During a 2-day Stakeholder Consultation for UNFPA Philippines' 9th Country Programme, Country Representative Dr. Leila Joudane highlighted the role of UNFPA as advocate, convenor and innovator in its bid to support the Philippines in reaching the 3 transformative results: ending preventable maternal deaths, ending the unmet need for family planning, and ending gender-based violence and harmful practices.

Joudane thanked UNFPA’s partners for their “passion and motivation to support UNFPA to design the best country programme" during the workshop facilitated by the Center for Theory of Change.

“We will be together for the next five years to ensure that no Filipino will die while giving birth, no Filipina will face gender-based violence or harmful practices. And of course, (to address) the unmet need for family planning. It’s not (just) about family but it’s about choice and the rights of everyone here in this country,” she said.

As UNFPA highlighted the role of the Humanitarian-Development-Peace (HDP) or triple nexus approach in its Theory of Change, participating agencies and groups expressed the importance of truly ensuring that the rights of the vulnerable sectors are addressed.

Among the participating agencies are the Bangsamoro Women Commission - BARMM, Bangsamoro Youth Commission- BARMM, Bangsamoro Planning and Development Authority - BARMM, Commission on Human Rights, Commission on Population and Development, Department of Foreign Affairs - UN and International Organizations, Department of Health, Department of Social Welfare and Development, Ministry of Health - BARMM, Ministry of Social Service and Development - BARMM, National Economic and Development Authority, Philippine Statistics Authority, Philippine Institute for Development Studies, Assistance and Cooperation for Community Resilience and Development, Inc (ACCORD), Center for Health Services, Inc.(CHSI), Magungaya Mindanao Inc. (MMI), Mindanao Organization for Social Economic Progress (MOSEP), Nonviolent Peaceforce Philippines (NP), Oxfam Pilipinas, Philippine Legislators' Committee on Population and Development, Philippine Mental Health Association, Philippine Society for Responsible Parenthood, Inc (PSRP), University of San Carlos - Office of Population Studies, United Youth of the Philippines Women Inc. (UNYPHIL), Zone One Tondo Organization (ZOTO), and Zuellig Family Foundation (ZFF).