BANGKOK, 17 NOVEMBER 2023 - The Philippines advocated social protection, gender equality, and the positive contribution of migrants to the country’s people-centered development at the 7th Asian and Pacific Population Conference, which was held at the United Nations Conference Center in Bangkok, Thailand on 15-17 November 2023. The Conference is organized by the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UN ESCAP) in collaboration with the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) in Asia and the Pacific.

Undersecretary Lisa Grace Bersales, Executive Director of the Commission on Population and Development, was elected Vice-Chair of the 7th Conference. Undersecretary Bersales co-led a strong, multi-agency Philippine delegation with Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Undersecretary for Policy and Plans Adonis P. Sulit and Undersecretary for Operations Group Monina Josefina H. Romualdez. Representatives of the Department of Health and Department of Foreign Affairs also joined the delegation.

The Philippine delegation delivered interventions on various aspects of socioeconomic development including health, poverty eradication, community development, and education, signifying the strong commitment of the Philippine government to uplifting the lives of all Filipinos.

The Philippine country statement, delivered by Undersecretary Bersales, underscored the Government’s key social protection priorities in the recently adopted Philippine Population and Development Plan 2023-2028, which serves as the overall blueprint for inter-agency collaboration to optimize demographic opportunities and address remaining population challenges.

The Philippine delegation also discussed the Responsible Parenthood and Reproductive Health Law to ensure universal and equitable access to comprehensive sexual and reproductive health services, as well as other measures in continuous pursuit of gender equality and the elimination of gender-based violence.

The positive role and contribution of migrants to socio-economic development of the Philippines was recognized. The delegation highlighted the establishment of a Department of Migrant Workers to institute more effective protection and promotion of the well-being of Filipino migrant workers.

The Philippine delegation’s interventions at the Conference further placed emphasis on the Philippine Government’s inclusive economic growth strategy to ensure no one is left behind, including through the flagship conditional cash transfer program for more than four million economically disadvantaged families, among other initiatives.

Department of Social and Welfare Development’s (DSWD) Undersecretary for Plans and Policies Adonis P. Sulit (left) and Undersecretary for Operations Group Monina Josefina H. Romualdez (right), delivering interventions for the roundtable discussions on Inequality, social exclusion and rights, and on Partnerships and regional cooperation, respectively

Commission on Population and Development Deputy Executive Director Lolito Tacardon (left) and Department of Health’s Dr. Mara Jean Almazora-Millar, delivering interventions for the roundtable discussions on Population dynamics, sustainable development and climate change, and on Health, including sexual and reproductive health, and reproductive rights, respectively

The Asian and Pacific Population Conference, held every ten years, serves as the regional platform for Member States to discuss the integral and mutually reinforcing linkages between population and development, including as they relate to the UN 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda. At the Conference, Member States also reviewed the region’s implementation of international and regional commitments.

For more information on the 7th APPC, please visit the UN ESCAP website at: https://www.unescap.org/events/2023/seventh-asian-and-pacific-population-conference. END