UNDP seeks deeper Philippines tieups on energy, digital skills

MANILA, Philippines — The United Nations Development Program (UNDP) is looking to strengthen cooperation with the Philippines in accelerating energy security, developing digital skills and mitigating climate risks to boost the country’s long-term resilience.

These areas were shared by Kanni Wignaraja, UN assistant secretary-general and UNDP regional director for Asia and the Pacific, during an interview with The STAR.

Wignaraja was in the Philippines last week to engage with government leaders, development partners, civil society, women leaders, youth representatives and the private sector to discuss how to strengthen its partnership with the country amid growing development challenges.

Prior to this visit, Wignaraja was last in the Philippines in 2022, when the country was just coming out of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“It was important to be back to renew some of the partnership engagements because the Philippines today is also a player in ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) as the chair,” she said.

She said that accelerating energy transition efforts is an area where the UNDP wants to work more closely with the country “so that the Philippines is not held into a vortex of energy insecurity.”

The recent conflict in the Middle East, which disrupted the global energy supply, pushed up prices of fuel and other commodities in the Philippines and put a strain on households.

Wignaraja said that the shift to renewable energy would enable the country to have an energy system that it can control and be more affordable in the long term.

“No matter the crisis in the world, it controls its energy equation more closer to home,” she said.

She said UNDP also wants to deepen its engagement with the Philippines in terms of digital skills and artificial intelligence (AI), where more work is still needed.

“I think with the demographic transition in the Philippines, more young people, this is a takeoff time,” she said, noting that digital skills should include everyone and be integrated early on in the education system.

She said it is critical to make digital services more accessible, particularly, in remote areas and to vulnerable communities.

“It can’t just be at the top end of the digital skills and AI revolution. It has to also be the foundational capabilities. So young people through school and as they enter the workforce really should see the digital economy, digital Philippines as part of their future and really grow that for the country,” she said.

Another area for deeper collaboration with the Philippines is in terms of climate risk and finance, given the climate risks the country faces.

“That cannot be just a constant sunk cost of having to, you know, you build, you have a typhoon or an earthquake or an eruption and you destroy, then you build again,” Wignaraja said.

She said financing instruments, including insurance, as well as providing social protection for communities constantly hit by disasters can help build resilience.

“So these are some of the big issues that I’m here to discuss and further see how the UN and UNDP can support the country,” she said.

She said that work in these areas will require efforts from the government, private sector and civil society.

Given the Philippines’ ASEAN chairship, UNDP Philippines resident representative Christophe Bahuet said that the country has an opportunity to share its experience in navigating development challenges in the region.

“The ASEAN space is really where the Philippines can actually give a steer and help gain momentum in terms of development,” he said.

He said that the Philippines could also share its development experience in Asia-Pacific and beyond.

“If I take the example of disaster preparedness, climate resilience, we can share a lot of this experience with the Pacific countries, for instance, with small islands, all countries vulnerable to climate change,” he said.

The UNDP has been working with the Philippines and development stakeholders for more than six decades.

At present, UNDP is helping the country advance a future-ready nation where strong institutions, digital and green transitions and climate resilience open opportunities for all.