Doha:Eastern Visayas The Department of Economy, Planning, and Development (DEPDev) regional office is advancing efforts to develop the Eastern Visayas Regional Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Catch-Up Plan for 2026-2030, four years ahead of the 2030 deadline.

According to Philippines News Agency, DEPDev Eastern Visayas Regional Director Meylene Rosales stated that the plan aims to address development gaps and boost the region's progress towards achieving the 2030 global targets.

The initiative includes workshops conducted on October 7 and 26, which assessed the region's performance in achieving the SDGs, identified challenges in implementation, and determined priority areas needing urgent intervention. The first workshop analyzed the region's SDG performance, identifying 17 regressing indicators across 10 of the 17 SDGs based on the 2024 Pace of Progress assessment. The second workshop focused on validating the preliminary diagnosis matrix and identifying priority goals using criteria such as the magnitude of the population affected, pace of progress, urgency of intervention, and potential multiplier effects.

Rosales mentioned that the workshop outputs will be used for further consultations with government agencies and institutions to refine proposed interventions, identify measures to accelerate progress, and clarify responsibilities and requirements for implementation. The regional catch-up plan aims to coordinate efforts among national government agencies, local government units, academic institutions, and other stakeholders to address development challenges and expedite progress towards the 2030 targets.

The Philippine Statistics Authority reported a decline in progress for five of the 17 SDGs, specifically Goals 5, 9, 10, 11, and 13. The SDGs, adopted in 2015 by United Nations member states, including the Philippines, serve as a universal framework to guide national development policies over a 15-year period, with 17 goals, 169 targets, and 232 unique indicators addressing global challenges.