Mainstreaming Green growth in Development Planning

The Philippines’ decentralized governance structure and cyclical changes in Government Administrations – six years for national government and three years for local government- have impacted the continuity of government plans and projects. Recognizing these institutional constraints, NEDA, the lead socio-economic planning agency of the Philippines, has developed a National Long-Term Vision (NLTV) to give continuity to government programs across ensuing administrations. The NLTV embodies the aspirations of the Filipino people and provides the basic framework in the formulation of national, sectoral and local development plans, such as the Philippine Development Plan. The NLTV serves as a strategic platform to introduce new approaches in national development planning. However, a critical gap remains in the operationalization of the NLTV, particularly in its ability to be cascaded with appropriate climate goals and adopted by the Local Government Units to eventually influence the formulation of their respective local development plans. Strengthening the national, regional and local government planning nexus, and harmonizing the sectoral and thematic planning, strategies and targets through the use of a green growth lens would be a critical element in ensuring that SDG targets are achieved as envisioned by the NLTV, and inclusive growth and climate resilience are promoted.