ÐÓ°ÉÂÛ̳

The Philippines is an archipelago of?over 7,600? islands. For three consecutive years, it has had the ?highest disaster risk worldwide?, due to its exposure and vulnerability to natural hazards compounded by low coping capacities.

Through sustained post-pandemic recovery efforts, the Philippines is on track towards achieving upper-middle-income status, remaining as one of the fastest-growing economies in Southeast Asia and the Pacific. Amid challenges in achieving Zero Hunger (Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 2) and Partnerships for the Goals (SDG 17), the country has made moderate progress in 12 of the 17 SDGs.

The Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) saw notable improvements, underscored by a drop in the region¡¯s poverty rate from 60 percent in 2018 to 32 percent in 2023. Within the country, the BARMM remains one of the regions with high poverty and malnutrition rates, due to recurrent natural hazards and conflict-related risks. Cultural norms add further constraints, particularly on women¡¯s livelihood opportunities, with restricted access to basic social services.

The ÐÓ°ÉÂÛ̳ (WFP) has supported the Government in delivering emergency response to natural hazards?and?armed conflicts, while gradually shifting to?capacity strengthening?through technical support and augmentation of the disaster risk management capacities of government authorities.

Today, ÐÓ°ÉÂÛ̳supports the Government in achieving food and nutrition security, by strengthening disaster risk management, social protection, and food systems and capacities to enhance institutional and community resilience.  

Walang Gutom (No Hunger)

Project Lawa

What the ÐÓ°ÉÂÛ̳ is doing in the Philippines

Disaster risk management
ÐÓ°ÉÂÛ̳supports the Government of the Philippines in preparing for and responding to shocks through technical assistance and capacity strengthening, innovative technology, and enhancing humanitarian supply chain management. WFP¡¯s support involves designing and pre-positioning critical response assets and infrastructure, contributing to strengthening the capacity of disaster management professionals at national and local levels, and supporting policy and legislative development. In the event of a sudden-onset emergency, ÐÓ°ÉÂÛ̳maintains a capacity to provide food or cash assistance to communities as well as emergency logistics and telecommunications support to government responders.
Disaster Risk Financing and Anticipatory Action
ÐÓ°ÉÂÛ̳has been a leader in supporting the Government¡¯s integration of anticipatory action (AA) into disaster management and social protection systems. This includes the formulation of a global first-of-its-kind ¡°Declaration of State of Imminent Disaster Act,¡± which will allow the Government to harness domestic resources for AA. ÐÓ°ÉÂÛ̳is also advancing additional disaster risk financing mechanisms, building on AA initiatives and its partnership with the Government to respond to Typhoon Haiyan (2013) and a series of successive typhoons in 2024. We do this by quickly providing cash to vulnerable populations through social protection programmes. These efforts support a more predictable, shock-responsive social protection system and enhance the resilience of smallholder farmers.
Nutrition and cross-cutting priorities
ÐÓ°ÉÂÛ̳provides technical support to the Government in formulating or enhancing strategies to address malnutrition, such as active involvement in the Scaling Up Nutrition Movement and Government-led technical working groups. ÐÓ°ÉÂÛ̳supports the strengthening of national and local systems to design and more effectively implement social and behaviour change, by incorporating nutritional messages among other topics, and has been a lead partner in advocating for and scaling up the fortification of rice. All ÐÓ°ÉÂÛ̳actions are anchored on the principle of ¡°leaving no one behind¡±.
Social protection
As the Government¡¯s partner of choice in strengthening national systems, ÐÓ°ÉÂÛ̳contributes to enhancing social protection programmes to become more nutrition-sensitive and shock-responsive. In support of the Government¡¯s commitments to the School Meals Coalition to deliver nutritious meals to all schoolchildren by 2030, ÐÓ°ÉÂÛ̳sources food locally from smallholder farmers and fortifies rice with iron to alleviate vitamin and mineral deficiencies. To address hunger and malnutrition, ÐÓ°ÉÂÛ̳assists the Government in piloting and expanding nationally the Walang Gutom (No Hunger) 2027 programme, to provide families facing severe food insecurity with electronic food vouchers coupled with social and behavioural change communications.
Climate change adaptation, social cohesion and integrated resilience
ÐÓ°ÉÂÛ̳works with the national and BARMM governments to strengthen the resilience of communities and food systems against shocks. This involves increasing agricultural productivity through sustainable, community-led livelihood projects, coupled with social and behaviour change strategies promoting healthy nutrition. Through technical support, ÐÓ°ÉÂÛ̳strengthens government capacities for disaster risk management and climate change adaptation, and contributes to effective policy formulation for resilience programmes. ÐÓ°ÉÂÛ̳links smallholder farmers to institutional markets (schools, hospitals and penitentiaries) to improve their income and people¡¯s access to fresh, nutritious commodities. Nationally, ÐÓ°ÉÂÛ̳helped the Government to model and scale up a national flagship programme focused on ensuring access to water to support rural livelihoods. In BARMM, ÐÓ°ÉÂÛ̳has been supporting efforts to ensure peace dividends and social cohesion.

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Partners and donors

Achieving Zero Hunger is the work of many. Our work in the Philippines is made possible by the support and collaboration of our partners and donors, including:
USAID-BHA

Operations in Philippines

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Contacts

Office

11/F South Tower Rockwell Business Center Sheridan Corner Sheridan and United Streets, Mandaluyong City, Philippines
1554
Philippines

Phone
+63 2 8833 6229
Fax
+63 2 8823 1485
Email
wfp.philippines@wfp.org
For media inquiries
philippines.communications@wfp.org
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