Story

UN Assistant Secretary-General and UNDP Regional Director Kanni Wignaraja in Philippines for mission

25 October 2022

Caption: Ms. Kanni Wignaraja [second from left] with members of the UN Country Team in the Philippines

Ms Kanni Wignaraja to discuss UNDP's work and contribution to the country's development priorities and progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals

The United Nations (UN) Assistant Secretary-General and United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Regional Director Ms. Kanni Wignaraja is on official mission in the Philippines from 22 – 28 October 2022.

During her week-long mission, Ms. Wignaraja will meet with senior government officials, and private sector, civil society, and youth representatives, to discuss UNDP's work and contribution to the country's development priorities and progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals.

She will also lead the launch of “Pintig: Women, Data, and the Pandemic” – a documentary which highlights the invaluable work and commitment of women leaders in the Philippines who bravely stood up to the crisis brought about by the pandemic – at home and within communities.

Ms. Wignaraja’s programme also includes field visits to Mindanao to hand over equipment to support sustainable livelihoods for local communities. She will also have discussions on resilience with leading thinkers, industry practitioners, and civil society organizations to explore what the Philippines should do to use the economic, social, and environmental policy and financing instruments to support green recovery, while also building sustainable and resilient economies and societies.

Since 1965, UNDP has worked with the Government of the Philippines, civil society, and the private sector to strengthen inclusive, green, and resilient growth, and to accelerate the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030, and to ensure no one is left behind.

Today, it continues to strengthen the country’s capacities at the national and local levels to promote democratic governance, sustainable management of natural resources, climate change adaptation and disaster risk management, and resilience and peacebuilding. In all its programmes, UNDP integrates human rights and gender equality, believing that everyone should have equal access to the benefits of development.