The United Nations Development Program (UNDP) in the Philippines and the Board of Investments (BOI) are collaborating on efforts to encourage sustainable investments in the country.
The UNDP and BOI agreed to develop and implement the Philippine SDG Investor Map, a dynamic document that will reflect country opportunities for sustainable investment. It has just identified 12 investment opportunity areas, including those in the climate and health sectors.
The two agencies recently focused on Investment Opportunity Areas (IOAs) from the map in a forum with key private sector stakeholders, investors,and development partners.
SDG Investor Maps are vital market intelligence tools that encourage the private sector to participate in the global goals and identify investment themes in emerging markets.
Center for Impact Investing and Practices (CIIP) director Sue-Ann Huang noted that “Asia is still underrepresented in the impact investing space, and assets under management allocations remain insufficient in keeping pace with the growing needs and opportunities in the region.”
Only 15 percent of global impact investments are channeled to Asia, and only 3 percent to Southeast Asia. This is too low, especially since ASEAN is set to become the fourth largest economy globally.”
To further expand the first iteration of the Philippine SDG Investor Map, UNDP Philippines prepared a Policy White Space Report to provide information about promising investment opportunities that are currently in need of either more business-enabling government policies and regulations or a more reliable business model.
The sector deep dive aimed to facilitate a dialogue to better understand the gaps and challenges and propose solutions in operationalizing and enabling SDG-focused investments in the Philippines.
UNDP Philippines Resident Representative Dr. Selva Ramachandran stressed that the role of the private sector is huge and critical in the Philippines.
“We understand the magnitude of the challenge in front of us, and we have a range of tools and solutions―many will be discussed in this forum. More urgently, we need to understand how we can move from solutions to action, and how we can drive collective action and make progress towards common goals to address climate change and achieve more equitable and inclusive development outcomes for all,” he said.
BOI Chief for Resource-Based Industries Service’s (RBIS) Energy Division Dr. Rose Marie Mendoza cited the importance of adapting to the rapidly evolving renewable energy ecosystem.
“The renewable energy sector thrives on collaboration between the public and private sectors. With each new player comes more complexity―whether in technology, investment dynamics, or market strategies,” she said.
“As we solve today’s challenges, we inevitably encounter new issues, reflecting the natural cycle of climate innovation. That’s why a strong, focused approach to de-risking renewable energy investments is critical. Equitable financing options backed by supportive policies will enable both small and large players in the ecosystem to thrive and adapt to an ever-evolving landscape.” UNDP Philippines News
