The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) Philippines held a planning session this week for the Longitudinal Cohort Study on the Filipino Child (LCSFC) with its partners and stakeholder government agencies.

The LCSFC is a 15-year nationwide study which is jointly supported by the Australian Government, UNFPA, UNICEF, and a National Steering Committee led by the National Economic Development Authority (NEDA). Implemented by the research consortium of the University of San Carlos - Office of Population Studies (USC-OPS), Demographic Research and Development Foundation (DRDF), USC Center for Social Research and Education, and Research Institute for Mindanao Culture (RIMCU), the study follows the same group of 5,000 children from age 10 in 2016 until the end of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in 2030.

During the 2-day planning workshop, the participants strategized and planned the updated research agenda, key activities, and communications strategy for the next four years of the LCSFC, which looks into the following themes: adolescent health and development, education and labor force participation, gender equality and gender-based violence, food security and nutrition, and youth empowerment

UNFPA Philippines Country Representative Dr. Leila Saiji Joudane congratulated the team for the successful implementation of the study for the past six years. 

“We were able to gather a wealth of information about the “Index-Children” – now teenagers – across several development indicators, spanning from health, to education, to gender empowerment,” she said. “Insights and lessons from these became a critical element to the development of policies, plans, interventions in our country.”

The session looked at milestones of the study and recommendations on how to cover other key development issues. It also sought to further strengthen the collaboration and synergies among agencies moving forward.

Besides the funding organizations and researchers, participants included representatives from the Philippine government — the National Economic Development Authority (NEDA), Commission on Population and Development (CPD), Department of Education (DepEd), Department of Health (DOH), and the National Youth Commission (NYC).