The High-Level Conference of Middle-Income Countries (MICs) kicked off its first day in Manila, with the Philippines hosting the event this year – the first time it is being held in Asia.
“The representation of our MICs, including from the Asia-Pacific, at this high-level conference, acknowledges the need for sustained dialogue on better supporting the growth practice of middle-income countries through thoughtful strategies, concrete, scalable, and impactful solutions,” Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo said on Monday.
“More to the point, it is an acknowledgement that we need each other. With stewardship of over half the world’s poor, middle-income countries must surge to internal and external challenges to obtain our national development goals within an acceptable timeframe,” he added.
Manalo called on leaders to ensure that the dialogue results in “concerted action” that would allow middle-income countries to grow and thrive.
“Let us pursue solutions suited to evolving contexts and needs. We should take decisive steps to mainstream green transitions, resilient strategies, and innovation as new criteria for growth in economic and energy,” he said.
“We need to replace outdated metrics, finance and development assistance models, and promote more empowering, robust, and inclusive approaches and partnerships. To the Philippines, this means, first, ensuring that economic growth is well distributed through investments in social protection programs and enhancing social safety nets,” the Filipino top diplomat added.
Armida Salsiah Alisjahbana, UN Undersecretary-General and Executive Secretary of the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), echoed the same sentiment.
He emphasized that middle-income countries account for three-fifths of the global population and economy, affirming their role in “determining the global trajectory towards sustainable development.”
For his part, Department of Economy, Planning, and Development (DepDev) Secretary Arsenio Balisacan underscored the need for an inclusive and responsive international development agenda, particularly in addressing risks.
“To sustain and accelerate our progress, we must embrace dynamic and decisive actions by ensuring efficient trade transitions, fostering resilience, and harnessing innovation as new frontiers for growth,” Balisacan said.
“In the Philippines, we aim to realize these goals through targeted instruments, strengthen national institutions, work for subskilling and reskilling, climate-minded diversity resilience integration, and revitalization of partnerships, particularly through self-serve and technical cooperation,” he added.
The conference will run from April 28 to 29. The two-day event includes delegations from the United Nations (UN) and will facilitate several panel discussions focused on sustainable development, economic resilience, and regional cooperation.