Philippines
Statement on Session 10 – Eradicating poverty and promoting prosperity in a changing world:
How it affects countries in special situations: LDCs and LLDC. It will also discuss special
challenges of MICS
Delivered by
MS. MYRNA CLARA B. ASUNCION
Director III, Senior Development Staff
National Economic and Development Authority
July 12, 2017
As a middle income country that is ranked 3rd among countries most
vulnerable to disasters, the Philippines constantly faces the challenge
of its development gains being eroded or even reversed by natural
disasters and the adverse effects of climate change.
Despite this, we have become one of Asia’s best performing
economies, through a program of inclusive growth and poverty
reduction that has transformed us from the economic laggard that we
were in the past decade. To attain our citizens’ vision for “a
prosperous, predominantly middle-class society where there is
equality of opportunities and poverty has been eradicated”, we need
to expand our economy by about 50% by 2022 from 2016 levels,
equivalent to annual GDP growth of 7-8%. This will increase per capita
income from USD 3,550 in 2015 to at least USD 5,000 in 2022.
Consequently, poverty incidence will decline to 14.0 percent from 21.6
percent in 2015, equivalent to lifting about 6 million people out of
poverty, and hunger will almost be obliterated as the proportion of
subsistence poor individuals falls from 8.1 percent to 5.0 percent.
This is not an easy task for a highly vulnerable country like the
Philippines that is prone to both geological and hydrometeorological
hazards. We all know how easily disaster and climate risks can limit
the full development of the any country’s potentials.
Therefore, our primary concern is to reduce the risks of communities
and individuals exposed to the threats of climate change impact and
disasters. Critical to this is the strengthening of resilience and
reduction of risks of communities and individuals. We have learned
that hazard maps, and risk and resiliency methodologies are useful in
identifying and designing mitigation measures to minimize the
impacts of hazardous events. They enable us to identify flooding,
storm surge, and rain-induced landslide-prone areas, and those prone
to tsunamis, ground ruptures, landslides and liquefaction.
Disaster risk reduction (DRR) is mainstreamed into our national
development planning. We have methodologies for determining
resilience levels of areas to natural hazards to serve as basis for
planning infrastructure, housing, and other services, and programs
and projects.
At the same time, climate change adaptation and DRR strategies are
best formulated at the subnational and local levels where specific
hazards can be defined.
For sectoral plans, we must incorporate strategies for reducing
vulnerability reduction and accelerating recovery when risks
materialize. These include redundancy routes to provide access to
areas affected by hazards, preparation of business continuity plans;
provision of social insurance, crop insurance, and life and other nonlife
insurance; and health promotion programs.
Thank you.
How it affects countries in special situations: LDCs and LLDC. It will also discuss special
challenges of MICS
Delivered by
MS. MYRNA CLARA B. ASUNCION
Director III, Senior Development Staff
National Economic and Development Authority
July 12, 2017
As a middle income country that is ranked 3rd among countries most
vulnerable to disasters, the Philippines constantly faces the challenge
of its development gains being eroded or even reversed by natural
disasters and the adverse effects of climate change.
Despite this, we have become one of Asia’s best performing
economies, through a program of inclusive growth and poverty
reduction that has transformed us from the economic laggard that we
were in the past decade. To attain our citizens’ vision for “a
prosperous, predominantly middle-class society where there is
equality of opportunities and poverty has been eradicated”, we need
to expand our economy by about 50% by 2022 from 2016 levels,
equivalent to annual GDP growth of 7-8%. This will increase per capita
income from USD 3,550 in 2015 to at least USD 5,000 in 2022.
Consequently, poverty incidence will decline to 14.0 percent from 21.6
percent in 2015, equivalent to lifting about 6 million people out of
poverty, and hunger will almost be obliterated as the proportion of
subsistence poor individuals falls from 8.1 percent to 5.0 percent.
This is not an easy task for a highly vulnerable country like the
Philippines that is prone to both geological and hydrometeorological
hazards. We all know how easily disaster and climate risks can limit
the full development of the any country’s potentials.
Therefore, our primary concern is to reduce the risks of communities
and individuals exposed to the threats of climate change impact and
disasters. Critical to this is the strengthening of resilience and
reduction of risks of communities and individuals. We have learned
that hazard maps, and risk and resiliency methodologies are useful in
identifying and designing mitigation measures to minimize the
impacts of hazardous events. They enable us to identify flooding,
storm surge, and rain-induced landslide-prone areas, and those prone
to tsunamis, ground ruptures, landslides and liquefaction.
Disaster risk reduction (DRR) is mainstreamed into our national
development planning. We have methodologies for determining
resilience levels of areas to natural hazards to serve as basis for
planning infrastructure, housing, and other services, and programs
and projects.
At the same time, climate change adaptation and DRR strategies are
best formulated at the subnational and local levels where specific
hazards can be defined.
For sectoral plans, we must incorporate strategies for reducing
vulnerability reduction and accelerating recovery when risks
materialize. These include redundancy routes to provide access to
areas affected by hazards, preparation of business continuity plans;
provision of social insurance, crop insurance, and life and other nonlife
insurance; and health promotion programs.
Thank you.
Stakeholders