MANILA – The United Nations (UN) Philippines is committed to working together with the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) to accelerate progress on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), also known as “Global Goals, adopted by the UN in 2015 as a universal call to action to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure that by 2030, all people enjoy peace and prosperity.”
In a statement, UN Philippines confirmed the “re-commitment” between the DILG national and regional leadership and country representatives of more than 20 UN entities operating in the country, “to work closely together to promote excellence in local governance and empower local governments to contribute to the attainment of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).”
During the recent first strategic dialogue between the DILG and UN Philippines, Interior Secretary Benjamin Abalos, Jr. and UN Resident Coordinator in the Philippines Gustavo Gonzalez pledged to align their respective programmes and interventions.
“The United Nations has chosen well in choosing the DILG as its partner because of our scope and reach -- from National to Local, including the Local Governance and Interior sector. This effort is groundbreaking and we hope that it serves as a model for how the Department and our international partners cooperate moving forward,” Sec. Abalos said.
“Further, with its prospective success, we are optimistic that this cooperation paradigm will also be replicated by other Government agencies in the future,” he added.
During the meeting, DILG identified several areas of collaboration with UN, such as data-driven governance, human resource development, innovations in governance systems and processes, streamlining of local governance policies, and the enhancement of organizational effectiveness and technical competencies.
Meanwhile, Mr. Gonzalez highlighted the role of the DILG in localizing and accelerating the progress of the SDGs and underscored the value of the DILG as a partner in achieving what the UN refers to as the three key outcomes outlined in the Philippines 2024-2028 United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework developed jointly with the government of the Philippines, namely human capital development and inclusion, sustainable economic development and decent work, and climate action.
“The DILG performs a critical function in coordinating and guiding local governments across the Philippines, whose actions directly translate into measurable results for their constituents,” Gonzalez said.
“Today’s exercise of identifying points of synergy will allow the United Nations to better support the excellent work of the department in line with the Philippines 2024-2028 United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (CF),” he added.
Both DILG and UN Philippines recognized the potential of working closely in the areas of agrifood systems transformation; health, including maternal and reproductive health, access to health services, infrastructure, and medical and nutritional supplies; education; human rights; gender equality and prevention of gender-based violence, including sexual exploitation and abuse; drugs control and response, crime prevention and safety, access to justice services, law enforcement and cybersecurity, as well as jail management.
UN Philippines and the DILG will also focus on digitalization and digital inclusion; strengthening local governance through SDG localization and planning, developing harmonized data systems, and encouraging youth and women leadership and participation; decent work, economy formalization and migrants’ and refugees’ rights; anticipatory action; improved water, sanitation and hygiene; disaster preparedness and resilience; climate change adaptation; waste management and others.
The United Nations contributes to DILG priorities through technical assistance, capacity building, policy advice, leveraging partnerships, promoting systems thinking, and catalyzing development finance, among others, the UN stated.
