Province of Siquijor - UNDP in the Philippines

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Province of Siquijor
Message
The preparation of provincial MDGs reports is a critical step that Local Government
Units (LGUs) have taken in the overall effort to localize the MDGs. As it is
often said, the MDGs will be ‘won or lost’ at the local level given the conditions
of uneven progress and disparities across regions and provinces in the country.
Beyond the national averages, one can see wide disparities on the gains
in poverty reduction, universal education, child mortality and maternal health.
This situation reinforces the notion that the progress of each province is just as
important as the achievements of the country as a whole. After all, the Philippines’
progress towards the MDGs, is the sum of the efforts and gains of all LGUs.
By preparing provincial reports, LGUs are provided vital information on
the status of the MDGs in their areas of infl uence. These reports are important
sources of information for planning, resource allocation and priority setting that LGUs are tasked
under their mandate of effective local governance. Likewise, in the course of the preparation of the
reports, the capacity of LGUs to collect, monitor and use data for decision making has been greatly
enhanced. The reports also show how far the Community Based Monitoring System (CBMS) that
UNDP has supported can go in terms of its use.
Against the backdrop of renewed optimism emanating from the new political leadership, this fi rst
set of nine Provincial Reports on the MDGs is a timely and important milestone. The reports provide
crucial insights on how to overcome the constraints in achieving the MDGs locally as the country
gears towards the last stretch to attain the eight goals by 2015. They also emphasize the important
role of active collaboration of political leaders, stakeholders, and donors in achieving the MDGs.
I wish to commend the nine Provincial Governments that prepared their reports – the Agusan
del Norte, Agusan del Sur, Biliran, Camarines Norte, Eastern Samar, Marinduque, Romblon, Sarangani
and Siquijor Province – the Community-Based Monitoring System (CBMS) Network and
the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) for working together in bringing about
this important accomplishment.
With this initiative, it is hoped that other provinces will follow suit to attain nationwide support
for the need to accelerate the pace of the achievement of the MDGs s by 2015.
Dr. Dr Jacqueline Badcock
UN Resident Coordinator and
UNDP Resident Representative
Status Report on the Millennium Development Goals Using CBMS Data