UNCSAC and UNCT define priorities for 2010
Recently appointed United Nations Resident Coordinator (UNRC) Jacqui Badcock, UN Development Program (UNDP) Country Director Renaud Meyer and other members of the UN Country Team (UNCT) met with members of the UN Civil Society Advisory Committee (CSAC) last February 2010. Ms. Badcock said she that it is only in the Philippines that she has seen an organized and active CSAC and a Civil Society Advisory Assembly (CSA) composed of 68 CSOs and CSO networks.
At that meeting the UNCT and the CSAC agreed on four priority joint activities for 2010, namely: 1) UN-GO-CSO Conference on the new MTPDP with the new Administration; 2)UN-GO-CSO Conference on Financing the new MTPDP; 3) Assessment and UN-GO-CSO Conference on the Practice of Participatory Governance (Local/National) in the Country; and 4) UN-CSO Discussion Group on Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) and Climate Change Adaptation (CCA).
*****************************
United Nations Resident Coordinator (UNRC) Jacqui Badcock, UN Development Program (UNDP) Country Director Renaud Meyer and other members of the UN Country Team (UNCT) met with members of the UN Civil Society Advisory Committee (CSAC) last February 16, 2010 at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Makati City.
In her first meeting with the whole CSAC, Ms. Badcock, who had been appointed UNRC in September 2009, said that she looks forward to working in partnership with civil society organizations (CSOs) in the Philippines and that it is only in the Philippines that she has seen an organized and active CSAC and a Civil Society Advisory Assembly (CSA) composed of 68 CSOs and CSO networks.
At that meeting the UNCT and the CSAC agreed on four priority joint activities for 2010, namely:
1) UN-GO-CSO Conference on the new MTPDP with the new Administration
This would be held soon after the new Administration starts its term in July 2010. The five CSA Thematic Groups (good governance, environment, basic social services, peace and human rights and macro-economic stability and equitable development) will bring in their agendas here, but they will also advocate that the Medium Term Philippine Development Plans (MTPDP) for 2011-2016 should be focused on attaining the MDGs by 2015. This conference would highlight the MDGs and the partnership of government and civil society in attaining the MDGs.
2)UN-GO-CSO Conference on Financing the new MTPDP
This would be held soon after the first conference (above), and would focus on the main strategies to raise the financial resources for the new MTPDP and the attainment of the MDGs by 2015.
3) Assessment and UN-GO-CSO Conference on the Practice of Participatory Governance (Local/National) in the Country
The assessment would be started soon and would include significant consultations with CSOs. The findings of the assessment and the recommendations would be the subject of the conference, which would also be held soon after July 2010. This will lead to policy/program recommendations and plans of action to broaden the space for and support the improvement of CSO participation in local and national governance under the new Administration.
4)UN-CSO Discussion Group on Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) and Climate Change Adaptation (CCA)
This group will hold a series of learning/sharing sessions leading to agreements on how to mainstream DRR/CCA in the MTPDP for 2011-16 and LGU plans for 2011-13.
The UNCT and CSAC also agreed on the four main activities for the Human Development Platform 2010 (HD2010) – development of an MDG monitoring tool, a citizens’ MDG report, advocacy for the MDGs in the new MTPDP and high profile campaign for the MDGs. HD2010 is an 18-month project that will be implemented by the UN Millennium Challenge (UNMC) and UNDP in partnership with the CSAC. It is supported by the MDG Achievement Fund (MDG-F).
They also discussed the process for the development of the new UN Development Assistance Framework for 2012-2017, which will start this year, and the participation of CSA members in the process.
The CSAC members who attended the meeting were Ms. Fely Rixhon (Association of Foundations), Ms. Anna Marie Karaos and Mr. Sixto Donato C. Macasaet (CODE-NGO), Ms. Mayette Paragas (Cordillera Network of NGOs and POs), Ms. Pauline Lawsin-Nayra, Eastern Visayas Network of NGOs and POs (EVNET), Ms. Teresita Quintos-Deles (International Center for Innovation, Transformation and Excellence in Governance), Mr. Rolando Abando (Mindanao Coalition of Development NGO Networks), Mr. Raul Socrates Banzuela (Pambansang Kilusan ng mga Samahang Magsasaka), Ms. Veronica Villavicencio (Peace and Equity Foundation), Mr. Max De Mesa (Philippine Alliance of Human Rights Advocates), Mr. Emmanuel Areno (Western Visayas Network of Social Development NGOs) and Ms. Florencia Dorotan (Women’s Action Network for Development). The other CSAC members are Consortium of Bangsamoro Civil Society Organizations, Foundation for the Philippine Environment, Freedom from Debt Coalition and Social Watch Philippines. UNDP and CODE-NGO act as co-convenors of the CSAC.
Aside from Ms. Badcock and Mr. Meyer, the other UNCT members who attended were Ms. Vanessa Tobin, UNICEF, Ms. Suneeta Mukherjee, UNFPA, Mr. Stephen Anderson, WFP, Mr. Kayuzuki Tsurumi, FAO, Ms. Linda Wirth, ILO, Dr. Soe Nyunt-U, WHO, Mr. Suresh Chandra Raj, UNIDO, Mr. Rico Salcedo, UNHCR, Mr. Charles Harns, IOM, Ms. Luz Rodriguez, UNIFEM, Ms. Teresita Bagasao, UNAIDS and Ms. Eden Garde, HABITAT. Also present were Mr. Caspar Peek, Regional UNDAF QSA/PSG Support, Mr. Minar Pimple, UN Millennium Campaign, Ms. Nanako Tsukahara, UNMC and Ms. Eden Lumilan, Ms. Ruth Georget and Ms. Dulce Saret of the UN Coordination Office.
Since February 16, several follow-up meetings have been held, including a meeting last March 25, 2010 attended by CSAC representatives and UNDP Country Director Renaud Meyer, Dr. Emmanuel Buendia of UNDP and Ms. Dulce Saret of UNMC.