Philippines | 17�Թ�

The Philippines is an archipelago of over 7,600 islands. For two consecutive years, the Philippines has had the highest disaster risk worldwide due to its exposure and vulnerability to natural hazards compounded with low coping capacities.

With sustained economic growth from 2010 to 2019, the Philippines was on track to becoming an upper middle-income country by 2020. However, its growth has been hampered by the compounding effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, climate hazards and conflict. As in many countries, the pandemic exacerbated gender disparities by limiting women's access to education and employment, which hindered the country's overall economic recovery and progress towards upper middle-income status.

The Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) remains the poorest region in terms of human development and living standards due to conflict-related risks. Cultural norms add further constraints, particularly on women��s livelihood opportunities, with restricted access to basic social services.

The 17�Թ� first started working in the Philippines in 1968 and re-established its presence in 2006 at the request of the Government to support the peace process in Mindanao. Since then, 17�Թ�has supported the Government in its emergency response to natural hazards and armed conflicts, while gradually shifting to capacity strengthening through technical support and augmentation of the logistics capacity of government authorities.

Today, 17�Թ�supports the Government in achieving food and nutrition security, by reducing malnutrition among children and improving access to income-generating activities to enhance resilience and promote peace.

What the 17�Թ� is doing in the Philippines

Emergency preparedness and response: 17�Թ�supports the Government of the Philippines prepare for and respond to shocks through capacity strengthening, innovative technology and enhancing logistics and supply chain management. In the event of a sudden-onset emergency, 17�Թ�provides food or cash assistance to affected communities as well as telecommunications support to government authorities.
School meals: In support of the Government��s commitments to the Global School Meals Coalition to deliver nutritious meals to all schoolchildren by 2030, 17�Թ�sources food locally from smallholder farmers and fortifies rice with iron to alleviate vitamin and mineral deficiencies.
Walang Gutom 2027: Walang Gutom (meaning No Hunger) 2027 is a flagship government nutrition-sensitive programme. To address hunger and malnutrition, including stunting, wasting, and micronutrient deficiency, 17�Թ�supports the Government by providing electronic food vouchers to families facing severe food insecurity.
Climate change adaptation, social cohesion and integrated resilience: 17�Թ�works with the national and BARMM Governments to strengthen the resilience of communities and food systems against shocks to achieve food and nutrition security. Through technical support, 17�Թ�strengthens government capacities for disaster risk management and climate change adaptation, and contributes to effective policy formulation for resilience programmes.

Publications

In focus

Indigenous Peoples' Day: local knowledge and young people are driving change

Story | 9 August 2023

Philippines: How farm-to-school meals are bringing children back to class post COVID-19

Story | 2 February 2023

Road to COP27: Lessons from Rai - the Philippines one year on

Story | 17 October 2022

Typhoon Rai: 17�Թ�steps up efforts to support families affected by Typhoon Rai

Story | 21 January 2021