Monitoring the country’s progress in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is not only the responsibility of national agencies but also of local government units (LGUs), according to the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA).
In a presentation at the PSA’s 1st Data Festival, Assistant National Statistician Wilma A. Guillen said local governments are tasked to monitor 72 local Core-SDG indicators of the 155 country indicators.
Guillen said these indicators cover 42 of the 97 national targets and 14 out of the 17 SDGs. This, she said, are part of the ongoing SDG localization efforts to ensure the Philippines meets the goals by 2030.
“[The Core-SDGIs are the] minimum set of SDG indicators for sub-national compilation and dissemination to facilitate sub-national comparisons to help monitor the achievement of the SDGs,” Guillen said.
“[These are] selected indicators should be broadly consistent with Initial List of Philippine SDG Indicators as approved by the PSA Board Resolution 09, Series of 2017,” she added.
Guillen said the PSA has conducted Regional Workshops on Regional Strategic Priorities and SDG Alignment activities, as well as Provincial Strategic Direction Setting Conference Workshops. These will be included in the localization of the Regional Development Plan.
Of the 155 indicators being monitored nationally, some 126 indicators already have baseline data. This represents 81.3 percent of the total.
More than half, or 66 percent, of the data needed will be obtained from government agencies and 33 percent will be obtained from the PSA. The remaining percent will be culled from other sources.
In terms of primary data sources, 66 percent will be obtained from administrative data, while 23 percent will be obtained from surveys. Around 5 percent will be obtained from both administrative data and surveys, while 6 percent will be from administrative data and census information.
Also, 84 percent of the 155 SDG indicators are disaggregated by sex or gender, while 66 percent are disaggregated by regions and 42 percent by provinces.
In July the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (Unescap) said the Asia and the Pacific region, which also includes the Philippines, could meet only one SDG by 2030.
In a statement after the High-level Political Forum in New York, the Unescap said only SDG 4, which aims to achieve quality education and lifelong learning, is on track to be met by the Philippines.
In several critical areas, including the health of the oceans, forest conservation and the reduction of greenhouse-gas emissions, the region is heading in the wrong direction.
Unescap said this means increasing inclusive, multistakeholder participation in efforts to meet the SDGs on a per country and regional level.
Around 193 member-countries of the United Nations, including the Philippines, committed to meet the SDGs by 2030. The SDGs were adopted in September 2015.
The Global Goals aim to end poverty and hunger, promote universal health, education for all and lifelong learning, achieve gender equality, sustainable water management, ensure sustainable energy for all, decent work for all, resilient infrastructure and reduce income inequality between and among countries.
The goals also include create sustainable cities, ensure sustainable consumption and production, take action against climate change, conserve and sustainably use oceans and marine resources, reduce biodiversity loss, achieve peaceful and inclusive societies, and revitalize global partnership for development.