The Philippines has been a firm advocate of the SDGs since its formal establishment in 2015. In the following years, the Philippines has shown its unfaltering cooperation as a part of a global community working in unison on the shared commitment of achieving the 17 global goals.
After a performance audit on the national preparedness for the SDGs implementation in 2018, the Commission on Audit emphasized the critical role of the NEDA in the long-term implementation of the SDGs. This resulted in the recommendation to create the Subcommittee on SDGs under the Development Budget Coordination Committee to ensure that programs related to the goals will be tagged, monitored, and funded by a centralized coordinating body fully committed to the 17 goals.
Playing a critical role in the formulation of policies, plans, and programs on a national and sub-national level, it does not come as a surprise that the SDG Secretariat is assigned under NEDA. This shows a commitment to align the Philippine government’s policies to the 17 SDGs, making sure that we follow the roadmap to the future we want. The SDG Secretariat, being the centralized coordinating body for the SDGs, also works closely with relevant stakeholders— not only national government agencies, but also non-government organizations, civil society organizations, the academe, and the private sector. Technical Working Groups are assigned to each dimension of sustainable development (social, environmental, economic, peace, and governance) and are comprised of experts in each respective field.
NEDA has always been involved with projects and programs of similar causes. The precursor of the SDGs, the MDGs which span from 2000 to 2015, were also coordinated by NEDA locally. Thus, it is expected that there will be a continuous need for NEDA personnel to review, monitor, and coordinate the implementation of a universal and global development agenda even after the 2030 deadline of the SDGs.