Representatives from the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD), along with project advisors and local government unit planning officials, proudly presented the Philippines’ initiatives and best practices and shared valuable insights and experiences at the 12th session of the World Urban Forum (WUF12) convened by the United Nations Human Settlements Progamme (UN-Habitat) in cooperation with the Government of the Arab Republic of Egypt, last November 4 to 8, 2024 in Cairo.
Returning to Africa over two decades later, this year’s theme of “It All Starts at Home” provided the Philippines a platform to share the nation’s achievements on sustainable and inclusive urban development, and brought our local solutions to the global stage, the world’s biggest urban gathering with over 25,000 participants, stakeholders, experts, and global leaders including 4 head of states, 60 ministers, 45 deputy ministers, and 96 mayors, from 182 countries.
Philippine statement
Arch. and EnP. Henry L. Yap, DHSUD Undersecretary and head of the delegation, delivered the Philippine statement during the Ministerial Roundtable and underscored that “sustainable development begins at the local level and indeed starts at home,” emphasizing the crucial role of local governments in shaping cities and settlements. He aired DHSUD programs, including President Marcos Jr.’s Pambansang Pabahay para sa Pilipino (4PH) and the Plan and Do or PLANADO. He also reaffirmed the Philippines’ commitment to climate actions through multi-level governance and cross-sectoral collaboration, while highlighting the urgent need to act on shared goals for a more resilient future.
Local solutions on the global stage
DHSUD Usec. Yap, Director Mylene Rivera, and HHRO III Mohammad Haydrey Aminulla, including local government city planners and representatives from Bacolod, Antipolo, Tagbilaran, Quezon City, Pasig, and others, participated as speakers, panelists, reactors, and or resource persons at numerous dialogues, sessions, and discussions spearheaded by multilateral organizations and partners such as UN Habitat, Asian Development Bank (ADB), Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), reinforcing the recognition of the Philippines’ progress in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the implementation of the New Urban Agenda (NUA).
At the Forum, DHSUD delegates introduced and or expounded, among others, the Philippines’ strategies for fulfilling the NUA; evidence-based policy-making and governance frameworks; the importance of monitoring and evaluation to ensure effective and consistent implementation; efforts in mitigating urban heat through nature-based solutions; localization of SDGs to drive sustainable urbanization; integration of climate adaptation and disaster risk reduction in sectoral plans; and grassroots engagement as elements for resilient community building.
In addition, project advisors and our city planners showcased their strategies and tools used in measuring the impacts of urban resilience interventions, presented their capstone projects that featured climate-resilient solutions produced through the collaborative efforts of national agencies and local authorities, featured technical assistance provided by international institutions, and exchanged notes with foreign counterparts on possible solutions that are applicable across varied communities and cultures.
Side meetings and commendation
In a bilateral meeting, the UN-Habitat “commended the Government’s housing program, which aims to respond to the growing housing need, particularly of marginalized groups, and reiterated UN-Habitat’s support for the Government’s national housing program when possible.” Represented by Deputy Executive Director Michal Mlynar; Regional Representative of the Office for Asia and the Pacific Kazuko Ishigaki; UN-Habitat Philippines Country Programme Manager Christopher E. Rollo and key officials, they also acknowledged the Philippines’ contribution, and congratulated the Government’s successful conduct of the first Philippine Urban Forum last year, amid others.
Undersecretary Yap, accompanied by Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN-Habitat Maria Rosanna O. Josue, also made a courtesy call to the Philippine Ambassador to Egypt, H.E. Ezzedin H. Tago, thanking the latter and his team for their graciousness and full support. During the call, Usec. Yap took the opportunity to share the highlights of the Administration’s flagship 4PH Program and provided the Embassy with copies of the Departments The Shelter Magazine.
Oculars
In addition to discussing the principles that will shape a resilient framework for Pasig River’s urban development during a session on “operational approach to integrated urban development”, visits to housing and urban redevelopment sites and the Pasig River Esplanade equivalent along the Nile River named Mamsha Ahl Masr Walkway (Promenade of the People of Egypt) were made. During the trip, insights into local urban development challenges and learnings for sustainable planning and implementation were also shared and discussed.
Cairo Call to Action
The world’s largest urban development forum concluded with a 10-point call to action, seeking urgent action to address the global housing crisis, achieve global goals through local action, with a need for systematic representation of local actors at all levels, share urban spaces and opportunities inclusively, use urban planning to deliver better local outcomes, unlock finance for cities and communities, ensure equity and justice for sustainable cities, leverage local and grassroots data for decision-making, harness culture and heritage as an asset for sustainability, and build coalitions and alliance to scale local impact.
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Henry L. Yap is an Architect, Fellow of both Environmental Planning and Real Estate Management, and one of the Undersecretaries of the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development.
