AIS and SDSN PH conduct public plenary on the status of SDGs in the Philippines

Last 7 September 2022, Sustainable Development Solutions Network Philippines (SDSN PH), housed at the Ateneo Institute of Sustainability (AIS), hosted a public plenary entitled “Crossroad to 2030: Reviewing and recalibrating the SDGs roadmap of the Philippines”. Attended by 230 participants, the plenary tackled where the Philippines stands vis-à-vis the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), a set of 17 global goals which are intended to be achieved from 2015 to 2030.

In his plenary talk, Mr. Guillaume Lafortune, Vice President and Head of Paris Office of United Nations Sustainable Development Solutions Network and lead author of the Sustainable Development Report (SDR) 2022, started by discussing how the world experienced a decline in achieving the SDGs due to the CoViD-19 pandemic. For example, while there are some temporary gains, low-income and developing countries are beleaguered by issues related to financing and investment to human capital because resources have to be channeled to capacitating the public health sector.

Lafortune shared that, according to recent SDR, the Philippines ranked 95 out of 163 countries and seventh among the Southeast Asian countries only ahead of Myanmar (rank 103), Cambodia (107), and Lao PDR (111). Moreover, he shared that the SDG Dashboards reflect that the Philippines is on track on maintaining SDG achievement for SDGs #6 Clean water and sanitation, #12 Responsible consumption and production, and #13 Climate action. Moreover, while the country is moderately improving in 10 goals, the Philippines is stagnating in four goals, namely SDG #5 Gender equality, #11 Sustainable cities and communities, #15 Life on land, and #17 Partnerships for the goals.

After the plenary presentation, National Economic Development Authority (NEDA) Undersecretary for Policy and Planning Rosemarie G. Edillon acknowledged the status report and recommendations of the SDSN in the SDR. She outlined the Philippine roadmap in attaining the SDGs which follow the ‘six transformations’, a framework proposed in the SDR. She reiterated that the new administration affirms its commitment to Ambisyon Natin 2040, a vision that the Philippines will become a predominantly middle-class society with people having longer lifespan and healthier lives in less than two decades’ time.

The public plenary is part of the General Assembly (GA) of SDSN PH. Prior the public plenary, SDSN PH had its Business Meeting where Batangas State University was welcomed as the 23rd member institution. Ongoing initiatives of the network on addressing SDG#2 Zero Hunger were presented by Engr. Albertson Amante of Batangas State University, Ms. Gail Paloma De la Rita of Xavier University – Ateneo de Cagayan, and Mr. Elmer Sto. Domingo of Ateneo de Naga University.

In her welcome remarks, SDSN PH Leadership Council Chair and AIS Executive Director Dr. Kendra Gotangco Gonzales commended members for pursuit of collaboration and creative problem solving amidst trying times. Outgoing SDSN PH Country Manager and Ateneo School of Government Dean Dr. Philip Arnold Tuaño recapped the accomplishments from the bountiful year that was. The Business Meeting also witnessed the formal turnover of the Country Manager position from Tuaño to Dr Emmanuel Delocado, Program Manager for SDGs of AIS. In his closing remarks, Delocado vowed to strengthen engagement and networking of SDSN PH, especially with the government, business sector, industry, and the youth.