Unicef leaves Phl with $85.5-M assistance

MANILA, Philippines - United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) Representative to the Philippines Vanessa Tobin made a farewell call on Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario, leaving the country with $85.5 million UNICEF assistance.

Del Rosario and Tobin discussed the strong partnership between the Philippines and UNICEF, the primary advocate of children’s rights within the UN system.

Under Tobin’s almost three years of stewardship, UNICEF continued to work for the benefit of Filipino children.

This includes the approval by the UNICEF Executive Board of the indicative budget for the Philippines’ seventh country program of cooperation (CPC7) for the period of 2012 to 2016, amounting to $15,495,000 from UNICEF’s regular resources and $70,000,00 from other resources.

CPC7 aims to improve the well-being of children in the country by enhancing partnerships to further strengthen capacity to achieve the Millennium Development Goals on eradicating extreme poverty and hunger (MDG 1), achieving universal primary education (MDG 2), reducing child mortality (MDG 4), and improving maternal health (MDG 5).

Developed by UNICEF in close coordination with the Philippine government through the National Economic and Development Authority, CPC7 was aligned with the Philippine Development Plan (PDP).

Implementation will proceed in conformity with the UN Development Assistance Framework (UNDAF), the strategic program framework for the UN Country Team and the PDP. – Rainier Allan Ronda