From The Chairperson

2013-05-22 | FPE National RAC-Partners’ Meeting | Closing Message

Event: FPE National RAC-Partners’ Meeting

Date: May 22, 2013

Venue: La Breza Hotel, Quezon City

It has been a productive three days.

We take all the challenges that Secretary Dinky forwarded during the opening of the event, that FPE would continue to support communities who believed and have worked with each other so that sustainable development is not a goal, not a dream but a reality in the lives of the people we serve.

We also take the challenges presented yesterday by partners from Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao, for FPE to carry the aspirations of the communities when planning and implementing projects, marry hard science and economic support to transform lives and make conservation possible, ensure that plans are meeting targets and targets are based on facts or evidences, and ensure our projects have sustainability mechanisms.

Your recommendations during open forums were carefully noted as well, as follow: to engage the youth in our BCSD projects, capacitate indigenous people or communities in financial management, develop a research agenda for the environment that consider the socio-cultural and economic aspects, and make a clear stand on critical and priority environmental issues such as mining.

In moving forward, we must first infuse our funds in our site-focused projects as requested and verbalized by Mindanao. This will allow us to implement a holistic and not a piece-meal approach to BCSD. This is also geared towards greater connectivity of initiatives and sustainability of investments in our priority sites. Second, foster new partnership and assist not only the CSOs but also the local government units, government entities and business community. Through this we hope to achieve a convergence in conservation efforts and initiatives. Third, invest in knowledge management for a more strategic and dynamic sharing of lessons, experiences and best practices. We would like to improve in this aspect of our work and make important information available on our website and other communication channels. Fourth, embark on more aggressive resource mobilization or bring in more funds for on-the-ground-CSO initiatives on BCSD. And last but not the least, encapsulate all of these in FPE’s new five-year strategy plan that will take effect in 2014.

As FPE looks back to analyze lessons learned in past projects and initiatives, our RACs and partners play a very significant role. Therefore, FPE strengthens its commitment of support. FPE will continue to move forward and will relentlessly pursue efforts for a better environment for the Philippines.

Thank you.