Philippines

Upon entering the 21st century, leaders from both developed and developing countries gathered and agreed to achieve a set of concrete, measurable development objectives by 2015 through the adoption of the Millennium Declaration1. These objectives, known as the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), are associated with the United Nations (UN) development agenda and are focused on addressing extreme poverty, lack of gainful employment opportunities, hunger incidence, lower access to education, gender inequality, prevalence of diseases (particularly among children and women), environmental degradation, among others.

[ MDG National Report ]

Provincial Reports:

[ Agusan Del Norte ]

[ Agusan Del Sur ]

[ Biliran ]

[ Camarines Norte ]

[ Eastern Samar ]

[ Marinduque ]

[ Romblon ]

[ Sarangani ]

[ Siquijor ]

UNDP in Action 2009/2010: Delivering on Commitments showcases results. All of UNDP’s policy advice, technical and financial support and advocacy toward strengthening human development are aimed at one end result: real improvements in people’s lives. In 2009, in many of the countries where it operates, UNDP continued to experience a high demand for development support in areas covering: poverty reduction and achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs); democratic governance; crisis prevention and recovery; and environment and sustainable development.

At the same time, the global eco­nomic crisis required an urgent response from UNDP, especially in terms of helping countries to identify and protect the most vulnerable. With the UN’s 2010 MDG global summit approaching, 2009 was a year for UNDP to take stock of progress made and to accelerate the work needed to achieve the MDGs by the 2015 deadline.

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This pioneering initiative is a compilation of proceedings of the lecture-series program organized by OPAPP’s DDR Center to mainstream DDR in the comprehensive peace process and inform decision makers, peace movements and the academia about the problems and issues encircling the peace process.

Presented in three chapters, the book discusses issue-specific insights on DDR namely: (1) DDR Experiences of Northern Ireland, Northern Sudan and Nepal; (2) The Proliferation of Small Arms and Light Weapons; (3) The Philippines’ Past Reintegration Program and GRP’s Emerging Perspective on DDR in the Context of the Peace Process, a lecture speech delivered by the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process at the International DDR Congress in Colombia in May 2009.

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Amnesty is a powerful political tool, but it does have its limitations. Fortunately, the adoption of a comprehensive peace process, lessons learned from past experiences, recent developments in other jurisdictions, the growing trends in international law, the global filtering of knowledge, and most importantly, the time to study and evaluate proper courses of action, are now present and expectantly would be utilized in the formulation of a more appropriate and responsive amnesty program.

This study is intended to help policy makers develop a better understanding of the potentials as well as the limitations that amnesty has to offer including the modalities of its possible implementation.

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Realizing that to bring about comprehensive and sustainable peace LGUs have to be mobilized and capacitated for peace building and conflict prevention, the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process has embarked on a milestone program towards the integration of peace building in the local government planning process. With technical assistance from the Surveys, Training, Research and Development Services (STRIDES, Inc.), OPAPP developed a practical guidebook that will aid LGUs in strategic local development planning with a peace lens. Specifically, the guidebook is anchored on two focal objectives:

1. To introduce and develop in local government officials and functionaries a basic understanding and appreciation of a peace and development perspective and the human security framework
2. To serve as a practical, methodical and user-friendly tool to guide local government officials in developing conflict-sensitive and peace promoting development plans

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On 2 September 1996, the Final Peace Agreement (FPA) was forged between the Government of the Republic of the Philippines (GRP) and the Moro International Liberation Front (MNLF). What followed were the crafting of policies and the execution of these at the community level in former conflict areas. Ten years after the signing of the FPA, this documentation is deemed appropriate not only to celebrate the gains from painstaking efforts at peace building, but to examine the factors that made for the success of these.

In the light of the tripartite review of the FPA, his publication is intended to contribute to the public discourse on the efforts undertaken to realize communal peace in the participating communities. The lessons found here would be useful to guide future decisions on more comprehensive and sustained policies and strategies for community-based peacebuilding.

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This publication is a comprehensive technical report of the environmental situation of the country as to air quality, water quality, solid waste, toxic chemicals and hazardous wastes, environmental impact assessment, compliance to multilateral environmental agreements. It covers discussion on best practices, efforts on public awareness and environmental education, challenges, and recommendations towards improvement of each sector’s condition. There is also a chapter on environmental administration. It also presents the initiatives of the different stakeholders – various government agencies, the private sector, the civil society, the local government units, and the international development community on their contributions for the betterment of our environment.

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This is the 4th National Report (4NR) of the Philippines to the CBD. It covers the period from mid-2005 to mid-2008 with updates up to early 2009. It focuses on the assessment of the country’s progress towards meeting the 2010 biodiversity target of achieving a significant reduction in the current rate of biodiversity loss at the global, regional and national levels, consistent with the strategic plan for the CBD. The 2010 biodiversity target is also one of recent targets incorporated in the Millennium Development Goals (MDG).

Highlights and specific case samples are cited in this Report to give snapshots of the current status, trends and threats in the following ecosystems based on the thematic programmes of the CBD: forest and mountain, agriculture, inland waters, coastal, marine and island. Moreover, this Report identifies the gaps that should be addressed and some recommended actions for us to be able to meet the 2010 biodiversity target.

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Kadtabanga is a compilation of success stories behind the formation of Peace and Development Communities (PDCs) in Maguindanao. It highlights the stories of Hadja Giobay Diocolano and Khannapi “Sony” Ayao, combatants of the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) who are now active Peace and Development Advocates (PDAs). The book also includes a background on the creation of the PDCs, as well as a presentation of its successes and failures.

At present, Maguindanao has 25 organized PDCs, with the province as part of the 11-province-12-city Special Zone of Peace and Development (SZOPAD), following the signing of the Final Peace Agreement on 2 September 1996.

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Managing Performance in Peacebuilding is a product of extensive discussions, research and consultations among the GoP-UN ACT for Peace Programme staff and key partners. It was created to draw out and integrate the concepts, principles and theories in peacebuilding and conflict transformation, as well as the Programme’s years of experience in working with conflict-affected and conflict-vulnerable communities, in varying contexts and situations in relation to the dynamics of peace and conflict in Southern Philippines. This framework also draws guidance from studies and publications in peacebuilding and conflict transformation done by renowned social scientists and institutions whose works have helped shape the Programme’s own theories and practices.

As a guide to understanding the Programme as a peacebuilding initiative vis-à-vis other development-oriented interventions, the framework lays down the principles, objectives, system, tools and reports on conflict-sensitive monitoring and evaluation, as an important element of peace-based performance management. Having these “peace lens,” the Programme puts premium on performance that not only achieves the desired development results, but also promotes peace, and reduce, if not prevent, violent conflict.

Intended primarily for the utilization of Programme implementers and partners in local government units (LGU), Peace and Development Advocates’ Leagues (PDALs), the Mindanao Economic Development Council (MEDCo), the Official Development Assistance Office of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ODA-ARMM), and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the framework is also a valuable reference for other institutions and groups working in the peace and development arena, as well as those who have a major stake and interest in building sustained peace in Mindanao.