RP works with UN on 5-year poverty reduction program

The Philippine government, with the help of the United Nations (UN), will be working out a five-year poverty reduction program while taking into consideration the globally-acceptable millennium development goals.

Apart from poverty reduction, the joint effort also hopes to address primary education, gender equality, child mortality, maternal health, HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases, environmental sustainability, and developing a global partnership for development.

After signing an agreement, the Philippines’ fight against poverty would be placed "into better perspective the UN’s development assistance to the country."

According to Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Romulo L. Neri, the common country assessment (CCA) and the United Nations Development Assistance Framework (UNDAF) for 2005-2009 are expected to help boost the country’s economy by helping uplift the lives of the Filipino people.

The CCA spells out the major challenges that the Philippine government faces while the UN system identifies critical issues for the country. The UNDAF outlines specific plans and strategies on how the UN can best assist the Philippines in its efforts to reduce poverty.

Neri, however, cautioned that while these documents are put together through the cooperation of various stakeholders, such as the UN agencies, the Philippine civil society and the private sector must be consulted.

"True partnership can only be achieved through equal sharing of responsibilities and our primary responsibility lies in making the CCA and UNDAF useful and meaningful," he said.

Representatives of the Philippine government, meanwhile, said that knowledge partnership of intellectual capital is maximized and shared to improve productivity and income.

"It is, therefore, essential to set up necessary structural systems for knowledge to reach the poor," Neri said. "It is through people’s participation and cooperation that the UNDAF’s commitments will become more meaningful and useful," he added.