The United Nations in the Philippines has launched a new joint programme to bridge the digital divide and boost the competitiveness of enterprises through improved connectivity and support from UN agencies, including the ILO and government partners. The new joint programme, supported by the United Nations, will provide digital tools and training to at least 15,000 small businesses in underserved communities in the Philippines. The new UN joint programme ultimately aims to strengthen the competitiveness of micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) through improved connectivity. The United Nations Joint Programme on Inclusive, Competitive, and Responsible Digital Philippines (Digital PINAS) will build a digital ecosystem for MSMEs in remote regions that face barriers to connectivity. The programme will also provide training to help entrepreneurs to grow their businesses in the digital economy.
The initiative is being implemented jointly by three UN entities: the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the International Trade Centre (ITC), and the International Labour Organization (ILO), in collaboration with the government, led by the Department of Information and Communication Technology (DICT), and potential private sector partners.
With a total budget of US$5 million, the joint programme will address policy, regulatory and systemic barriers to digital inclusion. To achieve these goals, the Digital PINAS programme will use a three-pillar strategy: capacity building, support for the establishment of Digital Transformation Hubs in at least 30 geographically remote and underserved areas, and advocacy for policies and regulations that will promote digitalization and encourage investment in an inclusive digital ecosystem.
“The promotion of digital transformation as a catalytic opportunity is critical to accelerate the Sustainable Development Goals. This is especially relevant in the context of the Philippines and critical to supporting its ambition to be an upper-middle-income country. We are positioning Digital PINAS as a convergence point for integrated UN Country Team action to support a unified digital transformation agenda for the Philippines,” said Khalid Hassan, Director of the ILO in the Philippines, who opened the launch on behalf of the UN Resident Coordinator in the Philippines, Gustavo González.
Digital PINAS is funded through the United Nations’ Joint SDG Fund, an inter-agency mechanism for strategic financing of transformative actions toward achieving SDGs by 2030. The Fund is supported by the European Union (EU), which pledged an initial 30 million euros for digital transformation efforts across the developing world, including the Philippines. Other supporters to the Fund include Belgium, Denmark, Germany, Ireland, Italy, the Republic of Korea, Luxembourg, Monaco, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Saudi Arabia, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland. To complement the programme’s investment, a key component of the initiative involves the mobilization of US$21 million in local government and private sector investments for digital products.
