POPCOM, UNFPA sign multiyear partnership on demographic dividend, ICPD initiatives
GOVERNANCE/POLITICS • 09:30 AM Sat Nov 30, 2019
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PopCom-12 Information Management and Communication Unit (IMCU)
Formalizing the MOU for their organizations’ multiyear partnership are POPCOM Executive Director Usec. Juan Antonio Perez III, MD, MPH and UNFPA Country Representative Iori Kato at the POPCOM Central Office in Mandaluyong City.
MANILA - The Commission on Population and Development (POPCOM) and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) signed on Wednesday a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for a multiyear partnership to strengthen the government’s efforts for the Philippines to reap the benefits of demographic dividend and for other initiatives to integrate population dynamics as well as reproductive health issues with sustainable development planning and programming.
POPCOM’s signing of this MOU to reinforce the partnership with UNFPA takes place less than two weeks after the 25th anniversary of the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD+25) Nairobi Summit on November 12 to 14, where POPCOM played a pivotal role as a key member of the Philippine delegation.
2019 marks a significant milestone for POPCOM and UNFPA, as both celebrate their 50th anniversary this year.
“POPCOM values this partnership with UNFPA, as both organizations have jointly been at the forefront of the country’s population-management efforts in the last half-century, ensuring that the issue of the demographic dividend is given the necessary attention that it deserves,” declared Undersecretary Juan Antonio Perez III.
“Through our joint efforts, we saw that the current Philippine Development Plan 2017-2022 carries a dedicated chapter on ‘Reaching for the Demographic Dividend.’ Through this MOU that POPCOM and UNFPA have signed today, we will further accelerate our joint work to implement a National Action Plan for Demographic Dividend to attain the PDP goal,” POPCOM’s executive director further stated.
Aside from demographic dividend, the POPCOM-UNFPA MOU focuses also on two other strategic partnership areas, namely: (1) further promoting private sector engagement with family planning; and (2) supporting the implementation of reproductive health and youth development programs of the newly established Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao through internationally awarded South-South Cooperation initiatives with Indonesia and other countries.
“UNFPA sees this agreement with POPCOM as an important platform to further facilitate the implementation of priority initiatives of our just-released eighth Country Programme for the Philippines 2019-2023,” said Iori Kato, UNFPA Country Representative.
“Through this renewed and further-empowered collaboration with POPCOM covered by this MOU, UNFPA intends to support government efforts to effectively promote sexual and reproductive health and rights not just as an important health issue, but also as a crucial poverty alleviation strategy, in line with Agenda 2030, including Sustainable Development Goals to leave no one behind, and to assist the national and local governments to finish the unfinished agenda of ICPD.”