Poverty Alleviation in the UN Millennium Development Goals (MDGs): Problems and Initiatives in the Philippines

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Poverty Alleviation in the UN Millennium
Development Goals (MDGs) Problems and
Initiatives in the Philippines

• Presented by
• OIC-Director Cleofe S. Pastrana
• National Economic and Development Authority
• 13 October 2005, Hotel Dominique, Tagaytay City

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REPORT OUTLINE

• Background on the MDGs
• Highlights of the Second Philippines Progress
  Report on the MDGs
• A. Poverty Situation
• B. Meeting Goal 1 Eradicate Extreme Poverty and
  Hunger
• C. Environmental Situation/Challenges and
  Priorities for Action
• III. Crosscutting Challenges and Priorities for
  Action
• A. Hindering Factors
• B. Facilitating Factors
• C. Parallel Initiatives
• D. Implications on the Philippine Economy

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Millennium Declaration

• In September 2000, 189 member states of the
  United Nations adopted the Millennium
  Declaration
• The Millennium Declaration confirmed the
  commitment of member states of the United
  Nations to peace and security, respect for human
  rights, good governance and human development
• The Millennium Declaration also committed the
  member states of the United Nations to achieve
  quantifiable development goals and targets (the
  MDGs) until 2015 (15 years) that will at least
  ensure that development initiatives are
  effectively eradicating poverty and promoting
  sustainable human development

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The MDGs are inter-related

• 2. Achieve universal primary education
• 3. Promote gender equality empower women
• Reduce child mortality
• 5. Improve maternal health
• Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria other diseases
• 7. Ensure environmental sustainability

1. Eradicate extreme poverty hunger

8. Develop a global partnership for development

• Working towards achieving one Goal will make us
  closer to achievement
• of the rest would reduce costs of achieving
  others, Eveline Herfkens.

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The MDGs are Owned by All

• MDGs are not just the national governments
  commitment to UN or the world most important
  they are their commitments to their own people
• The MDGs are our own development challenges for
  some decades, now gaining a new opportunity from
  global and national momentum of solidarity
• The Goals are global in their scope, but targets
  and indicators can be tailor-made to shorter time
  scales, higher targets local circumstances.
• The MDGs are national commitments, but their
  achievements (or failures) are at the local level
• MDGs ownership by local governments, by the
  business/private sector such as NGOs/Pos/civil
  society plays a vital role and can make a huge
  difference in the national and global
  achievements of MDGs

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1990 to 2000
2001 to 2005
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MDGs Rate of Progress
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MDGs Rate of Progress
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MDGs Rate of Progress
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Enabling Environment for the MDGs
DILG MC 2004-152 Guide to LGUs in the
Localization of the MDGs
SDC Res. No. 1 2003 Expanding functions and
composition of MC-IHDC
MTPDP 2004-2010 hews closely to the MDGs
MDG
Investment identification per goal and target in
MTPIP 2005-2010
Strong commitment of the business sector and
civil society
Legislative support of Congress
Strong support of donor community for the MDGs
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Poverty Situation
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FIGURE 4 Percentage of Households with Less than
100 Energy Adequacy
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FIGURE 5 Percentage of Underweight Children 0-5
Year Olds
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Meeting Goal 1 Eradicate Extreme Poverty and
Hunger
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Priority Policies and Programs

• Kapit-Bisig Laban sa Kahirapan (KALAHI)
• Enrolment of 7 million beneficiaries under the
  National Health Insurance Program (NHIP)
• Wholesale portfolio of the Peoples Credit and
  Finance Corporation (PCFC)
• Implementation of asset reform programs
• Delivery of human development services

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ODA for MDGs
Summary of ODA for completed ongoing projects,
by MDG category, from 2001-2005, in million US
MDGs Amount (in US million) Share to Total MDG-Related ODA
1 - Eradicate extreme poverty hunger 6,259.4 77.40
2 - Achieve universal primary education 557.9 6.90
3 - Promote gender equality 3.8 0.05
4 - Reduce child mortality 139.9 1.73
5 - Improve maternal health 157.0 1.94
6 - Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria other diseases 25.3 0.31
7 - Ensure environmental sustainability 943.31 11.67
TOTAL 8,086.6 100.00
Source NEDA-PMS
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INVESTMENTS SUPPORTIVE OF THE MDGs 2005-2010
MDGs COST (in PhP Billion)
1 - Eradicate extreme poverty hunger 1,294.2
2 - Achieve universal primary education 56.7
3 - Promote gender equality -
4 - Reduce child mortality 69.9
5 - Improve maternal health 69.9
6 - Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria other diseases 69.9
7 - Ensure environmental sustainability 198.8
8 Global partnership for development 125.1
TOTAL 1,744.7
Source NEDA-PIS
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INTENSIFYING MULTISECTORAL PARTNERSHIP AND
COLLABORATION
Donor Community
Government (executive, legislature, judicial)
Private/ Business
Local Government
Local Government
CSOs, Academe
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Environmental Situationand Challenges
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Goal 7 Ensure Environmental Sustainability

• Forests resources and watersheds
• Biodiversity resources
• Coastal and marine resources
• Air quality
• Water resources
• Waste and toxic chemicals

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Source DENR Annual Report
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Biodiversity Resources

• Philippines
•  one of the megadiverse countries in the world
•  higher regard for the endemism of local species
• but
• most severely threatened of the megadiverse
  countries

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• Coastal and Marine Resources 
•   rich sources of fish and aquatic products
•   habitat for countless underwater wildlife
•   natural areas for recreation/tourism
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• Water resources
• disparities in water supply coverage across
  regions
• depletion of ground water especially in Metro
  Manila and Metro Cebu
• pollution of water sources

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• Air Quality
• pollution remains a problem in Metro Manila and
  major urban centers
• on the level of suspended particulates (TSP), air
  quality is not within standards
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• Waste and Toxic Chemicals
• solid waste generation in Metro Manila is
  estimated at 5,345 tons per day
• urbanization inevitably increased the use of
  chemicals
• no integrated treatment facility for hazardous
  waste

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Priority Policies and Programs

• Adoption of Sustainable Forest Management
• Revised Forestry Code of the Philippines and the
  Watersheds Code
• Various biodiversity acts
• Fisheries Code and AFMA
• Clean Air Act

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Challenges and Priorities for Action

• Sustainable and more productive utilization of
  natural resources
• Focus and strengthen the protection of vulnerable
  and ecologically fragile areas
• Create healthier environment for the population
• Mitigate the occurrence of natural disasters
• Ensure environmental accountability for all
  industries

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CROSS-CUTTING CHALLENGES.
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CROSSCUTTING CHALLENGES AND PRIORITIES FOR ACTION
FINANCING THE MDGs
Source DBM, Budget of Expenditure and Sources of
Financing
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CROSSCUTTING CHALLENGES AND PRIORITIES FOR ACTION
FINANCING THE MDGs
Distribution of Public Expenditures by Local
Government Units By Sector, 2001-2004 (in
thousand pesos)
Sector/Year 2001 2002 2003 2004
Economic Services 15,982,070 45,484,830 52,853,500 58,700,890
Economic Services (15) (32) (33) (34)
Social Services 28,979,110 26,352,690 34,001,700 36,135,990
Social Services (27) (19) (21) (21)
General Public Services 63,375,820 69,580,140 73,954,470 78,545,740
General Public Services (58) (49) (46) (45)
Total Public Expenditures 108,337,000 141,417,660 160,809,670 173,382,620
Source DBM, Budget of Expenditure and Sources of
Financing
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CROSSCUTTING CHALLENGES AND PRIORITIES FOR ACTION
FINANCING THE MDGs
Source NEDA-PIS
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CROSS-CUTTING CHALLENGES AND PRIORITIES FOR ACTION

• Reduce disparities across regions
• Increase resource allocation for MDG-related
  programs and projects
• Enforce full/stricter implementation of laws
  ensure passage of MDG-supportive bills
• Strengthen monitoring and implementation
• Scale-up campaign for localization
• Develop an advocacy plan
• Intensify multisectoral partnership
  collaboration

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Facilitating Factors

• Strong global support for MDGs by the United
  Nations, ASEAN, and other multilateral
  organizations
• Expanding national support among policymakers for
  MDGs (e.g., creation of the House Committee on
  MDGs, issuance of EO on the MDGs)
• Prioritization of MDGs in resource allocation
  (e.g., focusing of MTPIP investments on MDGs)
• Increasing awareness and participation of private
  sector, LGUs in MDG-related programs

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Hindering Factors

• Resource constraints (i.e., MDG financing gap of
  about 1.5 billion yearly)
• Lack of support by creditors for the Debt for MDG
  Projects/Debt for Equity in MDG Projects
  initiative
• Low budgetary priority for MDGs accorded by some
  LGUs and
• Lack of disaggregated data to monitor MDGs at
  local levels.

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Parallel Initiatives

• Participation in the High-Level Plenary Meeting
  on MDGs
• Formulation of the Plan of Action for Poverty
  Reduction (2006-2010)
• Enhance the current Poverty Reduction Strategy
  and Program Framework
• Advocacy for the Philippine proposal on Debt for
  Equity in MDG Projects

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Implications on the Philippine Economy

• MDG attainment would require
• Enhanced revenue generation
• LGU, private sector and civil society support
• Expansion of microfinance services for the poor
• Pursuit of projects with high economic impact
• Right-sizing the bureaucracy
• Privatization and
• Tapping OFW remittances.

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THANK YOU