NEDA focuses on 5 targets in development plan

MANILA, Philippines - The Philippines would be incorporating in the next national development plan the attainment of five priority targets under the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) said over the weekend.

Among the 17 SDGs, the Philippines would prioritize goals such as poverty reduction and social inclusion, environmental sustainability, climate change and disaster risk management, accountable, responsive and participatory governance, fair and stable order based on international rule of law, and peace and security.

NEDA said the country’s post-2015 development agenda based on these pillars aim to build a “rights-based, equitable and sustainable society.”

“There is an ongoing process of integrating SDGs simultaneously into the long-term vision and goals and the national, sectoral and subnational plans and frameworks,” said NEDA deputy director general Rosemarie Edillon.

“Having known the collective aspirations of Filipinos through the long-term vision, the next step is to identify strategies to achieve them. We will be guided by the quality of life characteristics indicated in the 2030 Agenda and the principle that no one should be left behind,” she added.

The strategies for attaining these goals would be mainstreamed in the next medium-tern development plan, the Public-Investment Program, and the yearly Budget Priorities Framework. These would also be further elaborated in the various sub-national and sectoral development plans.

The SDGs is a set of 17 aspirations spearheaded by the United Nations and agreed upon by various states to end poverty, fight inequality and injustice and address the effects of climate change by 2030.

In brief, the goals are as follows: No poverty, zero hunger, good health and well-being, quality education, gender equality, clean water and adequate sanitation, affordable and clean energy, decent work and economic growth, promotion of industry and infrastructure, reduced income inequality among countries, sustainable cities and communities, responsible consumption and production, providing action against climate change, protection of marine life, sustainability of land resources, keeping of peace and forging strong institutions, and maintenance of close global collaboration for the attainment of these goals.