EU, Unicef launch facility to boost public spending for children
CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY—-The Department of Budget and Management (DBM), the European Union (EU), and the United Nations Children’s Fund (Unicef) recently launched a joint program that promotes targeted and transparent budgeting to help improve the lives of children in the country.
The program is founded on the assumption that improved public finance is critical to strengthening social services and protections for children, especially in times of crisis when families struggle to afford food, healthcare, and education.
The initiative ensures sustainable and protected public spending on children, a segment of the population that is deemed “the most vulnerable” by the agencies.
While acknowledging that the country is nearing upper-middle-income status, challenges such as climate change, disaster risks, and deep inequality still persist.
The program noted that the country is the most vulnerable among Southeast Asian countries to climate change impacts and disasters, with children among the most at risk.
Inclusive society
As of 2021, 52 percent of the 10.5 million Filipinos living in poverty were children, the program cited. In the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, about 44 percent of children live in poverty.
The Public Finance Facility (PFF) that the agencies will operate is expected to enhance how social sector budgets are planned, allocated, and used, ensuring they are effective, equitable, and accountable at both national and local levels.
“When budgets are cut or misused, children suffer the most. We thank our development partners, the EU and Unicef, for investing in our children—our future generation of leaders and nation-builders,” DBM Secretary Amenah Pangandaman said.
Pangandaman added that the initiative supported the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals and aligns with the Philippine Development Plan 2023–2028.
“The EU is committed to helping the Philippines build a resilient and inclusive society. Investing in children today is a strategic investment in the country’s future,” said Massimo Santoro, EU Ambassador to the Philippines.
Unicef Acting Representative to the Philippines Behzad Noubary said the facility “marks a major step in improving public investments.”
“We aim to expand social protection programs and child-friendly policies, helping children living in multidimensional poverty survive and thrive,” he added.
The EU-Unicef PFF will invest $6 million over three years to support the Philippines and seven other countries in South and Southeast Asia in making national budgets work better for children.
