How does the Province of Bataan Engage Its Stakeholders to Achieve the Sustainable Development Goals?

Sherilyn F. Valdecañas will defend her MS in Sustainability Management entitled "How does the Province of Bataan Engage Its Stakeholders to Achieve the Sustainable Development Goals?"

March 20, 2023 at 2:30-4:00pm

Her adviser is Ma. Assunta C. Cuyegkeng, PhD.

Her panelists are:

John Luis D. Lagdameo, PhD

Enrico C. Osi, PhD

Abstract:

When the Millennium Development Goals transitioned to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in 2015, the Philippines was one of the developing countries that pledged to take part in its adoption and implementation. With the universality of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, SDG localization is seen as a catalyst for the attainment of the 17 goals and this requires collective action not only of the national, regional, and local governments but also various actors across different sectors. Thus, a multi-stakeholder approach is instrumental in carrying out initiatives related to the SDGs. This paper presents a case study on stakeholder engagement undertaken at the local level to achieve the SDGs, specifically in the province of Bataan. Through the conduct of semi-structured interviews with open-ended questions, involving eight representatives from different stakeholder groups, thematic analysis was employed. The analysis shows that stakeholder engagement in the form of dialogues, consultations, partnerships, and collaborations has been conducted in the implementation of projects and programs geared towards the attainment of SDGs in the province. The wide range of stakeholders that are being engaged include the government, non-government organizations, civil society organizations, the private sector, academe, students and young leaders, and local communities. The key roles that these stakeholders play were identified to be project partners, participants, and beneficiaries. While localization efforts are driven by stakeholder engagement, there remains barriers to the rapid realization of SDGs such as the need for deeper understanding of the SDGs, mismatch in target outputs, and lack of budget.