
Gender and leadership in sustainable development

Gender and sustainable development have been examined, focusing on women's leadership potential and barriers to it.
While leadership roles in sustainable development have become more androgynous over time, patriarchal structures and
perceptions continue to constrain women from becoming leaders. Some hidden issues are women's lack of self-
confidence, impeding access to leadership roles, but men can potentially play a role as allies for women's leadership.

Sustainable Development Goals

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are also known as the Global Goals. The SDGs are new,
universal set of goals, targets and indicators that UN member states will be expected to use to frame country agendas
and policies over the next 15 years. It consists of 17 goals, 169 targets and 232 unique indicators. There are 244
indicators listed in the final indicator. However, since nine indicators repeat under two or three different targets, the actual
total number of individual indicators in the list is 232.

LEAVE NO ONE BEHIND. This is what guided world leaders of 193 countries to solving the globe’s most pressing
problems of today.

Poverty. Hunger. Inequality. Climate Change. The Millennium Development Goals (MDG) were on its 15-year deadline,
and although it was a success, people knew that there was a need to continue the legacy of the MDG and build on a more
sustainable future— not only for the generation today, but for the future generations to come.

As a result, the United Nations, along with 193 countries of different backgrounds and cultures, adopted the 2030 Agenda
for Sustainable Development, with 17 SDGs at its core. The SDGs is a comprehensive set of goals recognizing the
connections between the people and the planet, comprised of 169 targets, integrated and indivisible to balance the three
dimensions of sustainable development: the economic, social and environmental.

The phrase Leave No One Behind was the guiding principle for these goals, and was actually the official motto set by the
United Nations. The SDGs was meant to be inclusive, for everyone. It was meant to provide a comprehensive roadmap—
a guide for us to achieve the future we want. A future where everybody is able to have food in their tables with their
families, a future where employment is attainable to everyone, and a future where citizens do not live on less than $1.25.
A future where our natural resources are taken care of. This is the future we want.

In September 2015, the United Nations Member States has adopted the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development to
guide international, regional, and national development efforts for the next 15 years. The agenda, as contained in the
outcome document, “Transforming our World: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development,” has 17 SDGs and 169
targets that cover the economic, social and environmental dimensions of development.

Compared with the MDGs, the new SDGs have a more ambitious agenda. While they identify eradication of poverty in all
its forms and dimensions as the greatest global challenge, they also see it as an indispensable requirement for
sustainable development. Thus, with bolder targets on health, education and gender equality, the aim is to eliminate rather
than reduce poverty. The SDGs also seek to incorporate a larger concept that extends well beyond the social sector – that
is, sustainable development that weaves a comprehensive agenda of economic development, social inclusion, and
environmental sustainability.
The SDGs and the targets are also integrated, global in nature and universally applicable. The following are the 17 Global
Goals, which can be explored further on their respective pages.

The Sustainable Development Goals or Global Goals are a collection of seventeen interlinked objectives
designed to serve as a "shared blueprint for peace and prosperity for people and the planet, now and into the future".

The SDGs are:

1. no poverty
2. zero hunger
3. good health and well-being
4. quality education
5. gender equality
6. clean water and sanitation
7. affordable and clean energy
8. decent work and economic growth
9. industry, innovation, and infrastructure
10. reduced inequalities
11. sustainable cities and communities
12. responsible consumption and production
13. climate action
14. life below water
15. life on land
16. peace, justice, and strong institutions
17. partnerships for the goals.

The SDGs emphasize the interconnected environmental, social and economic aspects of sustainable development by
putting sustainability at their center.

The SDGs were formulated in 2015 by the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) as part of the Post-2015
Development Agenda, which sought to create a future global development framework to succeed the Millennium
Development Goals, which ended that year. They were formally articulated and adopted in a UNGA resolution called the
2030 Agenda, known colloquially as Agenda 2030. On 6 July 2017, the SDGs were made more actionable by a UNGA
resolution that identifies specific targets for each goal and provides indicators to measure progress. Most targets are to be
achieved by 2030, although some have no end date. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has also taken the initiative
to achieve the SDGs by offering their support to developing countries. For example, the IMF works to reduce poverty in
low-income developing countries by offering financial support during the COVID-19 pandemic.

There are cross-cutting issues and synergies between the different goals; for example, for SDG 13 on climate
action, the IPCC sees robust synergies with SDGs 3 (health), 7 (clean energy), 11 (cities and communities), 12
(responsible consumption and production) and 14 (oceans).   Conversely, critics and observers have also identified trade-
offs between the goals, such as between ending hunger and promoting environmental sustainability. Other concerns
include there being too many goals (resulting in compounding trade-offs), a weak emphasis on environmental
sustainability, and difficulties tracking qualitative indicators.

Education for Sustainable Development

Education for sustainable development (ESD) is a term used by the United Nations and is defined as education
that encourages changes in knowledge, skills, values and attitudes to enable a more sustainable and just society for all.
ESD aims to empower and equip current and future generations to meet their needs using a balanced and integrated
approach to the economic, social and environmental dimensions of sustainable development.

Agenda 21 was the first international document that identified education as an essential tool for achieving
sustainable development and highlighted areas of action for education. ESD is a component of measurement in an
indicator for Sustainable Development Goal 12 (SDG) for "responsible consumption and production". SDG 12 has 11
targets and target 12.8 is "By 2030, ensure that people everywhere have the relevant information and awareness for
sustainable development and lifestyles in harmony with nature." 20 years after the Agenda 21 document was declared,
the 'Future we want' document was declared in the Rio+20 UN Conference on Sustainable Development, stating that "We
resolve to promote education for sustainable development and to integrate sustainable development more actively into
education beyond the Decade of Education for Sustainable Development."

One version of education for Sustainable Development recognizes modern-day environmental challenges and
seeks to define new ways to adjust to a changing biosphere, as well as engage individuals to address societal issues that
come with them. In the International Encyclopedia of Education, this approach to education is seen as an attempt to "shift
consciousness toward an ethics of life-giving relationships that respects the interconnectedness of man to his natural
world" in order to equip future members of society with environmental awareness and a sense of responsibility to
sustainability.

For UNESCO, education for sustainable development involves:

Integrating key sustainable development issues into teaching and learning. This may include, for example,
instruction about climate change, disaster risk reduction, biodiversity, and poverty reduction and sustainable consumption.
It also requires participatory teaching and learning methods that motivate and empower learners to change their behaviors
and take action for sustainable development. ESD consequently promotes competencies like critical thinking, imagining
future scenarios and making decisions in a collaborative way.

PHILIPPINES PLEDGES TO MAKE THE 2030 SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT AGENDA A

REALITY AND TO LEAVE NO ONE BEHIND

High-level delegations of all United Nations member states adopt the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda that will
define international, regional and national development agenda priorities for the next 15 years.

NEW YORK, 29 September 2015 – The Philippines joined member states of the United Nations in unanimously adopting
the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda in a historic summit held at the United Nations Headquarters in New York
from 25-27 September 2015. Attended by more than 150 Heads of State and Heads of Government, 4 Vice-Presidents
and 30 Ministers, the Summit was preceded by an address by His Holiness, Pope Francis.

Speaking before the UN General Assembly, Secretary Arsenio M. Balisacan, Secretary of Socioeconomic Planning and
Director General of the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA), pledged “to make the 2030 Agenda a
reality and to leave no one behind.”

Secretary Balisacan welcomed the inclusion of Philippine priorities in the 2030 Agenda, including migration,
vulnerabilities, collective action for conservation and inequality of opportunities.

On migration, the Philippines advocated that the 2030 Agenda recognize the positive contributions of migrants to
sustainable development in countries of origin, transit and destination. It also called on member nations to mainstream
migration in the development process, reduce remittance costs and fully respect the human rights of migrants.
On reducing vulnerabilities, Secretary Balisacan stressed that “if we are to achieve our development goals, we need to
take urgent action to combat climate change. We have seen extreme weather disturbances occurring with greater
frequency and intensity. These calamities can negate our gains in reducing poverty and even push back development.
We thus need to put in place climate change adaptation and mitigation measures, particularly at the local levels, and
increasing investments towards a climate-resilient economy.”

He added that as President of the Climate Vulnerable Forum (CVF) and as one of the most disaster-prone countries in the
world, the Philippines will work in the upcoming Paris conference (COP21) towards a new legally-binding climate
agreement that is universal and equitable and that will limit the increase in global average temperature to below 2 degrees
or 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels. The CVF is an international partnership of 20 developing countries
highly vulnerable to climate change.

Secretary Balisacan also cited the need to conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources and the
obligation of the community of nations to seriously acknowledge challenges to conservation, such as destruction due to
massive reclamation, as a common concern. He emphasized that “these challenges need to be collectively addressed
using a rules-based approach in international law as reflected in UNCLOS.”

On inequality of opportunities, Secretary Balisacan said that the Philippines aspires “to achieve education for all, universal
health coverage, food security, and social and economic inclusion, supported by quality infrastructure” and to “ensure
financial inclusion for all, particularly through access to insurance and capital, and through mobile financing.” He also
committed to address maternal and reproductive health, including access to sexual and reproductive health services, and
to further accelerate the fulfillment of women’s rights.

The 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda will define international, regional and national development agenda priorities
for the next 15 years. The Agenda, as contained in the outcome document entitled, "Transforming our World: the 2030
Agenda for Sustainable Development, announces 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) or more popularly, “Global
Goals” and 169 targets that cover the economic, social and environmental dimensions of development. It identifies the
eradication of poverty in all its forms and dimensions as the greatest global challenge and as an indispensable
requirement for sustainable development.

The Philippine Delegation to the 2030 Sustainable Development Summit led by (from the right) Socioeconomic Planning
Secretary and NEDA Director General Arsenio M. Balisacan, Ambassador Lourdes Yparraguirre, Philippine Permanent
Representative to the United Nations and NEDA Assistant Director General Rosemarie Edillon. Behind them are (from the
left) UNIO Executive Director Bernadette Chiu Fernandez, NEDA Director Erlinda M Capones, National Statistician Dr.
Lisa Grace S. Bersales and Minister Maria Angela Ponce of the Philippine Mission to the United Nations.
Sustainable Development Report 2020

The Sustainable Development Report (SDR) 2020 presents an annual review of countries’ performance on the 17
Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and includes the SDG Index and Dashboards for all UN member states and
frames the implementation of the SDGs in terms of six broad transformations.It was prepared by teams of independent
experts at the Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN) and the Bertelsmann Stiftung.

SDR 2020 also presents and aggregates data on country performance towards the SDGs. Note however that it is not an
official SDG monitoring tool, but instead complements efforts of national statistical offices and international organizations
to collect data on and standardize SDG indicators. To this end, the report presents the most up-to-date data from official
sources (the United Nations, the World Bank, and others) as well as from non-official sources (research institutions and
non-governmental organizations)

Some of the key findings of the report include the following:

1. COVID-19 will have severe negative impacts on most SDGs.

2. All countries need to strengthen the resilience of their health systems and prevention programs.
3. The SDGs and the Six SDG Transformations can inform the recovery from COVID-19
4. Asian countries have made the most progress towards the SDGs since the adoption of the goals in 2015. Asian
countries have also responded most effectively to the COVID-19 outbreak.
5. Solidarity and partnerships are critical to address and prevent health, economic, and humanitarian crises.
6. Data gaps and time lags in official statistics require urgent investments in statistical capacity and increased coordination
between governments and the private sector.

The SDR 2020 also includes the SDG Index and SDG Dashboard. The SDG Index tracks country performance on the 17
SDGs, as agreed by the international community in 2015 with equal weight to all 17 goals. The score signifies a country’s
position between the worst (0) and the best or target (100) outcomes. To ensure transparency and encourage further
analyses, all underlying data is made available publicly through this website: https://sdgindex.org.

Meanwhile, the SDG Dashboard highlights the strengths and weaknesses of each country in relation to each of the 17
SDGs. The interactive SDR 2020 Dashboards provide a visual representation of countries’ performance by SDGs to
identify priorities for action.

How the UN is supporting The Sustainable Development Goals in the Philippines

The UN is a staunch partner of the Philippine Government for achieving national development goals and the
2030 Agenda, including the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The Partnership Framework for Sustainable
Development (PFSD) supports the national long term vision and maps directly and indirectly into Philippine Development
Plan (PDP) priorities, organizing its strategic contributions through a 2030 Agenda lens into three pillars: “People”,
“Prosperity and Planet”, and “Peace.” It builds on decades of close cooperation between the Philippines and the United
Nations for the achievement of national and global development objectives, focusing on areas where the capacities of the
UN, when working across mandates, will have the greatest impact to leave no one behind. As an initial investment in the
longer-term UN support to 2030 Agenda, it recognizes the strengths and capacities of the Philippine government and
focuses on historically challenging areas that are foundational to SDGs to complement Philippines-led efforts towards
acceleration.