Manila, Philippines – United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in the Philippines, in partnership with the Philippine Rural Reconstruction Movement (PRRM), recently brought together civil society organizations (CSOs), government agencies, and development partners to tackle opportunities for CSOs to participate in sustainable financing in the Philippines.

In his opening remarks, PRRM President Ed Dela Torre recognized the many challenges in advancing the Sustainable Development Goals until 2030: “There is a need for financing for the civil society to move the needle in terms of SDG financing, and the role of the CSOs can be strengthened in this aspect.” 

The SDG Forum: CSO Participation - SDG Financing Roadmap presented proposed practical strategies and institutional reforms to shift CSO engagement from invitation-dependent consultations to predictable, resource, and evidence-driven engagement. The roadmap will help shape how SDG financing choices are made, tracked, and adjusted. 

Beckie Malay, Co-Convenor of the SDG Stakeholder’s Chamber, presented, “The Philippine People's Scorecard Survey global average revealed that from the civil society's perspective, the progress of SDGs is 4.83% and that there is much to be done.” She explained that the scorecard survey was a platform for the CSOs to independently monitor the SDG progress, complement the Government’s Voluntary National Review, identify implementation trends through perceptions, and ensure diverse voices are heard. She further said, “This guides us on what CSOs can urgently demand from the government to achieve the SDG targets.” 

Anchored on the four building blocks of the Integrated National Financing Framework, the roadmap aims to enhance financing processes by enabling CSOs to contribute more effectively through improved analysis, strengthened options and trade-off deliberations, and increased follow-through in decision-making and monitoring. 

The roadmap proposes four outcome areas with practical activities: (1) institutionalized meaningful CSO participation; (2) data access and transparency to strengthen evidence-based CSO engagement; (3) enabling environment for a diverse CSO ecosystem; and (4) strengthened oversight and transparency. The Forum showcased a focus group discussion as a validation workshop to present the roadmap and consult with the CSOs to tackle the identified outcomes areas. It also provided a platform to discuss and collaborate on SDG financing and investments in the Philippines and foster better integration and partnership among SDG stakeholders. 

Closing the Forum, Mohamed Shahudh, Country Economist of UNDP Philippines, emphasized the critical role of CSOs as partners in sustainable development financing, bringing together community-based evidence, sectoral expertise, and independent oversight that could strengthen transparency, accountability, and impact. 

He shared, “When CSOs can scrutinize budget tagging, track expenditures, flag procurement irregularities, and bring community evidence into policy deliberations, they do not just strengthen governance — they improve the return on public spending, and they build the credibility not just in financing mechanisms but also in the wider governance ecosystem. The roadmap we are building today serves as an important bridge for concrete pathway for CSO participation in formal financing deliberations.” 

To know more about UNDP’s work on Integrated National Financing Framework, visit: https://inff.webflow.io/countries/philippines

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