At a glance: Philippines

The big picture

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This map does not reflect a position by UNICEF on the legal status of any country or territory or the delimitation of any frontiers.

The Government of the Philippines is making significant progress in the implementation of the Convention on the Rights of the Child. The legislative framework of the Convention is largely in place, and its implementation is strengthened by a civil society that is highly protective of human rights; the Local Government Code, which devolved the delivery of basic services except public education to local government units (LGUs); and increasing human priority expenditures.

The monitoring of 33 indicators of basic family needs, particularly of children and women, is in process in all of the country's 41,936 villages (barangays). The favourable environment for children and women is due mainly to policy reforms, political stability, improved peace and order, economic growth and a free media. The Government is cognizant of the economic slowdown affecting the region and is taking steps to minimize its economic and social costs.

The Government of the Philippines-UNICEF cooperation has focused on an integrated hierarchy of activities focusing on what can be done at home, community, basic health service and referral levels to fulfil the health and nutrition rights of children and women in an effective, efficient and sustainable manner. This requires greater integration of health, nutrition and intersectoral interventions, strengthened local capacity, and enhanced health system/community interaction.

Significant progress has been made over the past decade to develop mechanisms to rescue, rehabilitate and reintegrate children in especially difficult circumstances. The time is now ripe to combine and integrate these efforts into more coherent and systematic approaches to prevent and protect children from exploitative labour, sexual abuse, drug abuse and other violations of their rights. The country has established Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiatives, micronutrient supplementation, access to safe water, literacy and school participation. Polio eradication and the elimination of neonatal tetanus have nearly been achieved. The Government's globalization policy has made the economy more internationally competitive, but it has also exposed children to such negative influences as family separation, dangerous drugs and urban poverty.

UNICEF priorities

UNICEF’s specific objectives are to:

• Strengthen the capacity of national and local governments to provide an environment to ensure child rights and manage basic services.
• Enhance the full participation of civil society to support family efforts to raise, nurture and protect their children.
• Reduce infant, under-five and maternal mortality rates and malnutrition.
• Improve the quality of education and increase cohort survival rates. 
• Reduce the number of children who are sexually exploited, exposed to hazardous labour and substance abuse, or are in conflict with the law.

UNICEF works in collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFP) in women's, youth and child health; WHO and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) in nutrition; the International Labour Organization (ILO) in child labour; and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in governance, water and environmental sanitation, and gender and development. UNICEF will also work closely with the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank and several other bilateral donors to test and bring to scale an elementary education package and an early child development package which integrates health, nutrition and education services.