Purpose

As the Philippines gear up to accelerate the implementation of the 2030 Agenda, each region was tasked with developing a Regional SDG Catch Up Plan considering regional specificities as well as vertical linkages with national development plan.

Approach

Every Policy is Connected (EPiC) provided a framework to identify all the regional policy priorities and vulnerable population groups and to develop an indicator framework aligned with regional and national priorities. A training-of-trainers (ToT) approach was taken to build capacity in technical staff from three pilot regions, the National Economic Development Agency (NEDA) and the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA). The ToT workshop included hands-on guidance on utilizing a data dashboard and the EPiC tool to formulate SDG catch-up plans addressing specific provincial priorities and aligned with national strategies. The trained staff continued to roll out the same approach in the remaining provinces with minimal assistance from ESCAP.

Outcomes and Lessons Learned

• The ToT workshop proved to be a successful modality to multiply the impact of the EPiC framework at national and sub-national levels.
• The workshop also helped train “EPiC experts” who act as in-country resource persons for others who want to explore and use the tool. 
• Government officials enhanced their planning and monitoring skills and increased the ownership of the plans among all stakeholders.
• The implementation of EPiC also increased synergy and common understanding between the producers and users of official statistics.