PHILIPPINE STATEMENT
Intergovernmental Negotiations (Declaration Session)
on the Post-2015 Development Agenda
17-20 February 2015, New York
Distinguished co-facilitator,
Thank the co-facilitators for their efforts to move this process forward, especially over the past few days.
The Philippine Delegation would like to align itself with the statement delivered on behalf of the Group of 77 + China. We would also like to make a few additional initial remarks in our national capacity.
The attractiveness of a Declaration - whose content is “visionary, ambitious, and actionable” while keeping the form “concise, communicable and simple” – is understandable. However, we believe that this form needs to be balanced with enough substance so as to appeal to a broad range of stakeholders, who we are trying to inspire towards action.
In this vein, we would be pleased to see in the subsequent “reincarnations” of the discussion document, stronger or additional language on issues such as inequality within and between countries, poverty in multiple dimensions, resilience and environmental degradation.
We would also appreciate to see references to indigenous peoples, migrants & their families, as well as persons with disabilities, as among the vulnerable groups to be prioritized.
For better balance, reference to lessons learned from the unfinished business of MDGs would be important to mention.
Respect for national priorities should also be included, as it is important for national ownership.
The importance of high-quality, internationally comparable data -- at the national as well as disaggregated level to ensure no one is left behind -- should be mentioned, while acknowledging the burden this would place on governments, and the need to provide support particularly to developing countries in this regard.
Lastly, in line with the remarks yesterday morning about getting the front-end right, we hope to see appropriate language on social investments in the well-being of children, adolescents and youth, as well as more prominence to the issue of gender equality and the rights of women and girls.
I thank you.
