NEDA CONDUCTS WORKSHOP TO CRAFT FRAMEWORK FOR ACHIEVING SDGs

The National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA), as Secretariat of the Subcommittee on Sustainable Development Goals (SC-SDG) and its Stakeholders’ Chamber, held a workshop on Monday, September 30, 2024, to solicit ideas and inputs for the formulation of an indicator and strategy framework designed to guide non-government sector’s actions, as partners in achieving the SDGs.

The proposed framework aligns with the goals of the Philippine Development Plan 2023-2028, which outlines strategies aimed at achieving all 17 SDGs. It will serve as a crucial tool for members of the Stakeholders’ Chamber from the private sector, civil sector organizations, and non-governmental organizations by providing targeted strategies and corresponding performance measures, informed by the country’s pace of progress on the SDGs.

“The primary objective of this workshop is to develop a comprehensive framework that will enable our chamber to effectively measure and report on our progress towards achieving the sustainable development goals,” said Mr. Donald James Gawe, Executive Director of the Philippine National Volunteer Service Coordinating Agency and Chairperson of the Stakeholders’ Chamber on SDGs, in his opening remarks at the workshop held at the Ace Hotel & Suites in Pasig City.

The said framework will incorporate the strategies to be pursued by the chamber’s member organizations, to be operationalized in the form of SDG-related programs and projects implemented as part of their organization’s mandate, and internal sustainability and environment, social, and governance (ESG)  practices and policies that contribute to the SDGs.

According to Dr. Maria Assunta C. Cuyegkeng of the Ateneo de Manila University, aligning ESG initiatives of private companies with the SDG-based strategies of the government not only enhances the business performance of organizations but also contributes positively to the whole of society and the environment.

Moreover, the framework will also be used to identify areas where progress is lagging, and outline specific measures that non-government sector can pursue to complement government’s efforts to address these challenges.

The Philippine Statistics Authority, which serves as the official repository of SDG indicators in the Philippines reported that the Philippines is currently sufficiently meeting SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production and SDG 14: Life Below Water. However, regression has been noted in SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being, SDG 9: Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure, SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities, and SDG 13: Climate Action.

As a concluding message, Ms. Rebecca L. Malay of the Philippine Rural Reconstruction Movement who serves as co-chairperson  of the chamber, reminded the members that in formulating the indicator framework, they should not only focus on the numbers but to look at the factors that can enrich the stories. “It is not only the numbers that are officially counted that count, but the stories that we have that count,” according to her.

John Mark F. Coles, DIS-PRD
Photos by DIS