The UNESCO Office Jakarta in coordination with the UNESCO National Commission of the Philippines has completed the final draft of the Philippines-UNESCO Country Programme Document (PH-UCPD) 2009-2012. The PH-UCPD is UNESCO’s blueprint of action in working with the Philippines in the pursuit of national development goals and objectives along UNESCO’s areas of competence, namely, education, science and technology, natural and human sciences, culture, communication and information.

The PH-UCPD has the following main components: (a) introduction, (b) situation analysis (including development issues and challenges), (c) previous and current UNESCO interventions in the Philippines, (d) cooperation framework, (e) program management, and (f) proposed programs and projects.

The pioneering document listed 24 proposed programs and projects that could be pursued during the three year timeframe from 2009-2011. The total project cost is USD 11.369 Million.

The proposed programs and projects are anchored on Education for Sustainable Development (ESD). This anchor provides a common direction for the envisioned programs and projects as they are expected to directly contribute to the attainment of ESD. The proposed programs and projects adhere to UNESCO’s mission statement and are consistent with UNESCO five overarching objectives.

A unique feature of the PH-UCPD is the interlink or interrelation of proposed programs and projects not only within each sector but also among the different sectors. It highlights UNESCO’s distinct comparative advantage of intersectorality. An important contribution in the crafting of UCPDs worldwide is the setting of criteria in identifying or selecting programs and projects for inclusion in the document. These criteria are UNESCO’s comparative advantages, program/project impact, use of innovative strategies, and mobilization of youth.

Preparation of the UCPD followed a consultative and participatory planning process. Some 20 resource persons were interviewed including senior and mid-level government officials, leaders of civil society organizations (including non-government organizations, academe, professional associations, and media) and business and industry. The UNESCO NatCom Executive Committee provided inputs and was regularly updated on the progress of the PH-UCPD preparation. More than 50 materials including UN and UNESCO documents, national and sectoral development plans, project accomplishment reports, and research papers were reviewed and used as bases for writing the situation analysis. The consultant commissioned to come up with a draft report also attended regional and national conferences and workshops and visited project sites in the provinces to gain additional insights and collect additional information.