The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) have created an online platform to facilitate the production and distribution of personal protective equipment (PPE) nationwide.
In a news statement issued on Tuesday, UNDP said the platform, Empower PH, aims to address the need for protective clothing for both medical use and non-medical use.
The UN agency said the initiative will also support the recovery of garment factories; micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs); social enterprises; and the informal economy.
“While the pandemic has adversely affected the business sector, especially the MSMEs, it has also presented an opportunity for the country to develop a local PPE manufacturing industry that could reduce the country’s reliance on imported PPEs, thereby making it better positioned to respond to the next pandemic,” UNDP Philippines Resident Representative Selva Ramachandran said.
This initiative is in line with the national government’s agenda in managing Covid-19 by ensuring business continuity and effective delivery of critical goods and services and with UNDP’s global offer on Covid-19 response.
Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez said the agency aims to ensure business continuity and effective delivery of Covid-19 goods and services, including the community face mask project and the manufacturing repurposing program.
Through EMPOWER PH, information and resources on PPE production is made accessible to all. The platform will also allow MSMEs that were badly hit by the pandemic to become part of the protective wear supply chain.
“We look forward to seeing businesses in the wearable industry—especially the MSMEs—take advantage of the platform and its features. We are grateful for the partnership with UNDP Philippines and we will continue to work together with our partners and stakeholders, to build the development of the local PPE industry, and ensure that the country is well prepared for future global crises and pandemics,” said DTI Undersecretary Dr. Rafaelita Aldaba.
A few months into the pandemic, the DTI and UNDP Philippines began working together to establish the platform officially named as the Enhanced Manufacturing of Protective Wear and Equipment for Covid-19 Response in the Philippines.
It was created to help PPE manufacturers and suppliers, as well as buyers and consumers, to post, find, and connect with the network, and to access relevant information and resources for product quality assurance.
“Platforms should be frictionless, and EMPOWER PH is by design a work in progress. We ask all—private sector, manufacturers, suppliers and consumer—to join the platform and experience it. As an innovation drive, we at UNDP believe that it has to be democratized,” said UNDP Philippines Deputy Resident Representative Enrico Gaveglia.
Consumers can browse through a variety of protective wear, from community face masks to personal protective equipment, made by different manufacturers or suppliers.
With personal protective equipment and community face coverings becoming a part of everyday wear, EMPOWER PH provides free and extensive access to all.