NEDA Launches the Joint Plan PAP4SCP and Roadmap to Institutionalized NCA for PDP 2023-2028 Chapter 15: From Plan to Action

The Philippine Action Plan for Sustainable Consumption and Production (PAP4SCP) and the Roadmap to Institutionalize Natural Capital Accounting (NCA) in the Philippines were launched by the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) Secretary Arsenio M. Balisacan in partnership with the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) on 14 February 2023 at the Novotel Manila Araneta City Hotel. The event jumpstarts the series of Philippine Development Plan (PDP) advocacy activities.

PAP4SCP and NCA Roadmap support the implementation of the PDP 2023-2028, particularly on Chapter 15 - Accelerate Climate Action and Strengthen Disaster Resilience.

PDP underscores the need for collective action to mitigate the climate change and strengthen the resilience of communities, institutions, and ecosystems to the impacts of natural hazards and climate change in the Philippines.

According to UNDP Resident Representative to the Philippines Selva Ramachandran, the UN Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) No. 12: Sustainable Consumption and Production (SCP) is the critical part of the discussion for the environmental goal. "The purpose of this goal is to achieve sustainable management and efficient use of natural resources and to reduce the negative impacts of human consumption on the environment," said Ramachandran. He also commends NEDA for the rapid action of the development plan in the Philippines.

Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) Undersecretary Dennis S. Mapa, National Statistician and Civil Registrar General, emphasized in his keynote message the long history and current initiatives of the Philippines in natural capital accounting. He elaborated the latest release on Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and highlighted that "though GDP measures how the economy is performing, it does not provide a true measure of a country's wealth and well-being." He added, "natural capital fuels our economy and natural capital accounting is an engine towards inclusive and sustainable economic growth."

Usec. Mapa stressed that, "as PSA works towards innovation and collaboration with our partners, the valuation of ecosystem services and other environmental accounts is next in our target." The ecosystem assets and services will then be incorporated in the natural capital adjusted macroeconomic indicators.

In the second half of the program, the Senate President Pro-Tempore Loren B. Legarda discussed and elaborated the importance of the existence of the Philippine Ecosystem and Natural Capital Accounting System (PENCAS) as rights of nature and ecosystem, and how NEDA and PSA are adapting policies and launching a roadmap for NCA.

The World Bank (WB) Operations Manager for the Philippines, Dr. Achim Fock, appreciates and supports the Philippines towards building a sustainable economy where resources are valued appropriately and utilized efficiently. He pointed out that the Philippines has a long history in utilizing NCA and is one of the world leaders in piloting the National Capital Accounting listing various Philippine programs that the WB has supported.

To know more about the event, you may watch the live stream here: https://fb.watch/iFJBK045KA/.

- Knowledge Management and Communications Division, Information Technology and Dissemination Service

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