GIZ allocates 10M euros for Philippine enterprises

CEBU, Philippines - Through its developmental budget of 10 million Euros for the Philippines, the support enterprise development agency called GIZ (Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit) hopes to help small and medium businesses in the Philippines to embrace applications for “green” operation.

 GIZ program manager Volker Steigerwald announced that large part of the budget for this year for the Philippines is geared towards helping enterprises and small businesses to take advantage of the green market, as well as adopting environment-friendly operation within their respective companies.

 According to Steigerwald, Philippine enterprises this is the right time for the Philippines to start take advantage the fast growing “green economy”

 Initially, the project now is focusing on helping sub-contractor and small producers to start off a legitimate “green operation”, he said.

 He added that producers should know that consumers now all over the world, especially from Europe are shifting their preference to demand for “green products.”

 Bringing together the expertise DED (German Development Service), the GTZ (German Technical Cooperation) and the InWent-Capacity Building International, Germany, the group that will now be put in one umbrella called GIZ.

 GIZ is working closely with different government agencies such as Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), Department of Science and Technology (DOST), Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR).

 Together with its partners from the national, provincial and municipal levels, GIZ has been implementing programs in Region 7 for more than two decades now, strengthening the capacity of people and their organizations in achieving sustainable development by balancing economic and social, and ecological interests through multi participation and collaboration.

 The Decentralization Program (DP), Private Sector Promotion Program (PSP), Sustainable Economic Development Program, Community based Forest and Mangrove Management Project, the Solid Waste Management for LGUs (SWM4LGUs) Project of the Environment and Rural Development (EnRD) Program, and the Strategic Corporate-Community Partnerships for Local Development Program (SCOPE) of GIZ are joint development interventions currently in place and operating in Region 7.

 These programs are comprehensive, extensive and integrated, with expertise provided by GIZ and highly qualified development workers.

From policy advocacy and strategic steering to fiscal management; natural resources governance to capacity development of local government units (LGUs); community-based forest and coastal management to improving business sectors through expanding markets, GIZ aims at helping alleviate poverty, improve the lives of Filipinos, and pave the way for a sustainable economic future for the region. (FREEMAN)