Philippine CSOs Advocate for Post-2015 Sustainable Development Goals

Sixto Donato C. Macasaet

In recent months, there has been a flurry of activities of civil society organizations (CSOs) as the campaign for shaping the global Post 2015 Development Framework goes into its last year.  The UN General Assembly (UN GA) is expected to approve in September 2015 the successor to the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) as the 15 year timetable for these goals comes to a close.

Last September 3-4, 2014, the national CSO conference of Sustainable Development 2015 (SD 2015) was held at the Institute of Social Order, Ateneo de Manila University, Quezon City. The national conference was the culmination of three regional workshops of CSOs held in the cities of Davao, Cebu and Quezon in July to August 2014.  At these workshops and at the conference, the CSOs reviewed and discussed the proposed (zero draft) of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as prepared by the Open Working Group (OWG) of the UN General Assembly (GA). The draft of the SDGs contains 17 goals to be attained by 2030 and more than 140 associated targets. The OWG explained that they attempted to create an integrated agenda based on the 3 pillars of sustainable development: economic development, social development and environmental goals. The OWG formally submitted its draft to the UN GA President on August 1, 2014.

In their resulting position paper, SD 2015 Philippines emphasized that as the Philippine government works with other governments and institutions in finalizing the SDGs or the Post 2015 development goals in the coming year, it should always be guided by the 15 Sustainable Development (SD) Principles of Unity, which were agreed upon by civil society and the government in the Enhanced Philippine Agenda 21. These SD principles can be encapsulated into the development aspirations of achieving social justice and human rights, sustainability and inclusion.

SD 2015 Philippines acknowledged the gains contained in the proposed SDGs of the OWG in recognizing some of the issues and causes of poverty and underdevelopment. However, the group also remained concerned with the inadequacy of the proposed goals and indicators to comprehensively and decisively address the underlying core issues essential for ending the struggle against poverty and in transforming societies through sustainable development.

The group cited, for example, the need for the goals to ensure that climate justice is promoted and developed countries and industries responsible for climate change causing carbon emissions give reparations to the affected countries for the damages caused by natural disasters. SD 2015 also stressed that economic growth must be promoted only in the context of holistic development, and it should not sacrifice or negatively impact any other aspect of full human, social, and environmental development.

SD 2015 Philippines further called on the Philippine government to define a meaningfully inclusive and participatory process in the national and international agenda setting processes for the new global development goals and asked that the government open up its decision-making processes and help ensure that this new global development agenda will truly address the needs of the people.

On the second day of the national conference, the participants presented their position paper to representatives of various government agencies, including the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) and the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), which chairs the Cabinet Cluster on Human Development and Poverty Reduction.  After the conference, the group formally submitted its position paper to Secretary Arsenio Balisacan, Director-General of NEDA.

The Caucus of Development NGO Networks (CODE-NGO) and the Civil Society Counterpart Council for Sustainable Development (CSC CSD) organized the SD 2015 Philippines, which is linked to an international multi-stakeholder engagement program run by Stakeholder Forum and CIVICUS, in collaboration with UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA) to help stakeholders to input to the Post-2015 process and help build a more sustainable future.  The regional workshops of SD 2015 Philippines were also supported by the Philippine Tropical Forest Conservation Fund (PTFCF) and the Foundation for the Philippine Environment (FPE).

CODE-NGO and CSC CSD are also active members of the Philippine hub of Beyond 2015, a global civil society campaign which seeks to create a civil society consensus around a minimum standard of legitimacy for a post-2015 framework, both in terms of the process and the framework itself and to influence the creation of such a framework at both the national and international level.  Last September 5, 2014, the national hub met again after a hiatus of more than one year as it also prepared to engage and advocate on the SDGs in the coming months.  The Philippine Social Enterprise Network (PHILSEN) acts as the secretariat of Beyond 2015 Philippines.

Also last August 19, 2014, ‘aksyon/2015’ was launched at a media briefing in Quezon City.  ‘aksyon/2015’ is the Philippine counterpart of ‘action/2015 Asia’, a broad and inclusive platform of CSOs which aims to inspire and mobilize individuals, organizations, social movements and other stakeholders to achieve a just and sustainable world, amplify the voices and aspirations of Asians to influence governments, businesses, institutions as well as the Post-2015 sustainable development agenda and international climate negotiations. ‘action/2015 Asia’ was formed last May 2014 at a meeting in Bangkok attended by the Asia Development Alliance (ADA), Beyond 2015, Climate Action Network (CAN), Civicus – Affinity Group of National Association (AGNA), Feminist Task Force, Global Call to Action Against Poverty (GCAP), International Federation of NGO Platforms (IFP), NGO Forum on the ADB, Save the Children, Socially Excluded Task Force and World Vision.

In the Philippines, aside from CODE-NGO and CSC CSD, the initial members of the ‘aksyon/2015’ national action team are Action Against Hunger (ACF) Philippines, Beyond 2015 Philippines, Foundation for Sustainable Society Inc. (FSSI), GCAP Philippines, Green Research, Plan International Philippines, Social Watch Philippines and World Vision Philippines.

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Sixto Donato C. Macasaet is the Executive Director of Caucus of Development NGO Networks (CODE-NGO).