The Philippines will set its voluntary commitments to protect and conserve the oceans at the Philippine Ocean Conference held in Cebu City on 16-17 May 2017.The conference is in response to the United Nations’ call for concrete actions to protect the oceans and achieve Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 14: Life Below Water.

Missing in Action: Loss of clients from HIV testing, treatment, care and support services: case studies of gay men and other men who have sex with men in Manila - The aim of this study was to document why significant numbers of men who have sex with men based in Metropolitan Manila (also known as Greater Manila, Metro Manila and Manila) currently do not access HIV services at different levels of the HIV treatment cascade.

The N-Peace Awards “recognize individuals who work on women, peace and security by profiling, documenting and highlighting their work and achievements”. The Awards are intended to further the cause of peace, gender equality, equal participation, and empowerment of women. This year’s seven participating countries include Indonesia, Nepal, Pakistan, Myanmar, The Philippines, Afghanistan, and Sri Lanka. Nominate your peace hero by submitting your Nomination Form via e-mail to n-peace@undp.org by 15 May 2017.

On World Water Day, 22 March, communities in Masbate, Camarines Norte and Zamboanga del Norte painted murals that promote the integrated water, sanitation and hygiene (iWash) approach in providing sustainable safe water and sanitation services. Check out event highlights on Storify.

Sharing the same values and objectives, the EU and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) are natural partners – and they have been so for over 15 years, working in over 100 countries, including in the Philippines.

Some 400 million people in Asia and the Pacific still confront poverty as part of their daily lives due to widening income inequality, despite the region’s impressive gains in reducing income poverty in recent decades, according to a new report launched by the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), the Asian Development Bank (ADB), and the UN Development Programme (UNDP) in a forum in Bangkok, Thailand. The report, titled Eradicating Poverty and Promoting Prosperity in a Changing Asia-Pacific, notes that on top of the 400 million people — or one in ten — in the region living in extreme poverty, more than one in four people in Asia and the Pacific’s developing countries experience poverty in multiple dimensions. This includes additional deprivations that impact their health, education, and standard of living.

Exclusion of women, ethnic minorities, and people living in remote areas create chronic barriers that have stymied human development progress and led to significant disparities within the Asia and the Pacific region, leaving many behind. A stronger focus on those excluded groups, and on actions to dismantle these barriers is urgently needed to ensure sustainable human development for all. These are among the key findings of the Human Development Report 2016 entitled ‘Human Development for Everyone’, released today by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).

Communities in Eastern Visayas, including in Samar and Eastern Samar, now have more disaster-resilient infrastructure and livelihood with the support of the government and international development partners like the Korean International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).

More than three years after Super Typhoon Yolanda hit Visayan provinces, recovery efforts continue for communities with the recent turnover of disaster-resilient infrastructure supported by the European Union in Tacloban and Palo in Leyte and in Balangkayan, Hernani and Quinapondan in Eastern Samar.

Finance ministers and senior officials from 15 developing economies across Asia and the Pacific met at the Asian Development Bank headquarters in Manila to discuss enhanced economic and financial responses to climate change. he 3-day regional consultation of the Vulnerable Twenty Group of Ministers of Finance (V20) aims to mobilize international, regional, and national investment for climate action, as well as discuss financial instruments for disaster risk reduction, public financial management, and carbon pricing. It is supported by ADB, the United Nations Development Programme, the World Bank Group, and the Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery.

UNDP in the Philippines and The Economist Asia co-hosted the Executive Dialogue on Implementing LGBTI Inclusion in Asia,w/ 30+ representatives from various businesses in the Philippines sharing experiences,challenges and best practices on LGBTI inclusion.

Haoliang Xu, Assistant Secretary General of the United Nations and Director of the Regional Bureau for Asia and Pacific at the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), talks about the changing role of UNDP in Asia-Pacific" at Columbia University's School of International and Public Affairs.

Legislators and local chief executives of the province of Mindoro are committing full support to localize the Philippine Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plans (PBSAP) 2015-2028 and biodiversity financing in Mindoro Island.

Celebrating the Month of Overseas Filipinos in December of every year, in line with the International Migrants Day, is recognizing the valuable role and productive contribution of migrants both in the Philippines and their countries of destination. With remittances expected to reach USD 28 billion (P1.4 trillion) for 2016, the equivalent of 10% of GDP, the contribution of overseas Filipinos to the Philippine economy is unquestionable. About 20% of all households in the Philippines receive these remittances. Migration has brought immense benefits.

At the fifth Responsible Business Forum, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) today called on business leaders to take a greater role in the new development era in order to support the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This Forum, opened in Singapore by UNDP and Global Initiatives, aims to address a sea change in the nature of development funding by creating a new partnership for sustainable development.

While foreign funding (Official Development Assistance) is still essential for the development system, it now accounts for 0.7 percent of total financial flows in Asia-Pacific (down from 13.5 percent in 1990), while domestic public and private finance accounts for 89 percent, according to a UNDP report launched last month.

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and Global Initiatives will welcome over 600 global business leaders, senior government officials, UN Agencies and NGOs from across the globe for the Responsible Business Forum on Sustainable Development on 22nd-24th November at Marina Bay Sands in Singapore. (Photo: Rod Sollesta)

The exchange between the Philippines and Cambodia was aiming to trigger the sharing of best practices, exchange of ideas for resolving practical development issues and offer valuable peer to peer experience between two southern countries. UNDP is privileged to be able to connect and facilitate roles to steering South-South cooperation initiatives.

Forty-five CEOs and representatives from 22 companies along with delegates from the government and development institutions gathered in an event organized by the Philippine Business for Social Progress (PBSP) in partnership with the United Nations Development Programme’s (UNDP) Business Call to Action to discuss ways on how to make their businesses more responsive to the needs of underserved communities through Inclusive Business (IB).

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Asia-Pacific Development Effectiveness Facility (AP-DEF) opened a two-day meeting on aid ahead of the upcoming Global Partnership for Effective Development Cooperation. More than 100 government delegates and development experts are exploring how to design integrated national financing frameworks for the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in Asia-Pacific. “Domestic sources of finance are emerging as a key driving force for sustainable development in Asia-Pacific,” said Haoliang Xu, UN Assistant Secretary-General and UNDP Director for Asia and the Pacific. “These new sources of finance allow us to expand the existing development cooperation and partnership.”

The Philippine Board of Investments, the industry development and investments promotion arm of the Department of Trade and Industry, the United Nations Development Programme and business groups launched Business+ Philippines, a nationwide survey on Inclusive Business among Philippine companies.

In the Philippines, arguably, the prospects for peace following decades of conflict is perhaps closer than ever before, precisely because there is courage of conviction.

On September 24, 2016, Rappler, in partnership with the United Nations Development Programme, again hosted the annual Social Good Summit with a new twist - the #HackSociety! #HackSociety is an ideathon that harnessed the new democratic space and crowdsourced “hacks” that address key issues and "chip away" at the Sustainable Development Goals. (Photo: Rappler)

The United Nations Development Programme and the Philippine Business for the Environment launched a partnership to recognize and document private sector contributions to the Sustainable Development Goals. UNDP and PBE unveiled the SDGs online portal – http://sdgreport.thepbe.org – where Philippine companies can provide data and other information on their initiatives that contribute to the SDGs.

Ministers from countries forming the Climate Vulnerable Forum (CVF) and global thought leaders addressed the Philippine Senate as they presented new research indicating development by emerging economies would be optimized if global temperature increase was held below 1.5C degrees.

Speech delivered by Mr Ola Almgren, UN Resident Coordinator/UNDP Resident Representative in the Philippines at the League of Corporate Foundations' Corporate Social Responsibility Expo 2016.

The Department of Education (DepEd) is set to deliver information technology (IT) equipment to stand-alone Senior High Schools (SHS) nationwide to support the implementation of the K to12 Program. DepEd partnered with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) to procure and deliver the IT equipment package for the schools. (Photo: DepEd)

International Biodiversity Day offers a timely reminder of the importance of effective management of a country’s natural wealth. Few places in the world are as rich in biodiversity as the Philippines: considered as one of 18 mega-biodiverse countries, harboring more diversity of life per hectare than any other country in the world. This immense natural wealth (and it is a remarkable asset) is however at significant risk.

Deutsche Welle, the German public TV service, has released an episode for its Global Ideas program, highlighting the Biodiversity Finance Initiative (BIOFIN) in the Philippines to raise awareness on biodiversity financing and conservation. Shot in Bais City, Dumaguete, the film features the Tanon Strait which is a resting ground for whales, dolphins and home to rare marine plants. As biodiversity comes under threat, locals are getting involved in its protection.

Demographic change in Asia and the Pacific is happening at a rate the world has never seen. If countries do not start planning for this demographic change, they will miss out on a unique opportunity to boost growth and investments for the future, says the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in its latest Regional Human Development Report. They also risk a surge in youth frustration, exacerbating instability and conflict.

The European Union (EU) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) launched a new project that aims to sustain peace efforts in Mindanao. EU Ambassador Franz Jessen and UNDP Philippines Country Director Titon Mitra presented the "Support Peace-Bangsamoro Project" that will be implemented from 2016 to mid-2017.

Corrupt judicial systems undermine reforms and are a major impediment to ensuring access to justice and human rights for ordinary citizens across the world, says a new report published by the United Nations Development Programme and U4 Anti-corruption Resource Centre.

This case study pertains to an assessment conducted by the Basel Institute on Governance, in collaboration with UNDP’s Global Anti-Corruption Initiative (GAIN), of a social accountability monitoring project in the municipality of San Miguel, Bohol in the Philippines. Called Bayaniham Undertaking Living in a Healthy and Organised Neighborhood or BULHON sa Panguma (BULHON), the project involves the monitoring of agricultural subsidies and was developed and implemented by the Government Watch (G-Watch) programme of the Ateneo School of Government in Manila.

The Philippines is one of 17 mega diverse countries, harboring more diversity of life per hectare than any other country in the world. Yet encroachment in forested areas, pollution, over fishing, poor land management practices, are leading to biodiversity loss at an alarming rate. (Photo: BIOFIN)

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The issues highlighted in recent press coverage on the statement of Professor Beyani, United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Human Rights of Internally Displaced Persons, reflect a number of structural challenges that need to be addressed to expedite recovery from future disasters.