Outcome PHL_D_1.3

By 2028, all people, benefit from a more integrated, innovative, inclusive, and sustainable economy that generates decent work and livelihood opportunities.

In 2025, the Philippines made substantial progress in strengthening its national and regional enabling environment for gender equality, supported by UN Women’s multi-sectoral and systems-based interventions. Nationally, the policy landscape advanced through the Philippine Commission on Women’s Memorandum Circular 2025-07, which reaffirmed Gender Mainstreaming and the GAD approach as legally mandated strategies for embedding gender equality across governance systems. The Department of Labor and Employment’s Department Order 251-25 further modernized protections against workplace gender discrimination, addressing persistent gaps in pay equity, promotions, and access to professional development. While the failure to pass a national anti-discrimination law remains a key barrier, these reforms strengthened institutional accountability for women's rights and created firmer foundations for participation, leadership, and protection under the Women, Peace and Security (WPS) agenda. UN Women also advanced regional collaboration by helping establish two multi-stakeholder sectoral models—the WEPs Corporate Action Lab (CAL) and the Asia-Pacific Sustainable Finance Lab—bringing together government, private sector, regulators, and technical partners to jointly design, test, and institutionalize gender-responsive solutions. This systems-driven approach supported companies in adopting gender-responsive policies, strengthening leadership pathways for women, and aligning workplace reforms with national labor goals and international standards. Across its programme portfolio, UN Women delivered coordinated interventions in EVAW, climate resilience, WPS, SDG localization, and HIV governance. Under the EVAW programme, the National Consultation on the Regional Plan of Action on EVAW strengthened institutional capacities and multi-sector coordination to address sexual violence in public and private spaces. Through the EmPower Programme, UN Women expanded inclusive participation in clean and renewable energy policy processes via platforms such as Clean Technology Talks, the Renewable Energy Congress, and civil society-led dialogues on a feminist just energy transition. Youth leadership was elevated through the Young Feminist Manifesto on Climate Action convening. Within the WPS agenda, UN Women supported legislative and institutional reforms in the Bangsamoro, convening women Members of Parliament to advocate for the passage of the BARMM GAD Code and supporting women mediators and civil society in implementing WPS priorities at the community level. RAPWPS processes in Caraga and Regions 9, 10, and 12 strengthened subnational governance structures and enabled 61 women leaders—especially those from conflict-affected and indigenous communities—to shape peace and security planning. Thirty-four CSOs under WPHF Phase 2 became active contributors to regional decision-making, marking a transformative shift toward more inclusive, community-driven peacebuilding. Under SDG localization, UN Women strengthened gender-responsive community engagement strategies by ensuring flexible participation modalities, practical support, and safe, culturally appropriate spaces for women’s involvement in local planning. In HIV governance, UN Women and UNAIDS convened the first-ever National Summit on Women Living with HIV, elevating WLHIV voices in national policy processes and advancing a more rights-based, gender-responsive HIV response. UN Women also deepened partnerships with the private sector, expanding engagement to 10 companies and equipping organizations with tools such as the Gender Action Toolkit (GAT) to develop data-driven gender action plans. Engagements with the SEC and GCG contributed to more enabling systems for gender-responsive corporate governance. Meanwhile, the growing Community of Practice and the 2025 Asia-Pacific WEPs Forum strengthened peer learning and built momentum for the upcoming 2026 WEPs Awards. Across all thematic areas, UN Women engaged 102 institutions through targeted trainings and capacity-building workshops, resulting in stronger application of gender-responsive policies, enhanced workplace equality commitments, and strengthened civil society advocacy. The active participation of 104 institutions created a more coherent gender-equality ecosystem capable of sustaining and scaling progress. Collectively, these achievements demonstrate significant national and regional advances in gender-responsive governance, institutional reform, inclusive peacebuilding, climate resilience, private-sector accountability, and rights-based development—positioning the Philippines for deeper progress toward GEWE commitments in the years ahead.

By 2028, all people, benefit from a more integrated, innovative, inclusive, and sustainable economy that generates decent work and livelihood opportunities.

In this reporting period, two (2) national plans such as the National Determined Contribution (NDC) Implementing Plan and the National Adaptation Plan were adapted and included in the Gender-Climate Change Nexus (GCCN) Project implemented by UN Women and UN-ESCAP through the Climate Change Commission. in 2024, a multistakeholder consultation attended by various government agencies to define the preliminary list of potential priority indicators. Building from the UN Women's and partner's list of 100 indicators on gender and environment which support reporting against relevant frameworks such as Global Set of Climate Change Statistics and Indicators, the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction, and the SDGs. The discussion to prioritize potential indicators for Philippines was framed squarely amid the country’s priorities on climate change, namely the Nationally Determined Contribution Implementation Plan (NDC-IP), and its 71 indicators, and the National Adaptation Plan (NAP). Taking the list of 100 indicators and the NDC-IP’s 71 action indicators as reference, a first short list of 37 indicators were selected by the end of the Consultation. In relation to the updating of the national GEWE plan, the Philippine Commission on Women is yet to initiative its assessment and planning to develop the new national GEWE plan. Further updates will be reported in 2025.