Transforming global goals into local actions: The localization of sustainable development goals in the Philippines with focus on Mandaluyong City

• Main Author: Simpao, Mia Loraine S.
• Format: text
• Language: English
• Published: Animo Repository 2019
• Subjects: Intergovernmental cooperation—Philippines; Interagency coordination—Philippines—Manadaluyong City; Political Science
• Online Access: https://animorepository.dlsu.edu.ph/etd_masteral/6968
• Institution: De La Salle University

This study focuses on the localization of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development in the Philippine local government of Mandaluyong City through analyses on the coordination between local, regional, and national governments, and on the cooperation with international partners and relevant stakeholders. This research builds upon the important role of cities and local governments in the successful planning, implementation, and monitoring of the Global Goals, as cities are in strategic position to adopt local contexts and challenges, develop policies and enabling conditions, and engage local communities to be active partners in the operationalization of the Sustainable Development Goals. The Philippines has embedded the SDGs in its national strategies and monitoring systems – the Philippine Development Plan 2017-2022 and its Results Matrix along with the initial list of SDG indicators – and utilize these in the strategic localization of the Global Goals. Through the Five Key Principles of Sustainable Development Governance by Reinhard Steurer, the study conducts a holistic assessment on the strengths and weaknesses of the Philippines, particularly Mandaluyong City, in localizing the SDGs and the PDP 2017- 2022. While national policies and monitoring tools established a strong top-down vertical integration, the lack of capacity building measures on SDG planning and monitoring to Mandaluyong City failed to strengthen the bottom-up vertical integration from the local government to the regional and national levels. Furthermore, the study found a lack of indepth discussion and integration of the SDGs in Mandaluyong city development plans. Horizontal integration was found to be strong within Mandaluyong City as it promotes awareness and active participation of its different departments in the planning and implementation of the Global Goals in the local government. Weaknesses in the cooperation of regional government agencies and in the coherence of national policies were revealed to have created adverse impact on the localization of SDGs at the city level. Knowledge integration through stakeholder participation in SDG planning and implementation was found to be strong in all levels of Philippine government, facilitated through institutionalized mechanisms. The support of international development partners was found to be significant, but could also be improved specifically in Mandaluyong City. Intergenerational equity or the medium and long-term aspects towards sustainability were found in the plans and budget programs of all government levels. However, Mandaluyong City would need to go beyond SDG-tagging and conduct strategic planning of its programs and projects to achieve sustainable development targets in line with the Global Goals. The SDG-FACES program is found to be the best practice of Mandaluyong City in localizing the SDGs, meeting all Five Key Principles of Sustainable Development Governance. The program showcases that the city is indeed at a strategic position to implement the SDGs through programs that accurately address the concrete needs of its local communities. Even with the weaknesses found in the SDG localization of Mandaluyong City, linked to the challenges at the regional and national government levels, the study sees opportunities in the strengthening the transformation of the Global Goals into local actions at the city.