The United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and the Australian government are helping local government units (LGUs) to gain access to funds in fighting climate change and improving their resilience to disasters.
The UNDP and the Local Government Academy (LGA) formalized a partnership through the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) that aims to strengthen the capacity of LGUs to access, manage and mobilize financing for disaster resilience investments.
A key focus of the cooperation is the co-development of the Resilience Financing Module, a core component of the Resilience Investment Proposal Toolkit.
It features modules on Project Proposal Development and the LGU Resource Finder, all designed to strengthen local governments’ capacity to craft bankable proposals, access public, private and blended financing streams, and transform climate and disaster risk data into actionable, investable resilience solutions.
“Resilience is a moral commitment to protect people, preserve development gains, and ensure that communities can adapt and thrive,” says UNDP Deputy Resident Representative Edwine Carrie.
“By working with the LGA, we are investing in institutions and systems that enable local governments to routinely plan, budget, and access financing for resilience as part of normal government practice,” he added.
The agreement sets a framework for collaboration under the Australian government-supported Strengthening Institutions and Empowering Localities Against Disasters and Climate Change (SHIELD) Program.
The UNDP and LGA will work closely with the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), SHIELD consortium partners, including Philippine Business for Social Progress (PBSP), UN-Habitat and the Consortium of Bangsamoro Civil Society (CBCS), to develop and institutionalize capacity program on resilience financing for local governments.
The partnership will also support pilot testing, training and nationwide rollout of the module, alongside knowledge-sharing and cross-sectoral learning on risk-to-resilience investment approaches using existing LGA platforms and networks.
LGA Executive Director Thelma T. Vecina stressed the growing demands placed on local governments and the importance of partnership in meeting these challenges.
SHIELD consortium partner NRC Executive Director Silvestre Barrameda, Jr. expressed his support to scaling resilience efforts across communities:
“This collaboration reflects our shared commitment to strengthening resilience at the local and international level, where leadership, systems, and communities converge. We reaffirm our collective responsibility to turn resilience into concrete action for our local governments and the communities they serve.” UNDP Philippines News
The SHIELD program is a multi-year partnership covering 10 provinces and two regions in the Philippines that are among the most vulnerable to disasters and climate change impacts. UNDP Philippines News
